No. 23 K-State (4-1, 1-1)
It’s the bye week for Kansas State football, or as head coach Chris Klieman calls it, “the open week.”
It couldn’t come at a better time.
“We had talked early in the season that we’d have four weeks of camp and then five weeks of games, and then we’d get a break, and then we’d have four weeks of games [after],” Klieman said. “This is a really good time. We’ve got a lot of guys banged up and some older players that just kind of need a break.”
Not only does the open week provide a period of rehabilitation for the Wildcats, but it allows momentum to set in after a big Week 5 victory over then-No. 20 Oklahoma State.
K-State suffered a deflating loss at BYU the week prior but refused to hit the panic button after and bounced back big, bringing the conference record back to .500.
“Looking at the film, I thought our guys played really well,” Klieman said. “I thought we played really hard and made some good strides in a number of areas — still some things that we have to keep working on and keep improving.”
K-State received a boost in its fight to place its stake atop the league last week as well. Arizona, which K-State defeated as a non-con game, downed preseason favorite Utah in a big 42-18 upset.
As a result, K-State stands as the betting favorite to win the Big 12, according to DraftKings and ESPN Bet. Despite an early loss, the Wildcats’ goals are still right in front of them.
Part of the hype stems from quarterback Avery Johnson’s breakthrough performance in Week 5, earning Big 12 Offensive Player of the Week honors.
The dual-threat went 19-of-31 for 259 yards with five total touchdowns — three passing and two more on the ground. It largely all came after an early interception.
Klieman said it was “without a doubt” the most comfortable the sophomore has looked in his young career.
“You could see that confidence in him, and then he started to get into a rhythm,” Klieman said. “I thought our o-line really protected him well. And when plays did break down, we saw what we know makes Avery so special.”
After the bye week, K-State has another late kickoff set for Saturday, Oct. 12 in its return to Boulder, Colorado. The Wildcats will face a Buffalo team that has relied on its stars for a perfect conference record thus far.