Game report: No. 12 K-State 26, West Virginia 20
First quarter
Key play: Wendell Smallwood fumbled the ball near the goal line, ending a promising drive for West Virginia.
Key stat: K-State QB Jake Waters threw for 132 yards.
Second quarter
Key play: Tyler Lockett returned a punt 43 yards for a touchdown that gave K-State a 17-3 advantage.
Key stat: K-State finished the first half with negative rushing yards.
Third quarter
Key play: Skyler Howard found Kevin White for a touchdown that cut K-State’s lead to 20-10.
Key stat: Howard threw for 62 yards in relief of West Virginia starting QB Clint Trickett.
Fourth quarter
Key play: Matthew McCrane connected on a 32-yard field goal with 4:13 remaining that gave K-State a 26-17 lead.
Key stat: K-State running back DeMarcus Robinson finished the game with negative rushing yards.
Player of the game: K-State QB Jake Waters. On a night K-State’s running game was nonexistent, he came up huge.
Reason to hope: K-State won a challenging road game and still controls its own destiny in the race for a Big 12 championship.
Reason to mope: If the Wildcats can’t figure out a way to run the ball effectively, they have little hope of winning their final two games.
Looking ahead: K-State plays host to Kansas in the Sunflower Showdown at 3 p.m. Nov. 29. The Jayhawks are playing better, but the Wildcats should be big favorites in a series they have dominated under coach Bill Snyder.
| Kellis Robinett, krobinett@kcstar.com
Report card
C | Offense | Jake Waters and Tyler Lockett saved the day, but no one else did much of anything on offense. K-State’s lack of a running game was concerning. |
B | Defense | K-State made enough plays to win, but West Virginia helped. Had Skyler Howard played the entire game, the Wildcats might have been in real trouble. |
B+ | Special teams | Matthew McCrane missed two field goals, but he also made four. Add on Lockett’s punt return for a touchdown and it was a good night on special teams. |
C | Coaching | K-State’s offense was one-dimensional and its defense often relied on West Virginia mistakes. |
This story was originally published November 20, 2014 at 10:01 PM with the headline "Game report: No. 12 K-State 26, West Virginia 20."