Wildcat-Jayhawk report

First Quarter

Key Play: Morgan Burns blocked a punt on the Jayhawks’ opening drive, setting up an easy K-State score.

Key Stat: Burns blocked two punts and intercepted a pass.

Second Quarter

Key Play: Joe Hubener found the end zone on a short run to give K-State a 35-7 lead early in the second quarter.

Key Stat: K-State went for it twice on fourth down and converted both attempts.

Third Quarter

Key Play: K-State stuffed KU on a fourth-and-one in the red zone.

Key Stat: The only points of the quarter came on a field goal from Matthew McCrane.

Fourth Quarter

Key Play: Joe Hubener ran for K-State’s final touchdown, giving the Wildcats a 45-7 lead.

Key Stat: The Wildcats had a big enough lead to use two backup quarterbacks, Kody Cook and Zach Davidson.

K-State player of the game

Morgan Burns. The K-State defensive back blocked a punt, forced a fumble, scored a touchdown and intercepted a pass. He did it all.

K-State reason to hope

K-State still owns the Sunflower Showdown under Bill Snyder. This was the worst team the Wildcats have had in years, and they were miles better than the Jayhawks.

K-State reason to mope

There is no guarantee the Wildcats will reach a bowl. They need one more victory to clinch a traditional bowl invite, and they will have to beat red-hot West Virginia to reach 6-6.

Up next for K-State

West Virginia visits Manhattan in the season finale for both teams. The Mountaineers will likely be favored, as they have looked dominant during the four-game winning streak.

K-State report card

Offense: B. K-State took advantage of excellent field position and took a big, early lead with its running game. The second half was boring to watch, but the Wildcats could afford to play it safe.

Defense: A. The secondary snagged its first interception of the season, and the defensive line came up big on two fourth-down conversion attempts by Kansas. The Jayhawks only sustained two drives all day.

Special Teams: A+. K-State made KU look silly on special teams, turning two punts into touchdowns. The Wildcats also were perfect in the kicking game.

Coaching: A. The weather was miserable and the crowd was small. This wasn’t the easiest game to get up for, but the Wildcats were fired up from the beginning.

KU report card

Offense: D. Looking to the future, the Jayhawks may have found something in freshman quarterback Ryan Willis, who appears to be the quarterback of the future. Looking to the future, though, the Jayhawks must score more points if they want to compete in the Big 12. The Jayhawks had offensive line issues and inexperienced receivers, but the offense never took off.

Defense: F. The Jayhawks allowed more points this season (553) than any in program history. The Jayhawks were continually dominated physically in the trenches, but their discipline was an issue, too. When other teams ran the ball, the Jayhawks were often caught out of their gaps. This is more concerning than the talent deficiency.

Special teams: D. KU punter Matthew Wyman took blame for the punting fiascos on Saturday. He dropped his first punt attempt and had the next one blocked. But Wyman, who doubles as the Kansas kicker, is learning to punt after taking over at the position midseason. It’s not all his fault. On the whole, the Jayhawks had some nice moments on special teams this season. But KU coach David Beaty wants to make special teams a hallmark of his program. From that standpoint, Saturday was disappointing.

Coaching: C. It’s almost impossible to judge Beaty off wins and losses this season. The season-opening loss to South Dakota State was a setback, but that game might have looked differently if senior quarterback Michael Cummings didn’t get hurt in the spring. In 2015, the cupboard was bare. In 2016, Beaty must continue to show progress on the recruiting trail and in developing his current roster.

McCrane returns

K-State sophomore kicker Matthew McCrane saw his first action since the second week of the season, connecting on five extra points and one field goal.

He was kicking in relief of senior Jack Cantele, who limped off the field following an early extra point.

McCrane opened the season as K-State’s starter, but suffered an injury against Texas-San Antonio. Cantele, a senior, took his place and kicked well enough throughout the season to retain the top job.

K-State coach Bill Snyder said Cantele has been dealing with a minor injury all week, and he pulled him out of the game as a precaution. Either kicker could start against West Virginia next week.

Versatile player

Glenn Gronkowski ran for his first career touchdown against Kansas. He has now caught a touchdown pass, rushed for a touchdown and thrown for a score.

Kellis Robinett

This story was originally published November 28, 2015 at 8:13 PM with the headline "Wildcat-Jayhawk report."