MANHATTAN, Kan. (AP) — Kansas coach Lance Leipold made it perfectly clear when he took over the long-suffering Jayhawks that their bitter, downright disdainful in-state rivalry with Kansas State was a rivalry in name only.
To be a real rivalry, Leipold said, the Jayhawks would have to beat the Wildcats once in a while.
That still hasn't happened. The Wildcats' winning streak is up to 15 games heading into Saturday night's matchup.
While this was supposed to be the season the Jayhawks gave Kansas State a run, given the upward trajectory of Leipold's program, the reality is much different: No. 16 Kansas State is soaring at 6-1 and in the mix for the Big 12 title game, and perhaps a spot in the College Football Playoff, while Kansas is just 2-5 with its only FBS win coming last week against Houston.
“We don't make more of it,” Leipold said of the matchup this week. “It's an important game on our schedule for us to build upon, and we know last year was a very good football game that we had our opportunities and we let slip away. I think our guys know how important it is and the extra energy that comes into rivalry games.”
Indeed, the third-longest continually played series in Division I football at least become competitive last year.
The Jayhawks led 27-16 after Devin Neal's touchdown run early in the third quarter. But the Wildcats answered with a touchdown run by D.J. Giddens, and in the fourth quarter, then-quarterback Will Howard scored the go-ahead TD in the 31-27 victory.
“There's almost all the same players that were up 11 on us in the fourth quarter at their place, plus you add the quarterback that they didn't have last year,” Kansas State coach Chris Klieman sai. “They obviously have the full attention of our players and our coaches, because it's a bunch of veteran guys on both sides of the ball.”
It could just be the quarterbacks who decide the outcome.
The Jayhawks played the Wildcats last season without Jalon Daniels, who spent most of the year nursing his back injury. He is back under center, and while he has struggled mightily with turnovers, he is coming off his best game of the season.
Kansas State features Avery Johnson, whose dynamic playmaking ability is a big reason why Howard entered the transfer portal and wound up at Ohio State. Despite some growing pains, Johnson has been playing near-flawless football lately.
“The biggest thing is not overhyping it. Just treating it like each and every week,” Johnson said. “Obviously it's a big rivalry game and we're going to get their best, and we're going to go out there and put our best on display. Attacking it like every other week, but obviously, this one means a little bit more.”
Kansas will likely be without backup running back Daniel Hishaw, who aggravated an unspecified injury in the win over the Cougars. But the Jayhawks should have linebacker Cornell Wheeler available after he got hurt against West Virginia.
The Wildcats have not played a home game since beating then-No. 20 Oklahoma State on Sept. 28. They had a week off after the win, then logged a come-from-behind win at Colorado and picked up a win last Saturday at West Virginia.
"We can’t let the crowd get (into the game). I’m sure they’ll be charged,” Leipold said. “We’ve got to weather some of that early and make it a four-quarter game and find a way to win it late.”
Neal, who is on pace for a third straight 1,000-yard season, has been one of the few consistent bright spots for Kansas in a season full of close losses. Neal needs just 73 yards to break June Henley's school career record of 3,841 yards rushing, and he needs one more TD to break Henley's record of 43 set from 1993-96.
West Virginia was willing to sell out on defense to stop Giddens last week, holding him to 57 yards rushing. But the bruising Kansas State running back still reached the end zone twice, and he remains the nation's ninth-leading rusher with 843 yards on the ground. He will also be facing a Kansas run defense allowing nearly 150 yards a game this season.
Kansas needs to win four of its final five games to qualify for a bowl game for the third consecutive season, and that won't be easy given its remaining schedule. The Wildcats pose a big enough challenge, but the Jayhawks also have to play No. 10 Iowa State and visit No. 11 BYU the next two weeks before finishing against Colorado and Baylor.
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