Game 1
South Dakota vs. rv/rv K-State
Date: Saturday, September 3, 2022
Kickoff: 6 p.m. Stadium: Bill Snyder Family Stadium (50,000)
Series: K-State leads, 5-0
THE TOP 5
1) K-State opens its 127th season of football on Saturday when the Wildcats host South Dakota in a 6 p.m. contest inside Bill Snyder Family Stadium. It is the third time in the last eight years the Wildcats and Coyotes will open up a season after having previously met in the 2015 and 2018 season openers. K-State won the 2015 contest, 35-0, before earning a come-from-behind 27-24 victory in 2018.
2) Running back Deuce Vaughn returns for his junior year after being named a Consensus All-American in 2021, the 11th in school history. He is one of just six Consensus All-Americans returning from last season and the first Wildcat to return after a Consensus All-America campaign since David Allen in 1999. He could move into the top 10 in school history in career all-purpose yards on Saturday, needing 57 yards.
3) Senior Adrian Martinez will start at quarterback for the Wildcats after spending the previous four seasons at Nebraska. He is the first K-State quarterback to start a season opener after transferring from a Division I school since Matt Miller (Texas A&M) started the 1994 opener. However, he is the first ever to come straight from one Division I school and start the next year's season opener.
4) K-State returns seven starters on defense from a year ago, a majority of those coming along the defensive line and at cornerback. Expected to start on Saturday after starting 10 or more games last season are nose guard Eli Huggins, defensive end Felix Anudike-Uzomah and corners Ekow Boye-Doe and Julius Brents. Also, safety TJ Smith is back after starting seven games a year ago.
5) Known for its special teams prowess, K-State brings back both of its primary returners in Malik Knowles (kickoffs) and Phillip Brooks (punts), each of whom have garnered All-America status in their disciplines during their careers. Sixth-year punter Ty Zentner is also back, while Chris Tennant, who ended the year as the primary place kicker, returns for his true sophomore season.
STATISTICAL SPOTLIGHTS
76.0 – Winning percentage by Chris Klieman, which ranks third nationally among coaches who have led programs at least nine years.
+56 – K-State's scoring margin in the fourth quarter of games last year, which ranked second in the Big 12.
11.2 – Points allowed per game trimmed by the Cats from 2020 (32.2) to 2021 (21.0) after the switch to a 3-3-5 alignment.
6 – Consecutive 100-yard rushing games by Deuce Vaughn dating back to last season's TCU contest.
1.22 – Turnovers per game by the Wildcats since 2012, the third lowest among all Power 5 programs behind Alabama and LSU.
TEAM NOTES
CATS IN LID LIFTERS
• Entering its 127th year of football, Kansas State holds an all-time record of 86-35-5 (70.2%) in season openers, including a 28-4 (87.5%) mark since 1990.
• Chris Klieman, who enters his 10th year as a head coach, has earned a 7-2 (77.8%) record in season openers.
HOME OPENERS
• All-time, Kansas State is 93-28-5 (75.8%) in home openers, while head coach Chris Klieman is 7-2 (77.8%) in home openers as a head coach.
NON-CONFERENCE NOTABLES
• Since 1990, K-State holds a 92-18 (83.2%) record in regular-season non-conference games.
• That stretch includes a 78-8 (90.7%) mark at home. During those 30 years (excluding the one-game non-conference schedule in 2020), the Wildcats have had perfect regular season non-conference ledgers 17 times and unblemished marks at home on 24 occasions, which included last season.