Troy Gameday!

Kansas State takes on Troy today at Bill Snyder Family Stadium. Kickoff is set for 11 AM CDT, and the game will air on FS1, with additional radio coverage on KStateSports.com. Look for the How to Watch post here for additional details on TV, radio, and streaming options.

The Wildcats are coming off a 45-0 win over SEMO, both dominant and not especially revelatory. But as Drew Schneider writes, it would be a mistake to assume Kansas State will have a similar romp today. Troy is a good team on a 13-game win streak with a potent run game that could really challenge the team in purple, and especially if the defense is not as fundamentally sound as it was last week.

Kansas State opened as 16-point favorites over the Trojans, and not without reason. The Cats are unlikely to be overlooking their opponents, especially considering recent history where the team has inexplicably dropped a non-conference game against FBS non-Power 5 schools (remember last year’s Tulane game, for example).

The Troy offense is potent, but its defense might not be a match for the Wildcats’ fireworks, on ample display last week. A key component of that offense is Cooper Beebe, who lined up at three different spots on the offensive line against SEMO and jokes that he’d like to complete the o-line cycle. On the defensive side of the ball, his counterpart appears to be defensive Uso Seumalo, whose big hair is matched only by his equally big heart.

A number of fun celebrations accompanied scores in last week’s game, and fans should probably savor those, because the team has decided to pull back a bit. In particular, offensive coordinator Collin Klein was not a fan of the beer-themed celebration, and gave his guys a post-game earful. Expect muted celebrations in future, but plenty of quiet swagger too.

Finally, some good news for those of you who care about this sort of thing: Kansas State will remain a Nike school. Allegedly, Under Armour actually put a better deal on the table, but coaches think Nike has a cooler vibe that helps with recruiting.

Let’s go, Cats! Win the dang day!