While the Kansas State football team is getting ready for Saturday’s game at KU, what are K-State fans doing to prepare for Saturday?
Colson Riemann, sophomore in construction science and management, said he’s going to Lawrence to hang out with friends and tailgate before the game.
“Usually when it’s in Manhattan, there’s a big crew from my hometown [Beloit, Kansas] that comes down and has a big tailgate on the east side at K-State,” Riemann said. “But going to Lawrence, there’s really no tradition going there.”
This will be the third time Riemann has been to an away game in Lawrence, and he said he hopes K-State will win against the Jayhawks by at least 50 points. Riemann said he is also planning to visit the Jayhawk Cafe while he’s in Lawrence.
Hannah Steinert, sophomore in nutrition and health, said she is also planning to go to Lawrence and start tailgating early with her friends from KU. This is her first time going to Lawrence for a K-State game, and for her, the Sunflower Showdown is a family bonding experience.
“I told my friend that’s going with me, ‘If K-State loses, I’m going home,'” Steinert said. “Hopefully we win. … Hopefully by a lot. Maybe like 42-14.”
K-State students aren’t the only ones getting ready for the big game. Dan Halen, radio host for 101.5 K-ROCK, said the team behind the Powercat Gameday pre-game show will be spending their Saturday in Lawrence.
“Powercat Gameday airs four hours before football games and broadcasts from the K-State Office [Park] for home games, and from sports bar-type restaurants for road games,” Halen said. “The pre-game show is on both this station and our sister station, News Radio KMAN.”
The men hosting Powercat Gameday are K-State alumni John Kurtz, Cole Manbeck and Corey Dean. Halen said this week’s pre-game show will be broadcast from R Bar and Patio, a sports bar owned by K-State alumni James Shaffer and Brian Reeves.
“Since KU is a tough place to put together a tailgate, it’s a great meeting place for Wildcat fans,” Shaffer said. “We have a full bar and kitchen, featuring smoked wings and burgers. Plus, it will be a great spot to just hang out and watch the game if you don’t have tickets.”
Shaffer has owned bars in Lawrence for more than 13 years, and this Saturday will be the fifth time he has hosted the Powercat Gameday show at one of his restaurants. He predicts K-State will win the Sunflower Showdown with a score of 44-7.
