K-State football ends regular season on losing streak after lopsided defeat to Texas
The Kansas State football team has been on the receiving end of several disappointing losses this season, but none were more humbling than the 69-31 beat down it suffered against Texas on Saturday at Bill Snyder Family Stadium.
The Longhorns scored a decisive victory that left Chris Klieman’s Wildcats team with a losing record and once again shined a light on many of K-State’s shortcomings, particularly on defense.
Many wondered if Texas (6-3, 5-3 Big 12) would be mentally ready to play this game after being all but eliminated from Big 12 championship contention following last week’s painful loss to Iowa State. Two of its best players left the team to focus on the NFL Draft, and it was dealing with injuries. But none of that seemed to bother the Longhorns. They were dialed in at kickoff and put on an offensive clinic against K-State (4-6, 4-5 Big 12).
The Longhorns did whatever they wanted on the ground and made K-State tacklers look silly while piling up 334 rushing yards and seven rushing touchdowns, the most allowed in a game by the Wildcats since the old Big Eight days.
Bijan Robinson led the Longhorns with 172 yards and three touchdowns, but Roschon Johnson wasn’t far behind with 139 yards and three touchdowns. Sam Ehlinger added 274 yards and a pair of touchdowns as a passer.
Overall, Texas averaged a preposterous 10.1 yards per play and 4.9 points per drive.
This had to be an incredibly frustrating game for Klieman, a defensive-minded coach who played safety at Northern Iowa before he began his coaching career.
It was one of the ugliest losses in recent memory for K-State. No team has scored more points against the Wildcats since Nebraska put up 73 against K-State in 2007.
K-State tried to keep up with some nice runs from Deuce Vaughn (125 yards and two touchdowns) and impressive catches from Malik Knowles (six catches for 95 yards and two touchdowns), but it wasn’t enough. Turnovers and missed opportunities caught up with the Wildcats in the third quarter and the Longhorns pulled away in a high-scoring game.
Just like that, a season that began with excitement and promise ended with a whimper. It’s hard to remember that the Wildcats were on top of the Big 12 standings at the midway point of the season with a 4-0 league record. That seems like eons ago now that they ended the year on a five-game losing streak.
A string of defeats like that could make for some interesting conversations during the offseason.
K-State will now wait to learn if it won enough games during the first half of the season to receive a bowl invitation. Odds are good the Wildcats will play in one of the Big 12’s lower-tier bowl games, but some fans are bound to wonder if playing another game is truly a good thing for this team.
Klieman has said he is in favor of K-State playing in a bowl because it will provide extra practice opportunities for a young roster that badly needs them. But there isn’t much fan enthusiasm about the postseason right now in Manhattan.
This story was originally published December 5, 2020 at 2:45 PM with the headline "K-State football ends regular season on losing streak after lopsided defeat to Texas."