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Thanks to some more late defensive heroics, Kansas State is ranked for the first time since 2007 and on track for its best start in 11 years.
To achieve that feat, the No. 20 Wildcats will need some more help from their defense as they try to snap a five-game skid to well-rested Big 12 rival Missouri on Saturday at Snyder Family Stadium.
After a goal-line stand the previous week helped preserve a win at Miami, Kansas State used Arthur Brown's interception of Heisman Trophy candidate Robert Griffin III last Saturday to rally for a 36-35 victory over then-No. 15 Baylor.
Brown's pick set up Anthony Cantele's go-ahead field goal and the linebacker followed with a sack of Griffin on the Bears' final possession.
"This gives us a lot of confidence," defensive back David Garrett said. "It is another stepping stone just like we had last week. We will need to continue to grow from it."
Kansas State (4-0, 1-0) also won its first four games last year but dropped six of its final nine while giving up an average of 33.2 points - 13.4 more than during its unbeaten start. The Wildcats enter this game ranked 16th nationally in total defense, but they've given up more than 400 yards in each of their last two contests.
They could face another challenge against the Tigers (2-2, 0-1), who boast the 11th-ranked offense in the nation (517.0 yards per game) and eighth-ranked rushing attack (253.3 ypg).
"We have to become a better defensive football team against the big play, which Missouri certainly has," coach Bill Snyder said. "We've got a lot of work to do."
Snyder's team is seeking its first 5-0 start since winning the first six games in 2000, but the Wildcats must take on a Missouri team coming off its bye week.
The time off might have given the Tigers' ailing backfield a chance to heal. Kendial Lawrence and De'Vion Moore returned to practice this week, but coach Gary Pinkel said their statuses are still unclear for Saturday.
With those two running backs out, Pinkel's team has relied on sophomore Henry Josey, who ranks fifth nationally with 133.3 rushing yards per game.
"(Josey) has done enough to say that he is the top running back right now," Pinkel said. "It will be interesting to see how it goes once they get back."
Another sophomore, quarterback James Franklin, has also seemed to find his stride in his first year as a starter. He had 291 yards through the air and 103 more on the ground Sept. 24 against then-No. 1 Oklahoma, helping the Tigers jump out to a 14-3 lead in the first nine minutes.
Missouri, though, didn't score again until the fourth quarter in a 38-28 defeat.
A nagging problem hampered the Tigers in that game. They were 3 of 12 on third-down conversions and are 16 of 55 (29.1 percent) for the season.
Missouri is also looking to get kicker Grant Ressel back on track. The senior has missed four field-goal attempts in the past three games, including a potential game-winner at Arizona State on Sept. 9, after making 44 of 47 over his first two-plus seasons as a starter.
"We have to help him a little bit from a confidence standpoint and what situations we put him in," Pinkel said.
Kansas State quarterback Collin Klein will try to make sure Ressel doesn't get the chance to play the hero. The junior had a career-best 141 rushing yards in last season's trip to Missouri after replacing Carson Coffman, but the Wildcats had four turnovers in a 38-28 defeat.
Klein has a team-best 423 rushing yards this season and has accounted for 10 of the Wildcats' 12 offensive touchdowns.
Kansas State is 31-60-5 all-time against the Tigers and hasn't beaten them since a 36-28 home victory Nov. 19, 2005 - its 13th consecutive win in the series at the time.
