Kansas State vs. Tulane: Preview and Prediction
Here is everything you need to know about the upcoming college football game in our Kansas State vs. Tulane preview and prediction.
GAME INFO
Saturday, September 17, 2022; 2:00 p.m. CT; Bill Snyder Family Stadium; Manhattan, Kansas
TV: ESPN+ (Mark Neely, Todd Doxson)
Radio: K-State Radio Network; Sirius/XM Channel 200
Records: Kansas State 2-0; Tulane 2-0
Rankings: N/A
Series History: Tulane Leads Series 1-0
Last Meeting: Tulane Won 20-16 (1988)
Spread: K-State (-14.5)
Fun Fact: This marks only the second time in program history these two teams have met each other. Saturday’s game marking their first meeting in 34 years.
KEY PLAYERS
KANSAS STATE WILDCATS
DB’s Josh Hayes and Kobe Savage
Safety tandem Josh Hayes and Kobe Savage jumped off the tape of K-State’s Week 2 win over Missouri. The pair of transfers are both new to Manhattan this year and have been a major factor in the improvement of the Wildcat’s defense. The unit is holding opponents to an average of six points this season and these two safety’s have played a large role. Savage was one of four Wildcats to snag an interception from Missouri’s offense and Hayes contributed major drive stoppers with two TFLs.
Malik Knowles
While Malik Knowles hasn’t had the best statistical start of his career in 2022, he still strikes fear in opponents every time he touches the football. Voted as a 2022 Preseason All-American before the season kicked off, Knowles has shown incredible flashes and big play ability this season that provides the Cats with another dynamic playmaker to spice up the offense. After scoring on the very first play of regulation on a 75-yard touchdown in Week 1 against South Dakota, Knowles continues to show how dangerous he can be in the open field.
Tulane Green Wave
WR Shae Wyatt
Senior Wideout Shae Wyatt brought the juice for the Green Wave in their week one win over Alcorn State last Saturday and cemented himself as a key player for Tulane. Wyatt contributed with a stat line of 5/130/1 against Alcorn State and looks to continue showing off his big play ability against the Wildcats. The Omaha native made his way to Tulane after an impressive career at Central Missouri where he earned Second Team All-America honors in 2019 with 1,412 yards and 12 touchdowns. Following a hot start to his 2022 campaign, I’m highlighting Wyatt to be a key player in Saturday’s game.
QB Michael Pratt
Pratt enters his Junior season after earning Preseason All-American Athletic Conference Third Team honors as well as appearing on the 2022 Maxwell Award watch list. After a career season in 2021 for the Green Wave, Michael Pratt established himself as one of the most dynamic quarterbacks in the conference and is someone to keep an eye on in Saturday’s matchup. Pratt posted a career-best 2544 all-purpose yards and 26 touchdowns in 2021 and is well on his way to another big year following a 52-0 victory over Alcorn State in which Pratt threw for 318 yards and three scores.
KEY STORYLINES
TULANE GREEN WAVE
Tulane didn’t get much pushback from Alcorn State in their 52-0 blowout last week and it’s going to be a task to slow down K-State. While there were some major highlights for the Green Wave in the past two weeks, this game looks to be their first dose of competition. As an evaluation game, this should give coaches, players, and fans a good view of how much stock to put into this team as they try to make a splash in the AAC. It will be a tough task to slow down standout RB Deuce Vaughn and the Wildcat’s offense but Saturday’s game will should give the Green Wave a chance to reassure themselves.
KANSAS STATE WILDCATS
What will K-State’s offense look like in the second half? After two straight weeks with a sloppy second-half performance, Kansas State looks to work through its previous mistakes. While the Wildcats have handled both South Dakota and Missouri promptly, both second halves provided a similar story. In week one, K-State seemingly shut down their playbook in the second half after jumping out to an early lead over the Coyotes and had a similar lack of effectiveness in the second half against the Tigers in Week 2. We have still yet to see how the Wildcats will handle a game where the second half is competitive and they face pressure for the full duration of the game clock.
PREDICTION: K-STATE 41, Tulane 17
The Wildcat’s rushing attack proves to be too much for the Green Wave defense and this game is added to the likes of another Deuce Vaughn highlight tape. With the strongest O-line of Adrian Martinez’s career, the Cats bully Tulane’s Defensive line and their dominance sets up K-State’s playmakers to make some big splash plays. After three straight games at the Bill with 50,000 fans, the pressure is too much for Tulane to adjust to, and never gets comfortable. K-State handles business in Manhattan.
