Game report: Kansas State 34, South Dakota 0
First quarter
Key play: Morgan Burns returned the opening kickoff 100 yards for a touchdown and the only points of the first quarter.
Key stat: K-State committed four penalties for 31 yards, a poor stat for any Bill Snyder team.
Second quarter
Key play: Joe Hubener found Deante Burton for a 24-yard touchdown that gave K-State a 24-0 lead.
Key stat: K-State held South Dakota to 2 rushing yards.
Third quarter
Key play: Matthew McCrane kicked a 38-yard field goal for the only points of the quarter.
Key stat: K-State did not lose a turnover.
Fourth quarter
Key play: Winston Dimel scored on a 1-yard run, putting K-State ahead 34-0.
Key stat: Alex Delton, a freshman quarterback from Hays, saw his first action under center for the Wildcats.
Player of the game: Morgan Burns. The senior corner returned the opening kickoff 100 yards for a touchdown and made three tackles while playing solid defense.
Reason to hope: K-State lots its starting quarterback and strong safety in the same half and still rolled to victory. This roster has depth.
Reason to mope: Jesse Ertz was clearly K-State’s Plan A at quarterback. Moving to Plan B in the first game is never fun.
Looking ahead: K-State is headed back to the Alamo Dome to play Texas-San Antonio, which was competitive against Arizona in its first game. On the road, K-State will need to play well to win.
Kellis Robinett, krobinett@kcstar.com
Report card
B | Offense | Joe Hubener looked good in relief of Ertz, but he only completed half his passes. K-State’s also receivers dropped some potentially big gains. Winston Dimel and Justin Silmon both ran with power. |
A+ | Defense | You can’t ask for anything more than what K-State’s defense provided. |
A | Special teams | The Wildcats were dominant on kick returns against South Dakota, returning one for a touchdown, and they put South Dakota in poor field position. |
A | Coaching | K-State battled through several surprises in its opener and still won easily. |
This story was originally published September 5, 2015 at 11:56 PM with the headline "Game report: Kansas State 34, South Dakota 0."