Wildcat Report: Officiating error aids Oklahoma State in win over K-State

First quarter

Key play: Kody Cook hit Glenn Gronkowski for a short touchdown pass near the end of the first quarter to give K-State a 14-7 lead.

Key stat: Cook led K-State to a touchdown on both of its drives.

Second quarter

Key play: Jordan Willis deflected a lateral pass and Danzel McDaniel pounced on the loose ball to put K-State’s offense in the red zone.

Key stat: Justin Silmon ran six yards for a touchdown that put K-State ahead 28-13.

Third quarter

Key play: Elijah Lee broke up a pass on a two-point conversion attempt to keep K-State ahead 28-26.

Key stat: K-State managed one yard of offense.

Fourth quarter

Key play: Ben Grogan kicked a 37-yard field goal in the final minute to win the game for Oklahoma State.

Key stat: Cook was unable to play after K-State’s first series of the fourth quarter, exiting the game with an injury.

Player of the game

Kody Cook. Sure, his team lost and Oklahoma State’s quarterback threw for 437 yards. But Mason Rudolph isn’t the Cowboys’ fifth option at the position. Cook amassed 209 yards of offense and played a part in three touchdowns despite practicing as a quarterback for one week.

Reason to hope

The Wildcats have heart. They showed it against Louisiana Tech and they showed it again against Oklahoma State.

Reason to mope

At some point, injuries can become too much to overcome. Is K-State reaching that point? The next two games – against TCU and Oklahoma – would be challenging at full strength.

Looking ahead

No. 4 TCU heads to Manhattan for a primetime game that will be televised nationally on Fox. The Horned Frogs are one of the nation’s best teams. It will take quite an effort for K-State to win.

Report card

Offense: B+. Under the circumstances, you couldn’t have expected anything more from K-State on offense. But it did nothing in the third quarter, which proved costly.

Defense: C. Two turnovers kept the Wildcats in it. So did a strong showing against the run. But few teams can allow 437 passing yards and expect to win.

Special teams: C. Jack Cantele missed a field goal at the end of the first half that could have altered the game, and K-State booted a kickoff out of bounds before Oklahoma State’s final drive, setting the Cowboys up with good field position.

Coaching: B. Give Bill Snyder credit. His team was prepared to fight under unusual conditions. But offensive coordinator Dana Dimel made some questionable calls in the second half, including a failed fullback pass that knocked K-State out of field goal range.

Notes

An officiating error aided an Oklahoma State touchdown Saturday. Late in the second quarter, the Cowboys were penalized for holding on a first-and-10 play from the K-State 45. The next play should have been first-and-20 from the OSU 45. Instead, it was first-and-15, because the first-down marker was mistakenly moved back five yards with the 10-yard penalty.

Oklahoma State lost yardage on its next play and then gained four yards on a reception, setting up a third-and-18 that should have been a third-and-23. Quarterback Mason Rudolph then completed a pass to Marcell Ateman for 19 yards, giving the Cowboys a first down just past the K-State 40 instead of the K-State 35.

Officials didn't catch the mistake, and Oklahoma State’s drive continued.

The Cowboys went on to score a touchdown on the drive, pulling to within 28-20 with 46 seconds remaining in the half. They won 36-34 on a last-minute field goal.

K-State coaches didn’t noticeably contest the error at the time, and many inside Boone Pickens Stadium were unaware of the mistake. But it showed up on the game’s play-by-play chart when the first-and-20 became a first-and-15 without a play taking place. And it was obvious to everyone watching on TV, as the Fox Sports 1 crew broadcasting the game labeled the downs correctly. On the third down conversion, Ateman appeared to fall well short of the made-for-TV yellow first-down line.

Bill Snyder noticed the error, but had little to say about it.

"I am trying to think what the official told me about it," Snyder said. "I can’t remember right now."

▪ If healthy Kody Cook would be a candidate to start at quarterback going forward, but Snyder said he didn’t know the condition of Cook’s shoulder after the game. He said Joe Hubener was deemed healthy in the first quarter and was fit to return. Neither quarterback was available for comment. Snyder said he was not sure if Jonathan Banks would be ready to play next week.

▪ Left guard Boston Stiverson played for the first time this season. Kyle Klein returned at receiver. He hadn’t played since the opener.

▪ Two representatives from the Liberty Bowl attended Saturday’s game.

This story was originally published October 3, 2015 at 9:23 PM with the headline "Wildcat Report: Officiating error aids Oklahoma State in win over K-State."