Data Skrive

Avery Johnson and the Kansas State Wildcats and the Rutgers Scarlet Knights will meet for the Rate Bowl on December 26, 2024, with kickoff at 5:30 p.m. ET, airing on ESPN.

You should check out ESPN in order to watch this matchup.

Keep up with college football all season on FOX Sports.

Learn more about the Kansas State Wildcats and the Rutgers Scarlet Knights.

How to Watch Kansas State vs. Rutgers

• When: Thursday, December 26, 2024 at 5:30 p.m. ET
• Location: Chase Field in Phoenix, Arizona
• Live Box Score: FOX Sports

Read More About This Game

• Kansas State vs. Rutgers Predictions

Kansas State’s 2024 Schedule

Kansas State 2024 Stats & Insights

• Kansas State is compiling 417.3 yards per game on offense (42nd in the FBS), and rank 38th on defense, yielding 338.6 yards allowed per game.
• Kansas State is compiling 212.8 passing yards per game on offense, which ranks them 84th in the FBS. The defense ranks 78th, giving up 223.7 passing yards per contest.
• The Wildcats are totaling 29.8 points per game on offense this year (50th in the FBS), and they are giving up 21.9 points per game (35th) on the defensive side of the ball.
• The Wildcats have the 34th-ranked defense this season in terms of rushing yards (128 rushing yards allowed per game), and they’ve been better on the other side of the ball, ranking 16th-best with 204.5 rushing yards per game.
• Kansas State ranks 75th in third-down efficiency (39.6%) on offense and 50th in third-down conversion rate allowed (36.7%) on defense this year.
• With 14 forced turnovers (90th in the FBS) against 15 turnovers committed (40th in the FBS), the Wildcats’ -1 turnover margin ranks 65th in college football.

Kansas State 2024 Key Players

Rutgers’ 2024 Schedule

Rutgers 2024 Stats & Insights

• Rutgers ranks 72nd with 381.2 total yards per game on offense, and it ranks 83rd with 382.4 total yards allowed per game on the defensive side of the ball.
• Rutgers ranks 92nd in the FBS with 204.9 passing yards per contest on offense, and it ranks 95th with 234.1 passing yards given up per game on the defensive side of the ball.
• In terms of points scored the Scarlet Knights rank 70th in the FBS (27.9 points per game), and they are 57th defensively (23.8 points allowed per contest).
• The Scarlet Knights are putting up 176.3 rushing yards per game on offense this season (46th-ranked). Meanwhile, they are allowing 148.3 rushing yards per game (67th-ranked) on defense.
• Rutgers is putting up a 42.9% third-down conversion rate on offense this season (40th-ranked). Meanwhile, it is surrendering a 41.8% third-down rate (91st-ranked) on defense.
• After forcing 12 turnovers (109th in the FBS) and turning the ball over eight times (second in the FBS) this season, the Scarlet Knights own the 44th-ranked turnover margin of +4.

Rutgers 2024 Key Players

FOX Sports created this story using technology provided by Data Skrive and data from Sportradar.

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Kansas State Wildcats

Rutgers Scarlet Knights

College Football

The Kansas City Chiefs were on the road this holiday season, capping off their 11-day gauntlet with a big-time win over the Pittsburgh Steelers. Fueled by a high-flying offensive performance and an inspiring effort from the defense, Andy Reid’s team accomplished plenty on Christmas Day.

With that in mind, here are four takeaways from Wednesday’s game.

When Patrick Mahomes suffered a high-ankle sprain in Week 15 against the Cleveland Browns, many thought the injury would limit Kansas City’s superstar signal-caller for weeks to come. While he clearly wasn’t 100% healthy in last Saturday’s win over the Houston Texans, he still played an efficient game and looked comfortable in the pocket. That continued into this week, with Mahomes himself saying he thought he’d be in an even better spot with the ankle for Wednesday. That certainly was the case in Pittsburgh.

In one of his better performances of the season, everything clicked for Mahomes at different points in the game. Early on, he moved well in the pocket and even got a deep ball to Justin Watson to convert. In the third quarter, he got the RPO game going and let his receivers do the work. The fourth quarter saw him connect with Travis Kelce on a record-breaking score. In all, the two-time MVP completed 29 passes for 320 yards and three touchdowns. If this is Mahomes rounding into playoff form, Kansas City will be in good shape.

Last weekend, Kansas City put up a mixed bag of defensive football against the Texans. Early on, C.J. Stroud and company had some explosive plays and didn’t have any trouble converting on third down. Things changed in the second half, even after defensive tackle Chris Jones suffered a strained calf. A Wednesday morning report confirmed that Jones wasn’t set to play in Week 17, which left the Chiefs’ defense shorthanded. While things were far from perfect without Jones, sitting him turned out to be the right call as the team managed in his absence.

Let’s get this out of the way: Pittsburgh very well could’ve – and should’ve – wound up with more points. On multiple occasions, the defense failed to contain Russell Wilson and the Chiefs struggled on third downs for most of the game. With that said, Steve Spagnuolo’s unit also forced some turnovers and generated a good deal of pressure on the afternoon. Things could’ve been worse than surrendering five yards per play against a big-play offense, especially down your top defender. Luckily for the Chiefs, they’ll take a 10-point output from the Steelers and also welcome Jones back with open arms whenever he’s healthy.

Last weekend, Chiefs rookie wideout Xavier Worthy hauled in a career-high seven passes and added 65 yards and a touchdown. He pitched in another score on Christmas, also topping his personal bests for receptions and yards with eight and 79, respectively. Mahomes and Co. have alluded to Worthy growing down the stretch of the season, which is exactly what he continues to showcase heading into the playoffs.

Kelce also deserves a huge tip of the cap. The future Hall of Fame man has already lost a step athletically and isn’t really a post-catch threat anymore, but he brought a bit of juice on Wednesday. At the age of 35 and in season No. 12, catching eight passes for 84 yards and a score will certainly do. There’s a case to be made that this was Kelce’s best game in nearly two months, and setting a record in the process is a big deal. He’s earned some rest over the next few weeks.

In the Week 17 playoff picture, the Buffalo Bills still stood a chance at securing the one-seed in the conference thanks to a head-to-head tiebreaker over the Chiefs from earlier this season. They also, however, gave the reigning champs a backup plan in case they fell flat on Wednesday. In the event that Kansas City lost to Pittsburgh on Christmas Day, they could’ve still locked up a first-round bye with a Buffalo loss or tie over the weekend. None of that applies now after the Chiefs handled business.

As it turns out, Wednesday served as a Merry Clinchmas for the Chiefs. They now sit atop the conference and won’t have to play on Wild Card weekend, also making sure that they won’t have to hit the road until they (potentially) reach the Super Bowl. Additionally, the timing of this victory now makes Week 18’s game against the Denver Broncos more interesting from a personnel standpoint. With the most important spot in the conference playoff bracket secured, there are only good problems on the team’s hands now.

Read More: Steve Spagnuolo’s Latest Answer on Chiefs Activating Steven Nelson Is Telling

SCOTTSDALE, Ariz. — As Chris Klieman bounced around the midwest, going up and down the coaching ladder from a Division III DC to a national champion head coach at the FCS level before becoming Kansas State’s head coach, the Rutgers football program occasionally came onto his radar.

And in that span, he’s come to associate the Scarlet Knights — “a great program” — with a single person.