Game report: No. 11 Kansas State 23, Texas 0
First quarter
Key play: Jake Waters rushed 12 yards for a first down on the first play of K-State’s second series, easing doubts that he was feeling lingering injury effects from last week.
Key stat: DeMarcus Robinson rushed for 49 yards in seven carries.
Second quarter
Key play: Waters hit Curry Sexton for a 24-yard completion on third-and-long that sparked a touchdown drive.
Key stat: K-State passed for 63 yards.
Third quarter
Key play: Jaxon Shipley lost a fumble on an attempted reverse at midfield.
Key stat: K-State committed its first three penalties of the game.
Fourth quarter
Key play: Jonathan Truman and Dante Barnett stuffed Johnathan Gray on fourth and short, helping preserve the shutout.
Key stat: Joe Hubener rushed for 46 yards in his lone series at quarterback.
Player of the game: K-State safety Dante Barnett, who made seven tackles and broke up four passes.
Reason to hope: K-State’s defense overpowered a Texas offense that was starting to click.
Reason to mope: The Wildcats have struggled to score touchdowns in the red zone all year, and that didn’t change against the Longhorns.
Looking ahead: K-State plays host to Oklahoma State next week in a game the Wildcats should be favored to win somewhat easily. The Cowboys haven’t looked good since they won at Kansas.
Kellis Robinett, krobinett@kcstar.com
Report card
B | Offense | Give the Wildcats credit for keeping the ball away from Texas, maintaining possession for 39 minutes, 14 seconds; but it was far from a flawless day. |
A+ | Defense | K-State held the Longhorns under 200 yards, stopping them every time they threatened to score. What more can you ask? |
A+ | Special teams | Matthew McCrane connecting on all three of his field-goal attempts was an important part of the game. |
B | Coaching | K-State’s defensive coaches deserve accolades for a noticeable turnaround from the Oklahoma game, but the offensive staff’s play-calling was off every time the Wildcats reached the red zone. |
This story was originally published October 25, 2014 at 8:54 PM with the headline "Game report: No. 11 Kansas State 23, Texas 0."