The Oklahoma State vs. Kansas State clash in Week 5 marks one of the first major ranked contests among Big 12 competitors of the season. Which players — and perhaps coaches — will have the most authority in deciding the outcome between the Cowboys and Wildcats?
Kansas State RB DJ Giddens vs. Oklahoma State LBs Nick Martin, Kendal Daniels
Kansas State’s offense isn’t a particularly high-scoring unit, nor does it have the weaponry it’s had in years past with players like Will Howard and Ben Sinnott. But the Wildcats do have a competent dual-threat presence in Avery Johnson and a workhorse running back in DJ Giddens.
Giddens rumbled for 1,226 yards and 10 touchdowns in 2023, and in 2024, he’s off to another fast start. In fact, he’s on pace to break his career rushing yardage record through four games.
GOODNESS GIDDENS ‼️
Avery Johnson’s lob to DJ Giddens ties things right up as @KStateFB battles in New Orleans.#Big12FB | 📺 ESPN pic.twitter.com/phkOEQ01Wf
— Big 12 Conference (@Big12Conference) September 7, 2024
At 6’1″ and 212 pounds, Giddens is a powerful, long-striding runner with great finishing physicality. And on paper, he has a favorable matchup against two lighter linebackers, Nick Martin and Kendal Daniels.
Martin, however, is a very sound, instinctive second-level presence, and Daniels is a 6’4″, 235-pound wild card who thrives as an attacking presence. Giddens will have to outlast both to stay productive.
Oklahoma State RB Ollie Gordon II vs. Kansas State LB Austin Romaine
Ollie Gordon II hasn’t been producing at the same level he did in 2023, when he won the Doak Walker Award. Through four games, he’s accrued 73 carries for 258 yards and four touchdowns — less than four yards per carry.
Nevertheless, Gordon’s level of talent demands that he never goes overlooked. When he’s on his game, he’s one of the most exciting runners in the nation with his unique combination of long-strider burst, physicality, and cutting flexibility.
In the alley, Gordon will cross paths with rising star linebacker Austin Romaine, who has 27 tackles, 3.5 tackles for loss, and two sacks thus far in 2024. A high-motor defender and a tackling machine at 6’2″, 242 pounds, Romaine will make second-level progression difficult.
Oklahoma State QB Alan Bowman, WRs De’Zhaun Stribling, Rashod Owens vs. Kansas State S Keenan Garber
The juxtaposition of Oklahoma State and Kansas State as programs, to this point in 2024, is fascinating, in a way. Kansas State is a middling scoring unit, but they’re allowing under 20 points per game this season. Oklahoma State’s defense has been slightly less efficient, but their offense is a top-30 national unit in points per game.
While Gordon hasn’t been quite as prolific on the ground, veteran quarterback Alan Bowman is racking up yards. The Cowboys’ passing attack is averaging almost 300 yards per game, with size-speed threats like De’Zhaun Stribling and Rashod Owens anchoring the attack.
Oklahoma State’s evolution into a passing powerhouse has helped fuel its 3-1 start, but Kansas State might just have the talent to combat it on defense. Keenan Garber is a former WR at safety with eye-catching full-field range, and Jacob Parrish is a gnat in man coverage who can erase individual options.
Kansas State HC Chris Klieman vs. Oklahoma State HC Mike Gundy
The real battle beneath the surface in the Oklahoma State vs. Kansas State contest is a battle between two of the more tenured Big 12 coaches. Mike Gundy has been around for two decades. Klieman is in his sixth season with the Wildcats, after sustaining a championship team at North Dakota State.
As inferred by their teams’ stylistic differences, Gundy and Klieman hail from contrasting trees. Gundy is a former quarterback, quarterbacks coach, and offensive coordinator, who helped hearken some of the 2000s’ high-flying passing attacks with Todd Monken at his side.
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Klieman, meanwhile, has made a living off of constructing stifling, tough-as-nails defensive units.
So far, Klieman is 1-4 against Gundy in their head-to-head, but Klieman’s win was a 48-0 shutout of the Cowboys in 2022 — the same year Kansas State won the Big 12 Championship game over TCU.
Klieman is on the hunt to score another statement win against the old Big 12’s standard bearer. And Gundy is on the hunt to let his legacy reign for another year. Time will tell which coach wins out in 2024.
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