IT IS TIME. PREPARE YOURSELVES.
Our long winter of discontent has come to an end, friends. Real live Wildcat football is on the horizon, looming larger every minute. You have survived. Congratulations.
And now, your first primer of the new season.
The Game
The 18th-ranked Kansas State Wildcats (9-4, 6-3 Big 12, 18 AP in 2023) host the Tennessee-Martin Skyhawks (8-3, 5-1 OVC-Big South, #25 FCS in 2023).
This is the first-ever meeting between the two schools, but the second-straight season in which K-State has opened against an OVC opponent.
UT-Martin is coming off a pretty good year; they were co-champions of the OVC-Big South football association, an entity which exists because both the OVC and Big South have lost enough members to FBS transition of late that they needed to band together for an automatic qualifying spot to the FCS playoffs.
Unfortunately for the Skyhawks, that merger cost them a playoff appearance last season, as they lost the tie-breaker to the other co-champion, Gardner-Webb. This year, the Skyhawks top the OVC-Big South preseason coaches poll, taking five of the eight first place votes available to them.
Historically, UT-Martin has not been a power; unlike many of their peer schools they’ve consistently been an NCAA member since the NCAA became a real structure, but they only sport a total of three post-season appearances since the playoff era began in 1973, and not even a minor bowl appearance prior to that. But they’ve ramped up the program lately; the Skyhawks have won or shared four conference titles this century.
While UT-Knoxville is one of the two statutory land grant institutions in Tennessee (the other being HBCU Tennessee State), UT-Martin really is Tennessee’s ag school, and functions as the extension hub for the west and central parts of the state. As such, they are sort of K-State’s Volunteer brethren. The school has a couple of very notable alumni: Florida State basketball coach Leonard Hamilton, and the legendary Pat Summitt.
Who to watch out for? The Skyhawks are led by grad student QB Kinkead Dent, who transferred in from Ole Miss prior to last season and earned second-team all-conference honors. WR DeVonte Tanksley, a two-year starter, has been very consistent; he caght 53 balls for 653 yards in 2022 and 54 for 698 in 2023.
Sophomore DT Charles Perkins was a freshman All-American last season, and might cause some minor issues for K-State’s OL. Senior DB Oshae Baker was himself a freshman AA in 2021, and was a first-team all-conference selection last year; he is a preseason All-American and is on the watch list for the Buck Buchanan Award, which goes to the best defensive player in FCS. He’s also the punt returner for the Skyhawks.
Kickoff
Saturday, August 31, 6:00pm CT at Bill Snyder Family Stadium (50,000) in Manhattan, Kansas.
Tickets
It’s a sellout, but there are still some standing-room only tickets available directly from K-State for $86. The secondary market appears to be restricted to the 420s, with prices ranging from $30 to $63, mostly in the mid-$40s.
Weather
Oh, it’s gonna be a warm one. Your tailgate temperatures are going to be approaching 90°, dropping to the mid-80s at game time; by the final gun, it’ll still be in the mid-70s. No rain in the Saturday forecast.
Odds
K-State opened as a 37.5 point favorite, but it’s narrowed a hair; our friends at DraftKings now list the game at -36 with the over at 56.5. A quick look at our calculator says that predicts a 47-10 win for the Cats. There is no money line. As usual at the start of the season, Oddshark’s computer is on the fritz because it’s lacking information, predicting a 29-28 win for UT-Martin. Ignore it; we only mention it because we always do and it’ll be less broken as the season progresses.
Television
No TV; see Internet Streaming.
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 160 or 198.
Internet Streaming
The game will stream on ESPN+ (subscription required). Audio available via kstatesports.com. Live stats provided by K-State Sports.
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