Wildcats deliver win with cherry on top for Coach Klein’s birthday
Kansas State Coach Collin Klein walks along the sideline during a timeout against Tulane Saturday September 19, 2026 at Bill Snyder Family Stadium. (Lynn Harrington/stayaliveinpower5)
MANHATTAN, Kan. — For the first time since 2024 the Wildcats finished non-conference play unscathed, and it couldn’t have happened on a better day for their head coach.
Collin Klein is enjoying his first year of being a head coach at his alma mater, and with Kansas State beating Tulane 31-20 Saturday afternoon, he couldn’t think of a better way to celebrate his 37th birthday. After all, the Wildcats defeated a team that made the Playoffs last season, and outscored them 31-13 over the final 45 minutes of the game.
Matching wits with Tulane Coach Will Hall didn’t go well early on for Klein. Although the Wildcats started slow out of the gates, they made adjustments and never looked back. Klein thought that was a testament of the leadership on the team, because the players never panicked in times of adversity, and stuck to the game plan.
“We told them it was going at a fast pace, that they were fast on both sides and they were physical,” Klein said. “Credit Coach Hall and his staff, thought they had some really really good plans on both sides of the ball, made us adjust and kind of change some things that they had put on tape in those first three weeks.”
The Green Wave punched the Wildcats in the mouth before a light bulb finally came on. Tulane drew first blood after quarterback Kadin Semonza led the offense on a seven-play, 90-yard touchdown drive, that temporarily silenced the crowd of 51,846 at Bill Snyder Family Stadium.
A scoreless first quarter didn’t sit well with Klein. Quarterback Avery Johnson missed some open receivers, and the offensive line didn’t execute at the point of attack.
However, Kansas State (3-0) turned it up a notch on offense, and came out on fire in the second quarter. Johnson used his dual-threat capabilities to his advantage, and led the offense on three scoring drives. He provided a touchdown on the ground, as well as running back Jay Harris, and Klein felt more at ease that the Wildcats took a 17-10 lead into halftime.
“They did a really nice job in some of their run pressures internally that had us a little unsettled there early, though we settled in,” he said. “Thought Avery did a tremendous job of just working the game, incredible competitive demeanor, took what they gave us over and over, and I thought the guys through that middle stretch were able to get in a really really good rhythm.”
The Wildcats sort of let their foot off the gas in the second half, but didn’t surrender their lead. Tulane’s defense had no answer for Johnson’s mobility, and he ripped off huge gains throughout the afternoon. It became obvious that Klein’s balanced attack was too much for Tulane.
Kansas State tightened up on defense too, and sacked Semonza six times. The unit only allowed 260 yards, which included 95 on the ground. Klein would’ve liked the defense to cause a couple of turnovers, but was proud of the effort, and how everyone flew to the football.
On paper the Wildcats dominated the contest. It’s hard to argue with that when Kansas State led Tulane in total offense, passing yards, rushing yards, plays, yards per play, first downs, third down conversions and time of possession. Johnson completed 21 of his 28 passes for 227 yards, to go along with a career-high, 152 on the ground and two touchdowns.
Harris also rushed for two scores. Wideout Javon Tibb finished with a game-high, nine receptions for 114 yards. Tight end Will Anciaux hauled in three passes, and averaged nearly 20 yards per reception. Not to mention the Wildcats’ offense scored on five of their six trips to the red zone, and didn’t turn the ball over.
Safety Wesley Fair led Kansas State with eight tackles, and Koy Beasley added five solo stops. Edge rusher Wendell Gregory posted three tackles for loss, and Jayden Bryant tallied two sacks. Mekhi Mason, Elijah Hill and Darien Whitaker also made Semonza eat grass. Even kicker Luis Rodriguez got in on the action, and nailed a 23-yard field goal, and all four of his PATs.
Klein didn’t like the silly penalties, and understand his players need to work on their mental toughness. Regardless, it was a great day at the office in Klein’s eyes. Kansas State ended up with 428 yards of total offense, which included 201 on the ground. The Wildcats have confidence, are starting to gel on both sides of the ball approaching Big 12 play, and Klein feels the best is yet to come.
“I think it’s a great lesson for our guys, and great opportunities to be able to to move forward and get better and as we go on the road in the first conference game next week.”
