arne green, topeka capital-journal
·4 min read
MANHATTAN — Kansas State football opens its 2024 regular season on Saturday with a night game against FCS member Tennessee-Martin.
Kickoff is scheduled for 6 p.m. at Bill Snyder Family Stadium and will stream live on Big 12 Now/ESPN+.
It will be the sixth season under coach Chris Klieman for No. 17-ranked K-State, which is coming off a 9-4 season in 2023 and was picked to finish second in the Big 12 in the preseason media poll. UT Martin had an 8-3 record last year.
K-State will recognize its incoming athletics hall of fame class during the game.
The Wildcats are favored by 37.5 points against the Skyhawks, who compete in the Big South-Ohio Valley Conference.
Here are five things to know, plus a prediction for Saturday's matchup.
Related: Our four bold predictions for Kansas State football heading into the 2024 season
Related: Starting options abound on Kansas State football's first official depth chart of 2024
More about UT-Martin
The Skyhawks have been consistent winners of late, claiming three straight conference championships. They won the Big South in 2021 and '22, then tied for first in the inaugural Big South-OVC season last year at 5-1.
Jason Simpson is starting his 19th season as a head coach, all with UTM, and has a 115-87 record.
The Skyhawks are no strangers to playing up against FBS competition, but they have not had much success in those matchups, dropping 18 straight dating back to 2013. Their last victory against an FBS program was a 20-17 decision against Memphis in 2012.
Related: Kansas State football transfer Dylan Edwards is a versatile weapon at running back
All eyes on the K-State backfield
The season opener will mark the highly anticipated first regular season start for K-State sophom*ore quarterback Avery Johnson. Johnson appeared in eight games as a true freshman and did start in the Wildcats' Pop-Tarts Bowl victory over North Carolina State, but this is his first game as QB1.
Also of interest is the K-State debut of sophom*ore Colorado transfer Dylan Edwards, and how he and junior incumbent DJ Giddens will split the workload. Giddens rushed for 1,226 yards and 10 touchdowns, plus caught 29 passes for 323 yards last year in his first season as the starter, while Edwards started six games and ran for 321 yards and a touchdown to go with 36 receptions for 299 yards and four TDs.
UT-Martin players to watch
On offense, UTM returns super-senior starting quarterback Kinkhead Dent, who passed for 2,295 yards and 25 touchdowns with eight interceptions last year. His favorite target is super-senior wide receiver DeVonte Tanksley, a preseason all-conference pick who caught 54 passes for 698 yards and four touchdowns.
On defense, senior safety Oshae Baker is a consensus FCS preseason All-American who totaled 49 tackles, including 6.5 for loss, with 10 pass breakups last year. He has six career interceptions, and his 28 pass breakups are just two short of the school record.
Related: Kansas State football offensive coordinator Conor Riley ready for his move upstairs
Conor Riley takes over as K-State offensive coordinator
Offensive line coach Conor Riley got his audition for the offensive coordinator job in December when Collin Klein left for Texas A&M, and the Wildcats responded with a 28-19 victory over NC State.
Since winning the job permanently, Riley has had an entire spring and preseason camp to work out any kinks. The Wildcats also hired Matt Wells to coach the quarterbacks and serve as co-coordinator, and he will be on the sideline while Riley calls the plays from upstairs.
This will be Riley's first real chance to put his own stamp on the offense.
Wildcats feature a veteran lineup on defense
K-State was among the best in the Big 12 on defense last year, ranking second in points allowed with 21 per game and third in total defense at 372.5 yards. The Wildcats also led the league in turnover margin with a plus-0.85 average.
Look for more of the same this season as eight starters return from that unit, led by super-senior linebacker Austin Moore and free safety Marques Sigle, who tied for the team lead with 63 tackles each. Moore also had a team-best 12.5 tackles for loss and Sigle nine pass breakups. Cornerback Jacob Parrish led the Wildcats with four interceptions and 13 passes defended.
Prediction: Kansas State 45, UT-Martin 10
K-State should not have trouble scoring against UT-Martin. The only question is if and when the Wildcats take their foot off the gas, especially if they turn the backups loose. Look for the K-State defense to dominate as well, but for UTM to perhaps put some points on the board late when the Wildcats empty their bench.
Arne Green is based in Salina and covers Kansas State University sports for the Gannett network. He can be reached atagreen@gannett.comor on Twitter at @arnegreen.
This article originally appeared on Topeka Capital-Journal: Kansas State football vs UT-Martin: Scouting report, prediction
