Grades from Kansas State’s 48-41 victory over Oklahoma and a look ahead to KU
The Kansas State Wildcats won their biggest game yet under new football coach Chris Klieman when they defeated the Oklahoma Sooners 48-41 Saturday at Bill Snyder Family Stadium.
It was a statement victory for the Wildcats (5-2, 2-2, Big 12), who can now dream about a big finish to the season after knocking off conference kingpin Oklahoma (7-1, 4-1).
Here are grades from the game and a look at next week’s Sunflower Showdown against rival KU:
Player of the game
Skylar Thompson once again gets the game ball this week. The junior K-State quarterback was nails in this game, completing 18 of 28 passes for 213 yards while also rushing for 39 yards and four touchdowns.
He breathed new life into K-State’s offense, leading the Wildcats to 48 points and 426 yards against the best team on the schedule not long after they looked hopeless early on in Big 12 play. Best of all, K-State achieved perfect balance by both rushing and passing for 213 yards.
Thompson’s newfound ability to score with his legs at the goal line has made a huge difference. The Wildcats went to him early and often in the red zone, and he continually found running lanes on his way to pay dirt.
Play of the game
K-State benefited from two enormous turnovers in this game. They were equally important.
The first one came late in the second quarter, when A.J. Parker took advantage of a botched trick play and came up with an interception that allowed the Wildcats to pull ahead 24-20. The other came on a forced fumble by Eric Gallon and fumble recovery by Ross Elder on a kickoff in the third quarter. The Wildcats were leading 34-23 before the turnover and scored a touchdown on the ensuing drive.
The Wildcats might not have won without both big plays.
Stat of the game
It’s not often you see a perfectly balanced effort on offense, but K-State pulled it off in this game by passing for 213 yards and rushing for 213 yards. This was the Wildcats’ most productive game in weeks.
Quote to note
“Coach Klieman leading the way of this team and this program, I think this will definitely shut up all the negativity, all the things people want to say about him. Even though he came here from FCS, that doesn’t matter at all. He came in here and we beat the No. 5 team in the nation. I think that says enough.” — K-State defensive end Wyatt Hubert.
Grades
Offense: A+. The Wildcats fell behind 10-0 and then scored on eight straight drives to take an insurmountable 48-23 lead. It’s clear K-State had missed playmakers like Malik Knowles, Phillip Brooks and Jordon Brown. The offense looked much more open and crisp with all three on the field against Oklahoma. Courtney Messingham called a terrific game and got K-State’s rushing attack rolling for the first time since nonconference play.
Defense: B-. Scottie Hazelton’s unit was on pace for a truly great game until the fourth quarter arrived and Oklahoma mounted a comeback that fell an onside kick away from potentially forcing overtime. The Sooners scored 41 points and gained 497 yards, so the Wildcats could have done better. But both numbers are below average for Oklahoma. Hubert was disruptive and the Wildcats had five tackles for loss.
Special Teams: A+. Devin Anctil had three punts for 160 yards, Blake Lynch connected on a pair of field goals and the Wildcats came up with a big turnover on a kickoff in the third quarter. K-State is starting to regularly make big plays in this area.
Coaching: A. Very few gave the Wildcats any chance in this game, but Klieman and his coaching staff had K-State players believing they could win from the beginning. Oklahoma raced to a 10-0 lead, but the Wildcats didn’t panic. They actually outscored the Sooners 48-13 until OU quarterback Jalen Hurts mounted a late comeback. Klieman led K-State to its biggest win in years.
Next up
K-State will be back in action against rival Kansas during the Sunflower Showdown Saturday at Memorial Stadium in Lawrence.
This has potential to be the best KU/K-State game in years. Both the Wildcats and Jayhawks won this weekend. The Jayhawks defeated the Texas Tech Red Raiders 37-34 to improve to 3-5 and pick up their first conference victory under Les Miles.
KU has been on an offensive roll since Brent Dearmon took over as offensive coordinator. The Jayhawks lost narrowly at Texas 50-48 last week and bounced back with 37 points against Texas Tech. It will be fascinating to see how this rivarly goes with new coaches in charge of both programs.
This story was originally published October 27, 2019 at 12:39 PM.