How K-State nearly won last trip to Oklahoma State with emergency QB Kody Cook

The last time Kansas State traveled to Oklahoma State for a football game, Kody Cook nearly did the unthinkable.

Cook, a former K-State playmaker, entered the day as one of the team’s best receivers. But when starting quarterback Joe Hubener suffered an early injury, Cook took control of the offense and nearly pulled off a wild upset.

The Wildcats were down to their fifth-string passer, the definition of an emergency quarterback, and it seemed like the favored Cowboys were going to roll. Instead, Cook orchestrated four touchdown drives to give K-State a 28-13 halftime lead. He was an upgrade. Oklahoma State rallied for a 36-34 victory, but the game remains fondly remembered by some K-State fans two years later, because of all those bizarre circumstances.

“It was super exciting to be a part of something like that,” Cook said. “It’s a game I will never forget.”

Cook, now a tight ends coach at Hutchinson Community College, thinks back to that game often. It wasn’t the highlight of his season -- that came in the regular-season finale against West Virginia, when he led the Wildcats to a come-from-behind victory that clinched a spot in the Liberty Bowl -- but it was close.

That was his top statistical game at quarterback, as he totaled 209 yards of total offense and scored three touchdowns. The setting of Boone Pickens Stadium also provided motivation.

“One of my best friends growing up in high school, his dad played at Oklahoma State, so it was kind of like a little rivalry between us growing up,” Cook said. “I always told them that I was going to play in that stadium and that they had to be there when I did, and they had to wear purple. They were there in the Oklahoma State alumni section in purple. What happened that day was so crazy that it was really cool.”

Cook didn’t expect to play quarterback going into the game, but he knew he needed to be ready as a backup option. Jesse Ertz and Alex Delton had both been lost for the season with knee injuries, and junior-college transfer Jonathan Banks was sick. That left Hubener as the only healthy passer on the roster.

When K-State coaches realized they needed a backup, they asked Cook to give quarterback a try in practice. He had played the position in junior college, and he knew the playbook. He was the logical next man up.

The hope was for Hubener to play the entire game, but that changed when he took a hard hit early in the first quarter and had to come out. Then Cook stepped in and led the Wildcats on a scoring spree.

“That game was nuts,” K-State defensive back Brogan Barry said. “Joe got rocked and we thought he was nearly dead on the field. Kody stepped up and made some big plays in the first half. They were making big plays, too. It was just an electric atmosphere. Kody was originally a quarterback here, but at the same time it was crazy to see him step back into that role and see him be so successful.”

How did Cook pull it off?

“The coaching staff at Kansas State does such a good job of preparing players that I felt ready after that week of practice,” Cook said. “It was a crazy environment, but I knew I was in a good situation. I knew my teammates had my back.”

Cook started off with some nifty runs and then gained confidence in his arm when he connected with Deante Burton on a slant route for a first down. He found the end zone on his first drive and guided the offense to three more touchdowns before the end of the second quarter.

Yards were harder to come by in the second half, and Cook eventually had to leave the game after suffering a shoulder injury at the end of a long run.

Still, Hubener came back into the game and led K-State to a 34-33 lead with 3:01 remaining. Oklahoma State won on a field goal on its next drive.

“We were really unfortunate that game,” Cook said. “We had a lot of injuries leading up to that. I remember (cornerback) Danzel McDaniel got hurt in that game, then Joe got hurt and I got hurt. We were in emergency-type situations at several positions. I think we handled it pretty well.”

K-State returns to Oklahoma State on Saturday under similar situations. Ertz and Delton are both sidelined, leaving redshirt freshman Skylar Thompson as the only healthy quarterback on the depth chart. Receiver Dalton Schoen will miss the game with a broken collarbone, and running back Alex Barnes is questionable after leaving the West Virginia game with an injury.

If the Wildcats have to resort to more emergency options, at least they can look back at Cook for inspiration.

This story was originally published November 17, 2017 at 4:09 PM with the headline "How K-State nearly won last trip to Oklahoma State with emergency QB Kody Cook."