The Kansas State Wildcats, 8-4, will take on North Carolina State, 9-3, in what was formerly known as the Tangerine Bowl Thursday when they meet in the Pop-Tarts Bowl in Orlando, Fla. It will be the first football game ever between the two schools, and the Wildcats’ first trip to Florida for a bowl game.
The Wolfpack’s Dave Doeren, who grew up in Shawnee, Kansas, is in his 11th year as head coach. Doeren’s first job as a football coach was as an assistant at Shawnee Mission Northwest High School. He was also a KU assistant coach from 2002 to 2005.
Doeren has swirled in controversy since postgame comments to his team were picked up on camera by the ACC Network. After beating cross-state rival North Carolina, Doeren used derogatory language to describe the Tar Heels, according to ESPN.com.
How K-State Got here
The Wildcats were 3-1 after their crushing loss at Missouri on Sept. 16. They also suffered a gut-wrenching Nov. 4 defeat at Texas in overtime, 33-30. Prior to that, K-State had beaten TCU and Houston in back-to-back weeks by a combined score of 82-3.
They also continue to hold the upper hand against KU, notching their 15th straight win over the Jayhawks.
Who to keep an eye on
Another emerging freshman at quarterback, Avery Johnson of Maize, Kansas, was so impressive in his seven games that incumbent quarterback Will Howard has announced he’ll enter the transfer portal and play his final year elsewhere.
At Texas Tech on Oct. 14, Johnson rushed for five touchdowns, the most by a freshman in KSU history.
