Kansas State
Wazzu keeps Kansas State in one place: 5 stories so far. The section currently leads with “Kirby Moore on K-State: What the postgame tape reveals about Wazzu's fight”, “Manhattan gets the Wazzu we left in Pullman”, and “Cougs just landed TCU guard RJ Jones. Welcome back to the Big 12”. Kirby Moore didn't flinch. Manhattan, Kansas, got the Wazzu we left in Pullman. The unofficial read for people who left Pullman and stayed Cougs. The list below is every Kansas State story on Wazzu, newest first.
Kirby Moore on K-State: What the postgame tape reveals about Wazzu's fight
Kirby Moore didn't flinch. The tape from K-State shows a Wazzu team that walked into a hostile environment, got punched, and kept swinging. That's not moral victory talk, that's a fact you can see in the route running, the blocking, and the way the sideline stayed locked in when the scoreboard got ugly. Moore's offense had moments where it looked crisp, even against a defense that big. The fight was real. The execution wasn't perfect, but nobody expected perfect in Manhattan. What you want to see is a team that believes it belongs, and that's on film. This is the kind of week where you check the tape and feel better about where things are headed, not worse. The Cougs didn't quit. They adjusted. They made plays that matter in November, not just in the box score. If you need a palate cleanser from the grind of game film, go watch *"Cougs sweep Southern Utah with highlights worth the replay."* That one's pure fun, no analysis required. Just dunks and digs and the kind of win that reminds you why you love this place. For now, trust what the tape shows. The fight is there. The rest will come. Go Cougs.
Manhattan gets the Wazzu we left in Pullman
Manhattan, Kansas, got the Wazzu we left in Pullman. The Little Apple welcomed the Cougs with open arms and a whole lot of purple, and for one weekend, it felt like home, just with better barbecue and fewer wind turbines. The trip to Kansas State was a proper road test for a young squad still figuring out what it means to wear the crimson and gray on someone else's floor. You don't go into Bramlage Coliseum and expect a handout. The Wildcats are a good team, the kind that punishes mistakes and makes you earn every bucket. The Cougs learned that the hard way, but they also showed something: they didn't fold. There were moments where the game could have gotten ugly, and instead, they fought back. That matters more than the final score. For the full breakdown on what the freshmen saw in their first taste of Big 12 hostility, check out "Three Coug freshmen got their first taste of Kansas State: and the lesson was loud." It's the kind of read that reminds you why these trips matter, even when the win doesn't come home. Manhattan got the real Wazzu, gritty, imperfect, and proud of it. Now the Cougs bring that back to Pullman, where the real work starts. Go Cougs.
Cougs just landed TCU guard RJ Jones. Welcome back to the Big 12
RJ Jones is a Coug. The TCU guard committed to Washington State after an official visit last weekend, giving David Riley another piece for a roster that needed about a dozen of them. Jones is a 6-foot-2 guard who started at Kansas State, spent two seasons at TCU, and has a four-star pedigree. He also has a 14-point night against Florida A&M on his résumé, which is more than most of us have. The highlight of his TCU career came last November. That matters because last season, he barely played, nine games total, averaging 2.6 points. He redshirted this past year. So Riley is betting on the talent that once drew offers from USC, Texas A&M, Oklahoma, and Notre Dame. That is a bet worth making when you have lost 12 players, including 10 to the portal and your best freshman to the SEC. Jones joins Central Missouri transfer Lazerek Houston and Manhattan transfer Fraser Roxburgh as Riley's third addition. The Cougars are essentially building a new team from scratch. Only two players return from last season: Dominik Robinson, who redshirted, and walk-on Dio Blakely. Jones is a scorer who needs a stage. Pullman is a good place to find one. Welcome back to the Big 12, kid. For more on how Riley is stacking the roster, check out our story on the 6-8 forward who likes to score. Go Cougs.
Cougs take the Palouse to Manhattan for a Saturday morning showdown
Saturday morning in Manhattan means an early alarm, a full thermos, and the Palouse in the rearview. The Cougs are headed to the Little Apple for a showdown that kicks off before most folks have finished their first cup of coffee. That is exactly how we like it. No messing around. No waiting for the East Coast to wake up on its own schedule. We bring the offense, we bring the noise, and we bring a whole lot of maroon into a stadium that probably does not know what hit it. This is the kind of trip that reminds you why you love this team. It is not just about the away-game wins or the highlight catches. It is about the bus ride, the tailgate in a parking lot that smells like sausage and optimism, and the feeling that you are carrying a little bit of Pullman with you across the country. The Cougs have been busy lately, too. If you missed the weekend in Seattle, you might want to check out "Cougs pack the bags for three in Seattle" to see how this squad handles the road. And for those keeping score at home, the hitters have been on a tear. They hammered out a season-best 61 kills in the last big one and still needed every single one of them. That is the kind of depth that travels. So yeah, it is early.
Three Coug freshmen got their first taste of Kansas State: and the lesson was loud
The first time you step on a Power Four opponent's floor as a true freshman, you find out fast what you're made of. Three Coug freshmen got that lesson in Manhattan, and the scoreboard says Kansas State won by 14. But the tape says something else. Those first few minutes? That's the part that matters. Seeing the speed, the size, the way a veteran team moves without thinking, that's the real education. And for a program that's still building its identity under this staff, the question isn't whether they lost. It's whether they learned. We'll have more on the X's and O's soon. If you want to see how the coaching staff is breaking down that fight, go read "Kirby Moore on K-State: What the postgame tape reveals about Wazzu's fight." It's the kind of film-room honesty that tells you more than any box score. For now, the take is simple: these three freshmen got baptized. That's not a bad thing. You don't grow in Pullman without a few hard Saturdays. The Cougs didn't fold. They took the hit, and they'll be better for it. Go Cougs.