Takeaways from Kansas State’s frustrating loss at Iowa State in regular-season finale
A season that was once filled with high hopes ended in disappointment for the Kansas State football team when it suffered a 29-21 loss against Iowa State on Saturday at Jack Trice Stadium.
The Wildcats (8-4, 5-4 Big 12) finished the regular season with a whimper and no shot at a conference championship with a mistake-filled effort that mirrored their entire up-and-down campaign.
Adding frustration to the situation is the fact that they closed out November by losing to their Farmageddon rivals on a night when the Cyclones (10-2, 7-2 Big 12) celebrated their first 10-win season in school history and earned a berth in the conference championship game.
K-State could have spoiled the party, but it made too many costly errors. It was also unable to come up with clutch plays when it needed them most. Iowa State has won four of the past five in this series.
The Cyclones had to wait and see if they had done enough to play for a conference championship. But their fans were in no mood to wait. They rushed the field and partied like a group that was ready for bigger and better things. BYU helped them out a few hours later by beating Houston.
K-State fans were on the other end of the spectrum after this one. A few weeks ago, EMAW supporters were dreaming of a playoff berth. Now they have to settle for eight wins and a trip to a middling bowl.
The Wildcats will learn their postseason assignment next weekend after the playoff bracket is announced.
Until then, here are some takeaways from Saturday’s action:
The first was play a bad omen for K-State
It seemed like the Wildcats might be in for a long night after their first play from scrimmage ended in disaster.
K-State received the opening kickoff and elected to run an option play on the first snap. That looked like a good strategy as the play unfolded and quarterback Avery Johnson pitched the ball to his right to running back Dylan Edwards. Had the pitch been executed properly, Edwards would have found ample space and potentially gained nice yardage.
But Edwards ran too far ahead of Johnson and the pitch went behind him. Officials ruled the pitch a lateral pass, which made it a fumble. Iowa State jumped on the loose ball and gained excellent field position.
The officials reviewed the play for several minutes to see if the pitch was, indeed, a lateral and ultimately decided the original ruling would stand. The Cyclones quickly turned that into a touchdown when Rocco Becht hit Jayden Higgins for a 21-yard strike in the end zone.
Fumbles twice hurt K-State in the first half. Keagan Johnson also lost control of the ball in the second quarter and Iowa State once again came up with a turnover that it parlayed into a score.
The Cyclones also blocked a short kick in the third quarter. K-State coach Chris Klieman pointed out that the Wildcats dropped a few potential interceptions on defense.
This game might have been different if not for those mistakes.
K-State kept it close with key defensive stops
Iowa State twice drove into the red zone in the second half and had opportunities to pull ahead by two scores, but K-State refused to let that happen.
The Wildcats stayed in the game thanks to a series of clutch plays from their defensive backs.
The first two happened at the end of the third quarter when Jack Fabris and Jacob Parrish teamed up to prevent the Cyclones from scoring despite driving all the way to the 7.
Fabris made the first big play when he broke up a pass that looked like a sure touchdown catch by Carson Hansen. Becht lofted him a pass in the end zone and he was wide open. But Fabris quickly closed on him and knocked the ball out of his hands as he was trying to secure the catch.
Iowa State decided to go for it two plays later on fourth down, but Parrish perfectly defended a pass thrown at Jayden Higgins in the end zone. Instead of scoring a touchdown, the Cyclones turned the ball over on downs.
Later, Parrish broke up another pass that Becht sent into the end zone with 6:20 remaining in the fourth quarter. That forced Iowa State to settle for a field goal and a 29-21 lead.
K-State was unable to capitalize with points on its ensuing drives and ultimately lost the game. But no one can blame the defense for this outcome, especially after those stops.
Avery Johnson showed his age in the fourth quarter
Iowa State recorded its first safety in nearly six years thanks to an ill-advised play from Johnson early in the fourth quarter.
Johnson has played like a mature quarterback in several games this season, but he looked like a sophomore in that situation.
Here’s what happened: K-State was facing a third-and-long from its own 22. Iowa State was leading 24-21, so a conversion would have been extremely important for the Wildcats. Perhaps that is why Johnson refused to give up when the Cyclones blitzed a defensive back and a linebacker up the middle and immediately got pressure on him.
Instead of taking a sack or throwing the ball away, Johnson retreated all the way into his own end zone and then threw the ball well short of the line scrimmage to avoid being tackled. The officials flagged him for intentional grounding in the end zone, which resulted in a safety and two points for Iowa State.
Johnson can be forgiven for trying to make a play with the game on the line. But avoiding critical errors like that will be important for him as he develops as a quarterback over the next two seasons.
Jayce Brown played great in unusual circumstances
If this was his final game in a K-State football uniform, Jayce Brown went out with a bang.
The sophomore wide receiver grabbed three passes for 106 yards and two touchdowns on a night when big plays were otherwise difficult for the Wildcats.
Both of his touchdown catches were beautiful. He caught the first one on a go route of 28 yards to the end zone. Later, he hauled in a pass from Johnson and then meandered his way through the Iowa State defense for a 65-yard score.
Normally, K-State fans would be fired up about a young player making that big of an impact on a game. But it’s unclear if Brown plans to return next season.
A report on social media began circulating on Friday that Brown plans to enter the transfer portal early next week. Brown responded with a post that stated he was “100%” focused on Iowa State and finishing the season strong” with his teammates. But he didn’t shoot down the transfer rumors.
That made this an unusual game for Brown. But he gave his all amid speculation that this was his last game with the Wildcats.
Afterward, Johnson said he spoke with Brown and encouraged him to stay. He wants to try and keep building on what they have accomplished together as young members of the K-State offense.
DJ Giddens unable to finish the game with an injury
K-State running back DJ Giddens rushed for 72 yards on 14 carries on Saturday, but he wasn’t seen in the fourth quarter.
Why?
Klieman said Giddens was ruled out with an injury. He did not have an update on his status after the game.
It was a bummer of a way for Giddens to finish off a regular season in which he rushed for more than 1,300 yards.
His absence also limited what K-State was able to do on offense in the fourth quarter without its top running back.
This story was originally published November 30, 2024 at 10:26 PM with the headline "Takeaways from Kansas State’s frustrating loss at Iowa State in regular-season finale."