2023 Kansas State Wildcats football team

2023 Kansas State Wildcats football
Pop-Tarts Bowl champion
Pop-Tarts Bowl, W 28–19 vs. NC State
Conference	Big 12 Conference
Ranking
Coaches	No. 19
AP	No. 18
Record	9–4 (6–3 Big 12)
Head coach	Chris Klieman (5th season)
Offensive coordinator	Collin Klein (2nd season)
Defensive coordinator	Joe Klanderman (4th season)
Home stadium	Bill Snyder Family Football Stadium
Uniform
Seasons ←  2022 2024  →

2023 Big 12 Conference football standings

v t e	Conf							Overall
Team		W		L					W		L
No. 3 Texas y$^		8	–	1					12	–	2
No. 16 Oklahoma State y		7	–	2					10	–	4
No. 15 Oklahoma		7	–	2					10	–	3
Iowa State		6	–	3					7	–	6
No. 18 Kansas State		6	–	3					9	–	4
West Virginia		6	–	3					9	–	4
Texas Tech		5	–	4					7	–	6
No. 23 Kansas		5	–	4					9	–	4
UCF		3	–	6					6	–	7
TCU		3	–	6					5	–	7
Houston		2	–	7					4	–	8
BYU		2	–	7					5	–	7
Baylor		2	–	7					3	–	9
Cincinnati		1	–	8					3	–	9
Championship: Texas 49, Oklahoma State 21
^ – College Football Playoff participant $ – Conference champion y – Championship game participant Rankings from AP Poll

The 2023 Kansas State Wildcats football team represented Kansas State University in the Big 12 Conference during the 2023 NCAA Division I FBS football season. The Wildcats were led by Chris Klieman in his fifth year as their head coach.

They played their home games at Bill Snyder Family Football Stadium in Manhattan, Kansas.

Pre-Season

Previous season

Main article: 2022 Kansas State Wildcats football team

The Wildcats finished the 2022 regular season 10–4 and 7–2 in Big 12 play and appeared in the 2022 Big 12 Championship Game, where they defeated the TCU Horned Frogs in overtime, 31–28. They earned a berth in the Sugar Bowl, where they were defeated by the Alabama Crimson Tide, 45–20.

Big 12 preseason poll

The Big 12 preseason poll was released on July 6. Kansas State was picked 2nd in the conference.

First place votes in parentheses.

Big 12 media poll
Predicted finish	Team	Points
1	Texas (41)	886
2	Kansas State (14)	858
3	Oklahoma (4)	758
4	Texas Tech (4)	729
5	TCU (3)	727
6	Baylor	572
7	Oklahoma State (1)	470
8	UCF	463
9	Kansas	461
10	Iowa State	334
11	BYU	318
12	Houston	215
13	Cincinnati	202
14	West Virginia	129

^[1]

Schedule

Date	Time	Opponent	Rank	Site	TV	Result	Attendance
September 2	6:00 p.m.	No. 12 (FCS) Southeast Missouri State *	No. 16	Bill Snyder Family Football Stadium Manhattan, KS	ESPN+	W 45–0	52,066
September 9	11:00 a.m.	Troy *	No. 15	Bill Snyder Family Football Stadium Manhattan, KS	FS1	W 42–13	51,940
September 16	11:00 a.m.	at Missouri *	No. 15	Faurot Field Columbia, MO	SECN	L 27–30	62,621
September 23	7:00 p.m.	UCF		Bill Snyder Family Football Stadium Manhattan, KS	FS1	W 44–31	51,912
October 6	6:30 p.m.	at Oklahoma State		Boone Pickens Stadium Stillwater, OK	ESPN	L 21–29	53,855
October 14	6:00 p.m.	at Texas Tech		Jones AT&T Stadium Lubbock, TX	FS1	W 38–21	56,200
October 21	6:00 p.m.	TCU		Bill Snyder Family Football Stadium Manhattan, KS	ESPN2	W 41–3	52,580
October 28	11:00 a.m.	Houston		Bill Snyder Family Football Stadium Manhattan, KS	ESPN2	W 41–0	51,928
November 4	11:00 a.m.	at No. 7 Texas	No. 23	Darrell K Royal–Texas Memorial Stadium Austin, TX (Big Noon Kickoff)	FOX	L 30–33 OT	102,846
November 11	2:00 p.m.	Baylor	No. 25	Bill Snyder Family Football Stadium Manhattan, KS	ESPN+	W 59–25	51,790
November 18	6:00 p.m.	at No. 25 Kansas	No. 21	David Booth Kansas Memorial Stadium Lawrence, KS (Sunflower Showdown)	FS1	W 31–27	47,233
November 25	7:00 p.m.	Iowa State	No. 19	Bill Snyder Family Football Stadium Manhattan, KS (rivalry)	FOX	L 35–42	51,481
December 28	4:45 p.m.	vs. No. 18 NC State *	No. 25	Camping World Stadium Orlando, FL (Pop-Tarts Bowl)	ESPN	W 28–19	31,111
*Non-conference game Rankings from AP Poll (and CFP Rankings, after October 31) - Released prior to game All times are in Central time

^[2]

Game summaries

Southeast Missouri State

See also: 2023 Southeast Missouri State Redhawks football team

Game One – No. 12 (FCS) Southeast Missouri State at No. 16 Kansas State Wildcats

Period	1	2	3	4	Total
No. 12 (FCS) Redhawks	0	0	0	0	0
No. 16 Wildcats	7	28	3	7	45

at Bill Snyder Family Stadium • Manhattan, Kansas

• Date: Saturday, September 2, 2023
• Game time: 6:00 p.m. CDT
• Game weather: • Temperature: 100 degrees, sunny, wind S at 9 mph
• Game attendance: 52,066
• Referee: Henry Johnson
• TV announcers (ESPN+): Mark Neely (Play-by-Play), Adam Breneman (Analyst), and Tory Petry (Sidelines)
• Pregame line: KSU −28.5 Over/Under: 56.5

• Sources: K-State Box Score ^[3] K-State Recap ^[4]

Statistics	Southeast Missouri State	Kansas State
First downs	13	28
Total yards	227	588
Rushes/yards	26/6	40/228
Passing yards	221	360
Passing: Comp–Att–Int	25–37–0	22–31–1
Turnovers	0	1
Time of possession	30:35	29:25
Penalties–yards	5−65	4−36

Team	Category	Player	Statistics
Southeast Missouri State	Passing	Paxton DeLaurent	24/36, 213 YDS
	Rushing	Darrell Smith	6 CAR, 18 YDS, 11 Long
	Receiving	Ryan Flournoy	10 REC, 96 YDS, 24 Long
Kansas State	Passing	Will Howard	18/26, 297 YDS, 2 TDS, 1 INT
	Rushing	DJ Giddens	15 CAR, 128 YDS, 43 Long
	Receiving	RJ Garcia II	5 REC, 119 YDS, 1 TD, 44 Long

Scoring summary

Quarter Time Drive Team Scoring information Score Plays Yards TOP SEMO KSU 1st 9:33 9 67 4:03 KSU Jadon Jackson 33-yard touchdown reception from Will Howard, Chris Tennant kick good 0 7 2nd 11:57 13 84 5:45 KSU Will Howard 1-yard touchdown run, Chris Tennant kick good 0 14 2nd 8:13 6 87 2:16 KSU RJ Garcia II 37-yard touchdown reception from Will Howard, Chris Tennant kick good 0 21 2nd 5:35 4 60 1:42 KSU Treshaun Ward 3-yard touchdown run, Chris Tennant kick good 0 28 2nd 0:38 9 89 1:36 KSU Will Howard 8-yard touchdown reception from Treshaun Ward, Chris Tennant kick good 0 35 3rd 12:17 7 34 2:37 KSU 51-yard field goal by Chris Tennant 0 38 4th 14:30 8 79 3:42 KSU Avery Johnson 7-yard touchdown run, Leyton Simmering kick good 0 45 "TOP" = time of possession. For other American football terms, see Glossary of American football. SEMO 0 KSU 45

Troy

See also: 2023 Troy Trojans football team

1 2 3 4 Total Troy 0 10 0 3 13 •No. 15 Kansas State 7 14 7 14 42 Date: September 9 Location: Bill Snyder Family Football Stadium, (Manhattan, KS) Game start: 11:00 a.m. CDT Game attendance: 51,940 Game weather: 77 degrees, sunny, wind SE at 1 mph Referee: Stephen Baron TV announcers (FS1): Eric Collins (Play-by-Play) and Devin Gardner (Analyst) Sources: K-State Box Score [5] K-State Recap [6]

Pregame line	Over/under
K-State −15.0	50

Statistics	Troy	Kansas State
First downs	15	20
Total yards	286	397
Rushes/yards	28/70	38/147
Passing yards	216	250
Passing: Comp–Att–Int	22–38–1	21–32–1
Turnovers	2	1
Time of possession	30:23	29:37
Penalties–yards	3–22	5–45

Team	Category	Player	Statistics
Troy	Passing	Gunnar Watson	17/32 167 YDS, 1 TD, 1 INT
	Rushing	Kimani Vidal	17 CAR, 83 YDS, 46 Long
	Receiving	Chris Lewis	5 REC, 50 YDS, 1 TD, 21 Long
Kansas State	Passing	Will Howard	21/32 250 YDS, 3 TD, 1 INT
	Rushing	Treshaun Ward	16 CAR, 58 YDS, 20 Long
	Receiving	Phillip Brooks	7 REC, 94 YDS, 1 TD, 39 Long

Scoring summary

Quarter Time Drive Team Scoring information Score Plays Yards TOP TROY KSU 1st 11:35 8 71 3:20 KSU Jadon Jackson 9-yard touchdown reception from Will Howard, Chris Tennant kick good 0 7 2nd 14:16 12 56 4:25 KSU Phillip Brooks 2-yard touchdown run, Chris Tennant kick good 0 14 2nd 3:46 14 73 6:44 TROY 24-yard field goal by Scott Taylor Renfroe 3 14 2nd 0:52 5 75 1:37 TROY Chris Lewis 21-yard touchdown reception from Gunnar Watson, Scott Taylor Renfroe kick good 10 14 2nd 0:10 5 66 0:39 KSU Phillip Brooks 39-yard touchdown reception from Will Howard, Chris Tennant kick good 10 21 3rd 3:47 8 44 3:17 KSU Will Howard 2-yard touchdown run, Chris Tennant kick good 10 28 4th 13:58 6 62 2:02 TROY 37-yard field goal by Scott Taylor Renfroe 13 28 4th 8:48 9 76 5:04 KSU Treshaun Ward 1-yard touchdown reception from Will Howard, Chris Tennant kick good 13 35 4th 2:50 6 34 3:44 KSU Will Howard 1-yard touchdown run, Chris Tennant kick good 13 42 "TOP" = time of possession. For other American football terms, see Glossary of American football. TROY 13 KSU 42

at Missouri

See also: 2023 Missouri Tigers football team

Game Three – No. 15 Kansas State Wildcats (2–0) at Missouri Tigers (2–0) – Game summary

Period	1	2	3	4	Total
No. 15 Kansas State	7	7	10	3	27
Missouri	10	7	0	13	30

at Faurot Field • Columbia, Missouri

• Date: Saturday, September 16, 2023
• Game time: 11:00 a.m. CDT
• Game weather: • Temperature:
• Game attendance: 62,621
• TV announcers (SECN): Taylor Zarzour (play-by-play), Matt Stinchcomb (analyst), and Alyssa Lang (sideline)
• Pregame line: KSU -3.5 Over/Under: 48

Game information

First quarter (10:46) KSU – Phillip Brooks 10-yard pass from Will Howard (Chris Tennant kick) (Drive: 11 plays, 75 yards, 4:14; Kansas State 7-0) (7:57) MIZZ – Luther Burden III 47-yard pass from Brady Cook (Harrison Mevis kick) (Drive: 6 plays, 75 yards, 2:49; Tied 7-7) (3:58) MIZZ – Harrison Mevis 30-yard field goal (Drive: 7 plays, 35 yards, 3:04; Missouri 10-7) Second quarter (10:05) KSU – Ben Sinnott 3-yard pass from Will Howard (Chris Tennant kick) (Drive: 10 plays, 64 yards, 4:46; Kansas State 14-10) (7:36) MIZZ – Brady Cook 1-yard run (Harrison Mevis kick) (Drive: 6 plays, 75 yards, 2:29; Missouri 17-14) Third quarter (10:07) KSU – Chris Tennant 46-yard field goal (Drive: 6 plays, 16 yards, 2:37; Tied 17-17) (1:39) KSU – Ben Sinnott 3-yard pass from Will Howard (Chris Tennant kick) (Drive: 12 plays, 74 yards, 5:52; Kansas State 24-17) Fourth quarter (14:14) MIZZ – Harrison Mevis 25-yard field goal (Drive: 6 plays, 68 yards, 1:51; Kansas State 24-20) (8:24) MIZZ – Luther Burden III 26-yard pass from Brady Cook (Harrison Mevis kick) (Drive: 2 plays, 77 yards, 0:29; Missouri 27-24) (5:25) KSU – Chris Tennant 26-yard field goal (Drive: 8 plays, 67 yards, 2:59; Tied 27-27) (0:00) MIZZ – Harrison Mevis 61-yard field goal (Drive: 10 plays, 38 yards, 1:25; Missouri 30-27)

Statistics	KSU	MIZZ
First downs	19	20
Total yards	74–408	64–430
Rushes/yards	35–138	28–74
Passing yards	270	356
Passing: Comp–Att–Int	25–39–1	23–36–0
Time of possession	34:00	26:00

Team	Category	Player	Statistics
Kansas State	Passing	Will Howard	25-39, 270 yards, 3 TD, 1 INT
	Rushing	Treshaun Ward	10 carries, 54 yards
	Receiving	Ben Sinnott	5 receptions, 78 yards, 2 TD
Missouri	Passing	Brady Cook	23-35, 356 yards, 2 TD
	Rushing	Cody Schrader	10 carries, 58 yards
	Receiving	Luther Burden III	7 receptions, 114 yards, 2 TD

UCF

See also: 2023 UCF Knights football team

Game Four – UCF Knights (3–0) at Kansas State Wildcats (2–1) – Game summary

Period	1	2	3	4	Total
Knights	10	7	7	7	31
Wildcats	7	14	10	13	44

at Bill Snyder Family Stadium, Manhattan, Kansas

• Date: September 23, 2023
• Game time: 8:00 p.m. EDT
• Game attendance: 51,912
• TV announcers (FS1): Eric Collins and Devin Gardner
• Gamecast

Game information

First Quarter Kansas State: D.J. Gidden 1-yard touchdown run (Chris Tennant kick), 11:34 UCF: Colton Boomer 29-yard field goal, 9:08 UCF: R.J. Harvey 27-yard touchdown pass from Timmy McClain (Colton Boomer kick), 1:47 Second Quarter Kansas State: D.J. Gidden 9-yard touchdown run (Chris Tennant kick), 12:19 Kansas State: D.J. Gidden 18-yard touchdown run (Chris Tennant kick), 6:20 UCF: Kobe Hudson 69-yard touchdown pass from Timmy McClain (Colton Boomer Kick), 3:19 Third Quarter UCF: Kobe Hudson 46-yard touchdown pass from Timmy McClain (Colton Boomer kick), 13:40 Kansas State: Chris Tennant 30-yard field goal, 9:33 Kansas State: Will Howard 2-yard touchdown run (Chris Tennant kick), 1:28 Fourth Quarter Kansas State: D.J. Gidden 3-yard touchdown run (PAT failed), 4:01 Kansas State: Will Howard 31-yard touchdown run (Chris Tennant kick), 2:01 UCF: R.J. Harvey 1-yard touchdown run (Colton Boomer kick), 0:03 Win Probability Kansas State 57.9% Line Kansas State -4.0 Over/Under 52.5

Statistics	UCF	KSU
First downs	19	32
Total yards	407	536
Rushing yards	143	255
Passing yards	264	255
Turnovers	2	1
Time of possession	25:37	34:23

Team	Category	Player	Statistics
UCF	Passing	Timmy McClain	14-24, 264 yards, 3 TD, 1 INT
	Rushing	Johnny Richardson	6 carries, 76 yards
	Receiving	Kobe Hudson	6 receptions, 138 yards, 2 TD
Kansas State	Passing	Will Howard	27-42, 255 yards, 1 INT
	Rushing	D.J. Giddens	30 carries, 207 yards, 4 TD
	Receiving	D.J. Giddens	8 receptions, 96 yards

at Oklahoma State

See also: 2023 Oklahoma State Cowboys football team

Game Five – Kansas State Wildcats (3–1) at Oklahoma State Cowboys (2–2)

Period	1	2	3	4	Total
Wildcats	0	7	8	6	21
Cowboys	10	10	6	3	29

at Boone Pickens Stadium • Stillwater, Oklahoma

• Date: Friday, October 6, 2023
• Game time: 6:30 p.m. CDT
• Game weather: • Temperature:
• Game attendance: 62,621
• TV announcers (ESPN): Anish Shroff (play-by-play), Andre Ware (analyst), and Paul Carcaterra (sideline)
• Pregame line: KSU -10.5 Over/Under: 54.5

Game information
First quarter Second quarter Third quarter Fourth quarter

Statistics	KSU	OSU
First downs	18	20
Total yards	372	412
Rushing yards	220	174
Passing yards	152	238
Passing: Comp–Att–Int	15-32-3	20-36-0
Time of possession	25:18	34:42

Team	Category	Player	Statistics
Kansas State	Passing	Will Howard	15/34, 152 yards, TD, 3 INT
	Rushing	Will Howard	10 carries, 104 yards, TD
	Receiving	Phillip Brooks	3 receptions, 50 yards
Oklahoma State	Passing	Alan Bowman	19/35, 235 yards
	Rushing	Ollie Gordon II	21 carries, 136 yards, TD
	Receiving	Jaden Bray	4 receptions, 77 yards

at Texas Tech

See also: 2023 Texas Tech Red Raiders football team

Kansas State Wildcats at Texas Tech Red Raiders – Game summary

Period	1	2	3	4	Total
Wildcats	10	7	14	7	38
Red Raiders	0	14	7	0	21

at Jones AT&T Stadium, Lubbock, Texas

• Date: October 14
• Game time: 6:00 p.m. CDT
• Game weather: Sunny
• Game attendance: 56,200
• Referee: Derek Anderson
• TV announcers (FS1): Alex Faust and Petros Papadakis
• Box score, Recap

Game information

First quarter KSU – Chris Tennant 47-yard field goal, 11:28. Wildcats 3–0. Drive: 8 plays, 50 yards, 3:32. KSU – Avery Johnson 2-yard run (Chris Tennant kick), 2:54. Wildcats 10–0. Drive: 5 plays, 59 yards, 2:15. Second quarter TTU – Behren Morton 1-yard run (Gino Garcia kick), 11:53. Wildcats 10–7. Drive: 14 plays, 75 yards, 6:01. KSU – Avery Johnson 5-yard run (Chris Tennant kick), 1:20. Wildcats 17–7. Drive: 7 plays, 80 yards, 2:44. TTU – Tahj Brooks 2-yard run (Gino Garcia kick), 0:23. Wildcats 17–14. Drive: 7 plays, 89 yards, 0:54. Third quarter TTU – Jerand Bradley 8-yard pass from Jake Strong (Gino Garcia kick), 7:31. Red Raiders 21–17. Drive: 10 plays, 99 yards, 4:04. KSU – Avery Johnson 30-yard run (Chris Tennant kick), 2:24. Wildcats 24–21. Drive: 9 plays, 75 yards, 5:07. KSU – Avery Johnson 11-yard run (Chris Tennant kick), 2:06. Wildcats 31–21. Drive: 1 play, 11 yards, 0:04. Fourth quarter KSU – Avery Johnson 3-yard run (Chris Tennant kick), 4:58. Wildcats 38–21. Drive: 10 plays, 80 yards, 5:59. Top passers KSU – Will Howard – 6/9, 86 yards TTU – Jake Strong – 16/28, 173 yards, TD, 3 INT Top rushers KSU – Treshaun Ward – 15 rushes, 118 yards TTU – Tahj Brooks – 17 rushes, 98 yards, TD Top receivers KSU – Ben Sinnott – 6 receptions, 72 yards TTU – Coy Eakin – 5 receptions, 102 yards

Starting quarterback Behren Morton exited the game at halftime with an undisclosed injury. ^[7] Morton had been dealing with a sprained AC joint in his throwing shoulder ever since he took over for the injured Tyler Shough. ^[8]

Houston

	1	2	3	4	Total
Cougars	0	0	0	0	0
Wildcats	7	21	7	6	41

See also: 2023 Houston Cougars football team

at No. 7 Texas

See also: 2023 Texas Longhorns football team

1 2 3 4 OT Total No. 23 Kansas State 0 7 7 16 0 30 •No. 7 Texas 10 7 10 3 3 33 Date: November 4, 2023 Location: Darrell K Royal–Texas Memorial Stadium (Austin, TX) Game start: 11:05 a.m. CDT Game attendance: 102,846 Game weather: Sunny, 68 °F (20 °C) Referee: Kevin Mar TV announcers (FOX): Gus Johnson, Joel Klatt, Jenny Taft Sources: [9] [10]

Fox's Big Noon Kickoff show was on Texas's campus for the first time this season. ^[11]

102,846 is the 5th highest attendance for a game at Darrell K Royal–Texas Memorial Stadium to date

Pregame line	Over/under
Texas -3.5	50 [12]

Statistics	Kansas State	Texas
First downs	20	18
Plays–yards	73–360	74–478
Rushes–yards	29–33	37–230
Passing yards	327	248
Passing: comp–att–int	26–41–1	19–37–2
Time of possession	27:52	32:08

Team	Category	Player	Statistics
Kansas State	Passing	Will Howard	26–42, 327 yards, 4 TD, 1 INT
	Rushing	Treshuan Ward	9 carries, 30 yards
	Receiving	Jayce Brown	4 receptions, 77 yards, 1 TD
Texas	Passing	Maalik Murphy	19–37, 248 yards, 1 TD, 2 INT
	Rushing	Jonathon Brooks	22 carries, 112 yards, 1 TD
	Receiving	Adonai Mitchell	8 receptions, 149 yards, 1 TD

Scoring summary

Quarter Time Drive Team Scoring information Score Plays Yards TOP Kansas State Texas 1st 08:36 3 47 01:13 Texas Adonai Mitchell 37-yard touchdown reception from Maalik Murphy, Bert Auburn kick good 0 7 1st 01:06 9 79 03:58 Texas 32-yard field goal by Bert Auburn 0 10 2nd 11:34 4 63 02:37 Texas CJ Baxter 54-yard touchdown run, Bert Auburn kick good 0 17 2nd 00:54 4 42 00:41 Kansas State Phillip Brooks 6-yard touchdown reception from Will Howard, Chris Tennant kick good 7 17 3rd 09:21 1 5 00:05 Texas Jonathon Brooks 5-yard touchdown run, Bert Auburn kick good 7 24 3rd 04:13 7 41 03:07 Texas 49-yard field goal by Bert Auburn 7 27 3rd 00:00 8 75 04:13 Kansas State Phillip Brooks 26-yard touchdown reception from Will Howard, Chris Tennant kick good 14 27 4th 13:33 2 12 00:15 Kansas State Keagan Johnson 12-yard touchdown reception from Will Howard, Chris Tennant kick good 21 27 4th 12:37 1 32 00:07 Kansas State Jayce Brown 32-yard touchdown reception from Will Howard, 2-point run failed 27 27 4th 06:03 14 69 06:27 Texas 34-yard field goal by Bert Auburn 27 30 4th 00:01 10 33 01:17 Kansas State 45-yard field goal by Chris Tennant 30 30 OT — 4 1 — Texas 42-yard field goal by Bert Auburn 30 33 "TOP" = time of possession. For other American football terms, see Glossary of American football. 30 33

Baylor

See also: 2023 Baylor Bears football team

at No. 25 Kansas

See also: 2023 Kansas Jayhawks football team and Sunflower Showdown

Favorite	Spread
Kansas State	–6.5

No. 21 Kansas State Wildcats at No. 25 Kansas Jayhawks

Period	1	2	3	4	Total
No. 21 Wildcats	7	9	8	7	31
No. 25 Jayhawks	7	13	7	0	27

at David Booth Kansas Memorial Stadium • Lawrence, Kansas

• Date: Saturday, November 18, 2023
• Game time: 6:00 pm CST
• Game weather: Sunny • Temperature: 55 °F (13 °C)
• Game attendance: 47,233
• Referee: David Alvarez
• TV announcers (FS1): Alex Faust, Petros Papadakis
• Game summary

Game information

First quarter 13:44 KSU Will Howard 11 yard pass Ben Sinnott (Chris Tennant kick good) 5–75, 1:16 KSU 7–0 2:05 KU Devin Neal 36 yard run (Seth Keller kick good) 11–82, 6:10 7–7 Second quarter 10:55 KU Devin Neal 9 yard run (Seth Keller kick blocked) 8–76, 4:28 KU 13–7 KSU Keenan Garber blocked extra point returned for a two point conversion KU 13–9 7:24 KSU Will Howard 11 pass to Keagan Johnson (Chris Tennant kick good) 8–75, 3:33 KSU 16–13 0:26 KU Cole Ballard 5 yard pass to Lawrence Arnold (Seth Keller kick good) 13–75, 7:00 KU 20–16 Third quarter 13:28 KU Devin Neal 2 yard run (Seth Keller kick good) 3–65, 1:32 KU 27–16 6:35 KU D. J. Giddens 1 yard run (Will Howard run good) 10–87, 4:01 KU 27–24 Fourth quarter 10:22 KSU Will Howard 15 yard run (Chris Tennant kick good) 6–55, 3:01 KSU 31–27

Statistics	KSU	KU
First downs	20	19
Plays–yards	61–331	57–396
Rushes–yards	37–166	41–234
Passing yards	165	162
Passing: comp–att–int	13–24–1	11–16–2
Time of possession	26:40	33:20

Team	Category	Player	Statistics
Kansas State	Passing	Will Howard	13/24 165 yards 2 TDs 1 INT
	Rushing	D. J. Giddens	21 carries 102 yards 1 TD
	Receiving	Jayce Brown	4 receptions 96 yards
Kansas	Passing	Cole Ballard	11/16 162 yards 1 TD 2 INTs
	Rushing	Devin Neal	18 carries 138 yards 3 TD
	Receiving	Mason Fairchild	1 reception 59 yards

In the first matchup in Sunflower Showdown with both teams ranked in 28 years, the teams traded scores early in the game. In the beginning of the second half, Kansas took an 11 point lead. K-State would come back to win the game. It was the 15th straight loss for KU in the rivalry. The loss also officially eliminated Kansas' slim hopes to play in the Big 12 championship game.

Iowa State Cyclones

See also: 2023 Iowa State Cyclones football team

Iowa State Cyclones (6–5) vs. Kansas State Wildcats (8–3)

Period	1	2	3	4	Total
Iowa State	7	7	14	14	42
Kansas State	6	14	8	7	35

at Bill Snyder Family Football Stadium • Manhattan, KS

• Date: Saturday, November 25, 2023
• Game time: 7:00 p.m. CDT
• Game weather: snow; NW 2 MPH • Temperature: 26°F
• Game attendance: 51,481
• Referee: Derek Anderson
• TV announcers (FOX): Tim Brando, Spencer Tillman, Josh Sims
• Pregame line: KSU -9.5; O/U 45.5

Game information

First Quarter (14:42) ISU - Sama,Abu 71 yd run (Contreraz,Chase kick) (Drive: 1 play, 71 yards, 0:11; ISU 7–0) (8:17) KSU - Tennant,Chris 23 yd field goal (Drive: 7 plays, 34 yards, 3:36; ISU 7–3) (0:16) KSU - Tennant,Chris 22 yd field goal (Drive: 14 plays, 80 yards, 6:29; ISU 7–6) Second Quarter (14:47) ISU - Sama,Abu 77 yd run (Contreraz,Chase kick) (Drive: 2 plays, 81 yards, 0:27; ISU 14–6) (8:55) KSU - Giddens,DJ 1 yd run (Tennant,Chris kick) (Drive: 12 plays, 87 yards, 5:44; ISU 14–13) (0:15) KSU - Sinnott,Ben 15 yd pass from Howard,Will (Tennant,Chris kick) (Drive: 8 plays, 41 yards, 0:49; KSU 20–14) Third Quarter (10:37) ISU - Noel,Jaylin 79 yd pass from Becht,Rocco (Contreraz,Chase kick) (Drive: 2 plays, 82 yards, 0:48; ISU 21–20) (6:36) KSU - Howard,Will 5 yd run (Brooks,Phillip pass) (Drive: 9 plays, 79 yards, 3:55; KSU 28–21) (4:53) ISU - Sama,Abu 60 yd run (Contreraz,Chase kick) (Drive: 4 plays, 72 yards, 1:37; Tied 28–28) Fourth Quarter (14:49) KSU - Ward,Treshaun 2 yd run (Tennant,Chris kick) (Drive: 11 plays, 75 yards, 5:04; KSU 35–28) (12:31) ISU - Higgins,Jayden 33 yd pass from Becht,Rocco (Contreraz,Chase kick) (Drive: 4 plays, 60 yards, 2:10; Tied 35–35) (8:04) ISU - Noel,Jaylin 82 yd pass from Becht,Rocco (Contreraz,Chase kick) (Drive: 3 plays, 76 yards, 2:03; ISU 42–35)

Statistics	ISU	KSU
First downs	10	32
Total yards	488	497
Rushes/yards	23/258	54/209
Passing yards	230	288
Passing: Comp–Att–Int	8–12–0	24–48–1
Turnovers	2	1
Time of possession	17:48	42:12

Team	Category	Player	Statistics
ISU	Passing	Rocco Becht	8–12, 230 YDS, 3 TD
	Rushing	Abu Sama III	16 CAR, 276 YDS, 3 TD
	Receiving	Jaylin Noel	3 REC, 160 YDS, 2 TD
KSU	Passing	Will Howard	24–48, 288 yards, TD, INT
	Rushing	DJ Giddens	31 CAR, 114 YDS, TD
	Receiving	Ben Sinnott	10 REC, 136 YDS, TD

vs No. 18 NC State (Pop-Tarts Bowl)

See also: 2023 NC State Wolfpack football team

2023 Pop-Tarts Bowl
No. 18 NC State Wolfpack (9-3, 6-2) vs No. 25 Kansas State Wildcats (8-4, 6-3) – Game summary

Period	1	2	3	4	Total
No. 18 Wolfpack	0	10	9	0	19
No. 25 Wildcats	7	14	0	7	28

at Camping World Stadium • Orlando, Florida

• Date: Thursday, December 28th, 2023
• Game time: 5:45 p.m. EST
• Game weather: Cloudy • Temperature: 61 °F (16 °C) • Wind: 7 mph (11 km/h) W
• Game attendance: 31,111
• Referee: Larry Smith
• TV announcers (ESPN): Anish Shroff (play-by-play), Andre Ware (analyst), and Paul Carcaterra (sideline)
• Box score • Pregame line: KSU -3.5; O/U 47.5

Game information

First quarter (12:35) KSU – DJ Giddens 37 yard pass from Avery Johnson, Chris Tennant kick (Drive: 6 plays, 75 yards, 2:25; Kansas State 7–0) Second quarter (7:29) KSU – DJ Giddens 4 yard run, Chris Tennant kick (Drive: 9 plays, 90 yards, 4:49; Kansas State 14–0) (3:22) NCSU – Brennan Armstrong 31 yard run, Brayden Narveson kick (Drive: 9 plays, 76 yards, 4:07; Kansas State 14–7) (0:55) KSU – Avery Johnson 19 yard run, Chris Tennant kick (Drive: 10 plays, 75 yards, 2:27; Kansas State 21–7) (0:00) NCSU – Brayden Narveson 26 yard field goal (Drive: 8 plays, 57 yards, 0:00; Kansas State 21–10) Third quarter (12:51) NCSU – Brayden Narveson 49 yard field goal (Drive: 6 plays, 44 yards, 2:09; Kansas State 21–13) (1:50) NCSU – Trent Pennix 60 yard run, two point pass conversion failed (Drive: 7 plays, 75 yards, 4:03; Kansas State 21–19) Fourth quarter (2:48) KSU – Jayce Brown 11 yard pass from Avery Johnson, Chris Tennant kick (Drive: 15 plays, 72 yards, 7:24; Kansas State 28–19)

Statistics	No. 18 NC State	No. 25 Kansas State
First downs	17	22
Total yards	62–399	71–435
Rushes/yards	33–235	40–257
Passing yards	164	178
Passing: Comp–Att–Int	14–29–1	14–31–0
Turnovers	1	0
Time of possession	29:06	30:54

Team	Category	Player	Statistics
No. 18 NC State	Passing	Brennan Armstrong	14/28, 164 yards, INT
	Rushing	Brennan Armstrong	17 carries, 121 yards, TD
	Receiving	Kevin Concepcion	7 receptions, 72 yards
No. 25 Kansas State	Passing	Avery Johnson	14/31, 178 yards, 2 TD
	Rushing	DJ Giddens	28 carries, 151 yards, TD
	Receiving	Jayce Brown	5 receptions, 52 yards, TD

Rankings

Further information: 2023 NCAA Division I FBS football rankings

Ranking movements
Legend:██ Increase in ranking ██ Decrease in ranking
— = Not ranked RV = Received votes

	Week
Poll	Pre	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	10	11	12	13	14	Final
AP	16	15	15	RV	RV	RV	—	—	RV	25	RV	23	19	RV	RV	18
Coaches	17	15	15	RV	25	RV	—	RV	RV	RV	RV	24	20	RV	RV	19
CFP	Not released									23	25	21	19	25	25	Not released

References

1. "Texas Selected Atop Big 12 Football Media Preseason Poll". Big12Sports.com.
2. "2023 Kansas State Football Schedule". FB Schedules. Retrieved December 25, 2022.
3. "Southeast Missouri State Redhawks vs Kansas State Wildcats (box score)". KStateSports.com. September 2, 2023. Retrieved September 2, 2023.
4. "Southeast Missouri State Redhawks vs Kansas State Wildcats (recap)". KStateSports.com. September 2, 2023. Retrieved September 2, 2023.
5. "Troy Trojans vs Kansas State Wildcats (box score)". KStateSports.com. September 9, 2023. Retrieved September 9, 2023.
6. "Troy Trojans vs Kansas State Wildcats (recap)". KStateSports.com. September 9, 2023. Retrieved September 9, 2023.
7. Giese, Nathan (October 14, 2023). "Observations from Texas Tech's football's 38-21 loss against Kansas State". Lubbock Avalanche-Journal. Retrieved October 15, 2023.
8. Williams, Don (October 14, 2023). "Texas Tech football QB Behren Morton leaves game against Kansas State". Lubbock Avalanche-Journal. Retrieved October 15, 2023.
9. Green, Arne (November 4, 2023). Written at Austin, Texas. "Here is the TV channel for watching Kansas State football at Texas". The Topeka Capital-Journal. Topeka, Kansas: Cjonline.com. Retrieved November 4, 2023.
10. "Kansas St. (6-3 , 4-2) -vs- Texas (8-1 , 5-1)". Austin, Texas: The University of Texas at Austin Athletics. November 4, 2023. Retrieved November 4, 2023.
11. "Texas Football: Kickoff time announced for UT vs. Kansas St in Week 10". Fansided. October 29, 2023. Retrieved October 31, 2023.
12. "Texas vs. Kansas State odds, spread, line: 2023 college football picks, prediction, best bets by proven model". CBS. CBS Interactive. November 4, 2023. Retrieved November 4, 2023.