Wildcats Survive Snow & Rain to Clinch Bowl Eligibility - Finish 6-6 After Win vs. Colorado

Joe Jackson runs the ball down the field while it snows. Courtesy: Ashton Todd

A K-State football player holds up both of his hands and points to the sky. Courtesy: Ashton Todd

Joe Jackson warms up in the snow before the game. Courtesy: Cooper McDill

Avery Johnson stands alone on the field with the crowd in the background. Courtesy: Ashton Todd

Joe Jackson celebrates in the end zone after scoring a touchdown. Courtesy: Ashton Todd

A K-State football player holds up a peace sign after beating Colorado. Courtesy: Ashton Todd

Avery Johnson signs a fans hat after the game against Colorado. Courtesy: Ashton Todd

K-State football players give high fives around the stadium. Courtesy: Ashton Todd

Sideline reporter Cadence Brier smiles and holds a microphone on the sideline. Courtesy: Ashton Todd

On a cold, windy Saturday afternoon at Bill Snyder Family Stadium (game-time temp 32°, wind chill 24°), the Kansas State Wildcats did just enough to beat the Colorado Buffaloes 24–14, they locked up bowl eligibility at a regular season record of 6–6.  

Jackson Carries the Load 

The story of the day for K-State was Joe Jackson once again, 142 yards on the ground and three bruising rushing touchdowns, bringing his momentum from Utah just a week ago. In a game where offenses struggled to find rhythm, Jackson still managed to rumble through Colorado’s defense, finishing drives even when holes were harder to come by. As head coach Chris Klieman said after the game, Jackson “ran through contact and delivered punishing blows.”  

His first-quarter 13-play drive ended in a 4-yard touchdown run, and he powered in two more, one from a yard out late in the third, and another 17-yard sprint with less than three minutes left, icing the win.  

Offense & Conditions: Hard to Love, But It Got It Done 

It wasn’t pretty. Quarterback Avery Johnson went 10-of-17 for 115 yards in what were obviously difficult weather conditions cold, windy, damp. The passing game never really got going. After last week’s offensive fireworks, the ’Cats only managed 321 total yards against a Buffaloes unit that outgained them 323 - 321 overall.  

Still, the offense did enough. A 35-yard field goal by Luis Rodriguez midway through the fourth gave K-State breathing room, and Jackson’s final touchdown ended any glimmer of a Colorado comeback.  

Defense Fights Through Mistakes 

The defense had mixed moments, they made plays when needed, including a game-sealing sack and a key blocked field goal by Qua Moss, but they also missed some tackles and allowed enough yardage to let Colorado hang around.  

Colorado did manage a late second-quarter rushing touchdown from Micah Welch after an 84-yard drive, a reminder that even a struggling Buffaloes offense could be dangerous if given enough yards.  

What This Win Means - And Why It’s Bittersweet 

With the win, K-State finishes the regular season at 6–6 overall, 5–4 in Big 12 play and extends its streak of bowl-eligible seasons. That’s something to hang your hat on, extra practices for younger guys, one more shot at playing, and a chance to end on a high note. As Avery Johnson put it after the game, "it means everything."  

But make no mistake: most fans came into the season with higher expectations. There was preseason hype, talk of maybe challenging for a bigger bowl, conference championship contender and even a CFP playoff push. Instead, 6–6. That’s a far cry from what many hoped for when the season began. And after watching drives stall, the offense stutter, and weather mess up execution, some will say this felt more like survival than success. 

Still... the Cats are bowling. And when you’re staring down the barrel of a 5-6 offseason, that counts for something. 

What’s Next 

With bowl eligibility secured at the very last possible moment, the Wildcats now wait to see where they’ll land. At 6–6, K-State isn’t headed to anything glamorous, but they are headed somewhere, and after a November that felt like a slow bleed, that’s a victory in itself. 

Most projections have the ’Cats slotted into one of the Big 12’s mid-to-lower tier tie-ins: the Liberty Bowl, the First Responder Bowl, or even the Independence Bowl depending on how the rest of the conference settles. Nothing is locked yet, but the expectation is a December matchup against a similar opponent, one last shot for Avery Johnson and the young core to grab momentum before the long offseason. 

The bigger picture? K-State desperately needs this bowl game to be a step forward, not just a participation ribbon. It’s an extra month of practices, a chance to get healthy, a chance for the freshmen and sophomores who are now the foundation of the program, to grow up a bit. 

And if the Wildcats can finish 7–6 instead of 6–7, the narrative shifts. Suddenly the season looks survivable, not sinking. Suddenly the offseason feels a little less heavy. Suddenly the 2026 expectations don’t feel like a burden, they start to feel like a runway.