Cats Blank Longhorns

By Erik Stone

Jake Waters threw for 224 yards, Demarcus Robinson and Charles Jones each found the end zone and Matthew McCrane kicked a career-best three field goals as #11 Kansas State pitched its first shutout in conference play in more than a decade with a 23-0 victory over Texas before a Homecoming crowd of 52,879 Saturday at Bill Snyder Family Stadium.

Despite stalling in the red zone, K-State scored on its first two drives of the game when McCrane booted a pair of field goals from 19 and 30 yards out for a 6-0 lead. Meanwhile, the Wildcat defense kept a tight grip on up and coming Texas Quarterback Tyrone Swoopes and forced the Longhorns into six first half punts.

K-State then added to its lead late in the second quarter on a 12-play, 85-yard drive which ended with a three-yard run by Robinson and the Wildcats led 13-0 at intermission. McCrane added a 38-yard field goal in the third quarter to extend the lead to 16-0 right before the most important and notable sequence of the game. For the only time on the afternoon, Texas drove deep into Wildcat territory on its next possession. Facing a fourth down and one yard to go at the K-State 15-yard line, Texas elected to go for the first down, but Running Back Johnathon Gray was stopped by the Wildcat defense despite replays showing Gray might have picked up the first down.

K-State then drove 86 yards in 10 plays to ice the game with a one-yard run by Jones to provide the final margin of victory of 23-0.

The stingy K-State defense played its best game of the season, holding the Texas offense to 196 total yards with 106 of them through the air and 90 on the ground. It was the first overall shutout for Kansas State since a 37-0 whitewash of Kent State on September 17, 2011, the first in conference play since thumping Iowa State in Ames 45-0 on November 8, 2003 and at home since a 66-0 thrashing of Missouri on November 20, 1999.

Waters completed 19 of 30 passes and had no touchdowns but no interceptions as K-State played turnover-free Football for the second consecutive week. Robinson was the leading rusher with 50 yards on 16 carries and Lockett who is now third all-time in receptions at K-State after passing former position coach Michael Smith hauled in eight passes for 103 yards.

Kansas State (6-1, 4-0) will be back in action next Saturday at Bill Snyder Family Stadium against Oklahoma State. The kickoff time for the game will be announced on Sunday.