K-State pops Missouri State 35-0 in storm-shortened game

Give Kansas State football coach Bill Snyder the option to receive the opening kickoff or defer until the second half and he will almost always choose the latter.

It’s a preference that fans have come to expect from him on game day every bit as much as his classic windbreakers and Nike Cortez shoes.

But there is at least one exception to Snyder’s coin-toss policy – inclement weather.

After thunderstorms delayed the start of K-State’s 35-0 victory over Missouri State on Saturday night by nearly an hour and the threat of additional delays loomed over Snyder Family Stadium, the time was right for the Wildcats to assert themselves from the start.

The strategy paid off. K-State built a large-enough halftime lead to claim victory without stepping foot on the field for the final two quarters. Officials, in consultation with both teams, decided to end the game at the conclusion of the first half rather than wait out a second lightning delay in hopes of continuing.

“It was my understanding that if we had this kind of weather that the ballgame had to go into the third quarter or that you had to have a snap in the third quarter for the game to be official,” Snyder said, “which is true in conference games, but that is not the case in nonconference games. So that was the thinking behind (receiving the opening kickoff).”

Dreary weather delayed and then shortened K-State’s victory, but it did nothing to slow the Wildcats (2-1) once they took the field. They closed out the nonconference portion of their schedule with another blowout victory.

K-State players were eager to get going. That much was obvious when quarterback Jesse Ertz led the offense 63 yards in 11 plays for a touchdown on the opening series. Running back Charles Jones capped the drive with a 1-yard run.

“Our mentality as an offense is, we are going to score on every possession,” Ertz said. “We came close to that. There are obviously things we could have done better, but I think we took a nice step forward in this game.”

K-State also immediately flexed its muscles on defense, forcing the Bears (2-1) to go three-and-out on their first series.

It was a sign of things to come. Missouri State’s offense was no match for the Wildcats, particularly without the services of starting quarterback Breck Ruddick, who was suspended from the game for conduct detrimental to the team.

The Bears punted four times and turned the ball over twice, gaining 54 yards on 29 plays.

K-State defensive end Jordan Willis made life miserable for Missouri State’s quarterbacks, pressuring them on several plays and jarring the ball loose from Michael Briggs for a Matt Seiwert interception in the second quarter.

“All season, going back to spring ball, coaches have stressed that we need to get the ball back to our offense,” Willis said. “Anytime we can do that it gives us the opportunity to get points on the board.”

Throw in a blocked punt by Jayd Kirby and the Wildcats benefited from excellent field position.

Ertz made the most of it. After starting slow against Stanford and showing marginal progress last week against Florida Atlantic, he looked like a future star against Missouri State. Ertz completed 7 of 8 passes for 94 yards and two touchdowns – the lone incomplete pass was a drop by Isaiah Zuber – and also ran for 85 yards.

It could have been an even bigger day if not for pair of shoestring tackles that brought him down on potential touchdown runs. He was twice caught from behind by leaping defenders. Still, he played so well that coaches pulled him from the game before it ended. With a 35-0 lead, Snyder wanted to see what backup Alex Delton could do.

“His numbers looked awfully good,” Snyder said of Ertz. “Based on what I saw he did not make any real mistakes whatsoever. I though he managed the game, got the snaps off, and did not get any delay-of-game penalties. He threw the ball well.”

Both of Ertz’s touchdown passes were highlights. The first was a 19-yard completion to Byron Pringle in which Ertz targeted tight end Dayton Valentine. The throw was on the money, but Valentine couldn’t haul it in, and the ball deflected off his hands … into Pringle’s arms. The second was a 9-yard pass to Dominique Heath in the corner of the end zone.

Fullback Winston Dimel scored K-State’s other two touchdowns.

The Wildcats have been strong on defense in all three of their games. It seems their offense may also be ready to go as K-State begins Big 12 play next week at undefeated West Virginia.

“We had something to prove about our inability to score,” K-State receiver Deante Burton said. “We struggled in the red zone against Stanford and that is something that we really took personal. These last two games we set out to prove that we can score points and that we are going to put up as many points as we can. I think we have accomplished that goal.”

This story was originally published September 24, 2016 at 5:40 PM with the headline "K-State pops Missouri State 35-0 in storm-shortened game."