Kansas State has opened the 2026 season with two convincing victories, but first-year head coach Collin Klein believes there is still much more to learn about his team. The Wildcats have dominated their opening opponents, defeating Nicholls by 68 points before following that performance with a 27-point victory over Washington State. Despite the impressive margins, Klein is not treating the early success as proof that Kansas State has already reached its potential.
Instead, the new head coach views Saturday’s matchup with Tulane as another important test for a team still developing under his leadership. Tulane enters the nonconference matchup at 1-1, creating an opportunity for Kansas State to face a different style of opponent and potentially expose areas that have not yet been tested through the first two games.
“We are truly a work in progress,” Klein said, emphasizing that the Wildcats are still trying to establish their identity. The statement reflects Klein’s approach during the early part of his first season as Kansas State’s head coach. While the results have been overwhelmingly positive, the coaching staff remains focused on evaluating how the team responds to different situations rather than simply looking at the final score.
Kansas State’s defense has set the tone
One of the biggest positives through the first two games has been Kansas State’s defense. The Wildcats have yet to surrender an offensive touchdown this season, an impressive start that has given the team a strong foundation.
The only touchdown Kansas State has allowed came on a 50-yard interception return involving quarterback Avery Johnson on the final play of the first half against Washington State. Because the score came on a defensive return rather than a sustained offensive drive, the Wildcats’ defense has otherwise been nearly flawless through the opening two games.
That defensive performance will be tested again against Tulane, particularly because the Green Wave showed signs of offensive explosiveness in their most recent victory. Klein and his staff will be looking to see whether Kansas State can maintain the same level of discipline and execution against an opponent capable of creating big plays.
Avery Johnson remains central to Kansas State’s plans
While Johnson’s interception return against Washington State produced Tulane’s only touchdown-related score against Kansas State, Klein made it clear that he has no major concerns about his senior quarterback.
Johnson enters the season with an opportunity to rewrite the Kansas State record book. By the time his college career ends, he is positioned to challenge or break many of the program’s major career records for a quarterback. That makes his development one of the most important storylines surrounding the Wildcats.
Klein said he has been pleased with Johnson’s progress and believes there is still significant room for him to improve.
“I’ve been really pleased with Avery,” Klein said, while acknowledging that Johnson is also his own toughest critic. The coaching staff, according to Klein, recognizes the quarterback’s potential and believes there are still additional levels to his game that have yet to be reached.
That could make the Tulane matchup particularly valuable. With two comfortable wins already on the résumé, Kansas State has an opportunity to challenge Johnson with situations that require more precision, decision-making and consistency. How he responds could provide Klein with more information about his offense before the Wildcats move deeper into the season.
Tulane enters with its own quarterback questions
While Kansas State appears settled around Johnson, Tulane has already gone through a quarterback change in the opening two weeks of the season.
First-year Green Wave coach Will Hall initially selected Zeon Chriss-Gremillion as his starting quarterback after a four-player competition during preseason camp. However, Chriss-Gremillion struggled during the season opener against Duke and was replaced by Kadin Semonza.
Tulane ultimately lost that game 17-3, and Semonza’s performance was strong enough to earn him the starting role the following week. Against South Alabama, Semonza completed 14 of 22 passes for 212 yards, one touchdown and no interceptions as Tulane secured a 28-24 victory.
The improvement gave the Green Wave some offensive momentum heading into Manhattan, although Hall acknowledged that his team still has plenty of work to do.
“We’ve got to improve,” Hall said, while praising the team’s approach and commitment to getting better.
Jaylin Lucas provides another threat
Semonza was not the only reason Tulane’s offense improved in its second game. Running back Jaylin Lucas produced a spectacular performance, rushing for 214 yards and a touchdown on only 11 carries.
That kind of efficiency immediately gives Kansas State another area to monitor. Lucas demonstrated the ability to create explosive plays without needing a large workload, and Tulane will likely look for opportunities to get him into space against the Wildcats.
Hall said Tulane was extremely explosive offensively in its victory over South Alabama but stressed that the Green Wave need greater consistency. Maintaining possession and avoiding extended periods of offensive stagnation will be particularly important against a Kansas State defense that has been difficult to crack.
“We were extremely explosive last week, but we’ve got to be more consistent offensively to make sure that we control the ball to help our defense out,” Hall said.
That challenge could define the matchup. Tulane has demonstrated that it can generate big plays, but Kansas State has shown through two games that it can prevent opponents from consistently reaching the end zone.
Saturday could reveal more about both teams
The matchup with Tulane arrives at an interesting point for Kansas State. The Wildcats have already demonstrated that they can overwhelm an opponent, but Klein is clearly looking beyond the win-loss record. His focus is on identifying how his players perform when games become more competitive and when opponents force them to adjust.
For Johnson, Saturday provides another opportunity to build confidence and continue developing under a new coaching staff. For the defense, it is a chance to extend an impressive start against a Tulane offense that just produced 28 points and a huge rushing performance.
And for Klein, the game represents another piece of information in the larger process of building Kansas State into the team he wants it to become.
The Wildcats have started the season with dominant victories, and their defense has been particularly impressive. But Klein’s message is clear: Kansas State is still a work in progress. The goal now is to determine how much better this team can become before the stakes rise later in the season.
Tulane, meanwhile, arrives with renewed confidence after its victory over South Alabama and a new sense of stability at quarterback. With Semonza coming off an efficient performance and Lucas providing a major rushing threat, the Green Wave could present Kansas State with a more meaningful test than the final scores of the Wildcats’ first two games might suggest.
Saturday’s meeting in Manhattan should therefore give Klein another opportunity to evaluate his players, identify weaknesses and determine how prepared Kansas State really is for the challenges ahead.
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