Grades from Kansas State’s win over Texas Tech and a look ahead to Iowa State
The Kansas State football team defeated Texas Tech 30-27 at Jones AT&T Stadium Saturday. The Wildcats snapped a two-game losing streak and improved their bowl stock.
K-State (7-4, 4-4 Big 12) will hope to build off this victory against Iowa State next weekend on senior day.
Here are some grades from the game:
Player of the game
A case could be made for Skylar Thompson (246 passing yards and two touchdowns), Chabastin Taylor (three catches for 74 yards and a touchdown) and Blake Lynch (three field goals), but this week’s game ball goes to Wyatt Hubert.
The sophomore came through with a pair of colossal sacks in the second half that kept Texas Tech’s offense and quarterback Jett Duffey on guard.
The Red Raiders fell one big play short of stealing this game against a Wildcats defense that was playing without several starters, and Hubert was a big reason why they never got over the hump.
Play of the game
Thompson hit Taylor for a 48-yard touchdown pass midway through the fourth quarter to give the Wildcats a 30-20 lead. The explosive play gave them their first double-digit lead of the game, and they needed every bit of that cushion as Texas Tech made a late push.
It was a well-designed play. Taylor beat his man deep on the left side of the field and Thompson found him for an easy catch. It was a big moment for Taylor. The sophomore receiver has always had the talent to contribute for the Wildcats, and he is finally starting to emerge.
Stat of the game
K-State averaged just 3.4 yards per rush. The Cats won by gaining 8.8 yards per pass attempt. During recent losses to Texas and West Virginia, they were unable to overcome an inconsistent running attack against a defense that dared them to throw. Thompson and K-State’s receivers came through on the road.
Quote to note
“This is a team effort. We all contributed. The offense, defense, special teams, we all played a part in this win today. I’m just so proud that we came on the road. This was a tough game. We knew this was going to be a tough game coming into it. Texas Tech is way better than what their record says, and they played hard. We knew they were going to play hard on senior night and it (the win) was huge for our team.” — Skylar Thompson.
Grades
Offense: B. The first half was hard to watch, but the Wildcats found a rhythm behind Thompson in the second half. He showed a nice rapport with Taylor and spread the ball to seven different receivers. K-State only gained 372 yards, but it made them count, particularly in the fourth quarter, when Thompson and James Gilbert ran for key first downs to clinch the game.
Defense: B. The Wildcats held the Red Raiders to three points in the first half but then had to hold on over the final two quarters. Allowing 512 yards is far from ideal, but it’s not horrible considering Texas tech ran 81 plays. DaQuan Patton and Denzel Goolsby both came up with interceptions and Hubert had a pair of sacks. K-State’s defense made opportune plays.
Special Teams: A-. Joshua Youngblood returned a kickoff 100 yards for a touchdown, Lynch made three of four field goals and Devin Anctil had a good day punting the ball. Allowing Texas Tech to pull off a fake punt in the fourth quarter is the only thing that hurts this grade.
Coaching: B. Chris Klieman and his coaching staff made some nice adjustments in this game. The first half was the polar opposite of the second half, but the Wildcats never trailed and snapped a two-game losing streak. As a road underdog, some doubted them in this game. But the coaching staff had K-State players ready to play a full game, even as injuries mounted against them.
Next up
K-State will try to end the regular season on a winning streak at 6 p.m. Saturday against Iowa State at Bill Snyder Family Stadium.
The Cyclones broke through and finally won a game in the Farmageddon rivalry last season, which could add some intrigue to this year’s battle.
This game will have bowl implications. For the moment, Iowa State (7-4, 5-3) ranks ahead of K-State in the bowl-selection order because of its conference record. But the Wildcats could catch them with a victory on senior day.
Iowa State has won back-to-back games and is coming off a victory over Kansas.