This Week Today: Oct. 26th – Nov. 1st

K-State showed offensive structure for the first time in a long time, running schemes and executing a solid gameplan against a pretty strong Tiger team. One of Coach Alexander’s strongest attributes was his ability to produce efficient offenses; though the players on the court struggled at times and there were plenty of mistakes, the bones of a great team are very much there. 

At this point, K-State fans are looking for a fun team that plays hard and that is exactly what they got on Friday. In today’s matchup with the Huskers, a win would be nice but a loss means nothing if the effort is there. With Nebraska’s Coach Fred Hoiberg renovating the Huskers into a great program, this matchup will be tough on the Cats. But the tough, early matchups are a great way to learn more about a program that is in the very early stages of building.

Friday, Oct. 30th – 6:30 p.m. – KSU Soccer vs UCF – Manhattan, KS – Watch on ESPN+

Kansas State Soccer starts the weekend off with their last home game of the season as they welcome the UCF Golden Knights into Buser Family Park. K-State may be coming off of a loss to Cincinnati, but the Cats got their first conference win against Iowa State just three days before. Now at 6-7-1, K-State has two wins to end with seven wins for the second time in program history.

But that task won’t be easy as the Golden Knights enter Manhattan 10-4-1. Though they’re coming off of a loss to Houston, UCF hadn’t lost a game since September. The Knights’ only drawback is their 4-3 record on the road. When putting these teams side by side, the best bet for K-State is to have the Knights at home. In two games against each other, the Cats and Knights have tied both times. It’ll be a tough battle for the Cats, but a win gives Colleen Corbin a shot at breaking her own record most wins in a season at K-State!

Friday, Oct. 30th – 7 p.m. – KSU Volleyball vs KU – Lawrence, KS – Watch on FS1

Finishing off the work week is Kansas State volleyball as they head out east to take on the rival Jayhawks in a rematch of the Sunflower Showdown. This matchup couldn’t have come at a better time as the Cats have just broken their losing streak in a sweep of Texas Tech at home. After seven straight losses in conference play, the Cats collect their 10th win and now face one of the toughest teams in the Big 12.

After beating K-State in their first matchup of the season, the Jayhawks have gone 2-1 in their last three games, all of which are against ranked opponents. They currently sit in a two game win streak, beating #13 TCU and #24 Baylor by a combined score of six sets to two. Now, the Hawks sit at #17th in the AVCA top 25 with multiple top 25 wins in a tough schedule.

The weird part about this KU team is that they haven’t performed the best when at home in the past month. Though they’ve mostly been on the road, the Jayhawks are 1-2 in the month of October at home. Because of the excitement of the rivalry, KU moved the game to Allen Fieldhouse to fit more people in for the Showdown, so the crowd could be intense. No matter what, this KU team is one of the strongest on K-State’s schedule and the Cats are going to have their hands full on the road.

Saturday, Oct. 31st – 1 p.m. – KSU Football vs Colorado – Boulder, CO – Watch on TNT

K-State football is back in action out west as they travel to Colorado to face the Buffaloes this Saturday on TNT. The Cats are coming off of a tough loss at Arizona State and are reeling from injuries all around the offense. The running back room isn’t 100%, the top two tight ends are out and the QB room doesn’t have anyone completely healthy, even backup Jacob Knuth who played all four quarters. Starting QB Avery Johnson has been listed as day-to-day, but even with him in the mix, the Cats have struggles all over the field on either side of the ball.

Against the Sun Devils, the run defense looked as bad as it has all year as true freshman Cardae Mack got whatever he wanted, including all four ASU touchdowns and 159 yards. Offensively, Knuth had little time in the pocket when passing and the run game could only muster 84 total yards on the ground. The Cats’ offensive line got outright dominated on most plays and the youth and inexperience was exposed.

Though K-State is in a weird place to start the second half of their season, Colorado is the only team in the Big 12 that has yet to win a conference game. Outside of a close game against Utah, they haven’t looked very competitive since their win over Weber State in week two. Starting QB Julian Lewis got benched against Baylor and hasn’t seen the field since, but his replacement still hasn’t reached 1000 yards passing and has thrown more interceptions than touchdowns. K-State is looking messy, but Colorado is an all out mess through six games. This matchup should be a moment for K-State to get back on track just so long as they don’t overlook the Buffs with Oklahoma State looming over the following week.

Sunday, Nov. 1st – 2 p.m. – KSU Volleyball vs TCU – Fort Worth, TX – Watch on ESPN+

To finish the weekend, K-State volleyball hits the road to play another top 25 opponent in the TCU Horned Frogs. This will be one of two games against the Horned Frogs that the Cats will play in the next five games, adding onto an already loaded Big 12 schedule. For TCU, their schedule hasn’t been any easier. The Frogs are 1-3 in their past four games with all three losses coming against ranked opponents. TCU’s only win has also come to Texas Tech in a sweep at home, meaning that both schools enter the week sweeping their only win and being swept in their last two losses.

The Cats haven’t won in Fort Worth since 2021, but they do still hold the all time record 15-11. But this Sunday will be a pivotal moment in the season as the Cats enter the final seven games of the season still above .500.