Kansas State routs Nicholls 71-3
Team pages: Nicholls · Kansas State
Kansas State routed Nicholls 71-3. Share this game
We had Kansas State favored. It won.
Next: Nicholls beat UT Rio Grande Valley 31-28, Sat Sep 12
Top comment in the game thread
For those not at BSFS, pregame Willie tackle and Wildcat train taking out the opposing team helmet video are both back
How it swung
Before kickoff, our ratings gave Kansas State a 96% chance, and the closing betting line (Kansas State was a 41.5-point favorite) put it above 99%.
Kansas State led by 22 after the first quarter and by 33 at the half.
Kansas State · Q1 0:29Kansas State 71-3 Nicholls
Kansas State wonMove across the chart, or tap a numbered swing, to see any play.Nicholls 3-71 Kansas StateNicholls lostMove across the chart, or tap a numbered swing, to see any play.No single play moved the chance by 20 points.
No single play moved the chance by 20 points.
What fans said, play by play
The line in bold above each quote is written by our model from the thread’s comments and the play-by-play.
- Q1 12:36Kansas State fans celebrate Johnson's touchdown pass to Tibbs
Looking better than we did against North Dakota last year
r/CFB game thread - Q1 6:59Avery Johnson runs for a touchdown and Kansas State goes for two
Wish I could have seen the 2 point conversion instead of Avery walking on the sideline. Thanks espn+
r/CFB game thread - Q1 0:29Kansas State fans celebrate the broadcast showing the special teams touchdown stat
THEY'RE SHOWING THE STAT
r/CFB game threadTHEY SHOWED THE STAT!
r/CFB game thread - Q2 1:58Quoted at the top of the page.
959-3! Don't think Nicholls can come back from that.
r/CFB game thread - Q3 8:28Johnson passes to Manning for touchdown as fans note his relaxed demeanor
Manning!
r/CFB game thread - Q4 13:19Elston Jr. runs for a touchdown as Kansas State fans celebrate nearing 70 points
Did just another RB score a TD?????
r/CFB game thread - Q4 8:02Kansas State fans celebrate Knuth's touchdown run that pushes the score to 71
I'm sold. This is like the best Snyder teams, they never stopped
r/CFB game threadDang is it great to see K-State putting up points like this.
r/CFB game thread
How to read this chart
Starts from the pregame line (Kansas State -41.5), at 100% for Kansas State (the play-by-play feed's kickoff number, moved to match the line; our model's and the betting line's own numbers are in “The betting line, and the fans”). Dots are the biggest swings; ticks under the chart are scores. Outlined diamonds mark rare plays. The gray band is r/CFB game-thread activity, its loudest stretches in gold. A gold diamond marks a play fans were reacting to.Watch the plays
The bar and the arrow show Kansas State’s chance to win after each play; the logo is the team the play helped.
- Q1, 12:36Johnson 7-yd TD pass to TibbsKansas State goes ahead 7-0Q1, 12:36 · Kansas State 7, Nicholls 07-0score after the play7-0score after the play▶Watch from this playESPN College Football
- Q1, 6:59Johnson 10-yd TD runKansas State leads 15-0Q1, 6:59 · Kansas State 15, Nicholls 015-0score after the play15-0score after the play▶Watch from this playESPN College Football
- Q1, 0:29White 65-yd punt return TDKansas State leads 22-0Q1, 0:29 · Kansas State 22, Nicholls 022-0score after the play22-0score after the play▶Watch from this playESPN College Football
- Q2, 10:09Fields 26-yd TD runKansas State leads 29-0Q2, 10:09 · Kansas State 29, Nicholls 029-0score after the play29-0score after the play▶Watch from this playESPN College Football
- Q2, 1:58Johnson 43-yd TD pass to JacksonKansas State leads 36-3Q2, 1:58 · Kansas State 36, Nicholls 336-3score after the play36-3score after the play▶Watch from this playESPN College Football
- Q3, 8:28Johnson 11-yd TD pass to ManningKansas State leads 43-3Q3, 8:28 · Kansas State 43, Nicholls 343-3score after the play43-3score after the play▶Watch from this playESPN College Football
- Q3, 7:51Rodrigue sacked for a 12-yd lossfumblesQ3, 7:51 · Kansas State 43, Nicholls 343-3score after the play43-3score after the play▶Watch from this playESPN College Football
- Q3, 5:52Jackson 11-yd TD runKansas State leads 50-3Q3, 5:52 · Kansas State 50, Nicholls 350-3score after the play50-3score after the play▶Watch from this playESPN College Football
- Q4, 13:19Elston 46-yd TD runKansas State leads 64-3Q4, 13:19 · Kansas State 64, Nicholls 364-3score after the play64-3score after the play▶Watch from this playESPN College Football
Every drive
Kansas State scored on 9 of its 12 drives; Nicholls on 1 of its 14.
Kansas State’s drives are teal, Nicholls’s amber. A line runs from where a drive started to where it ended; a filled dot means it scored.
“The best part of The Stat for me is that they always also mention the 2nd place team”
When fans got loud
Busy
The first quarter is when fans got loud.
The jump was busy; the crowd was quiet.
Box score
Kansas State 71, Nicholls 3
Kansas State covered −41.5 by 26.5. The total, 74, went over 55.5.
| Team totals | Nicholls | Kansas State |
|---|---|---|
| Total yards | 122 | 559 |
| Passing | 7 of 19, 30 yds | 20 of 27, 247 yds |
| Rushing | 39 for 92 yds | 44 for 312 yds |
| First downs | 9 | 34 |
| Third down | 4 of 16 | 9 of 11 |
| Fourth down | 1 of 1 | 0 of 0 |
| Turnovers | 1 | 1 |
| Penalties | 2 for 26 yds | 1 for 10 yds |
| Time of possession | 26:17 | 33:43 |
Nicholls leaders
- Passing Ean Rodrigue 7 of 19, 30 yds
- Rushing Tamaj Hoffman 9 for 43 yds; Ean Rodrigue 6 for 24 yds
- Receiving Jordan Smith 2 for 14 yds; Ellis Stewart 2 for 13 yds
Kansas State leaders
- Passing Avery Johnson 15 of 21, 199 yds, 3 TD
- Rushing Rodney Fields Jr. 14 for 101 yds, 1 TD; Monterrio Elston Jr. 6 for 76 yds, 1 TD
- Receiving Joe Jackson 2 for 48 yds, 1 TD; Garrett Oakley 2 for 40 yds
Feels like 88° to 101° through the game
95° at kickoff · feels like 88° to 101° · no rain recorded
A feels-like 101° is hotter than the peak in 99% of games since 2018.
Each gray tick is one game. The black line is the typical game.
The usual here around this date is 76°, with about 7 in 10 games between 64° and 86°.
September game-day temperatures at Bill Snyder Family Stadium
Drag along the chart, or step through the game.
Where this weather comes from
Measured at Manhattan airport, 6.4 miles away. Rain is NOAA's radar-and-gauge estimate at the stadium and wind is an airport reading; neither is measured on the field. Game times come from the play-by-play, good to a minute or two. Source: National Weather Service, through the Iowa Environmental Mesonet; rain radar from NOAA MRMS, through Iowa State University. Field direction from OpenStreetMap contributors.Before kickoff
Recent games, the series and the betting line below are as they stood going in; the season profile is the season so far.
Recent games
Last three games · 2025 season
Nicholls · 4-8
Rated 204th in our preseason ratings, 204th now.
1-2 in its last three — but nothing on this résumé beats a top-40 team yet.
L 26-38 @ SE Louisiana #102 of 667
lost by 12 as a 17.5-point underdog
W 26-21 vs Northwestern State #285 of 667
won by 5 as a 23.5-point favorite
L 21-28 @ UT Rio Grande Valley #154 of 667
W 31-7 vs Houston Christian #256 of 667
won by 24 as an 11.5-point favorite
W 31-7 vs McNeese #237 of 667
won by 24 as a 5.5-point favorite
L 7-34 @ Stephen F. Austin #103 of 667
lost by 27 as a 13.5-point underdog
L 17-24 @ Lamar #164 of 667
lost by 7 as a 3.5-point underdog
L 7-27 @ Eastern Kentucky #168 of 667
lost by 20 as a 2.5-point underdog
L 3-35 @ Texas State #59 of 667
lost by 32 as a 32.5-point underdog
L 10-34 vs West Georgia #228 of 667
lost by 24 as a 6.5-point favorite
L 20-38 @ Troy #88 of 667
lost by 18 as a 16.5-point underdog
W 20-6 vs Incarnate Word #129 of 667
won by 14 as a 13.5-point underdog
Last three games · 2025 season
Kansas State · 6-6
Rated 32nd in our preseason ratings.
W 24-14 vs Colorado #113 of 667
won by 10 as a 16.5-point favorite
L 47-51 @ UtahTop 25 #14 of 667
lost by 4 as an 18.5-point underdog
W 14-6 @ Oklahoma State #161 of 667
won by 8 as a 19.5-point favorite
L 20-43 vs Texas TechTop 25 #12 of 667
lost by 23 as a 7.5-point underdog
W 42-17 @ Kansas #52 of 667
won by 25 as a 3.5-point underdog
W 41-28 vs TCUTop 25 #33 of 667
won by 13 as a 2.5-point underdog
L 34-35 @ Baylor #33 of 667
lost by 1 as a 4.5-point underdog
W 34-20 vs UCF #49 of 667
won by 14 as a 5.5-point favorite
L 17-23 @ ArizonaTop 25 #76 of 667
lost by 6 as a 1.5-point favorite
L 21-24 vs Army #111 of 667
lost by 3 as a 16.5-point favorite
W 38-35 vs North Dakota #141 of 667
won by 3 as a 27.5-point favorite
L 21-24 vs Iowa StateTop 25 #48 of 667
lost by 3 as a 2.5-point favorite
The series
Kansas State leads the series 1-0
1 meeting since 2019 · Kansas State won the last meeting
- 2019Kansas State 49-14
Each line is Kansas State’s chance to win through that meeting.
Line, fans and home field
The betting line, and the fans
Our model and the betting line agree on Kansas State’s chances here.
Kansas State favored by 41.5 · Total 55.5
How games like this usually go
Kansas State by 41.5, and it went to form
Half of games8 in 10 gamesThis game
The band is where a favorite’s chance ran in the 411 games since 2025 with a favorite of 21.5 points or more.
The market
The spread moved 1 point toward Kansas State.
Spread: −40.5 → −41.5
Weather at kickoff
Hot and dry. Feels like 95° at kickoff.
Nicholls at Kansas State · Saturday, Sept. 5, 2026 · Bill Snyder Family Stadium, Manhattan
- 95°feels like at kickoff
- Dryno rain at kickoff
- 60weather score, Rough
- 2ndbest of the day's 7 kickoff times
At kickoff, Sept. 5, 2026.
Weather score: 0 to 100, higher is better, for the first 3 hours and 20 minutes of the game. Ideal is 100, Comfortable 90 to 99, Mixed 75 to 89, Rough 50 to 74, Harsh under 50.
Later kickoff times scored higher that Saturday
Games in this time zone used 7 kickoff times that day, local time (kickoffs within 30 minutes of each other count as one). This game, ringed, was the second best of the day's seven kickoff times. At Bill Snyder Family Stadium that day, a 7 pm kickoff would have scored 75, against 60 at 6 pm.
- 11 am: 41, Harsh
- noon: 39, Harsh
- 2:30 pm: 38, Harsh
- 3:15 pm: 39, Harsh
- 4 pm: 40, Harsh
- 6 pm: 60, Rough (this game)
- 7 pm: 75, Mixed
Weather score at each kickoff time.
Tap a dot to read that kickoff time.
At kickoff, Sept. 5, 2026. Wind is not drawn here; gusts are in each score.
Home field
Kansas State is worth +5.3 points (±3.7) more at home than on the road since 2018 — top third of FBS, 72nd percentile.
65% at home, 44% on the road against FBS opponents (32-17 home, 18-23 away).
Our model gives every stadium the same flat 2.3-point home edge (why); the books use about 3. Against the closing line this stadium reads +3.2 at home vs. away over 98 games — inside the ±6.5 noise, so the flat number is the honest one here.
Night kickoff — historically worth about half a point more to the home side against the number, and not much more than that. The visitors travel about 729 miles to get here.