# 2023 Kansas State Wildcats football team

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. The Kansas State Wildcats football team drew an average home attendance of 51,957 in 2023.

## Pre-Season
### Previous season

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 |

## 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 StadiumManhattan, KS | ESPN+ | W 45–0 | 52,066 |
| September 9 | 11:00 a.m. | Troy* | No. 15 | Bill Snyder Family Football StadiumManhattan, KS | FS1 | W 42–13 | 51,940 |
| September 16 | 11:00 a.m. | at Missouri* | No. 15 | Faurot FieldColumbia, MO | SECN | L 27–30 | 62,621 |
| September 23 | 7:00 p.m. | UCF | | Bill Snyder Family Football StadiumManhattan, KS | FS1 | W 44–31 | 51,912 |
| October 6 | 6:30 p.m. | at Oklahoma State | | Boone Pickens StadiumStillwater, OK | ESPN | L 21–29 | 53,855 |
| October 14 | 6:00 p.m. | at Texas Tech | | Jones AT&T StadiumLubbock, TX | FS1 | W 38–21 | 56,200 |
| October 21 | 6:00 p.m. | TCU | | Bill Snyder Family Football StadiumManhattan, KS | ESPN2 | W 41–3 | 52,580 |
| October 28 | 11:00 a.m. | Houston | | Bill Snyder Family Football StadiumManhattan, KS | ESPN2 | W 41–0 | 51,928 |
| November 4 | 11:00 a.m. | at No. 7 Texas | No. 23 | Darrell K Royal–Texas Memorial StadiumAustin, TX (Big Noon Kickoff) | FOX | L 30–33 $^{OT}$ | 102,846 |
| November 11 | 2:00 p.m. | Baylor | No. 25 | Bill Snyder Family Football StadiumManhattan, KS | ESPN+ | W 59–25 | 51,790 |
| November 18 | 6:00 p.m. | at No. 25 Kansas | No. 21 | David Booth Kansas Memorial StadiumLawrence, KS (Sunflower Showdown) | FS1 | W 31–27 | 47,233 |
| November 25 | 7:00 p.m. | Iowa State | No. 19 | Bill Snyder Family Football StadiumManhattan, KS (rivalry) | FOX | L 35–42 | 51,481 |
| December 28 | 4:45 p.m. | vs. No. 18 NC State* | No. 25 | Camping World StadiumOrlando, FL (Pop-Tarts Bowl) | ESPN | W 28–19 | 31,111 |
| *Non-conference gameRankings from AP Poll (and CFP Rankings, after October 31) - Released prior to gameAll times are in Central time ||||||||

## Game summaries
### Southeast Missouri State

| Quarter | 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 K-State Recap
| 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 |
| Southeast Missouri State | Rushing | Darrell Smith | 6 CAR, 18 YDS, 11 Long |
| Southeast Missouri State | Receiving | Ryan Flournoy | 10 REC, 96 YDS, 24 Long |
| Kansas State | Passing | Will Howard | 18/26, 297 YDS, 2 TDS, 1 INT |
| Kansas State | Rushing | DJ Giddens | 15 CAR, 128 YDS, 43 Long |
| Kansas State | Receiving | RJ Garcia II | 5 REC, 119 YDS, 1 TD, 44 Long |
Scoring summary :
| Quarter | Time | Drive | Drive | Drive | Team | Scoring information | Score | Score |
| Quarter | Time | Plays | Yards | TOP | Team | Scoring information | 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. | "TOP" = time of possession. For other American football terms, see Glossary of American football. | "TOP" = time of possession. For other American football terms, see Glossary of American football. | "TOP" = time of possession. For other American football terms, see Glossary of American football. | "TOP" = time of possession. For other American football terms, see Glossary of American football. | "TOP" = time of possession. For other American football terms, see Glossary of American football. | "TOP" = time of possession. For other American football terms, see Glossary of American football. | SEMO 0 | KSU 45 |

### Troy

| | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
| Troy | 0 | 10 | 0 | 3 | 13 |
| • No. 15 Kansas State | 7 | 14 | 7 | 14 | 42 |
| 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 |
| Troy | Rushing | Kimani Vidal | 17 CAR, 83 YDS, 46 Long |
| Troy | Receiving | Chris Lewis | 5 REC, 50 YDS, 1 TD, 21 Long |
| Kansas State | Passing | Will Howard | 21/32 250 YDS, 3 TD, 1 INT |
| Kansas State | Rushing | Treshaun Ward | 16 CAR, 58 YDS, 20 Long |
| Kansas State | Receiving | Phillip Brooks | 7 REC, 94 YDS, 1 TD, 39 Long |
Scoring summary :
| Quarter | Time | Drive | Drive | Drive | Team | Scoring information | Score | Score |
| Quarter | Time | Plays | Yards | TOP | Team | Scoring information | 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. | "TOP" = time of possession. For other American football terms, see Glossary of American football. | "TOP" = time of possession. For other American football terms, see Glossary of American football. | "TOP" = time of possession. For other American football terms, see Glossary of American football. | "TOP" = time of possession. For other American football terms, see Glossary of American football. | "TOP" = time of possession. For other American football terms, see Glossary of American football. | "TOP" = time of possession. For other American football terms, see Glossary of American football. | TROY 13 | KSU 42 |

### at Missouri

| Quarter | 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
| 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 |
| Kansas State | Rushing | Treshaun Ward | 10 carries, 54 yards |
| Kansas State | Receiving | Ben Sinnott | 5 receptions, 78 yards, 2 TD |
| Missouri | Passing | Brady Cook | 23-35, 356 yards, 2 TD |
| Missouri | Rushing | Cody Schrader | 10 carries, 58 yards |
| Missouri | Receiving | Luther Burden III | 7 receptions, 114 yards, 2 TD |

### UCF

| Quarter | 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 |
| UCF | Rushing | Johnny Richardson | 6 carries, 76 yards |
| UCF | Receiving | Kobe Hudson | 6 receptions, 138 yards, 2 TD |
| Kansas State | Passing | Will Howard | 27-42, 255 yards, 1 INT |
| Kansas State | Rushing | D.J. Giddens | 30 carries, 207 yards, 4 TD |
| Kansas State | Receiving | D.J. Giddens | 8 receptions, 96 yards |

### at Oklahoma State

| Quarter | 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
| 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 |
| Kansas State | Rushing | Will Howard | 10 carries, 104 yards, TD |
| Kansas State | Receiving | Phillip Brooks | 3 receptions, 50 yards |
| Oklahoma State | Passing | Alan Bowman | 19/35, 235 yards |
| Oklahoma State | Rushing | Ollie Gordon II | 21 carries, 136 yards, TD |
| Oklahoma State | Receiving | Jaden Bray | 4 receptions, 77 yards |

### at Texas Tech

| Quarter | 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. Morton had been dealing with a sprained AC joint in his throwing shoulder ever since he took over for the injured Tyler Shough.

### Houston

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

### at No. 7 Texas

| | 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 |
Fox's Big Noon Kickoff show was on Texas's campus for the first time this season.
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 |
| 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 |
| Kansas State | Rushing | Treshuan Ward | 9 carries, 30 yards |
| Kansas State | Receiving | Jayce Brown | 4 receptions, 77 yards, 1 TD |
| Texas | Passing | Maalik Murphy | 19–37, 248 yards, 1 TD, 2 INT |
| Texas | Rushing | Jonathon Brooks | 22 carries, 112 yards, 1 TD |
| Texas | Receiving | Adonai Mitchell | 8 receptions, 149 yards, 1 TD |
Scoring summary :
| Quarter | Time | Drive | Drive | Drive | Team | Scoring information | Score | Score |
| Quarter | Time | Plays | Yards | TOP | Team | Scoring information | 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. | "TOP" = time of possession. For other American football terms, see Glossary of American football. | "TOP" = time of possession. For other American football terms, see Glossary of American football. | "TOP" = time of possession. For other American football terms, see Glossary of American football. | "TOP" = time of possession. For other American football terms, see Glossary of American football. | "TOP" = time of possession. For other American football terms, see Glossary of American football. | "TOP" = time of possession. For other American football terms, see Glossary of American football. | 30 | 33 |

### at No. 25 Kansas

| Favorite | Spread |
| Kansas State | –6.5 |
| Quarter | 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
| 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 |
| Kansas State | Rushing | D. J. Giddens | 21 carries 102 yards 1 TD |
| Kansas State | Receiving | Jayce Brown | 4 receptions 96 yards |
| Kansas | Passing | Cole Ballard | 11/16 162 yards 1 TD 2 INTs |
| Kansas | Rushing | Devin Neal | 18 carries 138 yards 3 TD |
| Kansas | 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

| Quarter | 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
| 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 |
| ISU | Rushing | Abu Sama III | 16 CAR, 276 YDS, 3 TD |
| ISU | Receiving | Jaylin Noel | 3 REC, 160 YDS, 2 TD |
| KSU | Passing | Will Howard | 24–48, 288 yards, TD, INT |
| KSU | Rushing | DJ Giddens | 31 CAR, 114 YDS, TD |
| KSU | Receiving | Ben Sinnott | 10 REC, 136 YDS, TD |

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

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

## Rankings

Ranking movements Legend: ██ Increase in ranking ██ Decrease in ranking — = Not ranked RV = Received votes :
| | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | 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 | Not released | Not released | Not released | Not released | Not released | Not released | Not released | Not released | 23 | 25 | 21 | 19 | 25 | 25 | Not released |