K-State Wildcats vs. SEMO Redhawks: Five things to know about Week 1 football game

The wait is nearly over.

After several months without football, Kansas State will play its first game of the 2023 season at 6 p.m. inside Bill Snyder Family Stadium when Southeast Missouri State comes to town.

The Wildcats have never played the Redhawks before.

Here is everything you need to know to start preparing for this week’s game.

The details

Kickoff: 6 p.m. Saturday

Where: Bill Snyder Family Stadium, Manhattan, Kansas

TV: ESPN+

Radio: KCSP (610 AM) in Kansas City and KFH (1240 AM and 97.5 FM) in Wichita

Betting line: TBA

Five things to know

1. Chris Klieman has traditionally dominated against FCS opponents. Few coaches own a better record against teams like SEMO than Klieman. The K-State football coach has gone 70-6 against FCS foes dating back to his time at North Dakota State, starting in 2014. He has not lost to a FCS team since November 4 in 2017. He has guided the Wildcats to a 3-0 record against FCS teams, defeating Nicholls, Southern Illinois and South Dakota.

2. Southeast Missouri State is a quality FCS team. The Redhawks are coming off an impressive season that featured a 9-3 record, an Ohio Valley Conference championship and a trip to the FCS playoffs. They are one of the best teams in their subdivision and enter this season ranked at No. 11 in the top 25 polls.

3. K-State will have a new look at running back without Deuce Vaughn. It will feel a little weird when the first handoff of the game goes to a running back who isn’t wearing No. 22 on his jersey and the crowd in Manhattan doesn’t yell “Deuce” as he zooms up the field. But the Wildcats do have some exciting players ready to take his place. D.J. Giddens and Florida State transfer Treshaun Ward should split the load and give K-State a nice one-two punch in the backfield.

4. The Wildcats will have new blood at wide receiver, too. K-State must replace its leader in receiving yards (Malik Knowles) and receiving touchdowns (Kade Warner) this season. Who will step up to take their place? The Wildcats are expected to rely on a mixture of Phillip Brooks, R.J. Garcia, Seth Porter and Iowa transfer Keagan Johnson. Will anyone else enter the mix in Week 1? It’s time to find out.

5. SEMO running back Geno Hess could give the Wildcats problems on defense. Hess is back for another season with the Redhawks despite already becoming the school’s all-time leading rusher with 4,112 yards and 53 touchdowns. He needs 1,038 more rushing yards to break the OVC Conference record. He should provide the Wildcats’ front seven with an early test on the ground.