Kansas State Shuts Down Cincinnati on Senior Day

© Scott Sewell-Imagn Images

MANHATTAN, Kan. — Kansas State (8-3, 5-3 Big 12 Conference) beat Cincinnati (5-6, 3-5 Big 12) 41-15 inside Bill Snyder Family Stadium on Nov. 23. Quarterback Avery Johnson set the Kansas State school record for touchdown passes in a season for a sophomore with 19. DJ Giddens set his new career-high mark for rushing yards in a season with 1,271 yards after a 143-yard, two-TD performance. He currently sits in eighth place for most yards in a season in K-State history with the top 5 well within reach. This win marks the eighth win for K-State, a mark that has now been met for four straight seasons.

Game Summary

The Wildcats started the game on defense and forced a three-and-out. On K-State's first offensive possession, the offensive coaching staff established the run with Johnson running for 54 yards on two carries and a TD to go up 7-0. The Wildcats' offense stalled out on the next two drives, getting field goals for a 13-0 advantage. On Kansas State's fourth drive, Giddens notched a 32-yard TD run. Cincinnati got on the board with a Nathan Hawks 42-yard FG, making it 20-3.

The Bearcats got the ball back after a Wildcats' punt. Cincinnati looked to put a dent in the Kansas State lead, but Cincinnati QB Brendan Sorsby's screen pass was picked off by Wildcats' defensive end Brendan Mott. That set up a Johnson-to-Tre Spivey 6-yard TD pass for a K-State 27-3 halftime lead. Cincinnati fought hard in the second half as it scored two TDs but missed on both two-point attempts. K-State also scored two TDs in the second half.

What Went Right for Kansas State

Head coach Chris Klieman mentioned in his postgame opening statements that Giddens and Johnson were both healthy for the first time in weeks. That showed up in the running game with K-State piling up 281 rushing yards on 40 carries and 3 TDs on the ground. Mistakes that showed up over the past few weeks did not happen. The offensive play calls showed less predictability and more explosiveness. The defense played with urgency, getting 4 sacks and 9 tackles for a loss with one turnover.

What it Means

Kansas State is playing for its slim postseason hopes. The Big 12 Conference title game picture is pretty simple. K-State has to win at Iowa State (9-2, 6-2) on Nov. 30. Two of three 6-2 teams (Arizona State, Colorado and BYU) have to lose in their next games. Should all of this happen, the tiebreaker for conference strength of schedule comes into play. K-State leads in that category. In the postgame media scrum, multiple players brought up that sour taste in their mouths that Iowa State left last year after beating K-State.

Cincinnati has now lost four straight games. Bowl eligibility comes down to one final game against TCU (7-4, 5-3) at home on Nov. 30. Running back Corey Kiner piled up 140 yards against the Kansas State defense. The pieces are there for the Bearcats. But they just have not been able to play well enough to come home with the win. Cincinnati improved in 2024 and head coach Scott Satterfield has them on the right path with Sorsby coming back in 2025.