K-State’s Season of Setbacks Continues as Dylan Edwards Departs
BY Cole Deutschendorf | 365 Sports
It was a relatively quiet bye week for K-State until the news that, at this point, felt almost expected. Junior running back Dylan Edwards announced he would exercise his redshirt after battling a lower-body injury for most of the 2025 season. The unexpected part came shortly after: multiple sources confirmed that Edwards is no longer with the team. His departure adds another entry to the long list of “what-ifs” defining K-State’s season.
Starting with Edwards, for example. What if he doesn’t get injured following his muffed punt in Ireland against Iowa State to open the season? What if the explosive running back was available for a K-State rushing attack that has lacked consistency this season? The what-ifs extend further: the Ireland trip in general, one-possession losses to Army, Arizona, and especially Baylor, and even the preseason setback when projected starting left tackle George Fitzpatrick suffered a medical emergency that has sidelined him for the year.
As it currently stands, the Wildcats, who will exit their third bye of the season with their sights set on Oklahoma State, sit at under .500 with 75% of their season completed. It feels like beating a dead horse at this point, but that is a fact that would have been implausible roughly 90 days ago. K-State has yet to be above .500. They have to win out to finish the regular season with a winning record, and with a road trip at Utah still looming, that feels fairly unlikely at this point. A K-State program that has been a model of consistency under head coach Chris Klieman will have to fight and claw to make a bowl game.
The margin for error is slim. The Wildcats need to go at least 2-1 over their final three games to earn a bowl appearance for the 13th time in the last 14 non-COVID seasons. The silver lining: two of the Big 12’s worst teams remain on the schedule —this week’s trip to Oklahoma State and a home finale against Colorado after Thanksgiving. But November hasn’t been kind to K-State under Klieman; the Wildcats are just 11-14 in the month since 2019, including five losses in their last six November contests.
As disappointing as the season has been, the Wildcats have a couple of chances to take their frustration out on their opponents, starting with a downcast Cowboys squad that hasn’t won a Big 12 game since 2023. A loss for K-State on Saturday would be the lowest point of the program in a very long time. The team has been playing better football since late September, for the most part, so there is a clear reason to be optimistic about the contest and the last three games in general. That said, would a couple more losses really surprise K-State fans, given how the season has gone?