Grades from K-State’s narrow football loss at Baylor and a look ahead to TCU
AI-generated summary reviewed by our newsroom.
- K-State has lost four games by a combined 13 points, exposing late-game collapse patterns.
- Offense generated big yardage and multiple scores but failed to sustain leads late.
- Next up, TCU presents a major challenge, testing K-State’s secondary.
Another close game. Another close loss for the Kansas State football team.
The Wildcats (2-4, 1-2 Big 12) have lost four games by a combined 13 points this season.
A 35-34 road defeat against Baylor (4-2, 2-1 Big 12) on Saturday at McLane Stadium was the latest negative result for head coach Chris Klieman’s team. The Wildcats led by two touchdowns midway through the fourth quarter, but they were unable to hang on.
What led to that outcome? And what is next for K-State?
Let’s dive into those topics and more with analysis from the Baylor game, plus a lookahead to TCU ...
Player of the game: Michael Trigg
Avery Johnson (339 yards) and Sawyer Robertson (345 yards) each put up big passing numbers on Saturday, but they were both outshined by Baylor tight end Michael Trigg.
The 6-foot-4 senior put on an absolute show every time the ball came his way. He caught eight passes for 155 yards. He used his size and athleticism to make several K-State defenders look silly. The Wildcats held their breath every time the Bears targeted No. 1 in a yellow football jersey.
“That No. 1 is a great player,” K-State coach Chris Klieman said. “He’s an NFL kid, obviously. We knew we had a mismatch nightmare with that kid.”
Stat of the game & quote to note
K-State (501) gained more yards than Baylor (443) and dominated time of possession. But it wasn’t enough for the Wildcats to get a win.
As for the quote...
“I know our record doesn’t speak to it, but we’ve played more K-State football the last two weeks. And I’m proud of that. I’m pissed we lost, but I’m proud of the resolve and the resilience that we’ve shown the last couple of weeks with our backs against the wall.” — Chris Klieman.
K-State football grades
Offense: B+. The final stats look amazing. Avery Johnson threw for 339 yards and two touchdowns to go along with 72 yards and a score on the ground. Joe Jackson rushed for 61 yards. Jayce Brown caught four passes for 106 yards and a touchdown. That easily could have been enough for K-State to win. But the Wildcats also punted four times and failed to pad an early lead. They could have done more.
Defense: B. There was little to complain about from this unit when K-State possessed a 31-17 lead midway through the fourth quarter. The Wildcats forced two turnovers and held Baylor out of the end zone for most of the game. But then the Bears kicked things into high gear and scored when things mattered most.
Special Teams: B. Luis Rodriguez would have been carried off the field had he connected on a 56-yard field goal at the buzzer. It didn’t happen, but it was still a solid day for K-State on special teams. Rodriguez made a pair of other field goals and Simon McClannan averaged 40.8 yards per punt.
Coaching: C. The Wildcats have lost four games by a total of 13 points. You can chalk some of that up to bad luck. Over the long haul, results in single-score games tend to even out. But that kind of record does reflect poorly on the head coach. Chris Klieman could have handled the final minutes better on Saturday. This K-State team has now blown double-digit leads against both Army and Baylor.
Next up for K-State: TCU
Things aren’t about to get any easier for the Wildcats.
K-State will return home and host a game against the TCU Horned Frogs at 2:30 p.m. next weekend at Bill Snyder Family Stadium.
TCU is off to a 4-1 start. It defeated Colorado 35-21 on Saturday thanks to a big fourth quarter that featured three touchdown passes from quarterback Josh Hoover. He finished the day with 275 passing yards and four touchdowns.
Hoover is one of the best quarterbacks in the Big 12, and he will test the K-State secondary.
Arizona State is the only team that has defeated TCU this season, and the Sun Devils had to rally from a 17-0 deficit to pull off the victory.
K-State still has much to play for with upcoming games against TCU, Kansas and Texas Tech. Winning any of those matchups would fire up the fan base, regardless of the team’s record.
This story was originally published October 5, 2025 at 7:00 AM with the headline "Grades from K-State’s narrow football loss at Baylor and a look ahead to TCU."