‘We just believed’: How Kansas State pulled off unlikely comeback win at Texas Tech
His prediction seemed like a long shot, but no one dared to argue with Joe Klanderman when the Kansas State defensive coordinator yelled it on the sideline.
We’re winning this game. You just made a big play. We’re winning this game.
Those are the words Felix Anudike-Uzomah remembers Klanderman shouting after the sophomore defensive end came up with a momentum-shifting safety early in the third quarter of Saturday’s football game against Texas Tech at AT&T Jones Stadium.
The Wildcats still trailed by double digits at the time, and recent history suggested they would struggle catch up against the Red Raiders.
But things felt different in that moment. They were confident.
“We just believed in ourselves,” Anudike-Uzomah said, “and we did exactly what coach said. We won the game.”
Indeed, K-State rallied from a big early deficit to defeat Texas Tech by the slimmest of margins and head home with an important 25-24 victory.
Players celebrated by screaming and dancing as music blared inside the visiting locker room. It was appropriate that one of the songs was “Don’t Stop Believing” by Journey. The Wildcats (4-3, 1-3 Big 12) could finally breath a sigh of relief after enduring a three-game losing streak at the start of their conference season.
For head coach Chris Klieman, this ended an eight-game losing streak to Big 12 opponents.
“We needed this big time,” Klieman said. “We needed this victory, and we knew it was going to be tough. It turned out to be a lot tougher when we got down by two scores. But absolutely, I think they’re having a good time and that’s what it’s all about.”
K-State coaches and players alike deserve credit for staying resilient on Saturday. Getting off to a fast start was a point of emphasis in this game after they played from behind in recent losses against Oklahoma State, Oklahoma and Iowa State. But it didn’t happen. The Red Raiders scored on their second play of the game to take an early 7-0 lead. Then Malik Knowles fumbled the ensuing kickoff return, and Texas Tech scored another quick touchdown to pull ahead 14-0.
Just like that, the Wildcats were down by two touchdowns before their offense had a chance to run a single play.
“It’s obviously frustrating and it’s obviously not what you want,” K-State quarterback Skylar Thompson said. “But with my experience I’ve learned you can’t get bogged up in that stuff. We weren’t even on the field, hadn’t even had a chance to move the ball or anything yet. Here we are down 14. Sadly, it’s nothing new. We knew there was a lot of game to play. We just kept believing, kept fighting and it paid off for us.”
The Wildcats showed the most resolve after halftime.
A surprising change from Klieman helped make it happen.
Texas Tech led 24-10 after the first two quarters, and K-State could wait no longer to start chipping away at that advantage. The Wildcats use a methodical, run-oriented offense that is not designed for comebacks. Their game plan was to run the ball early and often against the Red Raiders’ porous defensive line, which previously allowed more than 300 rushing yards against Texas and TCU.
But that game plan wasn’t working. Texas Tech loaded defenders in the box and dared K-State to throw.
Klieman decided to accept that challenge.
“Let’s put it in Skylar’s hands,” Klieman said at halftime, “and spread them out. Let’s get into some one-back sets and let’s throw it around, because I don’t think they can cover us.”
The Wildcats did exactly that, and Thompson responded by completing 24 of 30 passes for 296 yards and a touchdown. It was the highest completion percentage (80%) of his career, and he got the ball to a whopping 12 different receivers.
Running back Deuce Vaughn led the charge with seven catches for 68 yards and the go-ahead touchdown on a beutifully designed pass out of the backfield that went for 22 yards with 6:09 remaining.
“That is just what Coach Klieman said we were going to do,” Thompson said. “I had a lot of trust with that, going five wide and spreading it out. I was able to really see what they were doing and understanding where the holes were and how to attack. Guys did a great job catching the ball and we made some plays.”
K-State played even better on defense in the second half.
After struggling to force punts and incomplete passes in previous games, the Wildcats held the Red Raiders scoreless over the final two quarters while only allowing 103 yards.
Texas Tech still nearly survived with a victory when it drove to the K-State 42 in the final minutes. A field goal was going to be enough to potentially win. But Anudike-Uzomah came through with a monster sack on third down and Nate Matlack delivered a key tackle on fourth down.
Defense wasn’t an issue for K-State when it won all three of its nonconference games and made Stanford look hapless in the opener. But the Wildcats seemed to lose their mojo in conference play. Opposing quarterback Spencer Sanders, Spencer Rattler and Brock Purdy all played like Heisman winners against them, combining to complete nearly 80% of their throws.
But the Wildcats flexed their defensive muscles on Saturday and limited the Red Raiders to 318 yards.
That didn’t seem likely at times, but K-State players never blinked. Not even when they trailed 14-0.
“We came into the locker room at halftime and nobody said, ‘We are going to lose this game,’” Vaughn said. “It was kind of like Oklahoma last year. We were down but not out. Everyone had that fight in their eyes.”
The result was a memorable comeback that might just put the season back on a positive trajectory.
This story was originally published October 23, 2021 at 5:40 PM with the headline "‘We just believed’: How Kansas State pulled off unlikely comeback win at Texas Tech."