Shades of '96: BYU faces stiff test against No. 13 Kansas State in Big 12 opener

PROVO — Perhaps it's fitting that BYU celebrates its 100th season of intercollegiate football and the 40th anniversary of its lone national championship by reintroducing the opponent of one of its most iconic bowl games.

No. 13 Kansas State will play at BYU for the first time since 1977 when the two teams kick off Big 12 play Saturday night at LaVell Edwards Stadium (8:30 p.m. MDT, ESPN).

For two teams with a limited shared history — just eight meetings all time, four wins apiece including the Cougars' 3-0 mark in Provo — the two programs are far from dissimilar from one another.

"BYU has LaVell Edwards and Kansas State has Bill Snyder," said BYU coach Kalani Sitake, who played for Edwards' final season in 2000. "The history behind both programs, I think, is a cool story and I have a lot of respect for Chris Klieman and what he does as a head coach. He's a good friend who I got to know with his wife Rhonda on the Nike retreat with the coaches.

"They've done a great job with their team this year," he added of a coaching staff that also features former Utah State coach Matt Wells and former Utah assistant Mike Tuiasosopo. "They're a very dangerous team, I think they play great on defense and offense, and they do great on special teams as well. I've talked about how well coached they are, but they have good talent too. It's going to be a true test for us."

The biggest test of the season for the Cougars (3-0) begins at the top, with dual-threat sophomore Avery Johnson at quarterback. The Cougars have struggled defending the QB run against FCS Southern Illinois, SMU and Wyoming — but Johnson is another level.

Then there's the matter of running back tandem of Dylan Edwards and DJ Giddens, who is averaging 6.6 yards per carry for 324 yards and a touchdown through three games.

"They've got our full attention and focus," defensive coordinator Jay Hill said. "Offensively, the quarterback is a very good athlete, the offensive line does a great job, and he's got targets to throw to. I'm excited about the match up."

The Cougars are expected to get back safety Micah Harper, defensive end Logan Lutui and cornerback Mory Bamba, who have each missed all or parts of the first three games of the 2024 season with various injuries.

Good thing for a defense tasked with slowing down Johnson, the 19-year-old quarterback from Wichita, Kansas, who threw for 156 yards and two touchdowns and ran for 100 yards in a 31-7 win over then-No. 20 Arizona a week ago in a nonconference game between two Big 12 programs.

The Cougars have handled Salukis, Mustangs and Cowboys to stay unbeaten through the first three games for the second consecutive season. But like last year, they know conference play is another level.

"Nobody's going to be soft in the Big 12," said wide receiver Parker Kingston, who played in all 12 games a year ago with 207 yards and a touchdown on 19 receptions — but was knocked out early in last year's Big 12 opener at Kansas. "There's not going to be a soft team. Everyone's going to come and hit. Everyone wants to play hard. So we've just got to be physical, the most physical offense out there, and the most physical team out there."

BYU has a few advantages to lean on, including a defense that ranks No. 14 in the Football Bowl Subdivision in total defense and No. 35 in scoring defense.

There's also the late-night kickoff — Kansas State has noted that the game will kick around 9:30 p.m. central time, for adherents of the body clock theory — as well as the Cougars' noted home-field advantage playing in the largest stadium in the conference. Fans are encouraged to wear white instead of the traditional royal blue, a node to the all-white throwback uniforms of the 1996 team.

BYU will commemorate the last game of that season against Kansas State — when Steve Sarkisian threw for 291 yards with two touchdowns in a 19-15 in the 1997 Cotton Bowl that capped a 14-1 campaign — with throwback white uniforms with royal trim and black drop-shadowed numbers.

"We're so excited," said BYU kicker Will Ferrin, who is 5-of-7 on the year including a career-long 50-yarder against SMU with 10 extra points for a total of 25 points. "Being in the Big 12 is so much fun, where every team is competitive and every team can give you a great game. No game is a gimme, no game is one where you know you're going to win. Every game is a fight.

"For us, it's pretty awesome," he added. "We get a ranked opponent to come in here and we know the student section will be there like they always are and the stadium's going to be bumping. We're ready to put some points on the board."

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