No. 16 Kansas State Welcomes Arizona State for Ft. Riley Day

Nov 15, 20243 min read

Kansas State Quarterback Avery Johnson — © Thomas B. Shea-Imagn Images

No. 16 Kansas State (7-2, 4-2 Big 12 Conference) welcomes Arizona State (7-2, 4-2) to Bill Snyder Family Stadium at 7 p.m. EST on Nov. 16 in Manhattan, Kan. Kansas State has chosen this game as the annual Ft. Riley Day game. On Ft. Riley Day K-State recognizes the men and women stationed at the nearby Army base, a big part of the Manhattan community. This game is between two almost identical teams, Arizona State scores 31.6 points a game with 399.6 yards on offense while giving up 330.8 yards and 23.8 points per game on defense. K-State gains 442.6 yards and scores 31.2 points per game while giving up 329.7 yards and 21.7 points.

What's at Stake?

The loser of this game is all but mathematically eliminated from the Big 12 title race. Both teams currently sit one game behind Colorado (7-2, 5-1) with three games remaining for each team.

Arizona State Wide Receiver Jordyn Tyson — © Joe Camporeale - Imagn Images

Key Players: Kansas State

DJ Giddens, Running Back

Giddens comes into this game with 995 yards and 5 touchdowns on the season. After having two straight 180-plus yard performances against Oklahoma State (3-7, 0-7) and Colorado, he has had less than 60 yards in two of the three games. The Wildcats' offense after their last bye week needs to get their running game going against a team that gives up 118.8 yards rushing a game. Getting Giddens and Dylan Edwards going on the ground will help take pressure off of quarterback Avery Johnson.

Austin Romaine, Linebacker

Romaine is the team leader in tackles with 69 on the season. Arizona State wants to run the ball with Cam Skattebo and everyone knows it but most teams struggle to stop it. The Big 12 leading rush defense only gives up 99.4 yards per game. If Kansas State is going to win this game they will need to make Arizona State one-dimensional.

Key Players: Arizona State

Sam Leavitt, Quarterback

The Sun Devils' quarterback has thrown for 1,631 yards 14 touchdowns and 4 interceptions. He has also added 306 yards rushing and 4 touchdowns on the ground. The dual-threat quarterback has done a fantastic job at not turning the ball over and costing Arizona State. The Kansas State defense likes to bring pressure and has come up with 25 sacks on the season but that has led to some big plays given up by the secondary. Wide receiver Jordyn Tyson and Leavitt have found a connection this season with Tyson accounting for 7 of the 14 touchdown passes. The Sun Devils will need Leavitt to continue protecting the ball and hit some big plays against this aggressive Wildcats defense.

Caleb McCullough, Linebacker

McCullough is the third-leading tackler for Arizona State with 53 tackles and has come away with 2 interceptions. Kansas State is going to attempt to establish a run game against this defense and the linebackers will be called upon to slow down the rushing attack and make Johnson have to throw the ball. While Johnson has thrown the ball well this season he has had stretches where he is turnover prone. When those opportunities arise Arizona State will need to capitalize to slow down the K-State offense.

Trends to Watch

Both teams are in must-win situations with where they sit in the standings. Kansas State is coming off a shocking loss 24-19 on the road against Houston (4-5, 3-3). Arizona State was able to win at home 35-31 boosted by two non-offensive touchdowns against UCF (4-6, 2-5). Both of these teams are about as even as you can get statistically which should set up for a nail-biting game that comes down to the end.