2018Kansas State Wildcats football
Conference	Big 12 Conference
Record	5–7 (3–6 Big 12)
Head coach	Bill Snyder (27th season)
Offensive coordinator	Andre Coleman (1st season)
Co-offensive coordinator	Collin Klein (1st season)
Offensive scheme	Multiple
Defensive coordinator	Blake Seiler (1st season)
Co-defensive coordinator	Brian Norwood (1st season)
Base defense	4–3
Home stadium	Bill Snyder Family Football Stadium
Seasons ← 2017 2019 →

The2018 Kansas State Wildcats football team representedKansas State University in the2018 NCAA Division I FBS football season. The Wildcats played their home games at theBill Snyder Family Football Stadium inManhattan, Kansas, and competed in theBig 12 Conference. They were led by head coachBill Snyder in his 10th season of his current tenure at Kansas State and 27th overall. They finished the season 5–7 overall, 3–6 in Big 12 play to finish in a three-way tie for seventh place.

On December 2, Snyder, who had signed a five-year extension before the season began, announced his retirement.^[1][2] His final record was 215–117–1 in 27 seasons. On December 10,North Dakota State head coachChris Klieman was hired as Snyder's successor.^[3]

The Wildcats finished the2017 season 8–5, 5–4 in Big 12 play to finish in a four-way tie for fourth place. They were invited to theCactus Bowl where they defeatedUCLA.

On December 6, 2017, it was announced thatoffensive coordinatorDana Dimel was hired as the new head coach forUTEP.^[4] Coach Dimel fulfilled his final OC duties for KSU while participating in theCactus Bowl before moving to his new job.^[5] His son Winston Dimel also transferred to UTEP after three seasons at Kansas State.^[6]

Listed in the order that they were released

The Big 12 media poll was released on July 12, 2018, with the Wildcats predicted to finish in sixth place.^[15]

The following is a list of the recruits that are on the 2018 roster.

College recruiting information (2018)
Name	Hometown	School	Height	Weight	40‡	Commit date
Christian Duffie OG	Houston, TX	Summer Creek High School	6 ft 3 in (1.91 m)	300 lb (140 kg)		Jul 25, 2017
	Recruit ratings:Scout:    Rivals:    (77)
Spencer Trussell DE	Arlington, TX	James Martin High School	6 ft 3 in (1.91 m)	215 lb (98 kg)	5.01	Jul 24, 2017
	Recruit ratings:Scout:    Rivals:    (77)
Cartez Crook-Jones DE	Grandview, MO	Grandview Senior High School	6 ft 4 in (1.93 m)	229 lb (104 kg)		Dec 10, 2017
	Recruit ratings:Scout:    Rivals:    (76)
Aidan Mills OT	Newton, KS	Newton High School	6 ft 5 in (1.96 m)	265 lb (120 kg)
	Recruit ratings:Scout:    Rivals:    (76)
Rahsaan York OLB	Sacramento, CA	American River College (JC)	6 ft 0 in (1.83 m)	215 lb (98 kg)		Jan 28, 2018
	Recruit ratings:Scout:    Rivals:    (76)
E.J.Turner WR	Cartersville, GA	Cartersville High School	6 ft 2 in (1.88 m)	179 lb (81 kg)	4.86	Dec 19, 2017
	Recruit ratings:Scout:    Rivals:    (76)
Wayne Jones III S	Owasso, OK	Owasso High School	5 ft 11 in (1.80 m)	193 lb (88 kg)	4.73	May 30, 2017
	Recruit ratings:Scout:    Rivals:    (76)
Lance Robinson S	New Orleans, LA	De La Salle High School	5 ft 10 in (1.78 m)	175 lb (79 kg)	4.62	Jun 10, 2017
	Recruit ratings:Scout:    Rivals:    (75)
JaQuavius Lane WR	Loganville, GA	Grayson High School	5 ft 10 in (1.78 m)	167 lb (76 kg)		Aug 21, 2017
	Recruit ratings:Scout:    Rivals:    (74)
Samuel Wheeler QB (Dual Threat)	Lanexa, KS	St. James Academy	6 ft 4 in (1.93 m)	200 lb (91 kg)
	Recruit ratings:Scout:    Rivals:    (74)
Kevion McGee CB	Miami, OK	Northeastern Oklahoma A&M (JC)	5 ft 10 in (1.78 m)	185 lb (84 kg)		Dec 20, 2017
	Recruit ratings:Scout:    Rivals:    (74)
Jaylen Pickle DT	Cimarron, KS	Cimarron High School	6 ft 4 in (1.93 m)	260 lb (120 kg)		Jun 7, 2017
	Recruit ratings:Scout:    Rivals:    (74)
John Holcombe QB (Dual Threat)	Houston, TX	Summer Creek High School	6 ft 4 in (1.93 m)	238 lb (108 kg)	5.11	Aug 19, 2017
	Recruit ratings:Scout:    Rivals:    (73)
Derrick Newton DT	Douglas, GA	Coffee High School	6 ft 2 in (1.88 m)	268 lb (122 kg)		Dec 20, 2017
	Recruit ratings:Scout:    Rivals:    (73)
Darreyl Patyerson CB	Lawton, OK	Northeastern Oklahoma A&M (JC)	6 ft 0 in (1.83 m)	180 lb (82 kg)		Oct 11, 2017
	Recruit ratings:Scout:    Rivals:    (73)
E.J. Thomas CB	Atlanta, GA	Carver High School	6 ft 0 in (1.83 m)	170 lb (77 kg)		Jul 24, 2017
	Recruit ratings:Scout:    Rivals:    (73)
Malik Knowles WR	Mansfield, TX	Lake Ridge High School	6 ft 2 in (1.88 m)	175 lb (79 kg)		Jan 28, 2018
	Recruit ratings:Scout:    Rivals:    (73)
Shane Cherry OT	Hillsboro, MO	Grandview High School	6 ft 3 in (1.91 m)	300 lb (140 kg)		Dec 10, 2017
	Recruit ratings:Scout:    Rivals:    (72)
Ekow Boye-Doe ATH	Lawrence, KS	Lawrence High School	6 ft 0 in (1.83 m)	170 lb (77 kg)		Oct 30, 2017
	Recruit ratings:Scout:    Rivals:    (72)
Kaitori Leveston OT	Waco, TX	Midway High School	6 ft 5 in (1.96 m)	290 lb (130 kg)		Sep 5, 2017
	Recruit ratings:Scout:    Rivals:    (72)
Levi Archer QB (Pocket Passer)	Goodland, KS	Goodland High School	6 ft 4 in (1.93 m)	185 lb (84 kg)		Jan 28, 2028
	Recruit ratings:Scout:    Rivals:    (NR)
Tyquilo Moore DT	El Dorado, KS		6 ft 4 in (1.93 m)	295 lb (134 kg)
	Recruit ratings:Scout:    Rivals:    (NR)
Luke Sowa FB	Storrs, CT	UConn	6 ft 3 in (1.91 m)	245 lb (111 kg)		Dec 20, 2017
	Recruit ratings:Scout:    Rivals:    (NR)
Hunter Rison WR	East Lansing, MI	Michigan State	5 ft 11 in (1.80 m)	197 lb (89 kg)
	Recruit ratings:Scout:    Rivals:    (NR)
Overall recruit ranking:
Note: In many cases, Scout, Rivals, 247Sports, On3, and ESPN may conflict in their listings of height and weight. In these cases, the average was taken. ESPN grades are on a 100-point scale. Sources: "2018 Kansas State Football Commits". Rivals. "2018 Team Ranking". Rivals.com.

The Wildcats hosted three non-conference opponents;South Dakota from theMissouri Valley Football Conference,Mississippi State from theSoutheastern Conference, andUTSA fromConference USA.

Kansas State announced its 2018 football schedule on October 26, 2017. The 2018 schedule consisted of seven home and five away games in the regular season. The Wildcats hosted Big 12 foesTexas,Oklahoma State,Kansas, andTexas Tech and traveled toWest Virginia,Baylor,Oklahoma,TCU, andIowa State.

Date	Time	Opponent	Site	TV	Result	Attendance
September 1	6:00 p.m.	South Dakota*	Bill Snyder Family Football Stadium Manhattan, KS	ESPN3	W 27–24	50,063
September 8	11:00 a.m.	No. 18Mississippi State*	Bill Snyder Family Football Stadium Manhattan, KS	ESPN	L 10–31	49,784
September 15	3:00 p.m.	UTSA*	Bill Snyder Family Football Stadium Manhattan, KS	FSN	W 41–17	50,618
September 22	2:30 p.m.	at No. 12West Virginia	Mountaineer Field at Milan Puskar Stadium Morgantown, WV	ESPN	L 6–35	59,245
September 29	2:30 p.m.	No. 18Texas	Bill Snyder Family Football Stadium Manhattan, KS	FS1	L 14–19	49,916
October 6	2:30 p.m.	atBaylor	McLane Stadium Waco, TX	FS1	L 34–37	36,888
October 13	11:00 a.m.	Oklahoma State	Bill Snyder Family Football Stadium Manhattan, KS	ESPNU	W 31–12	50,245
October 27	2:30 p.m.	at No. 8Oklahoma	Gaylord Family Oklahoma Memorial Stadium Norman, OK	FOX	L 14–51	86,435
November 3	2:30 p.m.	atTCU	Amon G. Carter Stadium Fort Worth, TX	FS1	L 13–14	40,486
November 10	11:00 a.m.	Kansas	Bill Snyder Family Football Stadium Manhattan, KS (rivalry)	FSN	W 21–17	50,062
November 17	2:30 p.m.	Texas Tech	Bill Snyder Family Football Stadium Manhattan, KS	ESPNU	W 21–6	47,287
November 24	6:00 p.m.	at No. 25Iowa State	Jack Trice Stadium Ames, IA (rivalry)	FS1	L 38–42	54,430
*Non-conference game Homecoming Rankings fromAP Poll released prior to the game All times are inCentral time

^[16]

The following is a list of coaches at Kansas State for the 2018 season.

Names inbold means player sits out due to NCAA transfer rules. Names initalics means player is a transfer. ESPN roster for the 2018 season.^[17]

^[18]

Kansas State's 2018 football roster consists of 22 transfers.Luke Sowa (Butler CC viaUConn),Adam Harter (Butler CC),Hunter Rison (Michigan State),Matt Jones (Butler CC),Hayden Perry (Hutchinson CC),Abdul Beecham (Blinn),Nick Kaltmayer (Western Illinois),Tyquilo Moore (Butler CC),Osvelt Joseph (Garden City CC),Joe Davies (Coffeyville CC),Logan Stoddard (Highland CC),Rahsaan York (American River College),Da'Quan Patton (Trinity Valley CC),Eric Gallon II (Virginia),Blake Richmeier (Butler CC),Darreyl Patterson (Northeastern Oklahoma A&M),Jordan Noil (Hutchinson CC),Elijah Walker (Cerritos CC),Kevion McGee (Northeastern Oklahoma A&M),Daron Bowles (Diablo Valley JC),Jahron McPherson (Butler CC),Devin Anctil (Coffeyville CC) andDavid Tullis (Butler CC).

Kansas State'sIsaiah Zuber was credited for saving the game with two key plays: an 85-yard punt return with South Dakota leading 24–12. Later in the game Zuber caught a touchdown pass from Skylar Thompson with 7:21 left to give K-State its first lead of the second half.

Kansas State scored all but seven of its points on field goals and special teams. Sophomore kicker Blake Lynch scored Kansas State's first 12 points on field goals of 22, 24, 38 and 44 yards. Kansas State racked up 13 penalties for 129 yards, but maintained more control of the ball with 37:39 of offense compared to South Dakota's 22:21.^[19] going over 100 years for the first time since 2016 against Florida Atlantic.^[20]

Among the penalties committed by Kansas State had significant impact on the game. An illegal block negated a punt-return touchdown by Duke Shelley; holding penalties erased first downs; and an Eli Walker interception was taken away by a pass-interference penalty and Walker was subsequently flagged for spiking the football.^[21]

South Dakota quarterback Austin Simmons threw for 257 yards and one touchdown, continually finding receiver Levi Falck (11 catches, 140 yards) open against top K-State cornerback Duke Shelley. The Coyotes led 24–12 at halftime.^[22] ESPN reported "... one solid takeaway is how well the Coyotes were in control for much of the game. They did a great job limiting the Kansas State offense for three quarters and had many Kansas State fans, players and coaches frustrated throughout the night."^[20]

Mississippi State quarterbackNick Fitzgerald made his first appearance on the football fields since November 2017, when a foot injury sidelined him for the season and a 1-game suspension kept him out of the season opener. Fitzgerald threw for 154 yards with two touchdowns and ran for another 159 yards. Mississippi State compiled a total of 538 yards of total offense where Kansas State only managed 213.

Kansas State continued with its two-quarterback system, switching snaps between Skylar Thompson and Alex Delton. Kansas State running back Alex Barnes managed 75 yards rushing, but the Wildcats fell short to lose the game 31–10.^[23]

Kansas State achieved a "confidence builder" by pulling together with a victory over San Antonio. Sophomore Skylar Thompson shared quarterback duties again with Alex Delton, but made more of a statement for his role with the team by throwing for 216 yards and rushing for 66—producing two touchdowns by the air and a third on the ground. After losing the ball on a fumble, Delton entered the game and hitIsaiah Zuber for a 72-yard touchdown, placing the Wildcats well ahead by a score of 41–7. Kansas State scored in five of six possessions in the first half.^[24] The final score was Kansas State 41, San Antonion 17.^[25]

On defense, San Antonio gave up over 400 yards to Kansas State and dropped their record to 0–3, where Kansas State advanced to 2–1 for the season. San Antonio CoachFrank Wilson said, "Unfortunately we did not always execute to the fullest, but I think take away a couple of big-play opportunities, they weren't going methodically down the field and just shoving us around. We held them to some third-down opportunities, but we just couldn't get them off the field."^[25]

West Virginia had originally planned to have a game the previous week againstNorth Carolina State, but it was canceled due toHurricane Florence. The team and coaches began preparations against Kansas State early. Mountaineer CoachDana Holgorsen said, "Kansas State's a tough outfit that we've got to prepare for."^[26]

Both teams started conference play with this game. Kansas State entered the game with a record of 2–1^[27] where West Virginia had already secured victories againstTennessee (40–14) andYoungstown State (523–-17)."^[26] This game is the ninth meeting between the two teams with the Wildcats holding a 5–3 overall lead. The teams have split the four games played at West Virginia.^[28]

West Virginia managed to take control of the game mid-way through the second quarter after Kansas State failed to convert on fourth down. West Virginia ended ahead at the half 21–0.^[29] Kansas State managed control the ball more on offense but it wasn't enough, as West Virginia achieved 464 total yards compared to Kansas State's 318. Although West Virginia had four turnovers to Kansas State's one, the Wildcats lost 69 yards on 8 penalties compared to the Mountaineer's 35 yards on 3 penalties. West Virginia was 8–12 on third down conversions compared to Kansas State's 3–14.^[30]

In the second half of play, Kansas State was successful with two field goals and additional scores by the Mountaineers put the game to a conclusion of West Virginia's victory 35–6.^[29]

Texas lost their first game on the road at Maryland and then won their next three games at home, and their last two victories came against ranked teams—No. 22 Southern California and No. 17 TCU. But the travel games (especially in this series) have not been in the Longhorn's favor. The home team has won last six games between the two teams and Texas has not won in Manhattan since 2002.^[31]

Texas was the only team to score in the first half of play, with two touchdowns, a field goal, and a safety. Kansas State had a chance to score a touchdown on the final play of the first half when Alex Delton threw a pass to Adam Harter that was dropped in the end zone. The score at the half was Texas 19, Kansas State 0.^[32]

Kansas State fared better in the second half, holding Texas scoreless and replacing Alex Delton with Skylar Thompson. Thompson led Kansas State to score two touchdowns in the second half with 14 points. In the end, Texas held the lead with a final score of 19–14.^[33] For the next week Texas played Oklahoma after stopping the second-half comeback by Kansas State.^[34]

Baylor held a slight edge in the pregame analysis. Coming into the game Baylor was considered better than they were at this same time last year and has won 3 games (Kansas, Texas-San Antonio, and Abilene Christian), the Bears have also lost 2 (Duke, Oklahoma). In Baylor's previous game against Oklahoma, they achieved 493 yards of offense in their loss—something expected to be a challenge for Kansas State on defense.^[35]

The game started with Kansas State holding the lead at the end of the first and second quarters. Baylor pulled ahead in the third quarter but missed several field goals. Baylor's Charlie Brewer threw for 296 yards and Kansas State's Alex Barnes rushed for 250 yards^[36] (he ran for 129 yards and four touchdowns in the 2016 matchup also at Baylor).^[37]

Kansas State had its share of mistakes: K-State missed a field goal and an extra point and were also ineffective on kickoff returns. Kansas State also gave up a fumble on the kickoff return after a controversial play review to start the third quarter and Baylor scored a touchdown two plays later.^[38] Wildcat turnovers and penalties led to three touchdowns for Baylor.^[39] They also had problems with a punt return they recovered and an extra point was blocked.^[37]

Baylor's Connor Martin had a rough day as the kicker, missing three field goals and an extra point, yet among all that he ended up kicking the game-winning field goal from 29 yards with 8 seconds left in the game. The final score was a Baylor victory, 37–34.^[37]

The Oklahoma State Cowboys came in to the game after a loss the previous week to Iowa State by a score of 48–42, and that loss put extra pressure on the Cowboys to win coming into the game. Some of the issues the Cowboys brought in to the include lack of discipline, a disconnected defense, and a failure to force turnovers on defense. The 2018 loss to Iowa State had many similarities to the 2017 game between Oklahoma State and Kansas State that resulted in a K-State victory 45–40.^[40]

Those issues carried through into the game as Oklahoma State produced its worst offensive performance since 2014.^[41] The score at halftime put Oklahoma State ahead 6–3, but strong performance by the Wildcats in the second half helped take Kansas State to a victory 31–12.^[42] Kansas State's Skylar Thompson completed 11-of-22 passes for 130 yards and the offense achieved 291 yards on 55 carries.^[41]

Kansas State was able to take a week of rest between the previous win against Oklahoma State and their next game against Oklahoma.^[42] Oklahoma's new defensive coordinatorRuffin McNeill was able to simplify the defensive plan which helped turn out good results against Texas Christian in the previous week with a Sooner victory 52–27. K-State's Coach Snyder commented: "They're very much the same football team that they were on the defensive side of the ball, on both sides actually, but certainly on the defensive side. I saw some tweaks, a few things, that you might consider to be changes -- don't know if they're changes or are just there and hadn't surfaced previously. But by and large, it's the same defense."^[43]

When the game rolled around, both the offense and the defense for Oklahoma performed to control the game from start to finish, with a final score of 51–14 and an Oklahoma win.^[44]

When the two Big 12 conference teams that both wear purple got together for the 2018 matchup, Kansas State lost quarterback Skylar Thompson to an injury in the first quarter and the Wildcats went to backup Alex Delton. Kansas State kept the game close but missed a PAT leaving the score 14–13 in favor of TCU. "Of course I feel horrible for him," Snyder said. "He's one of the young guys. He didn't lose the ballgame for us. There were a bunch of us that made mistakes that contributed." With the loss, K-State was left in a position to win the last three games in order to be eligible for post-season bowl games.^[45]

The Jayhawks outgained the Wildcats in total yardage 347–301, but it wasn't enough. A Kansas offensive drive began with 8:29 remaining began with four penalties on their first three snaps. A Holding Penalty reversed a 74-yardKhalil Herbert run and a false start on the next play added to the situation. On the third play of the drive, KU's Williams ran for 60 yards, but center Alex Fontana was penalized for holding. The fourth penalty happened when KU's tight end Mavin Saunders tried to hide the penalty flag, bringing a call for unsportsmanlike conduct. Kansas State ended up winning their tenth consecutive Sunflower Showdown by a score of 21–17.^[46]

The Red Raiders experienced their fourth consecutive loss when traveling to Manhattan. Tech was without starting quarterback Alan Bowman and offensive players Connor Killian and Mason Reed were also out. Tech ran the ball 26 times for 31 yards and has not had a ball carrier reach 65 yards iun the past seven games. Tech's 181 yards of total offense was the lowest output since 2010 against the Texas Longhorns.^[47]

Kansas State held a solid lead late in the fourth quarter and ran atackle-eligible play to right tackle Dalton Risner. Although Risner took the ball to the end zone, officials reviewed the play and declared that it was a forward pass. The ruling resulted in apenalty for illegal touching and it took away the TD. K-State's Lynch then was successful on his final field goal.^[48]

Kansas State kicker Blake Lynch had not completed a successful field goal in a game for nearly two months, but managed to match a career-high with four straight and added an extra point. A blocked punt by Kansas State's Brock Monty added to K-State's success with a final victory of 21–6.^[49]

In the week before the final regular season game for Kansas State, Iowa State jumped K-State in the standings, ranked 25th. The Cyclones come off a disappointing loss at Texas, but had won five of its past six. Kansas State seeks its sixth victory in the game with a chance to become bowl-eligible for its ninth consecutive season. Weather forecast for the night game atJack Trice Stadium are for cold temperatures. “We have won two in a row and have a little momentum going,” K-State running back Alex Barnes said. “Iowa State is going to be a tough game. It’s going to be another cold game, too. It’s a night game. It’s all lined up for us to do pretty good. We just have to go out there and do it.”^[50]

Iowa State's loss at Texas Saturday brought an end to the Cyclones' hopes for a spot in the Big 12 Conference title game and they also fell in theCollege Football Playoff rankings from #16 to #25. K-State's Coach Snyder came into the game 22–4 all-time against Iowa State and 9–0 since his return in 2009.^[51] For this matchup, the pre-game consensus was that the Cyclones were favored by 14 points over the Wildcats.^[50]

After a slow start, Kansas State held a solid lead for most of the game. Kansas State had racked up a 17-point lead with only 12 minutes remaining in the game. From there, Iowa State's Mike Rose grabbed a loose ball and ran it in for a touchdown. The Cyclones controlled the game from that point to rally with 21 unanswered points. The final score was an Iowa State victory, 42–38.^[52]

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