K-State falls flat 26-13 at Oklahoma State for first loss of Chris Klieman era

All of the excitement and energy Chris Klieman pumped into the Kansas State football team during its undefeated run through nonconference play seemed to disappear on a stormy Saturday night at Boone Pickens Stadium.

The Wildcats looked out of sync for the first time under their new coach and lost their Big 12 opener 26-13 to the Oklahoma State Cowboys in a game that was delayed by lightning.

No. 24 K-State (3-1, 0-1 Big 12) fell behind early and never mounted a serious comeback playing without top receiver Malik Knowles, who missed the game with a foot injury. Oklahoma State (4-1, 1-1) churned out yards behind electric playmakers Chuba Hubbard and Tylan Wallace while also surprisingly flexing its muscles on defense.

Few teams have successfully slowed Oklahoma State’s offense this season. But lots of teams have scored on their defense. K-State wasn’t so fortunate. It managed just 244 yards and one touchdown. Perhaps it’s a good thing this game was only available as a streaming option on ESPN+ instead of traditional TV.

This is usually one of the most tightly contested games of the Big 12 season, but the Cowboys were clearly the better team on this day and defeated the Wildcats by more than 10 points for the first time since 1988.

It was Klieman’s first loss of any kind since 2017, breaking a streak of 24 consecutive victories going back to his time at North Dakota State.

Where does K-State go from here? That’s a fascinating question. As good as they looked during their 3-0 start, which propelled them into the national rankings, those victories came against two teams that were overmatched and another that plays nothing like most Big 12 teams.

A blowout loss to Oklahoma State does not bode well for K-State moving forward. The Cowboys are a prototypical Big 12 opponent that uses an up-tempo, spread offense and likes to win shootouts. Veteran K-State players are used to playing teams like Oklahoma State, but its coaches are not.

It was fair to wonder how Scottie Hazelton’s defense would handle a versatile attack and how Courtney Messingham’s power offense would respond to an early deficit.

They will need to make some adjustments in future games.

It’s hard to pinpoint where the Wildcats struggled most in this game. James Gilbert uncharacteristically lost a fumble in the first quarter, Jordon Brown dropped a pass when he was open for a rare first down, K-State’s healthy receivers struggled to create separation, Skylar Thompson left the pocket too often and the defense was shredded for nearly 500 yards.

K-State entered the game knowing full and well it had to slow down Oklahoma State quarterback Spencer Sanders and his primary playmakers Hubbard and Wallace. But nothing the Wildcats tried seemed to work until it was too late.

Hubbard broke free for several long gains on his way to 296 yards and a touchdown. Wallace had eight catches for 145 yards.

The Wildcats weren’t nearly as efficient when they had the ball.

Senior punter Devin Anctil was arguably their most valuable player for continually booming long punts that forced the Cowboys to cover more ground for their scores.

It was that kind of game from the start. The first half didn’t go well for K-State.

The Wildcats fell behind by double digits for the first time all season, looking out of sync on offense and a step slow on defense.

K-State managed just 81 yards and one first down in the first two quarters. All things considered, it was probably fortunate to trail only 16-3 at the break. Oklahoma State churned out 285 yards and was consistently in scoring range. K-State came through with several big stops on third down and one on fourth down to limit Oklahoma State to one touchdown and three field goals.

The Cowboy’s lone touchdown of the first half came on a 3-yard pass from Sanders to Logan Carter that gave them a 10-0 lead midway through the first quarter.

It was interesting to see how the Wildcats responded from that scenario. They dominated throughout their first two games and never trailed by more than seven against Mississippi State, and that was only for a few seconds.

K-State did not have much of an answer. It didn’t get its first down until late in the second quarter when Thompson connected with tight end Sammy Wheeler for 39 yards on the first play after a weather delay.

The Wildcats received the opening kickoff of the third quarter, so there was still hope they could get back in the game. But they quickly punted, and Hubbard responded with an 84-yard touchdown run. All of a sudden, the Cowboys led 23-3 and the game felt out of reach.

To their credit, K-State players never quit fighting. They got more creative on offense and came up with turnovers on defense. Elijah Sullivan and Darreyl Patterson both had interceptions. Gilbert found room for a touchdown run in the fourth quarter that made the score 23-13 with 7:14 remaining.

But Oklahoma State iced the game on its next drive, driving into the red zone and finishing off the night with a field goal.

Things won’t get any easier for K-State from here, as the Wildcats will try to rebound next week at home against undefeated Baylor.

This story was originally published September 28, 2019 at 10:28 PM.