GAME 2
18/17 K-State at rv/rv Tulane
Date: Saturday, September 7, 2024
Kickoff: 11 a.m.
Location: New Orleans, La.
Stadium: Yulman Stadium (30,000)
Series: Tulane Leads, 2-0
TV: ESPN
Stream: fuboTV
Bob Wischusen (Play-by-Play)
Louis Riddick (Analyst)
Kris Budden (Sidelines)
Radio: K-State Sports Network; k-statesports.com (Listen)
Wyatt Thompson (Play-by-Play)
Stan Weber (Analyst)
Matt Walters (Sidelines)
SiriusXM Satellite Radio Ch. 159 or 199, and on the SiriusXM App
Big 12 Radio on TuneIn
Odds: K-State -9.5 | O/U 48.5
KEY STORYLINES
1) Following a 41-6 season-opening win over UT Martin, K-State will hit the road for a morning test at Tulane inside Yulman Stadium on Saturday. The game will be shown on ESPN – immediately following ESPN’s College Gameday – with Bob Wischusen (play-by-play), Louis Riddick (analyst) and Kris Budden (sideline) on the call. The Cats will be looking for their first win over Tulane in the series between the schools.
2) Quarterback Avery Johnson became the fifth sophomore signal caller – and just the second true sophomore – to start a season opener since 1990 with last week’s start. He is coming off a true freshman season that was capped with MVP honors at the Pop-Tarts Bowl. Last week, Johnson threw for 153 yards and two touchdowns while rushing for 37 yards on three carries.
3) Returning beside Johnson in the backfield is junior running back DJ Giddens after he rushed for 1,226 yards and 10 touchdowns on 223 carries in 2023, while he also hauled in 29 receptions for 323 yards and three other scores. Giddens enters the Tulane contest with a five-game streak of at least 100 rushing yards following last week’s 124-yard performance on just 13 carries, good for a 9.54-yard average.
4) The experience of the Wildcats resides on defense as the unit brings back eight starters, including five of its top six tacklers from a year ago. Leading the charge last year and back in 2024 are linebacker Austin Moore and safety Marques Sigle with 63 tackles apiece. Both players, along with defensive ends Brendan Mott and Cody Stufflebean were voted as team captains for the 2024 season.
5) Kicker Chris Tennant is back for his senior campaign and enters this week’s contest in the top 10 in school history in four career categories. The Wildcats’ new punter, Simon McClannan, was impressive in week one by averaging 41.0 yards on three punts with two landing inside the UTM 10-yard line. Additionally, a plethora of options are available at both kickoff and punt return.
KEY STATISTICS
78.46 – Red-zone TD percentage by K-State in 2023, which ranked second in the nation. The Cats were 3-for-3 last week vs. UTM.
64 – Turnovers produced by K-State since 2021, the most among active Big 12 teams and tied for 10th among Power 4 teams.
20.9 – Points per game allowed by K-State since 2021, ranking third among active Big 12 teams and 15th among Power 4 programs.
5.75 – Career per rush average by DJ Giddens, ranking second in school history behind Darren Sproles (6.11).
0 – Number of penalties by K-State in the season opener, its first time with no penalties in a game since 2018 against Texas.
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