K-State offense shut down in 14-7 loss

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.