Rain and breezy winds quickly turned into snow flurries and gusty howls. While pregame conditions were far from ideal — with snow accumulating on the field at Bill Snyder Family Stadium — the weather began to settle as kickoff arrived, setting the stage for the Wildcats’ Senior Day matchup with Colorado.
In their final home game of the 2025 season, Kansas State found a way to persevere, pushing past the Buffaloes for a 24-17 win and sending the seniors out with a victory.
“We got a few guys on both sides of the ball who are seniors and it’s going to be their last time,” senior defensive tackle Uso Seumalo said. “We wanted to make sure we left with a bang. We left the right way, and I believe we did that today.”
The Wildcats improved to a record of 6-6 overall and 5-4 in the Big 12 Conference, leading them to their fifth-straight bowl. But getting the win over Colorado was difficult, especially when there were struggles throughout the first half.
The Wildcats jumped out first, putting up seven points when Joe Jackson rushed four yards for a touchdown. With 6:26 left in the second quarter, K-State would turn the ball over on downs when Jackson had a loss of two yards.
Turning things around for the ‘Cats, sophomore cornerback Donovan McIntosh intercepted his first career pass at the K-State 15-yard line and returned it for one yard.
After coming out of a timeout, the Buffaloes would put some pressure on the Wildcats as they would make their way down the field before halftime. Colorado made a 37-yard and 5-yard completion, finishing out the play with a 1-yard touchdown. The Buffaloes tied the game 7-7 with their scoring drive being 11 plays, 84 yards over two minutes.
“We did not play very good football in the first half,” K-State head coach Chris Klieman said. “I challenged the heck out of the guys at halftime, because I didn’t think we blocked very well in the first half. With the exception of the first drive, we didn’t sustain blocks, we didn’t finish runs, we didn’t get off blocks on defense. We didn’t finish tackles. It was seven to seven, and we were probably fortunate.”
Coming back with some momentum, Colorado progressed down the other end, but not before K-State stopped them, making the Buffaloes turn the ball over on downs.
K-State came out of halftime sharper. After forcing Colorado to turn the ball over on downs, the Wildcats pieced together a six-play, 56-yard drive over 2:52. Quarterback Avery Johnson — who completed 10 of 17 passes for 115 yards and rushed for 36 — found wide receiver Jaron Tibbs for a 21-yard completion. Jackson finished off the drive with gains of 7 and 1 yards, the latter for a touchdown, giving K-State a 14-7 lead with 4:32 left in the third.
“I got to keep trusting my guys up front,” Jackson said. “We kept believing, kept going to the sideline, making adjustments, and things start working out, finding a little holes to get in.”
The Wildcats went on a 15-play scoring drive with 10:23 left in the game, when Luis Rodriguez finished the play by kicking a 35-yard field goal to increase the team’s advantage to 17–7.
The Buffaloes would respond shortly after, making it their last scoring possession. Colorado would close in on K-State 17-14 after making a 1-yard touchdown on 9 plays over 75 yards.
Despite K-State having the lead, they wouldn’t get comfortable, wanting more. Jackson—26 carries for 145 yards and 3 touchdowns— would find his third touchdown of the game when he rushed up the middle for a 17-yard gain, putting the ‘Cats up 24-14 with 2:37 remaining in the game.
“Joe ran through wide open holes, made a couple guys miss, and had huge gains this week,” Klieman said. “That kid is a really internally motivated kid. That’s what I really like about Joe. Joe’s a humble kid. I just see the confidence, just growing so much with him.”
With emotions high — from Senior Day goodbyes to the push for bowl eligibility — the Wildcats made their priorities clear.
“We take it one day at a time and live in a moment,” senior offensive lineman Taylor Poitier said. “That’s what we preach about. We all love each other because we would do anything for any guy in that locker room. We won’t quit on each other and just all love everybody.”
