Five things we learned from Kansas State’s 34-17 victory over West Virginia
The Kansas State football team continued its winning streak by defeating West Virginia 34-17 on Saturday at Bill Snyder Family Stadium.
The Wildcats (7-3, 4-3 Big 12) took advantage of myriad early mistakes by the Mountaineers (4-6, 2-5), built a 17-0 lead and then made some key plays in the fourth quarter to secure their fourth straight victory.
It was a meaningful result for K-State, which hadn’t beaten West Virginia since 2015.
“I couldn’t be happier with us beating a really good West Virginia team,” K-State coach Chris Klieman said. “West Virginia is dog gone good. I’ve got so much respect for Neal Brown. He’s a great coach. They have physical players and are really athletic. Our guys just found a way. It wasn’t pretty all the time, but we found a way.”
Here are some thoughts on the game before K-State turns its attention to its next game against Baylor, which knocked off previously undefeated Oklahoma 27-14 on Saturday.
No guts, no glory
K-State football coach Chris Klieman made the gutsiest call of the season midway through the fourth quarter and it paid off in a big way.
Conventional wisdom would suggest the Wildcats should have punted when they faced fourth-and-8 from the West Virginia 39 while nursing a 24-17 lead. But Klieman decided to roll the dice and left his offense on the field.
It was a risky decision. The Mountaineers had found the end zone on each of their previous two drives. Giving them good field position easily could have resulted in another score and a tie game.
But a first down would make their comeback attempt much more difficult.
What to do?
Turns out, Klieman’s trust in his offense was well placed.
Skylar Thompson responded by hitting tight end Sammy Wheeler over the middle for a 35-yard gain that seemed to break West Virginia’s spirit. K-State appropriately scored on the following play on a 4-yard run from Deuce Vaughn.
The game may have ended much differently without that first down.
“We didn’t come here to try to hang on to win,” Klieman said. “We came here to try to win the football game, and he absolutely ripped the seem route to Sammy Wheeler. I’m so pleased for Sammy. He made two big-time catches that I know of today and that was a turning point of the game, without question. I am glad that the guys believe in each other and believed in me that we were going to get that call and roll with them.”
Big game for Russ Yeast
After watching several of his teammates hog the spotlight in recent games, K-State defensive back Russ Yeast played like the MVP of his unit against West Virginia quarterback Jarret Doege.
Every time Doege challenged Yeast in coverage, good things happened for the Wildcats.
Yeast made more big plays than anyone in this game, and he finished with three pass breakups, an interception and a forced fumble.
His interception came on the second play of the game on a tipped pass. Later, he broke up a pass that looked like it was going to end with a touchdown when West Virginia attempted a flea-flicker. He also sniffed out a short pass in the flats and blew up the play before it could get started.
West Virginia threatened to score many times in the first half but never reached the end zone, in part because of Yeast’s big plays.
This was his finest game since transferring from Louisville.
Showing off on special teams
Days like these are why fans affectionately refer to K-State as Special Teams U.
The Wildcats had two gigantic plays on special teams that helped them beat the Mountaineers.
The first came on a blocked punt in the first quarter when Ty Bowman blitzed past a pack of WVU blockers and prevented Tyler Sumpter from booting the ball down field. One of his K-State teammates, Marvin Martin, scooped up the loose ball and returned it for an easy touchdown to give the Wildcats a 14-0 lead.
K-State also benefited from a 64-yard kickoff return from Malik Knowles at the start of the third quarter. That gave the Wildcats excellent field position, and they took advantage of it moments later when Thompson found Wheeler for a touchdown.
This game was evenly played on offense and defense, with both teams averaged almost exactly the same number of yards per play. But it swung K-State’s way on special teams, and that is a big reason why it won a comfortable margin.
Unsettling performance on offense
The Wildcats scored enough points to win, but that’s more or less where the positives end for K-State’s offense.
K-State averaged 5.2 yards per play, its second worst number of the season, and only looked impressive on its opening drive when the Wildcats ran all over the Mountaineers and Joe Ervin capped things off with a touchdown.
Thompson failed to throw for 200 yards for the first time since he returned from injury last month, finishing with 138 yards and a touchdown. He also got bailed out after throwing an interception when West Virginia’s VanDarius Cowan lowered his helmet into Thompson for an illegal hit and was ejected, thus nullifying the turnover.
Deuce Vaughn rushed for 121 yards and a touchdown, but he needed 25 carries to get there.
Perhaps the Wildcats chose to play conservative with a lead. But it was a step back for a unit that did anything it wanted while averaging 8.8 yards per play last week against Kansas.
Much to play for in final two games
The Wildcats have impressively climbed up the Big 12 standings since they began conference play 0-3 and are now above .500 in league play. They can clinch a winning Big 12 record by defeating Baylor at home next week. They can also boost their bowl stock and make a push for nine victories if their hot streak continues.
“It’s always fun to win,” Thompson said. “That’s what I’m here for. That’s what we’re all here for. What I think is very special about this team is that we’re not getting too high or too low. When we lost three in a row we could easily just have thrown in the towel, but guys kept believing and kept fighting and kept trusting the program. But there’s still more to accomplish and we can’t be satisfied or get complacent.”
Baylor is the nation’s No. 18 ranked team and is coming off a big victory over Oklahoma.
The Bears are one of the best opponents K-State will play all season. Ending the season at Texas will also be difficult. K-State might not be favored in either one. But those games present a big opportunity for the Wildcats.
A pair of victories will result in a national ranking and an attractive bowl game.
This story was originally published November 13, 2021 at 2:24 PM with the headline "Five things we learned from Kansas State’s 34-17 victory over West Virginia."