Grading Kansas State’s loss to Iowa State in Dublin and looking ahead to Game 2
AI-generated summary reviewed by our newsroom.
- Kansas State fell 24-21 to Iowa State after surrendering a late-game lead in Dublin.
- Despite outgaining Iowa State, K-State converted only 1 of 4 fourth-down attempts.
- K-State aims to defy recent trends, as past Ireland game losers posted losing seasons.
Kansas State’s once-in-a-lifetime trip to Ireland came to a bitter end on Saturday when Iowa State defeated the Wildcats 24-21 at Aviva Stadium.
That is surely a painful result for everyone in EMAW nation to accept when you consider that K-State gave up a home game at Bill Snyder Family Stadium for yet another Farmageddon loss.
Some hoped that moving the game from Manhattan to Dublin and from November to August would give the Wildcats a better chance against their neighbors to the northeast. But it didn’t work out that way.
Iowa State coach Matt Campbell and quarterback Rocco Becht made all the right moves in the fourth quarter, while Chris Klieman and Avery Johnson came up short against the Cyclones for the third straight year.
A long day of travel home now awaits the Wildcats as they look to bounce back against North Dakota. Other teams have struggled with that in the past. During the brief history of the current Aer Lingus Classic, no team that has lost in Ireland has gone on to have a winning season. The last three losers went 4-8 (Nebraska in 2022), 5-7 (Navy in 2023) and 2-10 (Florida State in 2024) for a combined record of 11-25.
K-State will hope to buck that trend this season.
Time will tell if it happens. For now, here’s some analysis about Game 1:
Player of the game
Rocco Becht connected on just 14 of his 28 throws, and he failed to pass for 200 yards. But his passes pwere continually on the money in clutch moments, as he led the Cyclones on three touchdown drives during the final 16 minutes of the game. He finished with 183 yards and two touchdowns.
Play of the game
Iowa State flexed its muscles when it was able to convert a fourth-and-3 in the closing moments with a 15-yard pass from Becht to Carson Hansen. The play allowed the Cyclones to run out the clock on the Wildcats, and it came shortly after they also hit a big pass play on a key third down. Iowa State was clutch in the fourth quarter and K-State was not.
Stat of the game
The Wildcats gained more yards (383 to 313) than the Cyclones, but it didn’t matter because K-State went 1 for 4 on fourth downs while Iowa State was a perfect 3 for 3. K-State out-gained its opponent in several of its losses last season. That continues an odd trend.
Key quote
“Against a Big 12 opponent and a team that we’ve lost to two years in a row, this felt like a bigger game for us. But we can’t make the game bigger than what it is. Going into this next week we can’t be looking back on this game too much, because then we’ll get beat.” - K-State linebacker Austin Romaine.
K-State football grades
Offense: B. K-State played its best in catch-up mode. Whenever the Wildcats fell behind by a touchdown or more, and new offensive coordinator Matt Wells called aggressive passes, big plays were there for the taking. Avery Johnson connected with Jayce Brown for a 37-yard touchdown and later with Jerand Bradley for a 65-yard score. But the running game was lackluster without Dylan Edwards, averaging 4.1 yards per rush. Perhaps K-State should look to throw downfield more in the future.
Defense: B. The Wildcats looked dominant, especially in the front seven, for the first three quarters with Tobi Osunsanmi, Jordan Allen and Damian Ilalio all recording tackles for loss. Becht faced constant pressure from the K-State pass rush until the fourth quarter. But once the Cyclones figured things out, the Wildcats had no answers for them. K-State’s young secondary looked shaky at times in coverage.
Special Teams: D. Things got off to a poor start in this category when Dylan Edwards lost a fumble as he tried to return the first punt of the game. The Wildcats had few other opportunities here to make big plays. But Luis Rodriguez was perfect on extra points.
Coaching: C. Klieman can’t figure out how to beat Iowa State. It’s fair to describe Matt Campbell as his nemesis at this point. The Cyclones have won five of six in this series, and coaching played a major factor in this one. Every time Campbell made a bold coaching decision, it worked out. The opposite seemed true for Klieman and K-State. Iowa State’s dominance in the fourth quarter tells you all you need to know about this one.
Next up: North Dakota
The K-State football team usually opens the season with a home game against a FCS opponent. This year, the Wildcats will host North Dakota in their second game of the year. They will also be coming off a loss.
That will make Game 2 an interesting one.
Few coaches are better at beating FCS opponents than Klieman, who won a truck load of FCS national championships at North Dakota State before he took over at K-State. Most expect that trend to continue here. But it might not be easy for the Wildcats to get pumped for this game as they spend the next week traveling home, adjusting to a time change and analyzing their loss to Iowa State.
Or maybe the Wildcats will roll like they usually do against this kind of opponent, regardless of the circumstances.
North Dakota is not a stellar FCS team. It is coming off a 5-7 season.
K-State will host North Dakota at 6 p.m. on Saturday in Manhattan. The game will be streamed on ESPN+.
This story was originally published August 24, 2025 at 12:08 PM with the headline "Grading Kansas State’s loss to Iowa State in Dublin and looking ahead to Game 2."