K-State football grades: Can Wildcats live up to bold predictions after OSU loss?
Justin Hughes had something to say.
As Oklahoma State put the finishing touches on a 20-18 victory over Kansas State Saturday at Bill Snyder Family Stadium, the senior linebacker approached a handful of OSU players and sent the Cowboys home with some parting words.
“I told them boys, ‘We are going to see you again in the Big 12 championship,’” Hughes said. “That is a good team we just played and we are a good team. We made a few more mistakes than they did and that is why they came out on top, but we will see them again.”
Can the Wildcats live up to that bold prediction?
K-State may need to win all three of its remaining games to claw its way back to the top of the conference standings. After a hot start in league play, the Wildcats (4-3, 4-2 Big 12) have fallen out of first place with back-to-back losses and are now looking up at both Iowa State (5-2, 5-1 Big 12) and Oklahoma State (5-1, 4-1 Big 12). They are also tied with preseason favorites Oklahoma and Texas.
For now, it’s a five-team race.
A victory over the Cowboys would have done wonders for K-State’s league championship hopes. Now, the Wildcats are trying to play catch up. But that didn’t seem to matter to Hughes following Saturday’s hard-fought loss. He remains confident in his team.
“It’s disappointing that we lost, but we fought hard and I have seen the heart in this team,” Hughes said. “We can go out any given Saturday and play with anybody. (Oklahoma State) was just ranked No. 6 in the country before they lost to Texas, and we just came out there and had a good showing against them.”
There truly was much to unpack from this good, both good and bad.
With that in mind, here are grades from K-State’s latest defeat and a look ahead to its next game against Iowa State.
PLAYER OF THE GAME
K-State defensive end Wyatt Hubert gets the nod this week, even though the Wildcats came up a tad short on the scoreboard.
Hubert was a force to be reckoned with against Oklahoma State at the line of scrimmage, harassing the Cowboys’ offensive line all afternoon for 3 1/2 tackles for loss. He also forced a fumble with a blindside hit on OSU quarterback Spencer Sanders.
The loose ball fell directly into the hands of another OSU player. Had it bounced a little differently, K-State could have scored on that play and it might have been the difference in the game.
PLAY OF THE GAME
Just when it looked like Will Howard was on the verge of guiding the Wildcats to a go-ahead score midway through the fourth quarter, he lost a fumble at the OSU 15 and K-State’s victory odd plummeted.
The loose ball bounced straight into the hands of OSU safey Jason Taylor, setting him up for an easy 85-yard sprint to the end zone for a defensive touchdown.
The Wildcats trailed 13-12 before the fumble and had to make up a 20-12 deficit afterward. That was the decisive play of this game.
STAT OF THE GAME
Teams have scored defensive touchdowns against the Wildcats in two consecutive games. West Virginia did it on a pick six from Will Howard. Oklahoma State did it on a fumble from Howard.
K-State usually wins close games by making plays like those. Now it knows it how that feels.
QUOTE TO NOTE
“We proved we can play with anybody in the country and I stand on that with everything in me. We have some of the best special team guys in the country. We have a great offense. We have a great defense. Our defensive line is amazing. Any given Saturday we can come out with our best and put up points and stop anybody in this country.” — Justin Hughes.
GRADES
Offense: C+. The Wildcats out-gained the Cowboys 370-256, which would normally be a big enough margin for K-State to secure victory. But Howard only completed 10 of 21 passes and turned the ball over twice. K-State also struggled near the goal line, scoring just 20 points on five red-zone trips. K-State played admirably without Briley Moore, and Howard showed some moxie by throwing for 143 yards and rushing for 125 yards. But Deuce Vaughn (45 all-purpose yards) was once again quiet, and the offense made too many costly mistakes.
Defense: A. You can’t ask for too much more from K-State’s defense, other than maybe a turnover. The Wildcats held the Cowboys scoreless in the first half and only surrounded one offensive touchdown all game. The defensive line was dominant in the first half. Without star receiver Tylan Wallace, Oklahoma State only gained 256 yards.
Special Teams: B. Blake Lynch connected on a pair of field goals and K-State had zero glaring issues on special teams. But opponents have held punt returner Phillip Brooks in check ever since he went off for two touchdowns against Kansas.
Coaching: C. Going for two, and failing, with a 12-0 lead late in the first half proved to be a costly coaching decision by Chris Klieman, but Howard had Brooks open in the end zone on that play. With better execution, no one is talking about it today. K-State was arguably the better team on Saturday, and the coaching staff deserves more credit than scorn for that.
NEXT UP
The Wildcats get a week off before they head on the road for another key Big 12 game against Iowa State.
The Cyclones are coming off a come-from-behind victory over Baylor that kept them in first place of the conference standings.
Brock Purdy threw three interceptions and three touchdowns on Saturday to guide the Cylcones to a 38-31 win.
Iowa State will also get the next week off. So this will be a battle of rested teams. It will also be a matchup of entertaining running backs with Deuce Vaughn on one side and Breece Hall on the other.
This story was originally published November 8, 2020 at 11:01 AM with the headline "K-State football grades: Can Wildcats live up to bold predictions after OSU loss?."