Jimmy Coffman
Sunday, September 5th, 2026
Klein’s Wildcats Drop 71 in Big Win over Nicholls St.
MANHATTAN – The 2026 K-State football season starts with a bang as Collin Klein’s first game as head coach sees the fourth most points scored by the Cats in program history.
There were as many questions as there was hype around the beginning of Collin Klein’s head coaching tenure for Kansas State. And the hype was palpable during the pregame as former HC Chris Klieman opened the double doors to bring on the Cats. Hundreds of former student athletes were in attendance, with guys like Cowboys center Cooper Beebe and former K-State LB Marvin Switzer showing up for the beginning of the Klein era.
On top of the alumni, Klein brought back a lot of traditions from the Snyder era; players interlocked arms walking to the tunnel, the pregame video used the song Crazy Train and the best one of them all: Willie the Wildcat tackled the opposing team’s mascot in midfield. From the moment the fan fare started, it really felt like Klein was delivering the promise of “The New Old School.” And that feeling was felt even stronger with the play on the field.
1st Quarter
The first quarter for the Cats can be described in one word: Explosive. With K-State starting on offense, over 50,000 people were waiting in anticipation to see how Klein’s play calling would look with this new offense. And they were pleasantly surprised as Avery Johnson led a six-play, 77-yard drive capped off by a Jaron Tibbs receiving TD. The offense from the jump seemed in rhythm, the play designs were creative and the new pieces of the offense were fun to watch.
On top of the efficiency, Avery Johnson’s TD pass to Tibbs officially beat Will Howard’s record for most passing touchdowns in program history. As Johnson continued through the game, he became the first Wildcat QB to reach 50 passing touchdowns, a huge landmark for the senior. Johnson also added a 10-yard rushing TD, followed by a really quick two-point conversion from Linkon Cure.
On the defensive side, the Cats were playing with their hair on fire. Hard hits, energy, speed, everything was working for the Cats and Nicholls State struggled to get anything going.
To cap off a fun first, Hawaii transfer Brandon White took a punt return 69 yards for a third touchdown, as K-State led 22-0 entering the second.
2nd Quarter
One of the only errors for K-State came at the start of the second from Oregon transfer Jay Harris, as he fumbled the ball and the Colonels recovered. Nicholls State was able to create some good run plays as RB Tamaj Hoffman and QB Ean Rodrigue started to find open field, resulting in a field goal and the only points the Colonels could muster.
Offensively, K-State kept running up the score, with a different Cat scoring on almost every touchdown. Rodney Fields Jr. takes a 20-yard run to the house, Joe Jackson finds an open seam for a 43 yvard receiving TD, and Avery Johnson had three combined touchdowns by halftime. It was an all out blitz from the offense and a party in the stands for the purple and white. K-State ended the first half leading 36-3.
3rd Quarter
From halftime to the end, the rest of the game was all K-State. For Nicholls State, QB Ean Rodrigue really struggled with the pace and pressure of Power 4 football, consistently overthrowing targets throughout. As K-State entered the third, the defense started to adjust to the run game from the Colonels, killing any momentum Nicholls State had and giving the ball right back to the Cats.
Offensively, Avery Johnson had one more passing TD in him before calling it a day, as Blake Barnett joined the fray with 7:51 left in the third quarter. As the offense kept moving, more and more Cats found the end zone, including transfers Jay Harris and Josh Manning. K-State ended the third leading 57-3, but the Cats didn’t let up.
4th Quarter
Entering the fourth, K-State Athletics premiered their new lighting in Bill Snyder Family Stadium with a light show to a fan favorite song: Sandstorm. The energy reached a fever pitch, with fireworks, flashing lights and sparklers on the field, with fans using their phone flashlights and chanting “K-S-U.”
On the field, it was more of the same on both sides of the ball. Nicholls State had a couple of tackles for loss on defense, but couldn’t stop the Cats from adding two more scores to the board from back-ups Monterrio Elston Jr. and QB Jacob Knuth. The Wildcats ended the game dropping 71 points, the fourth most in a single game in program history.
Willie the Wildcat, tasked with doing push-ups for every point the Cats score, ended up doing 394 push-ups, struggling mightily towards the end but pushing through with the support of the crowd.
Overall, the beginning of the Collin Klein era was a rousing success. It felt like Klein grabbed this program and made it his from the moment they ran through the garage door. Tradition, record-breaking plays and pure energy coated the Bill in a night that felt like a storybook beginning to an exciting season in Manhattan and a new era for K-State football.