Grades from Kansas State’s 37-31 loss against Oklahoma and a look ahead to Iowa State
Is there such a thing as an encouraging home loss?
That is a question Kansas State football players were asking themselves following a 37-31 defeat against Oklahoma on Saturday at Bill Snyder Family Stadium.
Yes, the Wildcats (3-2, 0-2 Big 12) lost to the Sooners (5-0, 2-0) for the first time in three years and remained winless in conference play. But they got Skylar Thompson back at quarterback and surprisingly out-gained Oklahoma by 28 yards (420-392).
If K-State can continue to move the ball like that and shore up a few things on defense, there is reason to feel encouraged about the team’s outlook for the remainder of the season.
“The attitude in the locker room is probably way better than you think,” K-State receiver Landry Weber said. “We’re close, and we know it. We’re all bought in, and we believe. We had a really tough first few games in the Big 12 on the road at Oklahoma State and then at home against a ranked Sooners team. That’s a really tough start and we’re close. We’re moving in the right direction. Our message today was, ‘Yeah, we didn’t win win on the scoreboard but we had success today as a team.’ We’re hungry to keep working, because we know we’re going in the right direction.”
Here are grades from K-State’s loss to Oklahoma and a look ahead to its next game against Iowa State on Oct. 16.
PLAYER OF THE GAME
Skylar Thompson didn’t attempt a single rush while he was nursing a knee injury, and his lack of mobility might have been a blessing in disguise.
The senior quarterback was forced to stay in the pocket and go through his progressions instead of trying to make plays with his feet. The results were impressive. Thompson completed 29 of 41 passes for 320 yards and three touchdowns.
K-State is clearly a much better team when Thompson is at quarterback, and his performance against Oklahoma gave the Wildcats hope for the remainder of the season.
PLAY OF THE GAME
Jacardia Wright lost a fumble on the opening drive of the game, which led to an early field goal for the Sooners.
K-State chased that mistake the rest of the afternoon. That turnover was potentially a 10-point swing. Without it, the Wildcats may have won.
STAT OF THE GAME
This was not a fun game for punters. Both teams combined to attempt just one punt on Saturday. But it was a good one. K-State punter Ty Zentner booted his lone punt 60 yards in the second half.
QUOTE TO NOTE
“I didn’t know you could review a review. Evidently you can. I don’t know what that was, but they must have had some really good evidence that I didn’t see.” — Chris Klieman on the controversial replay review that negated an onside kick for the Wildcats.
GRADES
Offense: A. The Wildcats did everything they could to win on this side of the ball. Thompson threw for 320 yards while K-State also churned out 100 yards on the ground. This was far and away the best game of the year for K-State’s receivers, with Phillip Brooks and Landry Weber both catching touchdown passes. Running back Deuce Vaughn was targeted 13 times and caught 10 passes for 104 yards and a score. It’s a totally different offense with Thompson at the controls.
Defense: F. Spencer Rattler had his way with K-State’s secondary, as he completed 22 of 25 passes for 243 yards and two touchdowns. The Sooners scored on their first drives and didn’t punt all afternoon. Oklahoma did an excellent job of creating one-on-one matchups for its playmakers in space, and they won the vast majority of those opportunities. The Wildcats need to tackle better in those situations.
Special Teams: A. Malik Knowles returned a kickoff 93 yards for a touchdown and Ty Zentner had a 60-yard punt. The Wildcats also nearly pulled off a surpise onside kick.
Coaching: B. Say this much about Klieman: He coached to win. The Wildcats kept their offense on the field and went for it on fourth down five different times and converted on all but one those attempts. They also dialed up a surprise onside kick in the third quarter. That aggressive approach was a hit with both players and fans.
NEXT UP
Kansas State is off next week and then plays Iowa State at home on Oct. 16.
The bye week seems to come at a good time for the Wildcats, as they have several injured players who could benefit from some rest.
But K-State will face a difficult opponent when the team returns to the field. Big 12 schedule makers didn’t do any favors for the Wildcats when they lined up Oklahoma State, Oklahoma and Iowa State at the start of conference play.
The Cowboys and Sooners are both ranked. The Cyclones were one of the league’s preseason favorites.
Iowa State hasn’t lived up to that hype through five games. The Cyclones have already lost to Baylor and Iowa, which means they are likely out of the playoff mix. But they can still be a factor in the Big 12 race and they had no problems beating Kansas 59-7 on Saturday.
The Cyclones are also off this week. So both teams will enter this game rested.
Playing at home could be a factor for K-State. The Wildcats haven’t lost to Iowa State in Manhattan since 2004.
This story was originally published October 3, 2021 at 11:03 AM with the headline "Grades from Kansas State’s 37-31 loss against Oklahoma and a look ahead to Iowa State."