How Kansas State overcame a costly fumble at the goal line and defeated Iowa State
It was a play that was nearly remembered for a long time and for all the wrong reasons.
There was Kansas State receiver Malik Knowles about to finish off a 69-yard touchdown reception against Iowa State when everything went haywire. Instead of crossing the goal line with the ball in his hands for a potentially decisive score, Cyclones defensive back Anthony Johnson came zooming in and punched the ball free inside the 1-yard line for a fumble and an Iowa State touchback.
The Wildcats were supposed to be leading 14-6 and kicking off on the other side of the field in the second quarter. But after disaster struck, the Cyclones were running offense at their own 20 with a chance to take the lead.
Fans on both sides of the Farmageddon rivalry smacked their foreheads in unison and wondered what the heck just happened.
“I was just running and didn’t finish the play,” Knowles said after the fumble. “I kind of lost where the defender was at, and I thought I was fully into the end zone with nobody by me. I have just got to focus on the details and finish that play.”
The play was quickly circulated on social media as a blooper for the Wildcats and an example of never giving up on a play for the Cyclones.
No one would have blamed Knowles for hanging his head after a blunder like that. But he didn’t. At least not for long. Knowles kept his head up and went on to make several big plays later in the evening that helped the Wildcats defeat the Cyclones 10-9 on Saturday at Jack Trice Stadium.
He caught five passes for 108 yards and also threw a pass to quarterback Adrian Martinez for a gain of 11 yards on a trick play from offensive coordinator Collin Klein.
“Malik is a great player,” Martinez said. “Everyone makes mistakes. Things like that happen. He was obviously hurt about that. He’s very competitive. But he’s also a leader on our team. So he wasn’t happy about it, but he turned things around. He had a couple of big possessions for us in the second half. We knew he would bounce back. We were all in his ear, but he’s a grown man. We knew he would bounce back just fine.”
K-State football coach Chris Klieman also encouraged Knowles after the fumble. He made sure to point out he didn’t think it was a blunder by Knowles, but a terrific and unexpected hustle play from the Iowa State defense.
“I was hoping he crossed (the goal line), but he didn’t,” Klieman said. “I felt bad for Malik, but he came back and made some big-time plays for us in the pass game. Their kid just made a great play, overall.”
Knowles, a 6-foot-3 senior receiver, said his teammates helped him power through.
“I am kind of hard on myself,” Knowles said. “I took it pretty hard. But having all the coaches and my teammates rallying around me and supporting me helped me keep my mind focused. It depended on me. I knew I had to put that play past me.”
Knowles finding a way to make big plays on a night when things weren’t going perfectly seems like a microcosm of the entire game.
The Wildcats were unable to run for big yardage against the Cyclones. They made uncharacteristically silly mistakes. And they trailed Iowa State 9-7 in the fourth quarter. A beautiful game this was not.
But they found a way to put all that behind them and win a game that kept them in first place of the Big 12 standings at 5-1 overall with a 3-0 conference record.
They did it by throwing for 257 yards and a touchdown. They did it by limiting Iowa State to 276 yards and not allowing the Cyclones to score a single touchdown. They did it by staying together.
This was arguably K-State’s finest moment of the season yet. Not even a bizarre fumble at the 1-yard line could stop them.
“We have got tough kids,” Klieman said. “We have got great resolve. They believe in each other and they stay in the fight. That’s a big thing. You stay in the fight and try to find a way to win in the fourth quarter. We did that.”
This story was originally published October 8, 2022 at 11:49 PM with the headline "How Kansas State overcame a costly fumble at the goal line and defeated Iowa State."