Week One of the college football season is here. Kansas State plays UT Martin, and Heartland College Sports has your game prediction, preview, and betting odds ahead of the matchup.
GAME INFO
Saturday, August 31; 6:00 p.m. (CT); Bill Snyder Family Stadium; Manhattan, Kansas
TV: ESPN+
Opening Line: Kansas State -36 and 56.5 O/U
Current Line (Saturday, Aug. 31, 2PM CT): Kansas State -37 and 56.5 O/U
Records: (2023) Kansas State 9-4, UT Martin 8-3
Last Week: N/A
Series History: Teams meeting for the first time
Last Meeting: N/A
Fun Fact: Saturday’s matchup marks just the second career start for Kansas State quarterback Avery Johnson.
KEY PLAYERS
UT MARTIN SKYHAWKS
QB KINKEAD DENT
While UT Martin lost one of their top offensive weapons to Oklahoma through the transfer portal in running back Sam Franklin, the team did return their starting quarterback from the previous season. Senior quarterback Kinkead Dent returns for the Skyhawks under center after posting 2,304 passing yards and a touchdown to interception ratio of 25-8 in 2023.
CB JAMICHAEL MCGOY JR.
Defensively, the Skyhawks’ defense is relatively fresh after having multiple players on the D-line elect to transfer. In the secondary, however, UT Martin retained their top cover man from a year ago, with Tennessee native JaMichael McGoy Jr. suiting up on Saturday. McGoy led the team in pass breakups with 11 in 2023, and also added two interceptions and 27 tackles.
KANSAS STATE WILDCATS
QB AVERY JOHNSON
Kansas State quarterback Avery Johnson has some incredibly lofty expectations placed upon him as the Big 12’s leading odds-getter to win the 2024 Heisman Trophy. With his unique dual-threat skillset, Johnson has received massive praise from national media members despite having just one career start. Johnson’s Week 1 performance will undoubtedly be one of the biggest debuts in the 2024 season.
LB DESMOND PURNELL
Junior linebacker Desmond Purnell hit his stride alongside senior linebacker Austin Moore last season. Purnell entered college as a safety, but shortly after arriving on campus, the Kansas native changed his position to linebacker. In 2023, Purnell posted 51 total tackles, three forced fumbles, two fumble recoveries, one interception, and half of a sack.
KEY STORYLINES
UT MARTIN SKYHAWKS
UT Martin was an impressive team in 2023, finishing with an 8-3 record. Their losses came against No. 1 Georgia, Gardner-Webb, and Samford. While the Skyhawks have an uphill battle ahead of them if they intend to knock off K-State, Chris Klieman has not been historically great in the non-conference schedule. The Wildcats have lost at least one game in the non-conference schedule in three out of four seasons, dating back to Klieman’s 2019 hire. Could it be UT Martin?
KANSAS STATE WILDCATS
How does Kansas State’s rushing attack look? The Wildcats enter the 2024 season with three incredibly dynamic athletes in the backfield, including Avery Johnson and a pair of stellar backs, DJ Giddens and Dylan Edwards. The trio has a shot to be special this fall, and fans should see it on early display against UT Martin.
PREDICTION: KANSAS STATE 45, UT MARTIN 13
The Wildcats will be explosive offensively in the Week 1 matchup against UT Martin, which will result in a lopsided score early on Saturday. Led by Avery Johnson, K-State will post multiple scoring drives in the first half before pulling off the gas toward the end of the second half. With a dominant Week 1 win, the Avery Johnson hype train will be off and running.
