To avenge. This is the pact.
It seems so long ago.
September of 2022, K-State loses an ugly 17-10 snoozer in Manhattan. It seemed, at the moment, a disaster.
But Tulane kept winning. And K-State mostly kept winning. And by season’s end, both teams were playing in NY6 bowls, K-State in the Sugar as Big 12 champions and Tulane in the Cotton as the top G6 conference winner. Of course, Tulane won that matchup as well, beating USC while the Cats got rolled by the Tide.
Now, it’s time to avenge ourselves.
The Game
The 17th-ranked Kansas State Wildcats (1-0, 0-0 Big 12) visit the Tulane Green Wave (1-0, 0-0 American).
This is the third meeting between the schools; Tulane won 20-16 in 1988 in New Orleans — the closest Stan Parrish came to winning a game in his final season — as well as the 2022 win.
Tulane is coming off another very good season, going 11-3 last year. They were 11-1 going into championship week, but lost the AAC title game to SMU 26-14, then fell in the Military Bowl 41-20 to Virginia Tech.
They started off properly last week, thrashing FCS Southeastern Louisiana 52-0, outgaining the Lions 472-201. Despite nobody rushing for more than 59 yards, the Green Wave racked up 241 on the ground, and quarterback Darian Mensah was 10-12 for 205 and two touchdowns.
Of course, if that’s Tulane’s offense, they’ll be playing into the Wildcats’ strength. Not that FCS games give an in-depth read on what teams are capable of, but it’s a data point.
Kickoff
Saturday, September 7, 11:00pm CT at Yulman Stadium (30,000) in New Orleans, Louisiana.
Tickets
If you’re in New Orleans, my friends, have I got a deal for you. There are lower-level tickets on sale on the secondary market for as low as three dollars. Yes, you read that right. The upper limit is around $400, and the average is around $45.
Weather
Not good, Bob. It’s going to be in the high-70s, but the entire window of the game calls for thunderstorms, and it’s also raining there all day Friday.
Odds
K-State opened as a 6.5 point favorite, and at DraftKings that’s opened up to -9 with a 47-point over. That projects to a 26-17 win for the Cats. The money line is -345 for K-State, +275 for Tulane. Oddshark’s computer continues to hate on K-State, projecting a 31-24 Green Wave win.
Television
ESPN with Bob Wischusen, Louis Riddick, and Kris Budden. If you have DirecTV, be prepared to be blacked out due to their ongoing dispute with Disney; investigate streaming options other than ESPN+, because they won’t let you watch either if DirecTV is your subscription service.
Radio
As always, Wyatt Thompson, Stan Weber, and Matt Walters will be on hand on the K-State Sports Network as well as via satellite on SiriusXM 159 or 199.
Internet Streaming
The game will stream on ESPN+ (subscription required, but see above). Audio available via kstatesports.com. Live stats provided by K-State Sports.
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