Oklahoma 42, Kansas State 35: key moments, players and grades

K-State player of the game: Alex Delton. The sophomore quarterback lifted the offense in every area and looked much improved from his debut start against TCU. He ran for 142 yards and three touchdowns, while also completing 12 of 14 passes for 144 yards and a touchdown. Perhaps best of all, he led the Wildcats on a fourth-quarter touchdown drive to tie the score. If he continues to play at this level, the Wildcats may be able to put their offensive woes behind them.

OU player of the game: Baker Mayfield. The senior quarterback is a Heisman Trophy contender for a reason, and he showed why against K-State. Mayfield torched the Wildcats for 410 yards and two touchdowns through the air, and 69 yards and two touchdowns on the ground. If not for a miraculous interception by Denzel Goolsby and some bizarre plays in the second quarter that moved him to receiver, he could have had an even bigger day.

Key moment of the game: Rodney Anderson took a handoff on Oklahoma’s final drive, got to the outside and zoomed 22 yards up the left sideline for a game-clinching touchdown.

Grades

Offense: B+. Where has this been all season? Had K-State looked this good moving the ball against Vanderbilt, Texas or TCU it wouldn’t have a losing record. Alex Delton was sharp and the passing game was just good enough to keep Oklahoma off balance. One negative: Alex Barnes only touched the ball six times. On a day when he had 108 yards and a touchdown, he should have seen a lot more than six carries.

Defense: D. Baker Mayfield is as good as they come at quarterback, and Oklahoma has one of the nation’s top offenses. Still, 619 yards is too much. Outside of a Denzel Goolsby interception and a pair of red-zone stands against the run, the Wildcats barely put up a fight against the Sooners. Bill Snyder said starting safety Kendall Adams should return next week against Kansas. That’s a good thing, because this defense missed him badly.

Special Teams: B. Special teams didn’t play a big role in this game, but K-State did recover a fumble following an errant snap on an Oklahoma punt.

Coaching: C+. Bill Snyder and his staff did a lot right. The offense took a big step forward, and the Wildcats nearly won their first game against a top 10 opponent since 2012. But the defense gave up too many big plays, and the offense was slow to adjust in the second half. Those mistakes were the difference in this game.

This story was originally published October 21, 2017 at 9:37 PM with the headline "Oklahoma 42, Kansas State 35: key moments, players and grades."