What has kept Kansas State football from living up to its championship expectations?
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MANHATTAN — The 2025 Kansas State football season hasn’t exactly gone according to plan.
The Wildcats entered the season labeled by some as a favorite to win the Big 12 and compete for a College Football Playoff appearance, but now sit at 4-5 overall and are hoping to win two of their last three games to qualify for something like the Independence Bowl.
While Kansas State has played better since its horrid first month, this season will still fall well short of expectations.
Here are some of the reasons for K-State’s disappointing year.
Kansas State pass rush hasn’t been as good as you’d want
The Wildcats aren’t getting pressure on the quarterback as much as they’d like.
Kansas State ranked second in the Big 12 last season in sacks, finishing the year with about 2.7 per game. Right now, the Wildcats are averaging a half sack less, ranking seventh in the league. Pro Football Focus grades the K-State pass rush as the league’s 10th-best, right behind teams like West Virginia and Oklahoma State.
The Wildcats got off to a hot start by sacking Iowa State QB Rocco Becht four times in the Week 0 opener in Ireland and followed with a three-sack performance against FCS North Dakota. In three games since, the Wildcats have had one or no sacks, with two of those games resulting in losses.
Defensive linemen also don’t make up the majority of those putting the most pressure on the quarterback. Interior defensive lineman Malcolm Alcorn-Crowder grades out as the team’s leader, but the following active players are linebacker Des Purnell and safety Qua Moss, until you get to EDGE rusher Travis Bates and then another corner and linebacker. K-State is often forced to blitz rather than just sending four pass rushers.
Injuries haven’t helped. Tobi Osunsanmi, the team’s best pass rusher, exited the Oct. 4 loss at Baylor and has been ruled out for the season. Ryan Davis missed the team’s first three games and had to be eased back in over his first three games.
Kansas State offensive line has been inconsistent
The offensive line was the biggest question for the Wildcats entering the season, and it hasn’t been the unit that those who follow Kansas State have been used to over the years.
Sam Hecht grades out as one of the best centers in college football, but it’s inconsistent from there. Injuries haven’t helped, with Terrence Enos Jr. and JB Nelson unable to stay on the field, while Ohio State George Fitzpatrick was expected to be counted on heavily, but hasn’t been able to play this season due to an offseason “medical incident.”
As far as PFF grades go, K-State has been the seventh-best in run blocking and 10th-best pass blocking in the Big 12. The Wildcat teams that challenge for conference championships tend to have one of the best run-blocking offensive lines in the country, something this group hasn’t had.
Dylan Edwards injury has been impactful
Dylan Edwards has been a polarizing figure among the Kansas State fan base this season, but there’s no denying the impact of his absence. The Wildcats miss him tremendously.
In the one game Edwards was healthy, he rushed for 166 yards and a touchdown, breaking away for a 75-yard score and showcasing the explosive playmaking that the Wildcats’ offense had expected to have entering the year.
Unfortunately, that lasted only one day, and Edwards’ lower leg injury, which he suffered before taking a snap in the Week 0 loss to Iowa State, has plagued the Wildcats all season. They’ve gotten some good games here and there from Joe Jackson, but the one-cut explosive speed from Edwards could have made some of the Wildcats’ offensive line woes look a lot better. The depth behind Jackson has also been nonexistent.
Championship-contending Kansas State teams of recent seasons tend to have NFL-worthy running backs, whether that be DJ Giddens or Deuce Vaughn. This will be the first time since 2020, when the Wildcats didn’t have a 1,000-yard rusher. Jackson leads the team with 407 yards with three guaranteed games to go.
How much did playing in Ireland hurt Kansas State football?
It seems to be an excuse that the Wildcats haven’t wanted to go all in on, but it’d be interesting to get the coaching staff and players on some truth serum to hear their honest opinion of how playing a game overseas to start the season impacted their early-season struggles.
Would the Wildcats have needed to come back to beat North Dakota or lose to Army, especially since they didn’t have a week off after a lengthy round trip to Ireland for the game? Fatigue likely played at least a minor role, although you would have liked to see the Wildcats perform better against UND and beat Army regardless.
Based on how this season has gone for Kansas State, we wouldn’t expect the Wildcats to raise their hand for an international game anytime soon.
Wyatt D. Wheeler covers Kansas State athletics for the USA TODAY Network and Topeka Capital-Journal. You can follow him on X at @WyattWheeler_, contact him at 417-371-6987 or email him at wwheeler@gannett.com
This article originally appeared on Topeka Capital-Journal: Why Kansas State football hasn’t lived up to expectations
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