Game report: No. 20 Oklahoma State 36, Kansas State 34

First quarter

Key play: Kody Cook hit Glenn Gronkowski with a short touchdown pass near the end of the first quarter that gave K-State a 14-7 lead.

Key stat: Cook led K-State to a touchdown on both of its drives.

Second quarter

Key play: Jordan Willis deflected a lateral, and Danzel McDaniel pounced on the loose ball to put K-State’s offense in the red zone.

Key stat: Justin Silmon ran 6 yards for a touchdown that put K-State ahead 28-13.

Third quarter

Key play: Elijah Lee broke up a pass on a two-point conversion attempt, keeping K-State ahead 28-26.

Key stat: K-State managed 1 yard of offense.

Fourth quarter

Key play: Ben Grogan kicked a 37-yard field goal in the final minute to win the game for Oklahoma State.

Key stat: Cook was unable to play after K-State’s first series of the fourth quarter, exiting the game because of an injury.

Offense

B+

Under the circumstances, you couldn’t have expected anything more from K-State on offense. But it did nothing in the third quarter, which proved costly.

Defense

C

Two turnovers kept the Wildcats in it. So did a strong showing against the run. But few teams can allow 437 passing yards and expect to win.

Special teams

C

Jack Cantele missed a field goal at the end of the first half that could have altered the game, and K-State booted a kickoff out of bounds before Oklahoma State’s final drive, setting the Cowboys up with good field position.

Coaching

B

Give Bill Snyder credit. His team was prepared to fight under unusual conditions. But offensive coordinator Dana Dimel made some questionable calls in the second half, including a failed fullback pass that knocked K-State out of field-goal range.

Player of the game: Kody Cook. Sure, his team lost and Oklahoma State’s quarterback threw for 437 yards. But Mason Rudolph isn’t the Cowboys’ fifth option at the position. Cook amassed 209 yards of offense and played a part in three touchdowns despite practicing as a quarterback for one week.

Reason to hope: The Wildcats have heart. They showed it against Louisiana Tech and they showed it again against Oklahoma State.

Reason to mope: At some point, injuries can become too much to overcome. Is K-State reaching that point? The next two games — against TCU and Oklahoma — would be challenging at full strength.

Looking ahead: No. 4 TCU heads to Manhattan for a prime-time game that will be televised nationally on Fox. The Horned Frogs are one of the nation’s best teams. It will take quite an effort for K-State to win.

This story was originally published October 3, 2015 at 10:32 PM with the headline "Game report: No. 20 Oklahoma State 36, Kansas State 34."