K-State keeps trophy home after dismantling Kansas 51-13

B.J. Finney has lots of experience with the Governor’s Cup. The fifth-year senior center has walked past the prize every day of his college career on his way into Kansas State’s football complex, cherishing its presence like a priceless painting.

So when you ask Finney, an Andale native, what it feels like to help the Wildcats win the trophy for a sixth straight time, beating Kansas 51-13 on Saturday’s, on senior day, it seems only natural that his eyes light up as if it was a first-time experience.

“It’s more fulfilling, because it’s your senior year and it’s the last time you’re going to be playing them and getting a win over them,” Finney said. “All week, the coaches were telling us this is a game that the seniors are always going to remember. You remember the KU game your senior year more vividly than the other ones. It was more emotional this time.”

Finney paused to smile.

“It’s a good day as long as you walk in the door and the first thing you see is that Governor’s Cup,” he continued. “Let’s keep it here.”

That mindset continues to make the Sunflower Showdown one of the dullest in-state rivalries in major-college football. The Governor’s Cup is living in Manhattan.

Thanks to a dominating victory over Kansas in front of 53,439, the third-largest crowd to watch a K-State home game, the Wildcats secured their sixth straight win over the Jayhawks.

“I told them that this was our governor (Sam Brownback) and we like having him in our locker room,” Snyder said. “We would like to make sure that he continues visiting us after ballgames.”

This victory resembled the previous five under Snyder, which K-State won by an average of 31.6 points.

K-State (9-2, 7-1 Big 12) got off to an ideal start and had one of its most lopsided wins of the season. It keeps the Wildcats in a three-way battle with TCU and Baylor for the Big 12 championship.

The title scenarios are simple. If K-State defeats the Bears on the road next week, it clinches at least a share of the league title with TCU. It can also clinch an outright championship by beating Baylor if TCU falls to Iowa State.

“We are going to be ready to go,” senior defensive end Ryan Mueller said. “We are going to prepare like we have never prepared, because we know what is on the line. Everybody on the team is going to put in a lot of work to make sure we can go down there and give them our best.”

You could tell that’s what K-State was giving Saturday in the opening five minutes. On the Jayhawks’ first two drives, they went three-and-out and tossed an interception. On the Wildcats’ first two drives, Jake Waters scored a touchdown on a quarterback sneak and threw a 44-yard strike to Tyler Lockett.

With 10:18 remaining in the first quarter, K-State possessed a 14-0 lead.

“They jumped all over us,” said Clint Bowen, serving in his final game as the Jayhawks’ interim coach. “It was 14-0 before anything even happened and we did not need that. We are coming into a road game and everyone knows the story about our road woes. We were looking for something good to happen early, but it did not.”

Things got worse. As Kansas (3-9, 1-8) was trying to make it a one-score game, Michael Cummings threw his second interception near the goal line on a bizarre play. As he attempted to find receiver Rodriguez Coleman for a first down, Coleman kicked out his leg and sent the ball 10 yards into the air. K-State cornerbacks Morgan Burns and Randall Evans converged as it dropped back to earth, and Evans had an interception.

That led to a K-State field goal.

Still, Kansas fought back to make the score 17-6 in the second quarter behind the guidance of Clint Bowen, serving in his final game as interim coach with an uncertain future, on a 27-yard pass from Cummings to Nick Harwell.

Then K-State answered with an 11-yard touchdown run by Charles Jones and then a six-yard touchdown catch by Lockett.

It was a big day for Lockett. The senior receiver grabbed nine passes for 119 yards and two touchdowns, moving him to the top of K-State’s list in receptions and tying his father, Kevin, for the school record in touchdown receptions. He already owned the school record for receiving yards.

“Having the opportunity to break any record here, even in winter workouts, they seem impossible to break,” Lockett said. “Looking at my dad’s records before I even came here you would think nobody is ever going to break that. … It’s just one of those things you can cherish.”

Waters also had a nice day throwing the ball. On top of his many connections with Waters, he found Curry Sexton for 141 yards and a touchdown. Overall, he had 294 passing yards and four touchdowns before making way for backup Joe Hubener in the fourth quarter.

Kansas opened the third quarter with a touchdown pass from Cummings to tight end Trent Smiley to make the score 38-13, but K-State was much too strong on this day.

Unlike some of its past games, K-State had an overall strong performance. A week after rushing for a single yard against West Virginia, it ran for 173 yards and two scores against Kansas.

DeMarcus Robinson led the way with 64 yards on eight carries, while Charles Jones had 42 yards and a touchdown on nine carries. Jones also added a 13-yard touchdown catch.

Combined, it was once again enough to keep the Governor’s Cup in Manhattan. K-State’s current group of seniors went undefeated against Kansas.

“It’s amazing. Not too many people can say that,” Lockett said. “People tell me my dad never lost to them and my uncle never lost to them. It is just one of those deals when you come here you realize how important the rivalry is. … I enjoyed every moment of it.”

This story was originally published November 29, 2014 at 6:24 PM with the headline "K-State keeps trophy home after dismantling Kansas 51-13."