K-State beat West Virginia in almost every statistical category. How’d the Cats lose?
Kansas State had more total yards, passing yards, rushing yards, first downs, plays and possession, and lost.
The Wildcats beat West Virginia in red-zone percentage, third-down efficiency, quarterback hurries and had fewer penalties, and lost.
West Virginia beat K-State 24-20 on Saturday to make it a four-year run over the Wildcats. K-State returned home as a 14-point favorite to face a Mountaineer team on a five-game losing streak.
So how did the Cats let Saturday’s win slip into a loss?
“This game is about playmakers making plays,” K-State coach Chris Klieman said. “And they made a few more than us today.”
K-State’s first miscue came late in the first quarter. The Wildcats held West Virginia short of a first down in the red zone as true freshman Khalid Duke burned his redshirt eligibility with an 8-yard sack.
West Virginia lined up for a field goal, and kicker Casey Legg pushed a 41-yard attempt wide right. But as the players started clearing the field, a flag hit the turf.
K-State senior defensive tackle Trey Dishon was called for a personal foul after hitting the long snapper too early. It was an automatic first down.
Two plays later, Mountaineer senior receiver George Campbell was celebrating in the end zone after catching a 15-yard touchdown pass from backup quarterback Jarret Doege.
West Virginia stole a 14-10 lead before the end of the quarter.
Early in the fourth quarter, K-State turned off again. Doege escaped the pocket on a third-and-22 from the 50-yard line. When he rolled to his left, the K-State defense collapsed to a receiver on the near sideline.
There was another receiver standing still behind them.
West Virginia receiver Bryce Wheaton caught it and waltzed in for the game-winning touchdown on a blown coverage from redshirt freshman safety Wayne Jones.
K- State senior Denzel Goolsby was on the other side of the field, watching helplessly as the Mountaineers took the lead with 11:27 to play.
“It was a close game, and when it’s a close game, it can go either way,” Goolsby said. “We felt like at halftime that we were going to be fine. We’ve been in a lot of close games this year and ended up winning. It wasn’t a case of guys not believing in it. It was just a case of their guys making plays in crunch time.
“And we didn’t.”
Klieman said every win starts with a good week of preparation but that the Cats had a good week of practice with high focus.
“It comes down to simple things: Do you make the plays?” Klieman said.
Before the season, West Virginia would have been one of the games K-State fans circled as a probable win. The Mountaineers lost their top quarterback, running back, receiver and coach.
Senior defensive tackle Jordan Mittie said the K-State defense came out flat and had a lack of focus at times. But Mittie said the Cats weren’t looking past one of the bottom teams in the Big 12.
“Did you guys expect us to lose to Texas?,” Klieman said. “Did you guys expect us to beat TCU? Did you guys expect us to beat Oklahoma? ... I’m not, and I never will be, one of those guys where you say, ‘You can chunk this one up as a victory.’ Every week, you’re going to get everybody’s best shot.
“That was more the message at the end of the game: This is a really good league, guys. Make sure you’re ready to play everybody.”
K-State has now lost back-to-back Big 12 games for the second time this season and first time since Oct. 5. Every loss will prove more costly as the Wildcats fall down the bowl game progression.
Mittie said K-State still has a lot to play for.
“Especially for seniors like me, we really have limited opportunities left,” Mittie said. “We have one more here. We want to be able to leave our legacy on the start of this new era.”