Wildcat report: No. 19 Oklahoma 55, Kansas State 0
First quarter
Key play: Baker Mayfield found Sterling Shepard for a 22-yard touchdown pass, putting Oklahoma ahead 7-0.
Key stat: Mayfield completed 8 of 10 passes for 106 yards and two touchdowns.
Second quarter
Key play: Joe Hubener threw his second interception.
Key stat: Mayfield completed 10 of 11 passes for 129 yards and three touchdowns.
Third quarter
Key play: Zack Sanchez returned an interception 38 yards for a touchdown to put Oklahoma ahead 42-0.
Key stat: Mayfield completed 2 of 6 passes for 47 yards.
Fourth quarter
Key play: Joe Mixon scored on a one-yard run, making the score 55-0.
Key stat: Mayfield didn’t attempt a pass. Backup quarterback Trevor Knight replaced him.
Player of the game
Mayfield played a nearly flawless game, throwing for 235 yards and five touchdowns -- in the first half. He put the game out of reach early.
Reason to hope
K-State’s next game is against Texas, an evenly matched opponent. As long as the Wildcats recover mentally from this beatdown, they will have a chance to win in Austin.
Reason to mope
Oklahoma hadn’t looked great in any of its games before Saturday, but it outmanned K-State in every way.
Looking ahead
K-State needs a victory to stay above .500 and move toward bowl eligibility. A victory against Texas could be essential.
Report card
Offense: F. Joe Hubener couldn’t have played any worse, and Kody Cook threw an interception that was returned for a touchdown. K-State was never in a position to do anything successful on offense. It was a meltdown.
Defense: D. Will Geary supplied solid pressure and Duke Shelley had positive moments at corner. Otherwise, there were no positives here.
Special teams: F. Jack Cantele missed a field-goal attempt and K-State never got anything going with its return game.
Coaching: F. Oklahoma entered Saturday with the nation’s 95th-ranked run defense, allowing 190 rushing yards per game. But the Wildcats opened the day with six straight passes and never gave its running attack a chance. K-State’s offense is at its best with Hubener, Justin Silmon and Charles Jones running the ball, but its play calling didn’t reflect that.
Injuries mount
K-State’s defense continued to absorb injuries Saturday. Linebacker Elijah Lee, safety Kaleb Prewett and corner Duke Shelley all left the game with injuries and were unable to return. Lee and Prewett didn’t attend the postgame news conference, but Shelley did. He said he was motivated to help the defense improve.
Starting corner Danzel McDaniel missed Saturday’s game with an injury he suffered last week against TCU. Strong safety Dante Barnett remained out, as well. He has not played since the opener.
Not the effort
K-State players agreed effort was not an issue in the loss. Boston Stiverson and Will Geary both blamed execution, but said the team was fired up at halftime. They were motivated to return to the field and mount a comeback.
In hoops news
The Kansas State basketball team held an open scrimmage at Bramlage Coliseum before Saturday’s football game. When it was over, coach Bruce Weber told the assembled crowd “I think we are going to surprise some people this season.”
Wesley Iwundu looked like the best player during the scrimmage, hitting a three-pointer and slashing to the basket for points. Stephen Hurt also flashed some nice moves inside.
Interestingly, former walk-on Brian Rohleder played point guard throughout the scrimmage. He held his own, avoiding turnovers and leading his team to victory in the first scrimmage session.
The Wildcats will hold another open scrimmage at 3:30 next Saturday at Bramlage Coliseum following K-State’s football game at Texas.
Kellis Robinett
This story was originally published October 17, 2015 at 8:19 PM with the headline "Wildcat report: No. 19 Oklahoma 55, Kansas State 0."