Kansas State opened the Collin Klein era with a 71-3 trouncing of Nicholls in its season opener last Saturday. One day later, Washington State suffered a 24-10 loss at No. 17 Washington in the debut of head coach Kirby Moore.
Ryan Howard saw it. He saw it all along. He was 12 years old that first time he entered the Vanier Family Football Complex. He was a younger brother accompanying his father and big brother on a midweek official recruiting visit in April 2019. Will Howard was a 17-year-old quarterback heading into his senior season at Downingtown West High School. When it came to choosing a college home, older brother wanted to weigh his options. He was hesitant being far from his family home in West Chester, Pennsylvania.
How's this for starters? Kansas State scored its most points ever in a season opener and the fourth-most points by a FBS team this season, while the Wildcats allowed their fewest total yards since 2009 and recorded their first punt-return touchdown in two years during a 71-3 win over Nicholls in the debut of Collin Klein as head coach.
One late-June afternoon, new Kansas State running backs coach Cory Patterson, hired by K-State head coach Collin Klein on December 30, 2025, lounged in a black swivel chair in a spacious office with a balcony that hung off the edge of the Vanier Family Football Complex, and the 45-year-old who traveled from Oklahoma State to be a part of the Wildcats, peered across the football field that would shake during the season opener on September 5.
Newsletter
Love K-State?
Join the K-State newsletter to receive Sports Extra stories, updates, ticket information, special offers and more!