K-State football unable to keep up with Texas Tech Raiders in Big 12 home loss
AI-generated summary reviewed by our newsroom.
- K-State loss ends hot streak and drops Wildcats to 4-5 overall, 3-3 in Big 12
- Texas Tech defense stifled KSU drives while its run game produced efficient scoring
- Wildcats totaled 325 yards and 20 points yet fell short of staying in Big 12 title race
Kansas State’s hot streak came to an end when it suffered a 43-20 loss against Texas Tech on Saturday at Bill Snyder Family Stadium.
The Red Raiders poured cold water on the Wildcats with a stingy defense and an efficient running attack that had the home team playing from behind most of the day.
K-State entered the weekend having won three of its past four games. A win here would have given the Wildcats legitimate hope in the Big 12 championship race. Instead, the Wildcats (4-5, 3-3 Big 12) fell below .500 on the season. With the win, No. 13 Texas Tech (8-1, 5-1 Big 12) is in great shape to reach the league title game.
The Wildcats are next in action in two weeks against Oklahoma State.
Until then, here are takeaways from Saturday’s action:
K-State wasn’t ready for Texas Tech’s defense
The final numbers don’t look horrible for K-State. The Wildcats finished the day with 325 yards of offense and 20 points against the Red Raiders. That is better than many other teams have done against Texas Tech this season.
But it wasn’t nearly enough, especially with K-State turning the ball over five times.
Texas Tech made life difficult for K-State whenever it was trying to move the ball. Outside of two long touchdown runs from quarterback Avery Johnson, the Wildcats struggled to get anything going on the ground. Running back Joe Jackson was only able to rush for 25 yards on 10 attempts.
But they weren’t much better through the air. K-State’s quarterbacks were more likely to throw interceptions or get sacked than they were to move the chains in this matchup.
Texas Tech had 12 tackles for loss and three forced fumbles. It returned one of them for a scoop-and-score touchdown in the fourth quarter. The Red Raiders also grabbed two interceptions against Johnson.
K-State was no match for Texas Tech’s defense in the fourth quarter. The Wildcats ended the day in painful fashion. Its final five drives of the afternoon all resulted in turnovers, downs or a punt. Things got so bad that K-State inserted backup quarterback Jacob Knuth into the game even with the Wildcats trailing. For the first time all season, they waved the white flag.
Avery Johnson had another good game on the ground
K-State fans can’t complain about Avery Johnson’s rushing numbers anymore.
Early in the season, it seemed like everyone in EMAW nation was wondering why Kansas State’s dual-threat quarterback wasn’t making more plays with his legs. But those days are over.
Johnson’s speed was the best thing that K-State had going for it on offense in this game.
The junior from Wichita rushed for 86 yards and two touchdowns on 15 attempts. His best run of the day came on a delayed keeper that went for a 46-yard touchdown in the first quarter. His mobility was one of the few things that the Red Raiders struggled to stop.
It was his second-straight game with multiple rushing touchdowns. He is up to 341 rushing yards on the season.
It was a game to forget for Jayce Brown
Much has gone right for K-State wide receiver Jayce Brown this season. But this was not a good game for him.
The junior playmaker was bottled up for most of the afternoon, and he lost a costly fumble in the first half. He nearly lost another fumble, but the mistake was overturned and ruled an incomplete pass after video review.
Brown finished the day with 53 yards on two catches. He also rushed for 10 yards.
K-State needed much more from its top receiver to win this game.
Austin Romaine had a big day for K-State on defense
The junior linebacker has played the past two games with one good hand, but that didn’t stop him from making impressive plays against the Red Raiders.
Romaine took the field with a massive bandage wrapped around his left hand on Saturday, which easily could have limited his ability to wrap up ball carriers on potential tackles or to catch the ball if it came his way.
Last week, Romaine missed several tackles and K-State coach Chris Klieman blamed Romaine’s injured left hand for the forgettable performance during a blowout win over Kansas.
Despite that noticeable disadvantage, Romaine found ways to contribute at a high level in this game.
Romaine came up with an interception on Texas Tech’s first drive of the afternoon when Behren Morton tried to complete a screen pass over the middle. Romaine also had a sack and a team-high 11 total tackles.
Chris Klieman has struggled the week after the Sunflower Showdown
K-State has won 17 straight games against rival Kansas in the Sunflower Showdown, including all seven during the Chris Klieman era.
But the week after that game has not been kind to the Wildcats.
After Saturday’s loss to Texas Tech, K-State fell to 2-5 the week after its annual matchup against KU. It has now lost its past three games after the rivalry matchup.
That is enough of a trend for fans to question how Klieman handles the aftermath of that game. Are the Wildcats experiencing too much of a hangover? Are they putting too much into the rivalry?
Klieman acknowledged that K-State has not been good in that setting during his weekly news conference, but he also said he wasn’t sure how to go about changing things.
To be fair, this year’s loss could be chalked up to poor timing. In the past, K-State has blown games against Houston and West Virginia. But the Wildcats weren’t favored in this game. Texas Tech is one of the best teams in the country.
Still, K-State was once again unable to win one week after its biggest rivalry game.
This story was originally published November 1, 2025 at 6:29 PM.