Grades from Kansas State’s victory at Iowa State and a look ahead to TCU after bye week
It wasn’t pretty, but the Kansas State football team stayed undefeated in conference play with a 10-9 victory over Iowa State on Saturday at Jack Trice Stadium.
The Wildcats have now found a way to win games this season with both their offense and their defense.
With the victory, K-State (5-1, 3-0 Big 12) remained on top of the league standings heading into its off week with a road trip to TCU on October 22 up next.
Now, let’s look back on the action from Saturday and hand out a few awards and grades.
Play of the game
Adrian Martinez made a defender miss in the backfield and then found Phillip Brooks for an 81-yard touchdown strike on K-State’s third offensive play of the game.
At the time, it seemed like the Wildcats were destined for several touchdowns and highlight plays against the Cyclones. But it turned out to be the only touchdown of the game. Iowa State followed with three field goals. K-State didn’t score again until a field goal from Chris Tennant in the fourth quarter.
Player of the game
K-State safety Josh Hayes led all defenders with 11 tackles on Saturday.
In a game that was decided on defense, he gets the game ball. The Wildcats limited the Cyclones to 276 yards and didn’t allow a single touchdown.
Stat of the game
Nineteen. The Cyclones and Wildcats combined for 19(!) points.
Farmageddon felt like a Big Ten game.
It was the fewest points K-State posted in a conference victory since 1993 and its fewest points in a road conference win since 1982.
Quote to note
“They can’t beat us with just field goals,” - K-State linebacker Desmond Purnell.
Grades
Offense: C. The Wildcats were far from perfect against the Cyclones, but the final numbers show their performance was better than it may have initially looked. Adrian Martinez threw for 246 yards and a touchdown. Both Phillip Brooks and Malik Knowles topped 100 yards. And the Wildcats won time of possession.
Running the ball was an issue, as Deuce Vaughn had just 23 yards on 10 carries. But the box score would have looked better without a fumble at the 1-yard line from Knowles and a missed field goal.
Defense: A. The Cyclones never reached the end zone on Saturday and only gained 276 yards on 62 plays. Hayes led the way with 11 tackles, while Felix Anudike-Uzomah and Brendan Mott both had sacks. Iowa State went 4 of 13 on third-down conversions.
Special Teams: C. Chris Tennant missed a field goal and Ty Zentner had some unusually short kickoffs that gave Iowa State good field position. Iowa State was surprisingly better than K-State on special teams.
Coaching: B. The Wildcats beat Oklahoma earlier this season with an impressive showing on offense. They beat the Cyclones with an impressive showing on defense. Finding different ways to win close games is a sign of a good team, and good coaching.
Next Up
K-State will get a week off before returning to Big 12 play on the road against TCU.
The bye week comes at an ideal time for the Wildcats, who are dealing with injuries at the moment. Linebacker Khalid Duke was unable to finish the game on Saturday. Deuce Vaughn was shaken up in the fourth quarter. Felix Anudike-Uzomah was clearly not at full strength. They will all get an opportunity to heal.
K-State has taken care of business during the first half of the season. But we will find out what the Wildcats are made of moving forward. They haven’t beaten a team that currently owns a winning record. Up next: TCU (5-0), Oklahoma State (5-0), Texas (4-2).
The Horned Frogs are coming off a road victory over Kansas. They will play Oklahoma State next.
This story was originally published October 9, 2022 at 10:16 AM.