Kansas State fans just watched their defense have its best performance of the season against TCU on Saturday afternoon.

And on Sunday, they got to watch two of their former defensive stars face off against each other in a 30-19 contest with major early-season NFC implications. Marques Sigle and the San Francisco 49ers squared up against Jacob Parrish and the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. Tampa Bay took this one behind another MVP performance from quarterback Baker Mayfield, who went 17-of-23 for 256 yards and two touchdowns. Tampa Bay was without star receivers Chris Godwin, Mike Evans, and Emeka Egbuka (left early).

Parrish was hailed for another solid performance with seven tackles and a pass deflection, helping stop the run and holding running back Christian McCaffrey to just 54 rushing yards all game.

Sigle...not so much. It was a rough day for the 49ers' secondary, who now have extra pressure with All-Pro linebacker Fred Warner out for the rest of the year.

KANSAS STATE MAY HAVE FOUND STRIDE IT DESPERATELY MISSED

It's been a challenging ride for Kansas State without primary rusher Dylan Edwards.

All the more reason for the team to lean on running back Joe Jackson, who had his best season performance against TCU on Saturday afternoon. Jackson rushed 27 times for 110 yards, anchoring the offense with volume rushing and complementing the passing attack.

"We challenged him," K-State coach Chris Klieman said in his postgame press conference. "With Dylan down, you’re the one. Now play like a one and challenge the guys upfront. You guys gotta block. I didn’t think we were great in the first half, but the challenge was in the second half, we’ve got to be able to establish the run. I don’t know if we were gonna throw it all over the park down some guys, but I thought Joe did a really nice job."

Edwards was anticipated to be one of the Wildcats' most prominent weapons and possibly one of the best running backs in the country. However, his Week 0 injury against Iowa State has derailed his season, as he has been unable to remain healthy since then. This has opened the door for Jackson, who has the opportunity to continue the legacy of legendary Kansas State running backs. The Wildcats have one of the worst rushing units in the Big 12, but performances like these can help them climb out of the basement.