Chris Klieman was frustrated with the explanation that he got from the officials on the critical onside kick review in the loss to Oklahoma.

K-State dealt with more quarterback injury issues in a loss at Oklahoma State. Here’s Chris Klieman with the latest on Will Howard and Skylar Thompson’s health.

K-State players are still fighting for respect after a 38-17 win over Nevada and a 3-0 start.

K-State found a way to hold on to a 31-23 win over Southern Illinois, but the Wildcats lost QB Skylar Thompson to a lower-body injury. Here’s the latest:

K-State used a sterling performance from its defense, and an electrifying game from Deuce Vaughn to beat Stanford 24-7 on Saturday in Arlington.

AP – MANHATTAN, Kansas — — Bijan Robinson and Roschon Johnson combined for 311 rushing yards and six touchdowns and Texas beat Kansas State 69-31 on Saturday afternoon.

Coming into the game, Johnson had two touchdowns all season and Robinson hadn’t scored in his career. Robinson scored on runs of 12, 30 and 75 yards Saturday.

“I knew it would take time to learn to get a feel for the game,” Robinson said. “It feels good to play so free and comfortable out there. The college game is a different speed and such good athletic ability it took some time to progress.”

The Longhorns (6-3, 5-3 Big 12) scored seven times on the ground, three apiece by Johnson and Robinson and one from Jor Whittington. It’s the most rushing touchdowns allowed in a game in school history by the Wildcats.

“There’s a thousand bad habits that a freshman has to fix and he has,” Texas coach Tom Herman said. “We found a way to have fun and to play to the joy of football and for each other. I was really proud to see that today.”

Sam Ehlinger was 20 of 27 for 274 yards and two touchdowns. Kansas State’s Will Howard went 16 of 27 for 174 yards and a pair of touchdowns and two picks. Howard threw an interception for the ninth time this season and for the fifth straight game.

Deuce Vaughn continued his impressive season breaking the school record for rushing yards by a freshman (517). In the finale, he scored twice and gained 125 yards.

“I feel like I had a lot of fun this year,” Vaughn said. “There are things I can do better and I need to attack this offseason and come back next season ready to go.”

It’s the most points Texas has ever scored against Kansas State and the most points they’ve scored in a Big 12 game since 1996. The Wildcats hadn’t allowed 69 points in 13 years.

“Credit to Texas because they were ready to play today,” Kansas State coach Chris Klieman said. “We couldn’t stop them and ran out of players. We need to be better tackling up front, but their running backs played well.”

Texas scored 66 points in the first three quarters before calling off the dogs and sitting most of their starters the final 15 minutes.

The Longhorns secured their fourth straight winning season under head coach Tom Herman amid him being on the hot seat in Austin.

“I’m excited about that and for our players to send them out with another winning season,” Herman said. “We leaned on the older guys to tell the younger guys to ignore the noise. It was very much business as usual around here this week.”

With rumors running rampant about the future of the leadership at Texas, there was one way Herman kept focused on just Kansas State this week.

“I don’t listen to it,” Herman said. “When you don’t get on the Internet and stay on Yahoo and Words with Friends you stay above the fray a little bit.”

Herman remained undefeated against Kansas State in his tenure, but a 1-4 record versus rival Oklahoma is a glaring blemish that isn’t overlooked by the Longhorn faithful.

THE TAKEAWAY

Kansas State lost their last five games after starting the season 4-1. It’s just the second time since 2010 that the Wildcats lost its home finale.

Texas running backs were too much for the Wildcats averaging 10 yards per attempt.

UP NEXT

The Longhorns travel to Kansas next Saturday.

Kansas State waits to see if they are selected for a bowl game.

AP – WACO, Texas — — Charlie Brewer confidently moved Baylor down the field and John Mayers kicked a 30-yard field goal on the final play. This was certainly a better way for the Bears to finish a game.

Mayers’ kick gave the Bears a 32-31 win over Kansas State on a rainy Saturday, snapping a five-game losing streak. They lost on a game-ending field goal their last game, the second in a row in which they blew a two-touchdown lead after halftime.

“A big point of emphasis, obviously finishing,” Brewer said. “We got that corrected this week getting a win.”

Brewer completed 31 of 39 passes for 349 yards and two touchdowns. The senior quarterback completed four passes in a row for 45 yards on the final drive right after it appeared he had fumbled on a run on the first play.

“Good thing I was down, you know, so we were able to continue that drive,” he said. “The confidence was extremely high heading into that drive. I had 100 percent confidence that we were going to go down there and score and win the game.”

Kansas State (4-5, 4-4 Big 12) has lost four in a row since starting 4-0 in conference play.

The final drive for Baylor (2-5, 2-5) began from its 31 with a 5-yard run by Brewer, but with Kansas State coming up with the ball after it popped out. A long replay review determined that Brewer’s knee was down before the fumble, and the Wildcats didn’t dispute that afterward, with coach Chris Klieman admitting that it was “probably” the right call.

“He was down. That’s just the way football goes,” said defensive end Wyatt Hubert, who had two of Kansas State’s seven sacks.

Brewer also ran for 56 yards and two scores, even with the 23 yards lost on sacks. He had a 1-yard TD keeper with 4:16 left, before K-State went three-and-out and punted.

“In the end, we have to find a way to get a first down with four minutes left on offense and we have to find a way to get a stop,” Klieman said. “We lose contain on a really good quarterback, and he’s going to make you pay. … You just can’t do that with that talented of a player and that savvy of a kid. And that’s really the tale of the fourth quarter. Charlie Brewer made plays.”

Kansas State quarterback Will Howard threw a touchdown and ran for another, fellow true freshman Deuce Vaughn rushed for 102 yards with a score.

Howard’s 24-yard TD run early in the fourth quarter put K-State up 24-15, a play after his 49-yard pass to wide-open tight end Briley Moore. Vaughn’s 38-yard TD run countered a Brewer TD pass to Trestan Ebner.

“This is a hard way to lose when you fight all day and they make a few more plays than you,” Vaughn said.

Brewer had a 7-yard TD on a draw play to end Baylor’s opening drive of the game before a botched extra point, after the first of Howard’s two interceptions. K-State went ahead when receiver Malik Knowles took a handoff on a sweep and ran 75 yards for a score.

“It’s a game we should have won. I told the guys I’m sorry. I’m sick for them,” Klieman said. “We did some really good things but didn’t make some winning plays at the end.”

SNEED’S BIG GRABS

Baylor was within 17-15 on a 23-yard touchdown catch by R.J. Sneed, who made the grab near the 17 and turned for the end zone after an over-pursuing defender fell down. That came only two plays after Sneed’s 35-yard catch along the sideline, when he leaped over cornerback Kiondre Thomas and somehow managed to get his right foot down in bounds.

THE TAKEAWAY

Kansas State: Howard became the starter after senior Skylar Thompson’s season-ending shoulder injury. The Wildcats haven’t won since Howard became the first K-State true freshman QB to win his first two starts. K-State can still finish with a winning conference record in each of Klieman’s first two seasons with a win in its next game. The Wildcats have a minus-eight turnover margin in their losing streak after being plus-eight the first five games.

Baylor: Instead of blowing a lead late, the Bears scored the last 10 points in this game. Brewer made his 25th start in a row, and 37th overall for the Bears.

UP NEXT

Kansas State plays its regular-season finale Saturday at home against No. 20 Texas.

Baylor at No. 14 Oklahoma next Saturday.

AMES, Iowa (AP) — Brock Purdy passed for 236 yards and three touchdowns and No. 17 Iowa State extended a historic start in Big 12 play, beating the Wildcats 45-0 on Saturday.

The Cyclones (6-2) cruised to their most-lopsided win over Kansas State in 77 years. They remain in first place in the Big 12 after improving to 6-1 in the conference and matching the school record for league wins.

Iowa State hadn’t had such a wide winning margin against the Wildcats since beating them 48-0 in 1943. It was the Cyclones’ biggest win over a Big 12 opponent since routing Kansas 45-0 three years ago.

“To me, it’s not about offense and defense,” Iowa State coach Matt Campbell said. “When we play great football, we’re playing as one team. It’s playing together.”

Kansas State (4-4, 4-3), which won 11 of the previous 12 meetings, started to unravel after failing to score on an early first-and-goal from the 3.

“Our offense had a great first drive and couldn’t finish and then sputtered after that,” Wildcats coach Chris Klieman said. “Frustrating in all phases. We need to improve.”

Purdy completed 10 of his first 12 passes for 156 yards to six receivers and all three of his touchdowns.

Breece Hall was Iowa State’s leading rusher with 135 yards and two touchdowns on 15 carries. Hall ran for touchdowns of 33 and 21 yards as the Cyclones pushed the lead to 35-0 before half.

“The whole offense, starting with our offensive line and quarterback, I think we had great precision,” Iowa State receiver Xavier Hutchinson said after making six catches for 111 yards and a touchdown.

Kansas State struggled with quarterback Will Howard, who completed just three of his first 9 attempts and was replaced after throwing an interception late in the second quarter.

“I thought Will took a pretty good shot early in the second quarter and kind of got rattled a little bit,” Klieman said. “After he threw the interception, I thought ’Let’s let Nick (Ast) have an opportunity.?

Purdy, who finished 16 for 20, also ran seven times for 59 yards.

“I don’t know if that was completely by design,” Campbell said of Purdy’s success running the ball. “I think it’s more a tribute to Brock’s continued growth.”

Iowa State, which outgained the Wildcats 539-149, now turns its attention to a key game at No. 22 Texas on Friday.

“The next six days are going to challenge everything we’re about,” Campbell said. “This is a hard, tough sport. So getting a short week isn’t easy.”

The Wildcats, who came into the week with 12 active cases of COVID 19, were missing starting linebackers Justin Hughes and Elijah Sullivan for undisclosed reasons.

“We got hammered with COVID the last two weeks and we can’t worry about that,” Klieman said. “We have to move on from that. That’s just the reality.”

POLL IMPLICATIONS

No. 17 Iowa State will have a chance to move up after such an impressive win.

BREECE IS THE WORD

Hall became one of four FBS players since 1996 to have 100 yards rushing and one rushing touchdown in each of his first eight games in a season. He joins TCU’s LaDainian Tomlinson in 2000, Iowa State’s Troy Davis in 1996 and Virginia’s Tiki Barber in 1996.

Hall also is now the first ISU player to run for 100 yards against every conference opponent.

UNDER 200

Iowa State has held a conference opponent under 200 total yards four straight years. The Cyclones also did it against Kansas in 2017, West Virginia in 2018 and West Virginia in 2019.

UP NEXT

Kansas State: At Baylor on Nov. 28

Iowa State: At Texas on Nov. 27

MANHATTAN, Kan. (AP) — Oklahoma State was missing so many offensive players to injuries this week that coach Mike Gundy joked he took most of the reps at running back, even though he’s a 53-year-old ex-quarterback who was hardly known for his wheels.

Good thing the Cowboys’ defense showed up against Kansas State.

Jason Taylor II returned a fumble 85 yards for a touchdown late in the fourth quarter, and Oklahoma State stopped the Wildcats’ 2-point try that would have tied the game with 2:08 to go, allowing the No. 14 Cowboys to escape with a 20-18 victory Saturday night that kept their Big 12 title hopes alive.

“We don’t ever talk about it,” Gundy said, “but they need the credit this week for fighting through where they were and finding aw ay to win on the road and play this game. It’s extremely difficult when you don’t have your guys practicing, even though they’re some veteran guys. You need to practice.”

Spencer Sanders was held to just 108 yards passing without dynamic wide receiver Tylan Wallace and with running back Chuba Hubbard slowed by an injury. LD Brown helped to pick up the load, running for 110 yards, as Oklahoma State (5-1, 4-1) leaned on a defense that was trampled by Texas a week ago.

“With all the adversity we faced, all the guys out, we just found a way,” Oklahoma State linebacker Amen Ogbongbemiga said. “We have a great bond and it’s games like this that define who we are.”

The Wildcats (4-3, 4-2) were forced to try for the tying 2-point conversion after Will Howard’s short TD run because of their odd decision to attempt a 2-point try to stretch a 12-0 lead in the first half. Howard was incomplete on that one, and he never got a pass off on the second — he fumbled the ball as the pocket collapsed around him.

Oklahoma State guided the ensuing onside kick out of bounds and ran some time off the clock before punting back to the Wildcats, but Howard immediately threw an interception with 1:47 to go to seal their fate.

Howard finished with 143 yards passing and a touchdown and 125 yards rushing and another score, but most of the yards both through the air and on the ground came on a couple of big plays. He was just 10 of 21 through the air.

“You’re a true freshman,” Kansas State coach Chris Klieman said, “and some of those things are going to happen, but you know what? That kid is competing his tail off. He’s a competitor, and he’s continued to improve.”

Heading into the game, everything appeared to portend a big night for Oklahoma State’s offense: Hubbard ran for 296 yards against the Wildcats last season, Sanders threw for a career high 400 yards and four touchdowns last week against the Longhorns, and Kansas State was coming off a 37-10 shellacking at the hands of West Virginia.

So much for that.

The Wildcats dominated the line of scrimmage in the first half, forcing Sanders to continually throw away the ball when they weren’t putting him on his back, and the hobbled Hubbard had a mere three carries for 11 yards at the break.

Kansas State wasn’t exactly lighting it up, either. Blake Lynch kicked a pair of field goals, and it took Howard’s 69-yard run late in the first half to set up a touchdown with 37 seconds left — the score followed by their ill-fated 2-point conversion.

That wound up being a big point.

After six first-half punts, Oklahoma State finally got on the board with a field goal. Then the Cowboys forced a three-and-out, and Brown ripped off a 50-yard run to set up Brennan Presley’s easy touchdown jaunt on a jet sweep. And when Alex Hale added another field goal, the Cowboys had a 13-12 lead, their first of the game.

Kansas State was marching for the go-ahead score when Howard had the ball punched out by Israel Antwine and right into Taylor’s waiting hands. The safety, who entered the game because of yet another injury injury to safety Tre Sterling, took off up the Kansas State sideline and was never touched on his decisive TD return.

“We were pretty beat up. We had a number of guys not practice this week on offense and it showed,” Gundy said. “I just told the team I was proud of them. They had their backs against the wall and got a win on the road.”

THE TAKEAWAY

Oklahoma State won despite gaining just 261 yards on offense and committing six penalties for 65 yards. The biggest reason? The Cowboys didn’t commit a turnover after coughing it up four times against the Longhorns.

Kansas State could have used the steady hand of senior quarterback Skylar Thompson, who is out for the season with a shoulder injury, and tight end Briley Moore, who got hurt last week against the Mountaineers. The offense was never able to get into a rhythm while playing a slew of underclassmen.

NOT SO UNIFIED

Oklahoma State remained in the locker room during the Big 12?s pregame celebration of unity, leaving Kansas State to line up alone along its sideline. In fact, the Cowboys were so late exiting the locker room they barely got 11 players on the field to take the opening kickoff. They promptly went three-and-out on offense.

UP NEXT

The Cowboys have a week off before heading to Norman for the Bedlam game against No. 19 Oklahoma on Nov. 21. Kansas State gets the week off before trying to snap its two-game skid at No. 17 Iowa State.

MORGANTOWN, W.Va. (AP) — Inconsistent for most of the season, West Virginia finally put together an all-around performance to boast about against a ranked opponent.

Jarret Doege threw two touchdown passes, Dylan Tonkery returned an interception for a score and West Virginia beat No. 16 Kansas State 37-10 on Saturday.

Leddie Brown rushed for 102 yards and a score as the Mountaineers (4-2, 3-2 Big 12) knocked the Wildcats from their solo perch atop the league standings.

Kansas State freshman Will Howard was intercepted three times and the Wildcats (4-2, 4-1) went scoreless after halftime to see their four-game winning streak snapped.

The Big 12?s top defense held Kansas State to 225 total yards, including 73 after halftime.

“I thought our players competed. I told them all week, that’s how you’re going to be evaluated: on how you compete, how you strained,” West Virginia coach Neal Brown said. “I thought they just had a businesslike approach, really from the beginning. Without a doubt, that’s the most complete game we’ve played in our two years here.”

West Virginia linebacker Tony Fields had 15 tackles and a pass breakup a week after being ejected in the second quarter at Texas Tech for targeting.

“We just knew there was a lot at stake,” Fields said. “We were playing the No. 16 team in the nation and they’re a very good team. We respected them. We made sure we went in and practiced every day as hard as we could. We turned up the intensity in practice and it paid off.”

Howard’s short pass went through the hands of wide receiver Chabastin Taylor. Tonkery grabbed the carom and went 18 yards for a touchdown to put West Virginia ahead 34-10 midway through the third quarter.

Casey Legg’s 45-yard field goal for the Mountaineers early in the fourth handed Kansas State its largest deficit of the season.

Howard managed a 35-yard touchdown throw just before halftime but was given little room to do anything else against West Virginia’s swarming defense.

“I thought our effort was good; we didn’t have good execution,” Kansas State coach Chris Klieman said. “Like I told the guys, we all will take ownership in this.”

Brown scored on a 9-yard run in the second quarter and went over 100 rushing yards for the fourth time this season. West Virginia sophomore Bryce Ford-Wheaton caught three passes for 104 yards, marking the first 100-yard effort of his career.

Doege finished 22 of 34 for 301 yards.

Both teams let early touchdown chances slip away.

Nicktroy Fortune intercepted Howard on the first series of the game, but West Virginia missed a field goal. On two other drives, the Mountaineers settled for short field goals after twice getting inside the Kansas State 10. Kansas State kicked a short field goal after it couldn’t reach the end zone from the 2 on its second series.

THE TAKEAWAY

Kansas State: The Wildcats had been able to overcome inefficiencies and miscues in previous games. Not this time. Howard finished 19 of 37 for 184 yards. Kansas State was limited to 41 yards on the ground.

West Virginia: In a game when most everything went right, the Mountaineers gained yards in chunks and got third-down conversions for a change, and dropped passes weren’t an issue this time.

Wheaton had a 58-yard catch that led to a touchdown and a 38-yarder that resulted in a field goal. “Without a doubt, those explosive plays were huge today,” Brown said.

IN MOURNING

Kansas State played two days after the death of Derick Newton, a sophomore defensive lineman who left the team in late September. Wildcats players posted tributes to Newton on Twitter after learning of his death. Newton’s body was found at a residence in Manhattan, Kansas. Police said no foul play was suspected.

Kansas State running back Harry Trotter said “you can’t be distracted when you play at this level. But it was tough circumstances.

“I know a lot of guys were kind of emotional this week, including me, and it was just a tough week.”

UP NEXT

Kansas State hosts No. 6 Oklahoma State next Saturday. The teams have split their last six meetings.

West Virginia plays at Texas. The Mountaineers have won on their last two trips to Austin, Texas.

MANHATTAN, Kan. (AP) — Kansas State leaned on special teams to extend its winning streak over Kansas to a series-record 12 straight games.

The Wildcats’ didn’t even block a kick, either.

Instead, it was Phillip Brooks returning a pair of punts for touchdowns, Blake Lynch hitting every kick he attempted and an opportunistic coverage unit that pounced on a muffed punt return that spurred No. 20 Kansas State to a 55-14 victory over the Jayhawks on a cold, blustery Saturday at Bill Snyder Family Stadium.

“When we were at North Dakota State, we were better than everybody offensively and defense,” Wildcats coach Chris Klieman said, “so why would we waste a chance at roughing a kid on special teams. Here, it’s much more competitive, so you better find an advantage on a week-in, week-out basis. That has to be the edge.”

It has been so far. The Wildcats (4-1) had blocked a kick each of their last four games, helping them steadily climb The Associated Press poll, and they are now 4-0 in the Big 12 for the first time since 2014.

“We’re really good on special teams and we knew we needed to be really good today,” Klieman said, “and we were really good in all phases, and good job of blocking on punt returns and the fumble on the punt. We emphasize it a bunch and we had great success and we benefited from all the work and effort we put into it.”

The Wildcats’ Will Howard threw for 243 yards and two touchdowns while Justin Gardner returned an interception 25 yards for another score. Deuce Vaughn added 71 yards rushing and another touchdown as Kansas State kept the Jayhawks (0-5, 0-4) without a win in the series since Nov. 1, 2008, in Lawrence.

Jalon Daniels was just 22 of 39 for 207 yards for the Jayhawks, who were playing their first game since coach Les Miles returned from a positive COVID-19 test. It also was their first game since running back Pooka Williams, an All-Big 12 pick a year ago, opted out of the remainder of the season to be with his ailing mother.

Along with giving up two punt return TDs, the Jayhawks also had two punts nearly returned for scores and were lousy in their own return game. They also watched Jacob Borcila bang a field-goal attempt off the upright.

The lopsided score allowed Klieman to empty his bench early in the fourth quarter.

“We’re a good football team,” said Miles, who was down to his third-string punter and without several other crucial pieces on both sides of the ball. “If we get healthy, somebody will find a very talented team that is ready to play, and that could hopefully be this Saturday that were about to play.”

The Wildcats’ offense actually struggled early behind their own freshman QB, making his second start in place of the injured Skylar Thompson. But their defense and special teams scored 27 points in staking them to a 34-7 halftime lead.

The first points came when the Jayhawks were forced to punt, and a penalty for running into the kicker gave them a do-over. Brooks made them pay for taking it, scooting 55 yards for the touchdown.

Blake Lynch added a couple field goals before Gardner stepped in front of Daniels’ throw-back screen pass and pranced into the end zone to make it 20-0. And when the Jayhawks finally got a TD of their own, Howard answered with a touchdown to Sammy Wheeler and Brooks brought back his second punt for a touchdown on the final play of the first half.

The Wildcats put the game away with three consecutive scoring drives to start the second half.

“Definitely starting in that second half I really felt like I was fitting in and, you know, the offense really kind of started flowing for me and for us,” Howard said. “We came into halftime and we were up big, but we knew offensively we hadn’t played well. We had to come out and make a statement and we did exactly that.”

UPON FURTHER REVIEW

In the first half alone, referee Kevin Hassell had to overturn an interception that hit the ground, a fumble when the ball-carrier already was down and a touchdown catch in which the Jayhawks’ Andrew Parchment landed out of bounds. Hassell also overturned a targeting penalty and announced holding on the wrong team.

PUNTER PROBLEMS

Kansas punter Donovan Gagen had a day to forget. He was crushed after unloading a punt, was lit up on Brooks’ return for a score, then had to make a TD-saving tackle on which he appeared to hurt his left shoulder.

THE TAKEAWAY

Kansas had lost its previous 11 games to the Wildcats by an average of 26 points, so Miles’s second loss was particularly gruesome. The Jayhawks’ losing streak began under Mark Mangino, continued under Turner Gill and Charlie Weis, included interim coach Clint Bowen and four years under David Beaty.

Kansas State had seven penalties in the first quarter but just one the rest of the way. The Wildcats also showed off their trademark discipline by going 6 for 6 in the red zone and improving to plus-9 in turnovers on the season.

UP NEXT

Kansas State heads to Morgantown next Saturday to take on West Virginia. Kansas heads home to face Iowa State.

FORT WORTH, Texas (AP) — Kansas State got another non-offensive touchdown and a solid performance from a true freshman quarterback in his first start against one of the Big 12?s best defensive coaches.

That was enough for the Wildcats to improve to 3-0 in the Big 12 Conference.

AJ Parker returned an interception 37 yards for a touchdown and Will Howard accounted for 203 of K-State’s 289 total yards in a 21-14 win at TCU on Saturday.

“They pressured him quite a bit. I thought he did a really nice job getting us into some good checks” coach Chris Klieman said of Howard. “He’s going to learn and get better. You’re talking about a true freshman coming into TCU, and his first start is against a Gary Patterson-coached defense. It’s a pretty tall task, and I thought he did a great job.”

Howard was only the fourth true freshman quarterback to start a game for the Wildcats (3-1, 3-0 Big 12), and the first since Josh Freeman in 2006. He was 8-of-19 passing for 117 yards with an interception and 86 yards rushing, though 80 came on one carry.

“It was far from perfect. We got it done, we did what we came here to do. I’m excited about that,” Howard said. “It’s a lot better to learn from a win, than to learn from a loss, and there’s a lot of to learn from here.”

Senior quarterback Skylar Thompson didn’t even make the trip to Fort Worth, a week after getting injured in the first half against Texas Tech. Howard played the second half of that game while Thompson was on the sideline out of uniform and with his arm in a sling. Klieman would only say afterward that Thompson wasn’t available.

The interception return by Parker in the third quarter that made it 21-7 was the 119th non-offensive TD since 1999 for Kansas State. That is the most by any FBS team in that stretch — going into Saturday, Alabama and Virginia Tech were tied for the second-most with 108.

With a chance to seal the game on a third-and-1 keeper with just over a minute left, Howard tripped while by himself for no gain near midfield. Klieman never thought about going for it since his defense was playing so well, and the punt pinned the Horned Frogs (1-2, 1-2) at their own 4.

“You can laugh about it now that we won. It was a read play, I made the right read,” Howard said. “I couldn’t tell you what really happened. You know fatigued legs, and tripped up a little bit, which obviously can’t happen.”

TCU still had a chance to tie the game after the Wildcats were penalized for roughing the passer on a desperation pass by Max Duggan as time expired. The penalty put the ball at the K-State 39 for an untimed play, and Duggan’s heave into a crowd in the end zone was knocked to the ground.

Duggan was 19-of-31 passing for 154 yards, and also had a 3-yard TD run on fourth-and-goal with 3:39 left. Darwin Barlow, one of TCU’s freshmen running backs, had a 7-yard TD.

“I’m disappointed in the loss, not how some of the younger guys played,” TCU coach Gary Patterson said. “In a game where you don’t have many choices, you have to make plays when you’re supposed to make plays and you can’t give them anything and we gave them something. At the end of the day we have to do a better job on all accounts.”

THEY’RE GOOD

Blake Lynch kicked field goals of 25 and 53 yards in the first half, the shorter kick coming after the 80-yard run on the opening drive by Howard, whose 4-yard TD run gave the Wildcats a 14-7 halftime lead after the 2-point conversion.

POLL IMPLICATIONS

The Wildcats could get into the Top 25 on Sunday for the first time this season. They were the first team out of this week’s poll.

THE TAKEAWAY

Kansas State: The Wildcats have rebounded from that season-opening home loss against Arkansas State to start 3-0 in the Big 12 for the first time since 2014.

TCU: The Horned Frogs have lost four home games in a row. They were coming off their seventh win in nine years against Texas, but have lost both home games after having their only nonconference game called off because of a COVID-19 outbreak among a cluster of players and staff.

UP NEXT

Kansas State: At home for the Sunflower State showdown against Kansas on Oct. 24.

TCU: At home to play Oklahoma on Oct. 24.

MANHATTAN, Kan. (AP) — Deuce Vaughn had a rushing touchdown and another receiving, Will Howard threw for 173 yards and a score and Kansas State held off Texas Tech for a 31-21 win Saturday.

Up 24-21 with two minutes left, Howard found Vaughn across the middle on third down for a 70-yard touchdown pass to seal the win.

“We knew they wanted to blitz and put a linebacker on me,” Vaughn said. “When I saw that, Will and I looked at each other and thought we had a good matchup.”

Vaughn finished with 113 yards rushing, the most by a true freshman at Kansas State since 2008, and had three receptions for 81 yards.

“He is a special talent and I can’t say enough about our offensive line,” Kansas State coach Chris Kleiman said. “They opened up some holes and Deuce played really well.”

Henry Colombi threw for 244 yards and two touchdowns, Xavier White added 113 yards rushing and a score on 12 carries for Texas Tech, which lost its ninth game in 10 tries against the Wildcats.

“I think early in the game was maybe a little rushed in terms of his timing, but I thought he really slowed down, the game slowed down for him,” Texas Tech coach Matt Wells said of Colombi. “I thought he came in and played well.”

He had one big mistake despite an efficient performance, throwing into double coverage on a drive deep in Wildcat territory which was intercepted by Jahron McPherson late in the fourth quarter.

In his previous 69 college pass attempts, he’d only thrown one interception after being a backup at Utah State for Jordan Love, now with the Green Bay Packers.

“I just think we need to keep trusting our coaching, keep trusting our ability,” Colombi said. “There’s tons of playmakers on this team and we all play as a team. Everyone had each other’s back so just continue to trust each other and continue to get better every day.”

Both starting quarterbacks spent more time in the locker room than the field after suffering injuries in the first half.

Red Raiders QB Alan Bowman left the game after he took a hit to his right leg midway through the first quarter and didn’t return.

Halfway through the second quarter, Kansas State’s Skylar Thompson was hit and injured his right arm. He watched the second half from the sideline in a sling after going 5 of 10 for 33 yards and a passing touchdown.

Highly-touted freshman Will Howard, who took over for Thompson, completed 7 of 12 passes and looked poised in his first game as a Wildcat.

“I prepare every week like I’m the starter,” Howard said. “Skylar has helped me watching film and has been a great mentor for me so I felt ready.”

Vaughn and Howard are just two of many freshman that stepped on the field, because of injuries and that Klieman believes they can make a difference for the team this season.

“I think this is a special class,” Howard said. “The more we come together, the more we gel, and the seniors are teaching us very well.”

Kansas State (2-1, 2-0 Big 12) blocked a punt for the third straight game and took advantage two plays later with a 12-yard touchdown pass from Thompson to Briley Moore which opened up the scoring. The Wildcats are the first team to block a punt in the first three games since Memphis did it in 2008.

“I’ve never been a part of that,” Kleiman said. “The players lock into the coaches design and it shows.”

It was Moore again in the fourth quarter who eluded two defenders for a 66-yard catch and the Wildcats scored on the next play on a 4-yard TD run by Harry Trotter to regain the lead 24-21.

“I’ve seen his speed before,” Kleiman said. “I’m happy he’s on our team because I’ve coached against him.”

Texas Tech (1-2, 0-2) kicker Trey Wolff missed 33- and 35-yard field-goal attempts in the first half.

“We’re looking for those answers to win those close games because we know we’re certainly going to be in them,” Wells said.

Early in the second quarter, the Wildcats went on a 97-yard drive that took seven minutes which was capped by a Vaughn 18-yard touchdown scamper to lead 14-0.

“I was just reading the end,” Vaughn said about the run. “I used my speed to get around the edge and tiptoed up the sideline.”

Colombi drove the Red Raiders down in two minutes early in the fourth quarter to take the lead 21-17 but couldn’t score again in their next three possessions.

NORMAN, Okla. (AP) — A Kansas State squad that lost its opener to Arkansas State two weeks ago, had its roster depleted by COVID-19, and entered Saturday’s game against No. 3 Oklahoma as a four-touchdown underdog overcame it all to pull off one of the biggest stunners of the season.

Skylar Thompson passed for 334 yards and ran for three touchdowns, and the Wildcats rallied from 21 points down to beat the third-ranked Sooners 38-35, a 50-yard field goal by Blake Lynch with 4:32 remaining providing the margin of victory.

Kansas State coach Chris Klieman said he didn’t know until Friday if he’d have enough players available at all position groups to play the game. Turns out, the Wildcats had exactly what they needed.

“You find out a lot about a person and about a team from a challenge and adversity, and this team responded,” Thompson said. “I had no doubt going into this game that we were going to have a chance to win just by the way that we handled the last two weeks, the way we practiced, the way we came together and corrected our mistakes.”

Freshman Deuce Vaughn caught four passes for 129 yards and ran for a touchdown for the Wildcats. It was Kansas State’s first-ever road win against a top-three team in the AP poll.

Kansas State upset Oklahoma 48-41 in Manhattan, Kansas, last year, making the loss especially disappointing for the Sooners. Oklahoma outgained the Wildcats 517 yards to 400 but had four turnovers to none for Kansas State.

“We just made critical errors that gave them a chance,” Oklahoma coach Lincoln Riley said. “Give Chris (Klieman) and Kansas State a lot of credit. When we made errors, he made us pay.”

Oklahoma freshman Spencer Rattler passed for 387 yards and four touchdowns, but he threw three interceptions.

“He’s a young guy in his second start,” Riley said. “We’re going to continue to build on it and he’s going to continue to get better and get coached better as well.”

In the opening moments of the second quarter, Rattler threw into traffic and found Drake Stoops for a 32-yard touchdown. It was the first career score for the son of former Oklahoma coach Bob Stoops, and it gave the Sooners a 14-0 lead.

Thompson’s 39-yard touchdown pass to Chabastin Taylor in the second quarter cut Oklahoma’s lead to 14-7, but the Sooners answered with Marvin Mims’ 9-yard touchdown reception in the final minute of the first half.

Rattler’s 53-yard pass to Stoops led to Seth McGowan’s 5-yard touchdown run and gave the Sooners a 35-14 lead late in the third quarter.

“We knew when we were down 21 we were just like, we’re going to get our chance, we’re going to get our shot,” Vaughn said. “We’re going to see how good we are at battling adversity. That’s exactly what we did. When things started to turn our way, we were like we can’t get too high. We never got too low. We stayed even-keeled.”

Two short rushing touchdowns by Thompson got the Wildcats back in the game.

Kansas State’s Nick Allen blocked Reeves Mundschau’s punt, and the Wildcats took over at the Oklahoma 38. Vaughn’s 38-yard touchdown run on the Wildcats’ second offensive play and the critical extra point tied it at 35 with 8:17 to play.

Kansas State’s Jahron McPherson intercepted Rattler in the final minute to help close out the win.

“For me, I dream about this all the time,” McPherson said. “For me, I was just so happy and happy for my team. I do everything for my team. I was just happy for all of us.”

Oklahoma had a regular-season loss each of the four times it has reached the College Football Playoff. The Sooners hope they can bounce back again.

“We’re very disappointed, but the resolve is very strong,” Riley said. “We know how to respond to a loss around here, and we’ll do it, and it’s going to take every single one of us.”

MANHATTAN, Kan. (AP) — Jonathan Adams Jr. caught a career-high three touchdown passes, including the game-winner with 38 seconds remaining, and Arkansas State defeated Kansas State 35-31 on Saturday for the Red Wolves’ first win over a Power 5 opponent in a dozen years.

“Obviously excited about the win,” said Arkansas State head coach Blake Anderson. “Excited, but not surprised.”

Arkansas State (1-1) scored 21 unanswered points after trailing 21-7 midway through the second quarter.

Most of the offense flowed through the 6-foot-3 Adams.

“The quarterbacks put the ball in a good spot, and I just use my athleticism to turn my hips and go get the ball and go over the corner’s head and stuff like that,” said Adams, who had 98 yards receiving on eight catches.

Arkansas State held Kansas State to 91 yards rushing. The Wildcats averaged 178 rushing yards per game in 2019.

“We were able to create some penetration, create some issues where they could not get downhill all night long,” Anderson said.

Kansas State (0-1) had not dropped its home opener since 2013.

“It wasn’t the outcome that we wanted. We didn’t play particularly well. I know what the guys have gone through over the past month to five weeks trying to prepare to play, and we can’t make excuses,” said Kansas State head coach Chris Klieman.

Skylar Thompson finished with 259 yards passing and two touchdowns in the loss.

“There are three or four (passes) that I can think of that were just inches off, or I missed a throw or misjudged on a ball and just couldn’t get on the same page there a couple times,” Thompson said.

Deuce Vaughn led Kansas State in rushing with 47 yards and a touchdown, becoming the first true freshman to score for the Wildcats in a season opener since 1988.

The Wildcats scored on their first possession on a 17-yard catch by Phillip Brooks following a blocked punt. They added TDs on consecutive drives in the second quarter to lead 21-7. After being held scoreless in the third quarter, they responded with a 5-yard touchdown run by Harry Trotter, followed by Lynch’s field goal.

The Red Wolves (1-1) gained 489 total yards after collecting 424 yards in a 37-24 loss to Memphis last weekend.

The Red Wolves beat a Power 5 program for the second time since moving up to FBS status in 1992. Their previous win came over Texas A&M, 18-14, in 2008.

TRICK PLAYS

Arkansas State put on a magic show in Manhattan, fooling Kansas State with trick plays.

On a double-pass play, wide receiver Jeff Foreman threw a 48-yard score to Roshauud Paul midway through the second quarter.

Early in the fourth quarter, the Red Wolves faked a punt that led to a pass interference call. On that drive, a pass off a double-reverse set up a 5-yard score to Adams from Logan Bonner for a 28-21 lead.

THE TAKEAWAY

Arkansas State: The quick tempo and aggressive play-calling kept the Red Wolves in the game and proved to be the difference. Arkansas State kept the Wildcats’ ground game in check.

Kansas State: The Wildcats failed to establish the run game and had to rely on the arm of Skylar Thompson, an uncommon offensive strategy for the Wildcats.

UP NEXT

Arkansas State will host Central Arkansas next Saturday.

Kansas State will have a week off before opening Big 12 play against Oklahoma on September 26.

“Give them credit. They pulled out a couple trick plays at the right times and they made those plays,” K-State head coach Chris Klieman said. “That’s what the game’s about, making plays.”

After K-State tied the game at 17 with 5:14 left, Navy started to make those plays. They converted two third downs before the Wildcats stonewalled a Midshipmen third-and-3 attempt at K-State’s 46-yard line with less than a minute left in regulation.

On fourth down, Navy running back CJ Williams took a pitch to the right side of the field on what looked like a normal sweep play. That was until he pulled up and hit Chance Warren down the sideline for a 41-yard completion.

Bijan Nichols, who finished the game 2-for-3 on field goals, nailed the game winner two plays later after K-State called its final three timeouts.

The halfback pass marked the second successful trick play from Navy. Coming out of halftime in a 10-all tie, the Midshipmen capped their first drive of the second half with a 20-yard touchdown run on a reverse to Warren.

“Our guy’s in man coverage and he’s got to chase it down from the other side and they cut him off. That’s a really good call,” Klieman said. “Once again, you just have to give those guys credit. They called it at the right time.”

The Wildcats got going on offense just in time to keep their chances of winning alive. Their game-tying drive in the fourth quarter of seven plays, 79 yards nearly doubled the team’s total offense up to that point (83 yards).

“They did have us out of rhythm. They had a good game plan for us. They did a good job of mixing up their looks, showing it from one way and coming from another way and playing some different looks behind it that I wasn’t really expecting,” Thompson, named K-State’s Outstanding Offensive Player of the Game, said. “It was just a matter of time. I just kept telling my guys, ‘It’s just a matter of time. We’re going to get it clicking. We’re going to get it going. We just have to keep believing, keep trusting one another.’ On that drive we scored a touchdown, that’s exactly what happened.”

Thompson went 3-for-3 through the air for 66 yards on the drive, highlighted by a 42-yard strike down the middle of the field to Wykeen Gill, who had a 15-yard catch the play before. Thompson scored two plays later on a sneak up the middle, giving life to a K-State team that spent most of the night defending Navy’s potent triple-option offense.

“It was a great drive. We were able to get some rhythm and we were able to pick up some of the pressure. They pressured us an awful lot,” Klieman said. “We were able to pick some things up. I was pleased that Wykeen Gill made a couple of really nice plays on the drive and we were able to get some rhythm. That score got us back to a tie and, in reality, we probably shouldn’t have been tied. They had really outplayed us in that second half but, lo and behold, we’re in a tie game.”

The Midshipmen possessed the ball for 36:31 of the game, thanks in large part to their 323 rushing yards. Senior quarterback Malcom Perry accounted for 213 of those rushing yards on 28 carries. Perry, named the Liberty Bowl’s Most Valuable Player, also went 5-of-7 through the air for 57 yards and a 27-yard touchdown in the second quarter.

“He’s a great athlete,” Elijah Sullivan, tabbed K-State’s Outstanding Defensive Player of the Game after posting 11 tackles, said of Perry. “Hats off to him. He’s quick, fast and runs their whole offense. He’s the leader of their offense. Everything runs through him.”

K-State missed a few opportunities to score on its opening drive, as an underthrown pass and a drop on consecutive plays ended it. The Wildcats first found the end zone on a 66-yard punt return from Phillip Brooks to take a 7-3 lead early in the second quarter. Blake Lynch nailed a 39-yard field goal late in the half to even the game going into the locker room.

The Wildcats only got one possession in the third quarter, however, and it went backwards 11 yards after an errant snap derailed the drive.

“It’s frustrating but, at the same time, it’s a good opportunity to grow and learn from it and have a spark lit inside of us for next year,” Thompson said. “We’ll be ready to go.”

]]> https://powercatgameday.com/navy-trick-plays-burn-k-state-in-memphis/feed/ 0 10311 https://powercatgameday.com/k-state-knocks-off-iowa-state/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=k-state-knocks-off-iowa-state https://powercatgameday.com/k-state-knocks-off-iowa-state/#respond Sun, 01 Dec 2019 08:04:44 +0000 https://powercatgameday.com/?p=10282 K-State Sports Information

MANHATTAN, Kan. – K-State football scored 13 unanswered points to send its 27 seniors out with a 27-17 win in their home finale against Iowa State on Saturday night.

In a cold environment with intensely swirling wind conditions, the Wildcats (8-4, 5-4) topped the Cyclones through some stout defense and ball control in the second half to end the regular season in a tie for third in the Big 12 standings.

Of the final 21:40 of the game, K-State held the ball for 16:41. The Wildcats ran for 231 yards, including 107 in the fourth — all of the team’s offense in the last quarter, when they held the ball for 10:01.

“It was really important,” K-State head coach Chris Klieman said of the run game. “We were able to be affective on third down (7 of 14). That allowed us to stay on the field. We probably got them a little bit wore down. Just from the fact that we were running inside, outside, using the jet game, using the quarterback run…when (offensive coordinator Courtney Messingham) has all those things at his disposal and we’re gaining yards on all of them, we’re pretty tough to beat.”

Senior graduate transfer Jordon Brown led the Wildcats with 91 yards on 19 carries, including a 15-yard touchdown run in the fourth quarter to go up 24-17. True freshman Jacardia Wright added 60 yards on six carries, highlighted by a 12-yard touchdown burst to put K-State up 14-0 in the first quarter. In the fourth quarter, Wright broke off a 37-yard run on the first play of K-State’s final scoring drive.

“I think we just kept pounding away and, eventually, guys just got tired of getting hit. We just kept pounding away at them,” Brown said. “I’m just proud of how everyone kept fighting. Everyone was coming out with a mentality that we needed to empty the tank.”

Coming out of halftime in a 14-all tie, the Wildcats limited the Cyclones to 68 yards of total offense in the second half. That included just 13 yards in the third quarter. K-State, the No. 4-ranked third-down defense in the nation coming in, held Iowa State to 1-of-13 on third down.

“We definitely played very well. We knew it was our last regular season game, and it was the seniors’ last game at Bill Snyder Family Stadium, so we definitely prepared well this week,” sophomore defensive end Wyatt Hubert said. “Everyone was just playing hard because everyone knew this was the seniors’ last (home) game, so we just wanted to end it on a good note.”

K-State also forced Iowa State into three three-and-outs in the final two quarters and six for the game. One of those quick stops came after the first of two Skylar Thompson turnovers on consecutive drives in Wildcat territory in the third quarter. Following a lost fumble on K-State’s 46, Iowa State went backward 11 yards in three plays before punting.

“That was pivotal,” redshirt freshman defensive back Lance Robinson said. “That was one of the turning points of the game. We just kept making plays.”

K-State’s defense was put in a tough spot again when Thompson was intercepted on the next offensive play. Still, the Wildcats kept Iowa State out of the end zone and limited the damage to a field goal – the Cyclones’ last points of the game.

“It was huge,” Klieman said. “There were a number of short fields, but they were playing with a ton of confidence.”

K-State started the game with similar confidence after true freshman Joshua Youngblood took the opening kickoff 93 yards for a touchdown — his third such score this season.

The Wildcats then forced Iowa State into four consecutive punts in the first half. They put together a 13-play, 98-yard touchdown drive during that stretch to extend their lead to 14-0 early in the second quarter.

That advantage vanished, however, when Iowa State scored touchdowns on back-to-back drives. One score was made possible by a fourth-and-13 conversion, while the other came off a fourth-and-goal.

“Coming in at halftime, I just said, ‘You guys, we’ve just got to be able to make some more plays,’” Klieman said. “We just weren’t making enough plays.”

The Wildcats started to make those plays in the second half. Brock Purdy, 8-of-14 for 124 yards in the first half, finished the game 15-of-30 for 185 yards. The sophomore came into the game averaging nearly 315 passing yards a game.

After his pair of turnovers, Thompson brought some life to K-State’s offense. He hit Chabastin Taylor for 22 yards and, two plays later, Phillip Brooks for 19 to put the Wildcats in position for Blake Lynch to hit a game-tying 43-yard field goal against the wind.

K-State scored on its next two drives to all but seal the win and make Klieman the winningest first-year head coach in program history and the second winningest first-year coach in the FBS this season.

“Great team win by our guys. So happy for our seniors that have put in the blood, sweat and tears for a long time, lot of years here,” Klieman said, as K-State will find out its bowl fate on Sunday, December 8. “I told the guys in the locker room ‘Don’t ever underestimate the power of belief, and the power of love.’ Those guys believe in each other, they love each other, and when you have those two things going, you’ve got a great chance to be successful.”

]]> https://powercatgameday.com/k-state-knocks-off-iowa-state/feed/ 0 10282 https://powercatgameday.com/k-state-hangs-on-in-lubbock/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=k-state-hangs-on-in-lubbock https://powercatgameday.com/k-state-hangs-on-in-lubbock/#respond Sun, 24 Nov 2019 06:13:10 +0000 https://powercatgameday.com/?p=10277 K-State Sports Information

LUBBOCK, Texas – K-State scored on four of its first five possessions of the second half, including three touchdowns, but it was the Wildcats’ last drive, a scoreless series, that sealed a 30-27 win at Texas Tech on Saturday night.

After a Texas Tech touchdown cut K-State’s lead to three, the Wildcats (7-4, 4-4) ate up the final 3:58 of the game to end a two-game losing skid and win their third road game this season.

“A great performance by our team. What great resolve,” K-State head coach Chris Klieman said. “There was great belief from the start of the game all the way through the end that we were going to find a way to win the football game. It wasn’t pretty but our guys play so hard and they just never feel they’re out of it.”

Skylar Thompson, who threw for 248 yards on the night, used his legs to put the game away. Facing a third-and-11 to start K-State’s last drive, Thompson took off on a designed draw for 17 yards.

“That’s what I worked for my entire life, for opportunities like that in crunch time, my number getting called, getting the ball in my hands and making a play for my team,” Thompson said. “Today was an all-around team effort. I’m so proud of this team. We all played together. We all played our part. We all did what we needed to do to get a win.”

Two plays after Thompson’s big run, running back James Gilbert played his biggest part when he broke a tackle and cut across the field for an 18-yard gain to put K-State in the victory formation.

“How about that? A great job by James. I’m happy for him with all the stuff he’s gone through with injuries,” Klieman said of Gilbert, who led K-State with 61 rushing yards on 12 carries. “He was tackled there, and he bounces out and moves the chains again.

“When they kicked it to us with four minutes left, they have two timeouts and, if they get a stop, they’re going to be going for a field goal with a great kicker to try to tie or try to win the game. We put it on the big boys up front and said, ‘We have to be able to get a couple first downs and end this.”

K-State came out of halftime with a 6-3 lead, an advantage that held after both offenses heated up.

Both teams traded a pair of touchdowns to start the second half, followed by alternating field goals. Thompson, facing a third-and-6 on K-State’s first drive out of halftime, connected with Phillip Brooks on a crossing route for a 14-yard touchdown. Later, Thompson hit Chabastin Taylor for a 48-yard score to go up 30-20.

“We just made really good halftime adjustments,” Thompson said of the second half. “Our coaches told us to keep trusting the game plan and things would start popping for us. They did. That was huge.”

In between Thompson’s touchdown passes, Joshua Youngblood notched the team’s other score with a 100-yard kickoff return. It marked the true freshman’s second such score this season and boosted K-State’s lead to 20-10.

Senior safety Denzel Goolsby picked off a Jett Duffey pass in the end zone on Texas Tech’s ensuing drive, K-State’s second consecutive stop at the time and its second interception of the game. Da’Quan Patton snagged the other in the first half, which led to one of Blake Lynch’s two 32-yard field goals.

“We’re getting better,” Klieman said, as K-State will return home to close the regular season against Iowa State on Saturday, November 30 at 6 p.m., on FS1. “I’m so pleased with the fight and the resolve of our guys. This was a big win. You lose two in a row twice now and your backs are against the wall and people think, ‘Boy, maybe you were fortunate to win a game here and there,’ and our guys are blocking out the noise and just playing good football.”

]]> https://powercatgameday.com/k-state-hangs-on-in-lubbock/feed/ 0 10277 https://powercatgameday.com/west-virginia-stuns-k-state/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=west-virginia-stuns-k-state https://powercatgameday.com/west-virginia-stuns-k-state/#respond Sun, 17 Nov 2019 01:54:02 +0000 https://powercatgameday.com/?p=10266 Associated Press

MANHATTAN, Kan. — West Virginia coach Neal Brown was staring down the prospects of a six-game losing streak amid his first season in Morgantown, a streak of futility unmatched by the Mountaineers since 1986.

Instead, he walked out of Kansas State with a foundational win for his vast rebuilding effort.

Jarret Doege threw for 234 yards and three scores in place of Austin Kendall, and Hakeem Bailey made the play of the game when he picked off the Wildcats’ Skylar Thompson in the closing seconds, allowing the Mountaineers to escape with a 24-20 victory Saturday night.

“This is a huge win. It felt like a long time coming,” Brown said. “Kind of been knocking on the door. I really felt like we’d be in a position at some point to win a game that maybe we shouldn’t have. This is big for our program, big for our players and I’m proud of our guys.”

The Mountaineers (4-6, 2-5 Big 12) hadn’t scored more than 17 points in their last four games, prompting the change at quarterback. Doege, who hadn’t started since last November when he was still at Bowling Green, responded by throwing all three of his TD passes on crucial third downs.

The biggest? A 50-yard heave on third-and-22 that gave the Mountaineers the lead late.

“I was just thinking, `Get through my progression,” Doege said, “but I forced out and I saw him wide open and luckily got it off right before I got hit. I didn’t know if he caught it until I looked up and saw him in the end zone.”

The Wildcats (6-4, 3-4) had plenty of chances to answer, but they turned the ball over on downs and then punted before their final drive. Thompson led them briskly downfield, but his second-down throw floated in the wind whipping out of the south and Bailey outjumped the intended target.

West Virginia then ran out the clock on the win and its five-game losing streak.

“We challenged them hard this week,” Brown said, “and the guys that have been in our program for a long time. … We only get 12 of the these so you have to come to play.”

The Wildcats, who almost never altered their look under Hall of Fame coach Bill Snyder, donned a throwback uniform to the 1988 with white helmets and script “Cats” across them.

Perhaps they should have chosen a season in which they didn’t go 0-11.

Thompson was 24 of 39 for 299 yards with a touchdown and two interceptions, and Kansas State had trouble moving the ball all night against a team that allowed 38 points to Texas Tech last week.

The Wildcats ran 32 times but averaged just 3.2 yards per attempt.

“When we struggle to run the ball it affects the rest of the offense,” said the Wildcats’ James Gilbert, who led the way with 60 yards rushing and a touchdown.

The Mountaineers’ season-long growing pains appeared to continue right from the start, when they went three-and-out on offense and gave up a 68-yard TD pass on their first play on defense.

It was hardly a harbinger of the first half.

West Virginia answered with a 75-yard drive, finished off by Doege’s touchdown pass to George Campbell. And when the Wildcats answered with a field goal, the Mountaineers reached the end zone again — though not without a bit of help from the officials.

West Virginia was held to a field goal that Casey Legg missed. But the crew ruled the Wildcats’ Trey Dishon jumped the gun on the rush, giving the Mountaineers a fresh set of downs. They went nowhere on the first two plays before Campbell hauled in another touchdown pass.

Legg missed another field goal heading into the locker room, and the momentum appeared to have swung the Wildcats’ direction in the second half. They opened it with a long, time-consuming touchdown drive to take a 20-14 lead midway through the third quarter.

They were never able to shake loose, though.

Kansas State was forced to punt on each of its next two possessions. Legg drilled a 51-yard field goal after missing a chip-shot late in the first half, and a few minutes later Doege took advantage of a major coverage lapse on third-and-22 to throw a 50-yard touchdown pass to Bryce Wheaton.

That turned out to be all the points the Mountaineers needed.

Joshua Youngblood injected K-State (6-3, 3-3) with new life early in the fourth quarter, as the true freshman receiver broke off a 98-yard kickoff return for a touchdown. It ended Texas’ run of 24 unanswered points and cut the Wildcat deficit to three, 24-21.

K-State’s defense followed suit by forcing a three-and-out, which led to a 45-yard field goal from Blake Lynch to even the game.

Texas answered with the game-winning drive, keyed by a conversion on third-and-14. The Longhorns, who went 67 yards in 13 plays to eat up the final 6:45 of the game, drug the clock down to three seconds before Cameron Dicker notched the game-winner from 26 yards out to end K-State’s three-game winning streak.

“I thought we played well. It was two really good football teams that went at it. I’m proud of the guys. I’m proud of the resolve, being down two scores,” K-State head coach Chris Klieman said. “It stinks to lose. There are no moral victories. That’s not what we’re about, but I’m so proud of the way we fought. I told the guys, ‘I think we’re a really good football team and Texas is a really good football team. I think we proved we belong on any stage there is.’”

K-State got off to the exact start it needed. The Wildcats scored the game’s first two touchdowns, including one on the third play from scrimmage, to take an early 14-0 lead.

After a pair of runs to start the game, Skylar Thompson found redshirt freshman receiver Malik Knowles on a wheel route out of the backfield for a 70-yard touchdown. Knowles finished with 94 yards receiving on three catches.

“We got a big score and, in a game like this, especially with them coming off an open week and having two weeks to prepare and being healthier, we had to get off to a fast start,” Klieman said. “I’m really happy with how the guys jumped out on them.”

Thompson, who finished with a career-high 253 passing yards on 17-of-27 through the air, then engineered an eight-play, 63-yard touchdown drive. The redshirt junior quarterback capped it with a 19-yard touchdown pass to Wykeen Gill for an early two-score advantage. Dalton Schoen, who finished with five catches for 68 yards, snagged a pair of third passes on this drive for 35 of those yards.

K-State’s offensive hit a wall afterward, however.

On their first two drives, the Wildcats picked up 138 yards of offense on 11 plays (12.5 yards a play). They managed just 136 yards on their next six drives, 34 plays in all (4.0 yards a play). K-State was also limited to a season-low rushing total of 51 yards on 26 attempts.

“We had to throw it because they were going to run blitz us to death. They’ve got a really good (defensive) front, and they just blitzed us as much as they could, which is great because you have chances at some big plays. We were able to throw some hitches and stuff outside and obviously got the big play to Malik, and they blitzed on the throw to Wykeen for a touchdown,” Klieman said. “If we’re going to run the ball like we did (against Kansas), we have to anticipate them bringing everybody, and that’s what they did. We’ve got to find some things to be able to find some explosive plays.”

Texas scored on only one of its five series in the first half, an 80-yard touchdown drive that accounted for nearly half of its total yards (162) at the break. The Longhorns picked up steam in the second half, tallying 315 yards and 20 points in the final two quarters against K-State, which will return home to host West Virginia on Saturday, November 16 at 2:30 p.m.

“We had a chance to go 2-0 on this road trip. I’m disappointed that we didn’t, but I told the guys, ‘So, now what?’” Klieman said. “We have a lot to play for. I think we’re a really good team that’s getting better every week. I think everybody can see that. We’re excited to come back home to our great fans.”

]]> https://powercatgameday.com/texas-sneaks-past-k-state-in-austin/feed/ 0 10253 https://powercatgameday.com/k-state-hammers-kansas-in-lawrence/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=k-state-hammers-kansas-in-lawrence https://powercatgameday.com/k-state-hammers-kansas-in-lawrence/#respond Sun, 03 Nov 2019 01:28:36 +0000 https://powercatgameday.com/?p=10243 K-State Sports Information

LAWRENCE, Kan. – No. 22/25 K-State ran over rival Kansas on both sides of the ball in a 38-10 win on Saturday afternoon.

Of K-State’s 471 yards of total offense, the Wildcats (6-2, 3-2) amassed 342 of them on the ground in their third straight win. K-State’s sweltering defense also limited Kansas, coming off consecutive 500-plus yard games, to a mere 241 in the 117th version of Sunflower Showdown. More than 100 of those yards came after K-State went up 38-3 early in the fourth quarter, too.

“Really pleased with the entire football team,” K-State head coach Chris Klieman said. “It was our best football game of the year, all sides.”

Skylar Thompson led the way with a career-high 127 rushing yards, as K-State cruised to its 11th-straighth win against the Jayhawks and became bowl eligible the earliest in a season since 2014. Thompson found the end zone three times on the ground, giving him seven rushing touchdowns between his last two games — the most since by a Wildcat since his position coach, Collin Klein, did so as a player in 2012.

“I go into every week just trying to execute my role, whatever that may be, whatever that may look like,” Thompson, who completed 9-of-16 through the air for 129 yards, said. “Whatever the coaches call, whatever they want me to do, I’m going to do it to the best of my ability. I just want to do whatever it takes to win.”

With James Gilbert out with an injury and Jordon Brown (2 carries for 8 yards) limited, junior running back Harry Trotter stepped into a bigger role and added in a career-high 92 yards on 20 carries and a touchdown, while freshman Joe Ervin tacked on 46 yards on 10 carries. Tyler Burns contributed 58 rushing yards late in the game, highlighted by a 14-yard touchdown.

“I thought we played good football, for the most part, today,” Thompson said. “We ran the ball well. Our o-line played great. We dominated in the trenches.”

K-State’s run success led to an 11-of-17 third down success rate, a season high third down total, which helped the Wildcats churn out consecutive 10-play touchdown drives to start the game. The Wildcats added a nine-play, 75-yard touchdown drive early in the third quarter to go up 24-3.

K-State’s ground game also kept the clock going and Kansas’ offense off the field, as the Wildcats won the time of possession by more than 16 minutes (38:03 to 21:57). It marked the biggest time-of-possession margin in K-State’s favor in a Big 12 game since a 2016 win against Texas — next Saturday’s opponent in Austin, Texas.

“The thing that probably doesn’t get mentioned is we didn’t turn the football over (for the third straight week),” Klieman said. “When you don’t turn the football over and you hold it for 38 minutes and you rush for (more than) 300 yards, typically good things are going to happen.”

K-State’s defense did its part as well.

On top of stifling a dangerous Kansas offense, the Wildcats forced a pair of turnovers, recorded a season-high four sacks and stopped the Jayhawks twice on fourth down in the fourth quarter. K-State turned both fourth down stops into touchdowns.

“It was our best performance,” Klieman said of the defense. “We tackled really well. We didn’t give (Pooka Williams) a whole lot of daylight and lanes. We disguised a lot of coverages that I thought were confusing to their offense. Then, our d-line got after the quarterback. That’s all three phases playing really well.”

K-State set the defensive tone early, too.

The Wildcats held Kansas to 74 yards of total offense, including 27 rushing yards, in the first half — the least yards allowed by a Wildcat defense in a Big 12 game since 2012 against West Virginia.

When K-State hit an early offensive wall, its defense stepped up time after time. Jahron McPherson snagged an interception on Kansas’ third drive. Senior Trey Dishon picked up sacks on consecutive drives after that, both on second down to help halt the Jayhawk offense.

Near the end of the first half, K-State linebacker Da’Quan Patton picked off Carter Stanley to help set up a 39-yard field goal from Blake Lynch to end the half up 17-3.

“I can’t believe we played that well,” Dishon, with four of his eight career sacks coming against Kansas, said. “After seeing the numbers, I’m very proud of the defense.”

]]> https://powercatgameday.com/k-state-hammers-kansas-in-lawrence/feed/ 0 10243 https://powercatgameday.com/k-state-stuns-5-oklahoma/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=k-state-stuns-5-oklahoma https://powercatgameday.com/k-state-stuns-5-oklahoma/#respond Sun, 27 Oct 2019 00:27:56 +0000 https://powercatgameday.com/?p=10236 K-State Sports Information

MANHATTAN, Kan. – K-State’s stadium erupted with cheers. Soon, its student section emptied onto the field to celebrate K-State’s 48-41 win against No. 5 Oklahoma (7-1, 4-1) on Saturday afternoon.

Most of them — the students and the players — were not alive the last time K-State (5-2, 2-2) topped Oklahoma at home in 1996. First-year head coach Chris Klieman was coaching defensive backs at Western Illinois at the time.

Fans had not rushed the field at Bill Snyder Family Stadium since clinching a Big 12 Championship at home against Texas in 2012. This time, the Wildcats knocked off the four-time defending Big 12 champion.

“It was crazy. It was a surreal moment,” said true freshman receiver Joshua Youngblood, who had three catches and his first career touchdown on a jet sweep. “It was great having them down there, talking to everybody, seeing people who were in my classes come to the game. It’s a great feeling.”

“That was a crazy moment,” added senior center Adam Holtorf. “That’s something that I’ll truly remember forever, being a senior and being able to beat a highly-ranked team at home the way we did. There’s so many things going through your head, but it’s something special.”

For a little more than three quarters, K-State’s execution was something special.

Behind it, the Wildcats overcame 10-0 and 17-7 deficits in the first quarter to take a 24-23 lead to halftime. They outscored Oklahoma 17-0 in the third quarter to build a 25-point lead and they held on in the fourth quarter for the victory.

K-State’s win was sealed when an onside kick recovery by Oklahoma with less than two minutes left was overturned by replay review, prompting a loud roar in the stadium and putting K-State’s offense into the victory formation.

“I don’t know if it has really fully hit me yet, to be honest. I’ve just been at a loss for words,” K-State quarterback Skylar Thompson said. “I was sitting at my locker kind of just thinking about what we just did and how we did it. It’s a special moment for me in my life, but I know for Kansas State and the history, it’ll go down as a game people will remember forever. Just the thought of me being a part of it, a small part of it, is something I’m truly grateful for.”

Thompson and K-State’s offense came together quickly after a three-and-out to start the game.

The Wildcats followed that series with three consecutive scoring drives of 10 or more plays that ate up a combined 15:45 of clock. K-State ended up with eight straight scoring drives between the first and fourth quarter — the most against a Big 12 opponent since recording eight in 2012 against West Virginia. K-State’s run of scores was capped by a 10-play, 73-yard touchdown drive to go up 48-23 early in the fourth quarter.

“What can you say about the resolve of our guys? I’m so proud of the players and the coaches. We told them before the game that we belong on this stage and told them to continue to believe,” Klieman said. “The guys continued to believe throughout the game. Even when we were down 10-0 and 17-7, I saw a sideline of guys who felt like they really had a chance to win the football game and stay in the football game against a great, great football team.”

The Wildcats used effective offense as a second defense, winning the time of possession by more than 16 minutes (38:08 to 21:52). They did so, in part, with a rejuvenated run game.

K-State rushed for 213 yards, led by James Gilbert’s 105 on 13 carries. Jordon Brown, in his first action since K-State’s Big 12 opener against Oklahoma State, added 63 yards on 12 carries. Thompson chipped in 39 yards and a career-high four scores on the ground. He also connected on 18-of-28 through the air for 213 yards, hooking up with nine different receivers.

“We were so confident going into this game,” senior left tackle Scott Frantz said. “(The coaches) had a great game plan and said, ‘Hey, just trust us. If you execute it, it’s going to work.’”

The Wildcats also forced and took advantage of a pair Oklahoma turnovers, turning them into 14 points.

“We talked about being able to create a huge turnover to change the momentum,” Klieman said. “We were able to create two.”

AJ Parker intercepted a pass off an Oklahoma trick play late in the first half. Thompson scored three plays later on a 14-yard draw on third-and-10.

Senior linebacker Eric Gallon made a pair of game-changing plays close together in the second half.

Gallon suffered a serious injury on his second crucial play, a forced fumble on a pooch kick about midway through the third quarter. Ross Elder recovered the fumble, which led to one of Thompson’s touchdown runs. The series before, Gallon, a senior, deflected a third-down pass to cap a three-and-out. It, too, opened the door to a short field and a quick K-State score.

“Those were amazing plays. We love Eric. When he went down, we made the decision we had to go win it for him and for everything he’s worked for and everything he’s done,” Parker said. “Prayers out to EG. We used his plays to get the win and we’re forever thankful for him.”

K-State, one win away from bowl eligibility, will head to Lawrence next weekend to face Kansas for the Dillons Sunflower Showdown. It will kick at 2:30 p.m., on FS1.

]]> https://powercatgameday.com/k-state-stuns-5-oklahoma/feed/ 0 10236 https://powercatgameday.com/95-yard-drive-gives-k-state-win-over-tcu/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=95-yard-drive-gives-k-state-win-over-tcu https://powercatgameday.com/95-yard-drive-gives-k-state-win-over-tcu/#respond Sun, 20 Oct 2019 00:29:51 +0000 https://powercatgameday.com/?p=10230 K-State Sports Information Department

MANHATTAN, Kan. – Standing 95 yards away from TCU’s end zone in a tie game about midway through the fourth quarter, K-State’s offense needed a productive series simply to keep the Horned Frogs out of good field position.

A first down or two for K-State, with 190 total yards of offense at the time, would have been positive, especially with the way Devin Anctil was punting.

The Wildcats had other plans, however.

They marched the ball down the field in 11 plays, ate up 5:18 of game clock and Skylar Thompson ended the game-winning drive with a 3-yard touchdown run to propel K-State (4-2, 1-2) to a 24-17 win against TCU on Saturday afternoon.

“I live for those situations,” the redshirt junior quarterback said after his fourth career game-winning touchdown drive at K-State. “I have my whole life. I love to be under the gun, under pressure and in those situations. That’s what I worked for my whole life was to be in situations like that and to deliver for my teammates.”

Thompson helped deliver K-State’s second-longest touchdown drive of the season (97 yards against Nicholls) and its longest against a Big 12 opponent since a 98-yard scoring drive against Texas Tech in 2017.

It also came at a point when the Wildcats were struggling to move the chains. Their previous three drives ended in punts and a combined 24 yards.

Thompson said he felt like “it was just a matter of time” before the offense got going like it did in the second quarter on a 10-play, 76-yard scoring drive. K-State also scored on a short field in the first quarter, after Jonathan Alexander blocked and recovered a punt on TCU’s second possession. Thompson connected with Nick Lenners for a 21-yard touchdown pass two plays later.

“I felt like we got in a rhythm, offensively, today,” Thompson, who completed 11-of-23 passes for 172 yards and two touchdowns, said. “We just needed to get back into that.”

He got his teammates to believe it before the drive started, too.

“He really pumped the whole offense up. He told us from the first play we were going to punch it in, even when we were backed up against our own end zone,” redshirt freshman receiver Malik Knowles, who had three catches for 48 yards, said. “In the huddle, he said, ‘We’re going to score. It might be a long drive, but we’re going to score.’”

Thompson, who finished the drive with his third rushing touchdown of the season, also sparked it with his legs. After a 5-yard completion to Knowles to gain some breathing room, Thompson took off on a designed second-down run for 61 yards, a career long that put K-State in TCU territory.

“I look at Skylar as a true playmaker, a true dual-threat,” said junior receiver Wykeen Gill, with three catches for 45 yards that included a 13-yard touchdown in the second quarter to go up, 14-7. “People underestimate a lot of his assets. I look at his legs as one of his major assets to make a play.”

Two plays later, K-State faced a third-and-11. Again, Thompson put on his playmaking hat.

On third down, he connected with Chabastin Taylor for 10 yards. On fourth, he used his legs to turn a play action bootleg into a 2-yard gain when nothing else was open.

K-State head coach Chris Klieman said the conversion represented a sample of what impressed him most from Thompson.

“Just (his) toughness and resolve because he got hit a lot and he just kept coming back,” Klieman said of Thompson, who finished with 68 of K-State’s 94 rushing yards. “Skylar continues to impress me. I just love the kid because he’s such a competitor.”

Two plays after that gritty run, K-State stared down another third-and-long. This time, the Wildcats needed nine yards. Thompson converted it with a 10-yard completion to Knowles to put K-State inside TCU’s 10. After a 4-yard run from Harry Trotter, Thompson broke into the end zone on second-and-goal.

“All the work behind closed doors that people don’t see, with our receivers and with this o-line, all the stuff we did this summer to be prepared for situations like that, it’s nothing new,” Thompson said, as K-State’s defense turned TCU over on downs on the ensuing drive. “I’ve envisioned myself being in those situations before, so, when they are presented, it’s time to go execute. I didn’t make the situation any bigger than it was and just tried to execute and pull through for my team.”

K-State will host No. 5 Oklahoma on Saturday, October 26 at 11 a.m., on ABC.

]]> https://powercatgameday.com/95-yard-drive-gives-k-state-win-over-tcu/feed/ 0 10230 https://powercatgameday.com/baylor-hands-k-state-second-straight-loss/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=baylor-hands-k-state-second-straight-loss https://powercatgameday.com/baylor-hands-k-state-second-straight-loss/#respond Sun, 06 Oct 2019 02:11:26 +0000 https://powercatgameday.com/?p=10210 K-State Sports Information

MANHATTAN, Kan. – K-State’s searching for consistency. The Wildcats could not find much of it in a 31-12 loss to Baylor on Saturday in Bill Snyder Family Stadium.

K-State (3-2, 0-2) forced Baylor (5-0, 2-0) into five three-and-outs and six punts, including three straight of the latter to open the game. The Bears, however, collected 295 yards (69 percent) of their 426 yards of total offense on their four touchdown drives.

“We need to get consistent in everything — our fits, our reads and, especially today, tackling. We can’t allow that to happen,” K-State senior defensive tackle Jordan Mittie said. “(Baylor’s) last touchdown was a misfit, and (those are) just things we have to clean up. It can’t keep happening if we want to go out and do something in this conference.”

Wildcat punter Devin Anctil twice pinned Baylor inside its on 10-yard line. The first time, the Bears responded with a six-play, 98-yard touchdown drive in the second quarter to go up 10-3. Early in the third, the Bears went 91 yards in six plays for a touchdown to go up 17-3.

“The (98-yard drive) was the big one because Devin does a great job of pinning them down in a field position game. It was 3-3 and both defenses were playing well,” K-State head coach Chris Klieman said. “That hurt. Obviously, it was a poor job by us of not getting the critical stop, where it’s 10-3 rather than it’s 3-3 and, if they go three-and-out, five-and-out, we potentially get the ball at midfield, but we didn’t. That was a big drive, big series.”

K-State, offensively, struggled to replicate those types of series.

The Wildcats put together five drives of more than 35 yards for the game and entered Baylor territory five times in the second half. They failed to sustain enough offense for many of them to matter, however.

Two of K-State’s longest drives ended in Blake Lynch field goals (31 yards and 29) in the red zone. A lost fumble stopped one series. On another, with 6:24 to play and K-State down 24-6, Skylar Thompson found Dalton Schoen for a 5-yard touchdown. K-State’s last drive — of 10 plays, 43 yards — ended with a turnover on downs.

“Consistency. That’s the biggest thing,” Klieman said. “This year, we just have to be more consistent, especially in the red zone.”

K-State finished with 341 yards of offense, with Thompson connecting on 22-of-34 for 218 yards that included one touchdown and an interception that led to a touchdown in the fourth quarter.

James Gilbert carried the ball 18 times and accounted for 94 of K-State’s 123 rushing yards. Schoen set a new career high for catches with six that went for 69 yards, including his third touchdown reception of the season. Redshirt freshman Phillip Brooks notched career highs in receptions (seven) and yards (69).

“Offensively, we’ve got to be able to sustain drives,” Klieman said. “We have some good plays but not enough sustained drives together.”

K-State enters a bye week before hosting TCU on Saturday, October 19.

“We told the guys, ‘We’re going to be good, but we’ve got to fix some problems and some issues that have crept up the last couple of weeks.’ We have it in front of us. There’s ton to play for,’” Klieman said. “The one thing we have to do is stay together. We have a bunch of seniors I know want to be great. I’m going to challenge those guys to make sure we keep moving forward.”

]]> https://powercatgameday.com/baylor-hands-k-state-second-straight-loss/feed/ 0 10210 https://powercatgameday.com/k-state-handled-in-stillwater/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=k-state-handled-in-stillwater https://powercatgameday.com/k-state-handled-in-stillwater/#respond Sun, 29 Sep 2019 13:46:52 +0000 https://powercatgameday.com/?p=10202 Courtesy of K-State Sports Information

STILLWATER, Okla. – K-State figured if it could win the battle of the red zone against a high-powered Oklahoma State offense, it would have a chance on Saturday night in Boone Pickens Stadium.

The No. 24/22 Wildcats did so defensively, limiting the Cowboys to one touchdown in five red zone opportunities. K-State’s offense, however, only reached the red zone twice and struggled to find success for most of a 26-13 loss to start Big 12 play.

“We thought if we could win the red zone, we’d have an opportunity,” K-State head coach Chris Klieman said, “so I was pleased with that.”

OSU, ranked No. 11 nationally in total offense (533.8) and No. 12 in scoring offense (44.5) coming in, put up 526 yards of offense but was held nearly 20 points below its scoring average.The Cowboys’ one touchdown in the red zone came off a drive that started on K-State’s 26-yard line after a Wildcat fumble in the first quarter.

“We knew it was going to be a challenge, coming in here and trying to slow down something, whether it was the run game, whether it was the throwing game, the quarterback. Our goal was to handle the tempo, not get frustrated if they make a play, and forget about the previous play and go to the next play, and hold them to field goals, “ Klieman said. “You can forget about yards; I don’t care about that. We held them to 26 points, which is a pretty good effort by our defense, which created a few turnovers.”

The Wildcats turned the Cowboys over twice on a pair of interceptions from Elijah Sullivan and Darreyl Patterson in the second half.

Sullivan’s pick led to one of Blake Lynch’s two made field goals. Patterson’s occurred with K-State down 23-6 in the fourth quarter. The Wildcats scored six plays later on a 5-yard touchdown run from James Gilbert to cut their deficit to 10, but the Cowboys answered with a 6:11 drive that ended in a field goal and sealed the game.

“We were able to cause some problems. We were able to force a couple of picks. We were able to force a fumble,” Klieman said. “I thought our defense did a nice job.”

Early on, K-State’s defense kept its hopes alive. The Wildcats simply struggled to find much success on offense. They finished with 244 total yards, including 163 in the second half.

In the second quarter with K-State down 10-0, sophomore defensive end Wyatt Hubert forced a fourth down fumble to give the Wildcats the ball at the Cowboy 40. K-State failed to move the chains, however. The Wildcats converted 1-of-13 third down chances for the game.

“Offensively, we just couldn’t get enough going, especially on first-and-10. That was where we struggled,” Klieman said. “We just didn’t get into a great offensive rhythm on first-and-10. That’s a credit to their defense.”

Ultimately, OSU’s three-headed attack of quarterback Spencer Sanders, running back Chuba Hubbard and receiver Tylan Wallace were too effective to keep at bay. Sanders threw for 153 yards, 145 of which went to Wallace. Hubbard finished with 296 rushing yards, highlighted by an 84-yard touchdown run in the third quarter to put OSU up 23-3.

K-State’s first and biggest jolt of offense arrived after a 1-hour, 12-minute weather delay in the second quarter. Skylar Thompson connected with Sammy Wheeler for a 39-yard gain on the first play after play resumed. It was K-State’s first time moving the chains, but it did not lead to a second, as the Wildcats (3-1, 0-1) settled for a 46-yard Blake Lynch field goal.

“They battled, and that’s the one thing, there’s not any quit in that locker room,” Klieman said of his team, which returns home to play Baylor on Saturday, October 5. “They’re hurting right now. Obviously, nobody wants to lose. Nobody wants to not play their best, but sometimes you have to tip your cap to the opponent. They did a nice job. They were a better team today.”

]]> https://powercatgameday.com/k-state-handled-in-stillwater/feed/ 0 10202 https://powercatgameday.com/k-state-wins-kliemans-debut/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=k-state-wins-kliemans-debut https://powercatgameday.com/k-state-wins-kliemans-debut/#respond Sun, 01 Sep 2019 13:42:05 +0000 https://powercatgameday.com/?p=10165 Manhattan, KAN. – It was a dominant first half for K-State and a complete 180 from last season’s season opener vs South Dakota. Chris Klieman’s K-State career got off to a flying start on the ground, a spot where the plan was to use a multitude of runners.

K-State had four different runners score a touchdown; Harry Trotter, Jordon Brown, Skylar Thompson and James Gilbert.

Quarterback Skylar Thompson also had a touchdown pass to Dalton Schoen get called back in the 1^st half, which led to the only hiccup of the first 30 minutes when Blake Lynch missed a 37 yard field goal attempt.

On the defensive side of the ball, K-State abruptly ended Nicholls’ first drive of the game with an AJ Parker interception. Nicholls didn’t have a productive drive once in the 1^st half and only gained 65 total yards.

The Colonels flipped the script in the 2^nd half though, scoring the only touchdown of the 3^rd quarter on a Kendall Bussey 26 yard carry. Nicholls went 75 yards on five plays to score their first touchdown, 10 more yards than their entire 1^st half yardage.

K-State’s lone 3^rd quarter possession led to a turnover on downs after Trotter failed to convert the 4^th down run. Just eight seconds into the final quarter, Thompson found senior wide receiver Dalton Schoen 38 yards down the field and in the endzone for his first passing touchdown of 2019.

Despite the active offense from K-State, the most impressive play of the night came from defensive back Jonathan Alexander, when he stripped Bussey and took it to the house for a touchdown.

K-State called off the dogs and put Nick Ast into the game at quarterback with more than 10 minutes remaining, clearing up any doubt on who the backup to Thompson would be. He was joined in the backfield by runningback Tyler Burns, the brother of former K-State DB and return man Morgan Burns. Burns immediately shredded through the Colonel defense for 60 yards and a touchdown.

Klieman and the Cats will next face Bowling Green who beat Morgan State 46-3 on Thursday.

Manhattan, Kan. – It was another big day for Alex Barnes and Kansas State on the ground Saturday against Oklahoma State, but this time the Cats could walk away from the game feeling good about their performance.

It took a bit for the rushing attack to turn into points for K-State, as the Cats found themselves trailing 6-3 at halftime. Andrew Hicks, who is usually the K-State punter, had field goal duties for the day. He missed his first attempt from 51 yards out, but the second attempt was good.

K-State was held without a touchdown in the first half, making it the sixth half this season without a touchdown by Kansas State.

When K-State came out for the second half they made an early defensive statement forcing a three and out on the Oklahoma State offense. That stop gave Kansas State the energy to score on four straight possessions, all by Alex Barnes.

The first touchdown took 4:59 and went 70 yards which started a trend for the Wildcats who had three of their four touchdowns come on drives of 70 or more yards. Kansas State’s final four drives, not including the drive at the end of the game with a kneel down, produced touchdowns.

Barnes used this 181 yard, four touchdown performance to follow up his 250 yard, four touchdown performance in Waco, Texas last weekend versus Baylor. The four scores by Barnes tied his career high for a game.

Oklahoma State’s offense struggled through the day, Taylor Cornelius threw for 184 yards, but was also picked off twice by Duke Shelley. On the ground the Cowboys’ runningback Justice Hill only ran for 41 yards on 11 carries. This was the first time in the last two seasons that OSU didn’t win, when allowing less than 40 points.

Up Next: Kansas State enters their bye week before a road trip to Norman, Oklahoma to take on the Oklahoma Sooners who are on a bye this week, but will face TCU at Amon G Carter Stadium on October 20^th.

Just as Kansas State coach Bill Snyder wanted it, Saturday’s Purple-White spring game was nothing out of the ordinary.

There were impressive performances from young players and plenty of areas to improve on display as Purple beat White 31-28 at a rainy Bill Snyder Family Stadium.

“Nobody did anything that surprised me,” Snyder bluntly put it afterwards.

Alex Delton and Skylar Thompson continued their battle for the starting quarterback spot with evenly-matched outings. Both played for both teams in the game, giving them the chance to face K-State’s starters and backups on the defensive side of the ball.

Delton passed for 201 yards and three touchdowns, while Thompson added 204 yards and two scores. Neither threw an interception.

“I thought both of them played reasonably well,” Snyder said. “We flipped a coin to decide who would be the first guy to take reps with the ones. That’s an indication of how close they’ve been throughout spring practices.”

The more surprising — and perhaps encouraging — aspect of K-State’s offense came from the receiving corps. With Byron Pringle and Dominique Heath gone, there are plenty of questions to be answered as the season approaches.

Chabastin Taylor and Landry Weber attempted to ease the doubts, combining for 183 yards and three touchdowns. The pair, along with Zach Reuter, appear to be challenging Isaiah Zuber and Dalton Schoen at the top of the depth chart.

Snyder said Taylor has a ways to go but it making progress.

“It’s been up and down, kind of a roller coaster with him,” Snyder said. “It’s a new process and system for him. You can see he’s got some skill. He’s just got to learn how much of an investment it really takes. But he’s made some headway and he played well today.”

Alex Barnes appears to have a firm grip on the starting running back spot for the time being. He logged 18 carries for 98 yards and a touchdown, while Justin Silmon carried the ball only twice.

K-State made several changes to its coaching staff over the offseason, which is rare in the second Snyder Era. As a result, the Hall of Fame coach said the spring game was just as important for his new coordinators as it was for his players.

“There’s always going to be a new dynamic every year because of different players, but that is even more true when you have some new guys on your coaching staff,” he said. “For them, learning the communication systems is the biggest thing.”

As many as eight starters were held out of the game due to injuries, although it was just precautionary in most cases.

The future has arrived.

Kansas State rallied from a 19-7 deficit in the fourth quarter to beat Iowa State, 20-19, as time expired Saturday evening in Manhattan.

Thompson found Isaiah Zuber in the back of the end zone to cap a ten-play, 87-yard drive in the final two minutes.

“I don’t think giving up is in their vocabulary,” K-State coach Bill Snyder said. “I think they always fight.”

For more than three quarters, K-State’s offense accomplished very little against the Cyclones. In fact, the Wildcats didn’t even reach 100 total yards until the fourth quarter.

A comeback in such circumstances seemed unlikely at best. But Snyder knows Thompson has the X-factor, even as a redshirt freshman.

“I think he’s a poised young man,” Snyder said. “He pays close attention to the coaches and works diligently on what he does. He has a confidence level that is appropriate for the position he plays.”

Thompson completed 15 of 21 passes in the game for 152 yards, with 110 of those coming on the Wildcats’ final two drives of the game.

The Wildcats (7-5, 5-4 Big 12) were without the majority of their starting secondary as D.J. Reed, Kendall Adams and A.J. Parker all missed the game. ISU quarterback Kyle Kempt completed 24 of 36 passes for 264 yards and a pair of touchdowns.

But K-State held ISU to a pair of field goals deep in its own territory, which proved to make a huge difference in the game.

“I was very proud of them,” Snyder said. “One of our nemeses was third downs; they converted too many. But I was pleased with the youngsters that filled in.”

The Cyclones (7-5, 5-4) had a chance to close the game in the final minutes, and appeared to do so. But a pass interference penalty on K-State was picked up and forced ISU to punt.

Thompson and the offense took over at their own 13 yard line with 1:55 remaining. All of a sudden, K-State’s receivers found open space, and Thompson made all the throws he needed to.

Similar to the game itself, the game-winner to Zuber didn’t go as planned. Thompson scrambled and rolled out to the right in desperate search of an open man. At the last possible moment, he found Zuber with space at the back of the end zone.

K-State will learn its bowl destination next week.

One of the strangest weeks in Bill Snyder’s tenure as Kansas State’s football coach had one final twist.

With the program’s uncertain future in the spotlight and pegged a 20-point underdog in Las Vegas, K-State beat No. 10 Oklahoma State Saturday afternoon, 45-40, for the Wildcats’ first win in Stillwater since 1999.

K-State also clinched bowl eligibility for an eighth straight season.

“We addressed the value of being able to play collectively as a team,” Snyder said. “The offense had a role in it, the defense had a role in it and special teams had a role in it.”

After OSU (8-3, 5-3) took a 10-7 lead in the first quarter, the Wildcats outscored the Cowboys 35-3 in the middle quarters to open up a 42-13 lead. Byron Pringle and Skylar Thompson were the undisputed stars of K-State’s offense. Pringle caught three touchdown passes and also scored on an 89-yard kickoff return.

Thompson completed 10 of 13 passes for 203 yards, and also rushed for 93 yards on 17 carries.

“Skylar did awfully well,” Snyder said. “We were able to get the ball down field and get some big plays. We were in a drought with big plays.”

As dominant as the offense was, K-State’s defense may have been just as impressive. OSU star quarterback Mason Rudolph only found a rhythm late in the game when the Cowboys made a furious comeback bid. He threw two interceptions, tying a season high.

K-State (6-5, 4-4) very nearly coughed up the 29-point lead it built in the third quarter. OSU scored 20 straight points to end the game and got the ball back with 2:12 to go, trailing by just five.

But Rudolph threw four straight incomplete passes as the Wildcat defense held on.

Snyder said he was more “frightened” than nervous toward the end of the game, but “at the end of the day, they made the stop that won the ball game.”

In the final minutes, Thompson was hurt on a hit that forced a costly fumble, but he did return for K-State’s final drive.

The win was Bill Snyder’s first as an unranked team against an AP Top 10 team on the road.

K-State will conclude the regular season next week against Iowa State before learning its bowl destination.

SNYDER MUM ON LEAVITT REPORT

After the game, Snyder was asked about a Brett McMurphy report that K-State had planned to make Jim Leavitt the program’s coach-in-waiting last year before Snyder rejected it.

Snyder didn’t have much to say on the matter, stating “I don’t know who Brett McMurphy is.”

“I’ve heard there’s an article out there. I don’t know who wrote it or what it said.”

Forcing four turnovers and holding West Virginia scoreless in the second half seems like a pretty good recipe for success.

But scoring points, it turns out, is also important to winning football games. Kansas State did not do enough of the latter in a 28-23 loss to the No. 23 Mountaineers Saturday afternoon.

“The defense kept getting the ball back, but the offense couldn’t get it in the end zone,” Bill Snyder said. “We had great field position all day. It just didn’t happen.”

The K-State defense held WVU scoreless to five punts and zero points in the second half. But the Mountaineers did just enough damage in the second quarter, when they scored 21, to render the effort fruitless.

West Virginia’s first four drives consisted of two turnovers and two punts. Three of those drives resulted in the Wildcats taking over on the Mountaineers’ side of midfield. But all that came of them were two Matt McCrane field goals.

“Across the board, we had some issues (with the offense),” Snyder said.

D.J. Reed was responsible for both takeaways in the first quarter, a strip of David Sills followed by an interception he returned to the WVU 2-yard-line.

K-State (5-5) could not take advantage, scoring just three points on four WVU turnovers in the first half. In his first career start, Skylar Thompson struggled at times with pass accuracy and pocket awareness. He finished 13 of 26 for 159 yards and two interceptions.

It didn’t help that Thompson was K-State’s only healthy scholarship quarterback, so the Wildcats’ patented quarterback run game was almost nonexistent to avoid the chance of injury.

“He did some good things over the course of the ballgame, but struggled from time to time,” Snyder said. “But it wasn’t Skylar. There were a lot of reasons we didn’t win that ballgame.”

No sequence summed up the first half, or the game, as well as the final minute. After K-State scored to get within 21-20, West Virginia fumbled in K-State territory. Thompson was immediately intercepted by a Mountaineer defensive lineman with ten seconds left.

Grier found a wide open Ka’Raun White for a 30-yard touchdown as time expired, giving WVU a 28-20 lead and dealing a massive blow to K-State’s momentum.

“I guess we could have run the clock out, and in hindsight that’s what we should have done,” Snyder said.

K-State had chances to take the lead in the fourth quarter. The best of which ended deep in WVU territory when Thompson was picked off with 7:50 to go.

The loss was K-State’s fourth by a touchdown or less this season.

Kansas State’s first second-half comeback win since 2015 didn’t come a moment too soon.

With bowl eligibility in question and trailing by 11 points in the fourth quarter, the outlook was bleak for the Wildcats Saturday afternoon at Texas Tech.

A few good plays and a couple fortunate breaks later, K-State topped the Red Raiders 42-35 in overtime.

K-State (5-4, 3-3 Big 12) started the game well, leading 17-7 in the second quarter. But Texas Tech took control of the game at that point, on both sides of the ball, and led 35-27 with less than four minutes to play.

That stretch included three Wildcat touchdowns being nullified by penalties, which added to the frustration and seemed to indicate K-State was doomed to suffer its fourth loss of the season by a touchdown or less.

That’s when things went from weird to weirder.

Texas Tech (4-5, 1-5) missed a 31-yard field goal that would have put the game on ice with 3:40 remaining. Skylar Thompson, who took over for the injured Alex Delton at halftime, quickly drove K-State down the field and tied the game on a two-point conversion to Dalton Schoen with 42 seconds left.

Then, instead of attempting to win the game in regulation, and with one of the nation’s best offenses, Red Raiders coach Kliff Kingsbury decided to take the game to overtime. He ran two plays up the middle as the final seconds ticked away and boos rained down at Jones AT&T Stadium.

In overtime, K-State scored first on a pass from Thompson to Byron Pringle. The Wildcat defense, which was torched through the air for most of the day, earned its biggest stop of the season to escape with a win. Nic Shimonek’s fourth-down pass sailed out of the back of the end zone.

Thompson and Delton finished the game with 263 passing yards and two scores, while Alex Barnes and Justin Silmon had 90 yards rushing on 12 carries.

LAWRENCE — Kansas State’s ninth-straight win over rival Kansas won’t do much to restore confidence in the Wildcats’ sputtering season. But it wasn’t a loss, and that will have to do, for now.

K-State used three Matt McCrane field goals and a D.J. Reed kickoff return for a touchdown to overcome KU, 30-20, at Memorial Stadium.

The Jayhawks entered the game coming off the worst offensive performance in Big 12 Conference history, but KU looked reenergized under new quarterback Carter Stanley.

Stanley and his receivers, primarily Steven Sims, Jr., caused problems all afternoon for a K-State secondary that gave up 400 passing yards to No. 9 Oklahoma last week.

Stanley finished the afternoon with 418 passing yards and a touchdown.

It was critical for the Wildcats (4-4, 2-3 Big 12) to get stops in the red zone, and they did hold KU to a pair of short field goals in the first half, which made a big difference late in the game.

They were also aided by Reed’s 99-yard return, which gave K-State a 7-3 lead in the first quarter.

K-State never led by more than 14 points. The offense, quarterbacked by Alex Delton in the first half and Skylar Thompson in the second, were able to sustain drives for much of the day. But KU’s defense made big stops, too, giving the Jayhawks a chance late.

Delton was hobbled after a hit late in the first half. He and Thompson combined to complete 8 of 13 passes for 138 yards.

The big story, however, was the resurgence of Alex Barnes in K-State’s game plan. A week after getting just six carries and voicing his frustration with reporters after the game, Barnes rushed 23 times for 128 yards and a pair of touchdowns.

His Wildcat-formation keeper with 7:36 to play restored a 14-point lead, 27-13.

KU (1-7, 0-5) would not go away, answering right back on a 60-yard connection from Stanley to Sims.

It wasn’t until McCrane’s third field goal of the day, a 41-yard boot with 1:41 to go, that K-State finally put the game on ice.

The Wildcats will face Texas Tech next week in Lubbock.

Led by Heisman candidate Baker Mayfield, Oklahoma erased a 21-7 deficit before winning 42-35 on a 22-yard Rodney Anderson touchdown run with seven seconds left.

K-State played its best football of the season in the first half, but reverted back to a cocoon on offense in the third quarter, which allowed the Sooners to avoid their first loss in Manhattan since 1996.

It marked the Wildcats’ third loss this season by a touchdown or less.

“I’m tired of coming into the locker room under such circumstances,” Bill Snyder said. “We’ve lost too many ball games. You have to play complete games to win in this conference.”

Alex Delton and Alex Barnes combined for 250 rushing yards, but the majority of them came in K-State’s excellent first half. Barnes did not touch the football in the second or third quarters, despite scoring on a 75-yard run on the Wildcats’ first possession of the game.

K-State had 202 yards of offense in the first quarter and 210 after that.

“Part of it was Oklahoma playing better and making adjustments,” Snyder said. “Part of it was execution and missing a few blocks.”

The Wildcats tied the game at 28 after a botched snap on an Oklahoma punt handed K-State the ball deep in OU territory.

It took less than two minutes, however, for the Sooners to retake the lead, 35-28, with 5:16 to go. The Wildcats’ secondary gave up 410 yards through the air.

Delton did lead K-State back down the field to even the game once again on a five-yard pass to Isaiah Zuber with 2:25 to play.

But that was more than enough time for Mayfield and the OU offense, which was within field goal range before Anderson’s game-winning touchdown.

“We played well enough at times to be a successful football team,” Snyder said. “But we didn’t put it all together, and that’s the nature of it. That’s what’s disappointing to me.”

Delton completed 12 of 14 passes for 144 yards, one touchdown and one interception in his second career start. The 35 points K-State scored were the most since a 55-point performance against Charlotte on Sept. 9.

K-State fell to 3-4 on the season and 1-3 in Big 12 play.

Between four hours of weather delays, Kansas State and No. 6 TCU faced off in a defensive battle Saturday afternoon. The difference between the teams was evident from the very beginning.

One side had a healthy and experienced starting quarterback. The other side did not.

The result was a 26-6 victory for the Horned Frogs at Bill Snyder Family Stadium as K-State suffered its third loss in four games.

“They wanted to win and they gave a great effort,” Snyder said. “There are just some things that aren’t taking place, and that falls in my lap.”

The Wildcats’ Jesse Ertz was in uniform but did not see the field for K-State, and the offense struggled all day to move the football. Alex Delton took Ertz’s place and made his first career start.

He wasn’t able to build on an impressive performance last week at Texas, when he rushed for 79 yards and two touchdowns in a 40-34 overtime defeat. TCU only allowed him to find open space on one occasion, a 36-yard run in the third quarter.

Delton finished the game 11 of 29 passing for 146 yards, while rushing for 39 yards.

“Alex really struggled today, but it wasn’t all his fault,” Snyder said. “He played with great effort. You can’t fault him for that.”

K-State’s defense did a solid job holding down the Horned Frogs’ attack. TCU entered the game with the Big 12’s best rushing offense. The Wildcats limited them to 98 yards on the ground and forced a fumble.

In addition to the delayed start, the game was stopped for another hour early in the fourth quarter when a severe storm rolled through the area. In terms of the score, the game was still within reach, with K-State only trailing 20-6 at the time. But the Wildcats ultimately did not threaten a comeback.

The game, scheduled for 11 a.m., did not conclude until 6:15 p.m.

TCU quarterback Kenny Hill threw for 297 yards but was held without a touchdown.

K-State’s task won’t be any easier next week when K-State hosts Oklahoma. The Sooners haven’t lost in Manhattan since 1994.

In the early going of Saturday’s Big 12 opener for Kansas State, it looked like a blowout was imminent. The Wildcats had winless Baylor on the ropes, mostly thanks to great defense.

In the end, the win was harder to earn than expected, but it was still a win. K-State beat the Bears 33-20 to move to 3-1 on the season.

“We were inconsistent,” Bill Snyder said. “We were not a good team – a disciplined team – in the second half today. Quite obviously, we have to be a more disciplined football team than what we are, in some areas.”

The Wildcats opened the game in perfect fashion when Jesse Ertz found Isaiah Zuber for a 16-yard touchdown less than two minutes into the game. But for the offense, it was one of only a few very productive drives on the day.

K-State took a 20-3 lead at halftime and looked poised to dismantle the Bears, who entered the day 0-4 on the season.

But Matt Rhule’s team didn’t back down.

Baylor scored on plays of 74 and 70 yards in the second half, climbing within a touchdown twice. K-State’s offense continued to do just enough to maintain a lead, but not much more than that.

The biggest issue, for a second straight game, were drops by Wildcat receivers.

“I can put my finger on it, in fact I can put more than a finger on it, and I certainly will,” Snyder said. “We will continue to work on it. You get it corrected or we find somebody else (to play).”

K-State kicker Matt McCrane’s four field goals proved to be crucial, as the Bears were unable to get within a score of the Wildcats in the game’s final eight minutes. McCrane connected from 49 yards with 8:06 to go to make it 30-20.

“If you look at the entirety of his career, he’s been very good,” Snyder said. “It takes a lot of focus and he does it quite well.”

K-State quarterback Jesse Ertz rushed for 95 yards and a touchdown, but only completed 7 of 17 passes for 119 yards.

In Baylor’s effort to pull the upset, the Bears made a few critical self-inflicted errors that made a huge difference. Late in the third quarter, a bad snap over quarterback Zach Smith’s head was recovered by K-State at the BU 14 yard line.

In the fourth quarter, BU’s punter fumbled a snap and gave the Wildcats another very short field. K-State turned those opportunities into 10 important points.

Kansas State went into SEC country and got exactly the physical battle you’d expect.

What was not expected, however, was how many mistakes Bill Snyder’s team made in a 14-7 loss to Vanderbilt.

Between two turnovers and seven penalties, K-State consistently made its task harder than it needed to be, and that was the difference in the end.

“We missed some assignments and made some mistakes,” Wildcat coach Bill Snyder said. “But that takes nothing away from what Vanderbilt did. They played well.”

Commodore quarterback Kyle Shurmur scored on a two-yard keeper with 8:23 left to break a 7-7 tie and K-State was unable to find a second touchdown to force overtime in the final minutes.

The Wildcats (2-1) appeared to take a 14-7 lead in the second quarter on a Kendall Adams fumble return, but after review, it was ruled Shurmur was down before coughing up the ball. Replays of the play shown to the media and on the TV broadcast were inconclusive.

K-State quarterback Jesse Ertz and his receivers struggled to establish anything in the air against Vanderbilt’s defense. Wildcat receivers had several drops on passes that would have given K-State a first down.

Ertz finished the night 10 of 28 passing for 76 yards.

“It was about discipline and focus,” Snyder said of his receivers’ struggles. “(They) tried to go somewhere before the ball is in your hands.”

Ertz did have a solid night running the ball, totaling 126 yards and a touchdown on 24 carries.

But aside from their quarterback, the Wildcats’ rushing attack was stagnant.

Alex Barnes had 34 yards on 8 carries, while Justin Silmon, who made his season debut, had 41 on three attempts.

The K-State defense played very well overall. Shurmur, who entered the game with the highest QBR in the nation, was held to 205 yards passing. As a team, the Commodores (3-0) had 271 yards of offense to the Wildcats’ 277.

K-State is off next week before opening conference play against Baylor at Bill Snyder Family Stadium on Sept. 30.

For the second week in a row, a defensive player stole the show for No. 19 Kansas State. Cornerback D.J. Reed passed the torch to safety Kendall Adams on Saturday as the Wildcats rolled Charlotte, 55-7, and moved to 2-0 on the season.

Adams scored two touchdowns in the first half, on an interception return and on a returned backward pass, to help K-State open up a dominant 38-7 lead by halftime.

“A lot of guys played well,” K-State coach Bill Snyder said. “Whether it was consistently throughout the ballgame remains to be seen. But we did some good things.”

The Wildcat offense slowly and calmly did whatever it wanted to do, especially early. K-State scored on all four of its drives in the first half, averaging seven yards per play.

Jesse Ertz’s day was over by the fourth quarter. He completed 16 of 21 passes for 178 yards, while rushing for 76 yards and a score on 13 carries.

“What I was pleased with was our ability to run the ball, even against schemes that are designed to stop it,” Snyder said. “I thought we did very well with that.”

With 3:48 left in the first quarter, Adams stepped into the passing lane of Charlotte quarterback Hasaan Klugh and glided 30 yards for a score. Two drives later, Adams scooped up a deflected lateral pass and returned it 46 yards for another.

It marked the first time since 1999 that a K-State player scored on an interception return and fumble return in the same game.

“He did played well today, and it wasn’t just the turnovers that he was invested in,” Snyder said. “He did a nice job in the other elements of the game as well.”

Charlotte’s highlights of the game were limited to a 5-minute span late in the first quarter. After Adams’ pick-six made it 21-0, the 49ers returned the ensuing kickoff 65 yards. Charlotte quarterback Hasaan Klugh scored three plays later on a 19-yard run.

Alex Barnes led the Wildcats’ ground attack with 99 yards and a touchdown on 16 carries. As a team, K-State totaled 304 rushing yards, compared to 186 in the season opener.

Receiver Byron Pringle, running back Justin Silmon and cornerback Duke Shelley were notable players who did not see the field against Charlotte. All three were in pads on the sideline, and Snyder said he hopes to have them available next week.

Next week, K-State will hit the road for the first time this season. The Wildcats face Vanderbilt in Nashville, Tenn.

Kansas State wasn’t a polished team in its season opener Saturday, but the Wildcats did show glimpses of how good they could be once they are.

Big plays from cornerback D.J. Reed and receiver Byron Pringle led the way in No. 20 K-State’s 55-19 victory over Central Arkansas at Bill Snyder Family Stadium.

The Wildcats gave up 421 total yards to an experienced UCA offense that controlled the ball for almost two-thirds of the game, but showed improvement in the second half, and forced three turnovers.

One of them was an interception late in the first half by Reed, and it wasn’t even close to his biggest play of the night.

He returned the opening kickoff 96 yards to the UCA 3 yard line. Not satisfied with being held out of the end zone, he returned a punt 62 yards for a score in the second quarter. He is a perfect weapon for a program synonymous with special teams success.

“He played very well,” Snyder said. “I wish his conditioning would have been a little bit better, and we’ll work on that, but he did a nice job.”

Quarterback Jesse Ertz showed off the deep passing threat that Snyder praised during the summer. He averaged 33 yards per completion, and looked completely in-sync with Pringle. The two connected three times for 121 yards, including a 55-yard touchdown in the second quarter.

Ertz exited the game after three quarters. He passed for a career-high 333 yards and four scores without an interception.

“It became obvious after a while that we weren’t running the ball,” Snyder said. “We needed to throw the ball, and we tried to take what they gave us.

“He had a few balls, maybe two or three, that he missed on. But overall I thought he threw the ball very well.”

UCA managed to keep the game respectable for most of the first half, climbing within 17-16 midway through the second quarter. The Bears used a balanced attack and continued to frustrate the Wildcat defense on third down.

But K-State’s adjustments at the half brought UCA’s upset hopes to a very swift end.

“We have to get better playing against the option, and that’s my concern right now,” Snyder said. “We’re going to practice at midnight and work on that.”

K-State outscored UCA 17-3 after halftime, and all starters were out of the game by the 10:00 mark of the fourth quarter.

Redshirt freshman quarterback Skylar Thompson played the entire fourth quarter, which marked his collegiate debut. He did not throw a pass, but rushed for a team-high 49 yards on three carries.

The Wildcats host Charlotte next week in another dress rehearsal before a much more difficult final ten games.

With a dozen players sidelined due to various injuries, Kansas State’s spring game Saturday afternoon was dominated by players hoping to see the field more this coming season.

Purple defeated White, 38-6, in the team’s glorified final practice until fall camp opens.

“The plus side of (the injuries) is the opportunity for twos and threes to move up the ladder and get more playing time,” coach Bill Snyder said. “The downside is that it destroys the continuity.”

At least four of the 12 players who were held out of the game are regular starters, including quarterback Jesse Ertz. In his absence, Alex Delton and Skylar Thompson received the majority of action under center. Both looked sharp, despite not having two of their top receivers available.

Delton completed 21 of 33 passes for 249 yards and a touchdown, but also tossed two interceptions. In addition, he rushed for 78 yards and a score on the ground, despite the two-hand-touch rule being used for quarterbacks.

Thompson started the game extremely well, but finished just 10 of 17 passing for 112 yards.

Starting receivers Byron Pringle and Dominique Heath did not play, which opened the door for the likes of Isaiah Zuber, Corey Sutton and Isaiah Harris. The trio combined for 16 catches and 197 yards.

Alex Barnes was the most effecting running back for either team. He rushed for 69 yards and a pair of touchdowns on 12 carries.

GAME LEADERS

Passing: Alex Delton 21/33, 249 yards, 1 TD, 2 INT

Rushing: Alex Delton 15 carries, 78 yards, 1 TD

Receiving: Isaiah Zuber 8 receptions, 96 yards, 1 TD

They don’t give out a trophy for beating all five of Texas’ major college football programs.

A Texas Bowl Champions trophy will be sufficient, however.

Led by game MVP Jesse Ertz, Kansas State knocked off Texas A&M, 33-28, in Wednesday night’s Advocare V100 Texas Bowl to finish its season 9-4.

“This team epitomized what this program is about — daily improvement,” K-State coach Bill Snyder said.

In contrast to most of the Wildcats’ recent bowl game appearances, this contest was closely contested throughout. K-State fell behind 7-0 on the Aggies’ opening possession before rallying to take the lead in the second quarter. The biggest lead for either team came when the Wildcats took a 33-21 lead with nine minutes to play.

Ertz was the catalyst of his team’s offense. He completed 14 of 20 passes for 195 yards and a touchdown, while rushing for 67 yards and two more scores.

“He’s a competitive young guy, and the numbers speak for themselves,” Snyder said. “He played a nice game. I was proud of him.”

The K-State defense had its breakdowns, but played well overall after A&M’s early score. Aggies quarterback Trevor Knight threw an interception and lost a fumble as part of his 310-yard, three-touchdown performance.

Justin Silmon led K-State in rushing with 77 yards on just 10 carries. Alex Barnes was held out of the game due to injury concerns, but that didn’t stop the Wildcats from topping 200 yards on the ground for a seventh-straight game.

After Ertz’ 1-yard score to give K-State a 33-21 lead, Texas A&M (8-5) looked prepared to mount a comeback, easily driving for a score to make it 33-28.

After a Wildcat punt, the Aggies drove inside the K-State 20 with less than three minutes to play. But the Wildcats’ pass rush, which was solid all night, forced an incompletion on 4th and 8 to all but lock up the program’s second bowl victory since 2002.

The biggest play of the game, in terms of yardage and the shifting of momentum, came with 4:52 left in the first quarter. Ertz found Bryon Pringle down the field for a 79-yard, game-tying touchdown. It was the second connection from Ertz to Pringle for at least 79 yards in as many games.

“That play was awfully significant, and that ball couldn’t have been thrown any better,” Snyder said. “Ertz and Byron executed that scheme extremely well.”

Jordan Willis recorded a sack to finish with 12.5 on the season, setting a new school record. Not to be outdone, Ertz topped 1,000 yards rushing for the year.

K-State completed its campaign winning six of its final seven games after a 3-3 start. Among its nine wins are five against the state of Texas’ five teams from Power 5 conferences. The Wildcats are the first team to knock off Texas and Texas A&M in the same season since doing so in 2011.

The Wildcats also put the Big 12 on notice with its performance down the stretch of the season. K-State is set to return 17 starters when the 2017 season begins next September.

Snyder isn’t ready to declare his next team a contender, however.

“Every year has a new dynamic, no matter who is coming back. It’s just not that simple. Those guys have to make it happen.”

For a Kansas State offense that has battled inconsistency all season, there were reasons to believe Saturday’s finale at TCU would be a struggle.

Poor weather conditions. No Alex Barnes.

Those factors didn’t bother the Wildcats one bit in a 30-6 victory in Fort Worth.

K-State’s Jesse Ertz and Justin Silmon ran the ball as Bill Snyder’s team secured a fourth-place finish in the Big 12.

“Regardless, heck or high water, our program is about getting better, day in and day out,” Bill Snyder said. “That’s truly what took place with us this year.”

It took a while for the offense to hit its stride, but the Wildcats (8-4, 6-3 Big 12) never trailed thanks to a stifling defensive effort. TCU failed to score a touchdown for the first time since 2006.

“I think we’ve played reasonably well all season, in terms of our front four,” Snyder said. “And part of that is the experience that we have on the back end as well.”

Ertz gave his team some breathing room with a 32-yard touchdown run early in the second quarter, and K-State led 10-6 at halftime.

From there, the TCU looked rather hapless on both sides of the ball. Foster Sawyer and Kenny Hill were equally ineffective at sustaining drives against Jordan Willis and the Wildcat defense.

Ertz finished with 170 yards rushing and one touchdown, while Silmon scored twice in the second half to extend the lead and finished with 133 yards.

“Silmon was excellent and ran explosively,” Snyder said. “For Justin to step up and do the same thing (as Alex Barnes) was pretty special.”

In front of a sparse and chilly crowd, K-State took the energy out of Amon G. Carter Stadium with an 83-yard connection from Ertz to Byron Pringle on their first drive of the second half. The touchdown, which was the team’s longest since 2014, put the Wildcats ahead 17-6.

K-State’s bowl destination won’t be made official until Sunday afternoon, but all indications are that the Wildcats will play in the Texas Bowl in Houston against an SEC opponent.

It doesn’t matter to Snyder.

“Whether it’s in Texas or Australia, it doesn’t make much of a difference to us.”

Bill Snyder is still waiting for his team to put together a “complete” football game. His wait to make history, however, is over.

Big plays from Kansas State’s defense led the way in the Wildcats’ 34-19 victory over rival Kansas Saturday, giving Snyder his 200th win as a coach.

“I probably don’t sound like I’m in a good mood, and that’s responsive to how we played,” Snyder said. “We played rather ugly, and I don’t feel good about that, I assure you.”

K-State (7-4, 5-3 Big 12) wasn’t sharp offensively for much of the afternoon, and had to rotate Joe Hubener and Alex Delton at quarterback in the second half due to an injury to Jesse Ertz.

But the KU offense stood little chance of making it relevant. Aside from a couple of big plays, a 95-yard touchdown among them, the Jayhawks sputtered.

On Senior Day, it was the Wildcat veterans who made the biggest plays.

Donnie Starks returned an interception 39 yards for a touchdown in the second quarter. It was his third interception in two games after going nearly his entire college career without one.

“Donnie has played as our nickel back all year, so he was in a new position, and he played extremely well with very little experience,” Snyder said.

Defensive end Jordan Willis, and the entire K-State defensive line, made life difficult for Jayhawk quarterback Carter Stanley, who threw two interceptions and was sacked four times.

After driving for a field goal to open the game, KU was held to just 345 yards of offense.

Meanwhile, Alex Barnes logged his second straight 100-yard game on the ground for the Wildcats. He had 103 yards and a touchdown on ten carries.

Barnes showed off his athleticism on his 31-yard touchdown run to put K-State ahead 13-3, lunging Superman-like for the right pylon.

“He runs explosively and stays on his feet,” Snyder said. “They just have a hard time getting him down. He has good balance. I was pleased with his effort.”

The victory was K-State’s eighth straight in the Sunflower Showdown rivalry.

The Jayhawks (2-10, 1-8) tried to mount a comeback as K-State struggled to move the ball in the second half, but were ultimately unable to overcome the Wildcats’ relentless pass rush.

Stanley finished the game 24 of 44 passing for 302 yards.

Ertz rushed for 99 yards on 12 carries before departing. Snyder said he expects him to be fine.

After an on-field celebration, during which Big 12 commissioner Bob Bowlsby and K-State president Richard Myers presented him with a game ball, Snyder wasn’t in the mood to revel in his achievement.

“What am I thinking about? I’m thinking about getting out of here to go do some other things,” he quipped.

“But that being said, the number 200 stands for all the young people who have come through this program, the coaches we’ve had through the years and our wonderful support staff.”

The Wildcats led by as many as 25 points, but couldn’t stretch out the lead any further. Snyder lamented the missed opportunity for other seniors to get on the field as a result.

“That’s one of the reasons I’m disappointed,” he said. “I wanted all of them to have that opportunity. It pains me a great deal.”

K-State will conclude its regular season next week at TCU before embarking on its eighth straight bowl trip.

WACO, Texas – Kansas State has struggled to close out games in the second half this season. But not on Saturday, as the Wildcats erased a 14-7 halftime deficit and outscored Baylor 35-7 in the game’s final two quarters to defeat the Bears 42-21. With the win, K-State improved to 6-4 overall and 4-3 in Big 12 play and is once again bowl eligible for the eighth straight season.

Alex Barnes, who came into the game averaging 7.8 yards per carry this season, had a career-high 129 yards on 19 carries and four touchdowns, averaging 6.8 yards per rush. The redshirt freshman had 120 of those yards and all four of his touchdowns coming in the second half on 18 rushes.

The Wildcats tied the game on a 10-play, 84-yard drive to start the second half, capped by a Barnes 11-yard touchdown run. K-State followed that drive with a 13-play, 87-yard touchdown drive to go up 21-14. A Donnie Starks interception on the ensuing possession set K-State up at the Baylor 21-yard line. Barnes would punch it in from 2 yards out to give K-State a 28-14 advantage.

The Bears pulled within 7 on a 19-yard touchdown pass with 7:28 remaining in the game. But the Wildcats’ D.J. Reed returned the ensuing kickoff 76 yards to set K-State up inside the Bears’ 25. Winston Dimel would score on a 2-yard run on third-and-goal to go up 35-21. A Dante Barnett interception, followed by a Barnes 9-yard touchdown run, would seal the victory.

K-State struggled in the first half, failing to capitalize on good field position. Dominique Heath muffed a punt inside the Wildcats’ own 30-yard line in the second quarter, eventually leading to the Bears’ first score of the game on a 25-yard touchdown pass to Gabe Lynch.

The Wildcats answered with a 2-yard Winston Dimel touchdown run to even the game at 7-7. However, with less than a minute remaining in the first half, K-State’s Jesse Ertz fumbled at the Wildcats’ 40-yard line, leading to a Baylor touchdown pass with 10 seconds remaining in the game.

K-State rushed for 237 yards on 51 carries, marking the fourth straight game the Wildcats have rushed for more than 230 yards. Ertz completed 16 of his 25 passes for 177 yards.

The Wildcats’ defense played well, forcing four Baylor turnovers and holding the Bears to a season-worst 368 yards of offense. Baylor averaged 4.7 yards per offensive play, tying its previous low this season against TCU.

K-State bottled up the Baylor rushing attack, which came into the game averaging 5.2 yards per carry. The Bears ran for a season-low 110 yards on 33 carries, an average of 3.3 yards per rush.

The Wildcats will play Kansas next Saturday at 11 a.m. in Manhattan in a game where Bill Snyder will be going for his 200^th career victory at K-State.

In a season that has involved more than a handful of missed opportunities for the Kansas State football team, this one will sting the longest.

Searching for their first win over a ranked team since 2014, K-State let a nine-point lead in the fourth quarter slip away Saturday afternoon in a 43-37 loss to No. 18 Oklahoma State.

“We were inconsistent in the latter half of the ball game,” K-State coach Bill Snyder said. “We didn’t do all the things we needed to do. Oklahoma State had something to do with that, and the rest is on our shoulders.”

The Wildcats (5-4, 3-3 Big 12) did a lot of the little things they needed to in order to win. They established a dominant running game. They forced three Cowboy turnovers. They controlled the clock.

But the little things they didn’t do, aided by the decision to punt on 4th and inches at midfield in the fourth quarter, gave OSU just enough of an opportunity to steal a win.

“I didn’t want to (go for it),” Snyder said. “I didn’t want to put our defense in a bad spot.”

OSU quarterback Mason Rudolph passed for 457 yards and five touchdowns, including an 82-yard strike to James Washington with 7:45 left to get the Cowboys within 37-35. OSU went ahead for good on a 17-yard run by Chris Carson with 1:46 left.

K-State drove down the field in the final two minutes, getting inside the OSU 10 yard line. But an offensive pass interference penalty led to a game-sealing interception in the endzone as time expired.

Jesse Ertz completed 12 of 18 passes for 87 yards, and added 153 yards rushing and three touchdowns.

“I thought Jesse played well,” Snyder said. “He has some family issues that probably could have become a distraction. But he managed the game well.”

The Wildcat defense struggled in the first half, but appeared to turn a corner in the third quarter, forcing two punts and an interception in OSU’s first three drives of the second half. The interception was returned 29 yards for a touchdown by Duke Shelley.

After Shelley left the game with an injury, Rudolph picked apart the K-State secondary.

Alex Barnes and Charles Jones combined for 142 yards rushing on just 15 carries for K-State, who rushed for 345 yards as a team.

The Wildcats are off next week before taking on Baylor in Waco on Nov. 19.

By Cole Manbeck

AMES, Iowa – For the eighth time in nine years, a Kansas State/Iowa State matchup was decided by 8 points or less. But the reality is this game probably shouldn’t have been this close, as K-State held on to defeat the Cyclones 31-26 at Jack Trice Stadium.

Iowa State scored on a 5-yard touchdown pass with 51 seconds remaining in the game to trim K-State’s lead to 31-26. The Cyclones, with no timeouts remaining, kicked an onside that the Cyclones kicker recovered. However, the officials ruled that he touched the ball just before it went 10 yards, making it an illegal touch and giving the ball to K-State, which took a knee twice to exhaust the clock. In all three of K-State’s Big 12 wins, the Wildcats have been forced to recover an onside kick in the final minute.

The Wildcats (5-3, 3-2 Big 12) controlled the majority of the game, leading 17-3 at half and eventually taking a 31-10 lead into the fourth quarter, but were outscored 16-0 in the fourth quarter. The Wildcats struggled on both sides of the football in the second half, particularly on the defensive side of the ball. Iowa State gained 493 yards of offense, outgaining K-State by nearly 100 yards in the game. Iowa State averaged 6.6 yards per offensive play, the second-most by the Cyclones’ offense this season.

The Cyclones threw for 329 yards and went 24-of-43 passing, led by sophomore Jacob Park, who played the majority of the game and went 19-of-35 passing. Junior quarterback Joel Lanning, who actually started the game under center, was 4-of-7 passing for 28 yards but led the Cyclones with 74 yards rushing on 10 carries.

K-State dictated the pace of play the majority of the game, owning the time of possession in the first three quarters using a dominant rushing attack against an Iowa State defense that came into the game allowing 5.3 yards a rush. K-State averaged nearly 6 yards per carry in the game, accumulating 247 rushing yards on 43 carries. It marked the second straight game K-State has rushed for more than 230 yards.

Jesse Ertz was efficient in the passing game, completing 18-of-28 passing for 151 yards. Ertz is 38-of-55 passing for 322 yards over his past two games.

Ertz also led the team with 106 yards rushing on just nine carries Saturday. The junior quarterback has now rushed for 417 yards on 59 carries over his last six games, an average of 7.1 yards per carry. Ertz now has 477 yards rushing on 81 carries this season, an average of 5.9 yards per carry. No full-time starting quarterback in Bill Snyder’s 25 seasons at K-State has averaged more than 5.1 yards per carry in a season (Ell Roberson averaged 5.1 in 2002).

K-State outgained Iowa State 257 yards to just 133 in the first half, but the Wildcats’ defense gave up 360 yards in the final two quarters while K-State gained just 141 yards of offense.

K-State’s defense was fortunate to not give up more points. Iowa State dropped an easy touchdown pass in the first half. And in the fourth quarter, Park overthrew a wide-open receiver in the end zone on 4^th-and-1 from the 1-yard line.

The Wildcats now return home next Saturday to face Oklahoma State (6-2, 4-1), which defeated 10^th-ranked West Virginia in Stillwater, Okla., on Saturday.

Kansas State entered Saturday’s matchup with Texas looking for a faster start than in its previous Big 12 games. That’s exactly what the Wildcats got, and it was the biggest reason for K-State’s 24-21 victory over the Longhorns at Bill Snyder Family Stadium.

K-State jumped to a 21-7 halftime lead and overcame three turnovers in the second half to defeat Texas at home for the fifth straight time.

“We played reasonably well in the first half and made a lot of mistakes in the second half,” K-State coach Bill Snyder said. “The consistency has to get better.”

On the heels of the team’s most lopsided loss of the season, a 38-17 defeat at No. 19 Oklahoma, the Wildcats were fired up from the get-go on both sides of the ball.

K-State (4-3, 2-2 Big 12) opened the game with a nine-play, 68-yard touchdown drive that ended with a Jesse Ertz touchdown run.

Ertz had his best game passing of the season, completing 20 of 27 attempts for 171 yards and a touchdown.

“He played fine, but not like he is capable of playing,” Snyder said. “He had some throws that were a little soft, and he’ll be stronger next week. But I thought he played extremely well in the first half.”

Byron Pringle had his best game of the season, catching four passes for 42 yards and a critical touchdown with nine seconds left in the first half.

The Texas offense was victimized by its defense’s inability to get off the field. K-State held a massive advantage in time of possession, particularly in the first half.

Longhorn quarterback Shane Buechele was 17 of 24 for 222 yards, while running back D’Onte Foreman totaled 124 yards on the ground.

But as an offense, Texas (3-4, 1-3) was held to 344 yards. It entered the game averaging 500 on the season.

“This was a really big game for us,” K-State linebacker Elijah Lee said. “It wasn’t a bad day for the defense. We wanted to start building some momentum and we were able to do that.”

K-State had multiple chances to put the game away in the second half. The offense continued to drive the ball, but two fumbles and an interception kept the Wildcats out of the end zone.

Charles Jones rushed for 81 yards on just 12 carries, but on his last attempt, the ball was forced out of his arms as he attempted to cross the goal line. The score would have given K-State a 28-7 advantage in the third quarter.

For every K-State mistake, however, the Longhorns made one themselves. Texas kicker Trent Domingue missed a 35-yard field goal that would have brought the Longhorns within 24-17 with four minutes left.

The Wildcats head to Iowa State next Saturday in search of their first road win of the season.