Wildcat report: K-State 45, Texas Tech 13
First Quarter
Key stat: Texas Tech was 1 of 3 on third downs.
Key play: On Texas Tech’s first drive, K-State defensive back Morgan Burns intercepted David Webb in the end zone on second and 5 at the K-State 7-yard line, setting up the Wildcats’ first touchdown.
Second Quarter
Key stat: K-State quarterback Jake Waters finished the first half with 91 rushing yards and one touchdown, keeping Texas Tech’s defense constantly guessing.
Key play: Waters hit Tyler Lockett for a 15-yard touchdown pass with 21 seconds left before halftime and a 24-7 lead.
Third Quarter
Key stat: Texas Tech quarterback Davis Webb threw his third interception of the game and second in K-State territory.
Key play: Texas Tech had a 34-yard touchdown catch by D.J. Polite-Bray overruled after a review showed a wide-open Polite-Bray bobbled the ball before going out of bounds.
Fourth Quarter
Key stat: Texas Tech had the ball for just over four minutes, negating any chances for a big rally.
Key play: Curry Sexton’s highlight-reel, one-handed catch over a Texas Tech defender for a 3-yard touchdown.
Report Card
Offense: A. Jake Waters was sharp throwing and running the ball and had plenty of time in the pocket to find receivers.
Defense: A. K-State forced four turnovers —all interceptions — and the defensive front pressured Davis Webb all night with mostly a four-man rush and no blitzing linebackers.
Special Teams: A. K-State’s coverage units were sharp — and there were plenty of chances for Texas Tech to break a kickoff return. Mitch McCrane nailed his one field-goal attempt from 27 yards.
Coaching: A. The K-State coaching staff was able to put together a balanced game plan on offense.
Player of the Game
K-State quarterback Jake Waters racked up 395 yards of offense in probably his most complete game as a Wildcat.
Reason to hope
Snyder gets two weeks to figure out a way to beat Oklahoma and his team has a ton of momentum headed into the Oct. 18 showdown in Norman.
Reason to mope
Injuries are taking their tool. Linebacker Dakorey Johnson didn’t play against Texas Tech and safety Travis Green went down with an apparent knee injury after his second interception. It’s hard to see the Wildcats beating Oklahoma without all of their weapons on defense.
Looking ahead
The Sooners won’t be totally on edge when they face K-State, as they get to work their frustrations out on lowly Texas next Saturday following a loss to TCU.
It’s been awhile
It might seem crazy, but Sexton’s two touchdowns were his first scores since scoring in a win over Miami in 2012.
“I can’t believe it’s been that long,” Lockett said. “He’s on the field so much and he’s always making plays, so you wouldn’t think that.”
Another start for Geary
Topeka High product Will Geary made his second straight start for K-State at nose guard.
“Felt a lot better than the first start, definitely, just because I got that one under my belt,” Geary said. “I think we did a fairly decent job of pressuring the quarterback, and we’ve got to be able to just battle teams with a four-man rush, because there are other offenses that are going to throw a lot, just like Texas Tech.”
Tony Adame
This story was originally published October 4, 2014 at 11:30 PM with the headline "Wildcat report: K-State 45, Texas Tech 13."