Kansas State vs. South Dakota: Preview and Prediction
Here is everything you need to know about the upcoming matchup between Kansas State and South Dakota in our preview and prediction.
GAME INFO
Saturday, September 3, 2022; 6:00 p.m. CT; Bill Snyder Family Stadium; Manhattan, Kansas
TV: ESPN+ (Broadcast Crew TBA)
Radio: KCSP (610 AM) in Kansas City and KKGQ (92.3 FM) in Wichita
Records: Kansas State 0-0; South Dakota 0-0
Rankings: Kansas State receiving votes (14) in AP Preseason Top 25; South Dakota receiving votes (151) in FCS Top 25 Poll
Series History: Kansas State leads 5-0
Last Meeting: Kansas State 27, South Dakota 24 (2018)
Favorite: No line for FBS vs. FCS opponents.
Fun Fact: Kansas State head coach Chris Klieman is 2-0 against FCS opponents while at Kansas State. During his five-year stint at NDSU, Klieman won four FCS titles and held a 69-6 record at the FCS level.
Key Players
Kansas State Wildcats
Adrian Martinez, Quarterback
Nebraska transfer quarterback Adrian Martinez will make his debut as the Kansas State quarterback and will have immediate pressure to perform. This is perhaps the most hype that Kansas State has had coming into a season since Klieman took over, and for good reason. A backfield with Martinez and All-American Deuce Vaughn has the upside to be among the best in the country if they can take care of the football.
Felix Anudike-Uzomah, Defensive End
Kansas State is one of the few teams in the country that returns an All-American on both sides of the football in 2022, and Felix Anudike-Uzomah is primed to build off of an impressive 2021 campaign. If Kansas State is going to compete for the Big 12 crown this year, its play along the defensive line will have to be elite, and it certainly has the chance to be.
South Dakota Coyotes
Carson Camp, Quarterback
Camp returns after starting all 12 games for South Dakota last season and completing 180-of-276 passes for 2,252 yards and 17 touchdowns against seven interceptions. Camp was among the best quarterbacks in the Missouri Valley Conference last season and will certainly be that again in 2022. If South Dakota hopes to build off of a 7-5 campaign last season, it will begin and end with Camp.
Brendan Webb, Defensive Line
Webb is the most experienced defensive lineman that returns for the Coyotes after starting 10 games in 2021 and appearing in 27 games over his career thus far. In four years, Webb has tallied 11.0 tackles for loss and four sacks and looks to be an impact player for South Dakota in 2022. If he fails to take another step though, South Dakota will struggle to create pressure up front with an inexperienced group.
Key Storylines
Kansas State Wildcats
Collin Klein is making his official debut as the Kansas State offensive coordinator after calling K-State’s offense in the Texas Bowl, where they racked up 442 yards and 42 points against a limited LSU team. How will things look with Klein now that the role is officially his, and will Adrian Martinez be a good fit in the scheme? If Klein calls an offense similar to what he ran while playing quarterback at K-State, it could be dangerous with an athlete of Martinez’s caliber in the backfield.
South Dakota Coyotes
At the FCS level, South Dakota looks like it could be primed to crack the Top 25 as it currently sits at No. 26 in the polls. However, taking on K-State in Week 1 is a tough place to start and this game has the potential to get out of hand. If quarterback Carson Camp can take advantage of a new-look secondary early in the game, it could make things interesting. If not, K-State could jump all over the Coyotes before halftime.
Prediction: Kansas State 44, South Dakota 14
Kansas State is simply too talented for this game to be close. Expect a vanilla script from Collin Klein in Game 1 as the Wildcats push South Dakota up and down the field with relative ease. This is a bad matchup for the Coyotes, and not just because they are an FCS team. K-State will be a tough, hard-nosed football team that can run the football effectively. That, combined with South Dakota’s inexperience on the defensive line is a bad combination.
