Manhattan ? Kansas State linebacker Reggie Walker didn’t need to see Appalachian State beat Michigan two weeks ago to know his team will have its hands full when it faces another school from the lower division formerly known as I-AA today.

Walker learned that lesson a year ago.

In the Wildcats’ opening game in 2006, they narrowly escaped losing to Illinois State – another I-AA team – when Redbird coach Denver Johnson chose to go for two trailing 24-23 late in the game. The Redbirds failed to convert, and Kansas State held on for the one-point victory.

“It just woke us up because our heads were huge going into the season and it kind of deflated us a little bit,” Walker said. “We had a lot at stake in that game, so it kind of humbled us up.”

Everybody seems to believe Kansas State (1-1) won’t be so overconfident when it faces Missouri State on Saturday night.

“Typically people try to say, ‘Oh, they’re a I-AA, they’re going to be a pushover,”‘ Walker said. “But that’s when they lose. So you can’t really look at these teams like that. They got a lot of quality players.”

In terms of getting prepared, it might help that the Wildcats are going up against what coach Ron Prince called one of the best offenses he’s seen in his short time at Kansas State. Missouri State (2-0) boasts the top-ranked scoring offense in I-AA at 56.5 points per game, and has done so with a punishing rushing attack. The Bears are averaging more than 320 yards on the ground and have six players who are gaining at least 5.7 yards per carry.

“We’re trying to get the football in space,” Missouri State coach Terry Allen said. “We force people to spread out and defend us and consequently, we’ve been able to rush the ball up inside.”

Leading the way for the Bears is tailback Gerald Davis, who has 193 yards and five touchdowns, four of which came in a 62-17 blowout of Missouri-Rolla to open the season.

Kansas State’s strength on defense, though, is its ability to stop the run. The Wildcats are allowing just two yards per carry and 67.5 rushing yards per game. With that said, Prince is still not overlooking the Bears, even though the following game on the Wildcats’ schedule is at Texas on Sept. 29.

“I haven’t thought about anything but Missouri State,” Prince said. “This has got my full attention … We’re going to have a tremendous challenge in front of us.”

Allen knows it won’t be easy to go into Manhattan and come out with a victory. After all, he’s been there before. When he was coach at Kansas from 1997-2001, his Jayhawk teams went 0-5 against the Wildcats, and lost by an average of 35.7 points in Manhattan.

He did, however, manage a 10-8 victory against Kansas State with Northern Iowa in 1989. That was his first win as a head coach.

“I have some fond memories there, and I have some really nightmare memories, but I definitely have memories,” Allen said.

The last time Missouri State faced a Division I-A team was a 52-10 loss at Oklahoma State last season.

“Certainly it’s a daunting task going to K-State,” Allen said. “But it’s something we look forward to. It’s a great opportunity.”