Wildcat report: Glenn Gronkowski brags about touchdown pass to family
First quarter
Key play: Glenn Gronkowski threw a touchdown pass to fellow fullback Winston Dimel to tie the game at 7-7.
Key stat: K-State ran the ball 12 times and attempted five passes.
Second quarter
Key play: Joel Lanning found Allen Lazard for a 16-yard touchdown, giving Iowa State a 35-14 lead.
Key stat: Mike Warren rushed for 110 yards.
Third quarter
Key play: Charles Jones scored on an eight-yard run to make the score 35-21.
Key stat: Iowa State touched the ball a single time, turning the ball over on downs.
Fourth quarter
Key play: Jack Cantele kicked a 42-yard field goal to lift K-State to victory.
Key stat: Iowa State lost two fumbles in the final 90 seconds.
Report card
Offense: C. K-State scored enough points to win, but it squandered several opportunities and gained 385 yards compared to 448 by Iowa State.
Defense: C. The Wildcats were nails in the second half and forced four turnovers, but they also let the Cyclones walk all over them in the first half.
Special teams: A. Morgan Burns returned a kickoff 100 yards for a touchdown and Jack Cantele nailed a 42-yard field goal to win.
Coaching: B. Credit Snyder for keeping spirits high during K-State’s losing streak. The Wildcats could have quit many times on Saturday, but they fought the whole way and good things happened.
Player of the game
Will Geary. The defensive tackle forced Mike Warren to fumble on the game’s most pivotal play, giving K-State an opportunity to mount a comeback. He was also good against the run.
Reason to hope
Wild victories can sometimes give teams a boost that carries over into future games. With winless Kansas up next and West Virginia at home the following week, the Wildcats are confident they can still reach a bowl.
Reason to mope
Iowa State looked leaps and bounds better than K-State in the opening half. The Wildcats continue to struggle early in games.
Looking ahead
Next up is a trip to winless Kansas. The Wildcats haven’t lost to the Jayhawks since Bill Snyder came out of retirement in 2009, and they will once again be favored. But it won’t be an automatic victory. K-State needs to play well to win.
Gronk tosses TD
Kansas State scored a touchdown against Iowa State on a trick play that featured a pass from one fullback to another.
The play began with quarterback Joe Hubener pitching the ball back to fullback Glenn Gronkowski, who faked like he was going to run. As he approached the line of scrimmage, he jumped and tossed a pass to fellow fullback Winston Dimel, who made an easy four-yard catch for a touchdown.
Gronkowski was proud of the play for several reasons. Chief among them: he is the first member of his football family to throw for a touchdown, including his older brother Rob, a tight end for the New England Patriots.
“I actually just texted Rob,” Gronkowski said. “He broke my record last week with the longest touchdown catch. I told him I was mad at him. To get that out there gives me braggign rights again.”
Gronkowski said he had practiced the play for months, and executed it perfectly.
No pressure
Jack Cantele said he didn’t feel pressure when he lined up for K-State’s game-winning field goal. Iowa State used two timeouts in an attempt to unnerve him, but he stayed calm.
“It just kind of seemed unnecessary,” Cantele said. “I did not think anyone did that anymore. It is not something you need to worry about. It did not bother me. I did not even think about it.”
He did celebrate wildly when it was over, running backward and taking off his helmet, which earned him a penalty. He apologized, saying he thought the game was over.
Another return
Morgan Burns continued his hot streak as a kick returner on Saturday when he ran a kickoff back 100 yards for a touchdown in the first half. He also scored a special teams touchdown against Texas Tech and South Dakota.
Kellis Robinett
This story was originally published November 21, 2015 at 5:43 PM with the headline "Wildcat report: Glenn Gronkowski brags about touchdown pass to family."