MANHATTAN, Kan. — The Kansas State Wildcats defeated the Oklahoma State Cowboys, 42-20, in a Big 12 contest at Bill Snyder Family Stadium in Manhattan, Kan., on Saturday.
The contest was, most likely, a College Football Playoff elimination game as both the No. 23 Wildcats (4-1, 1-1 in Big 12) and the No. 20 Cowboys (3-2, 0-2) lost their Big 12-opening games.
The Wildcats put together an impressive defensive performance, creating three Oklahoma State turnovers, while the offense got back on track after a sub-par showing against BYU last week. The Cowboys, meanwhile, had difficulty getting their running game going after a hot start and their defense, at one point, allowed 35 straight points.
The Cowboys certainly missed linebacker Collin Oliver, who is out with an injury.
Oklahoma State quarterback Alan Bowman went 26-of-50 for 364 yards with one touchdown and two interceptions. He also lost a fumble. Running back Ollie Gordon II had an exceptional first quarter but was eventually limited to 76 rushing yards. Wide receiver De’Zhaun Stribling led the Cowboys with seven receptions for 157 yards and a touchdown.
Kansas State quarterback Avery Johnson went 19-of-31 for 259 yards with three touchdowns and one interception. He also scored his first rushing touchdown of the season and followed that with a second score.
Running back D.J. Giddens had a huge afternoon as he rushed for 187 yards along with a touchdown, and was, at times, unstoppable. Wide receiver Jayce Brown caught four passes for 78 yards and a touchdown.
Here are three thoughts on the game.
AVERY’S PROGRESSION
Kansas State quarterback Avery Johnson wasn’t happy with his performance last week. He felt he didn’t handle in-game setbacks well. He was looking forward to a chance to rectify that.
Consider it rectified.
Now, early in the game there were jitters. On the first drive he threw a couple of short passes with too much on them and his receivers couldn’t handle the ball. But he settled down and that first drive put Johnson in the right frame of mind.
He scored his first touchdown run of the season on a thoroughly mature run. He slid to his right and found an open space but actually slowed a bit to allow the receiver on the edge to carry his defender into the end zone before sprinting in.
Then he overcame his first real mistake of the game. In the second quarter he threw an interception to Oklahoma State’s Korie Black. OSU was already up 10-7 and the Cowboys turned it into a field goal to go up 13-7.
How did Johnson and the Wildcats answer? A DJ Giddens 37-yard run, with a 15-yard personal foul thrown in, followed by Johnson’s 19-yard touchdown pass to Garrett Oakley, giving Kanas State a 14-13 lead.
That’s where the game turned. Johnson bounced back from a mistake and led the Wildcats to a touchdown.
You can already see refinement in his game from the opener. And you can see how K-State offensive coordinator Conor Riley is adjusting the game plan each week to suit his young quarterback.
WHAT HAPPENED TO OLLIE
The first quarter was the Ollie Gordon II show for Oklahoma State. He flat ran over Kansas State, a couple of times quite literally. There was one run where he just violently ran over a Wildcats defender and thrust his hand toward the end zone to signal a first down.
He had 72 first-quarter yards. He had 76 yards by game’s end.
What on earth?
Apparently, Gordon missed part of the second quarter as trainers looked at the back of his left knee. It wasn’t clear to any of us in the press box what happened, and ESPN’s reporting by the third quarter seemed to indicate it wasn’t an issue.
Remember — Kansas State was only up eight points at the break. If Gordon was healthy, there was no reason to pivot away from him in a one-score game. Yet, the Cowboys did.
OSU coach Mike Gundy said to ESPN at the break that there were other ways to use Gordon than just straight ahead running. Such as, maybe the screen game? Well, no targets in the second half.
Gundy did say something else, and my hunch is this was ACTUALLY the issue. He mentioned that Kansas State’s defense adjusted after Gordon’s initial outburst by dropping an extra safety in the box. OSU wasn’t able to overcome it.
I would contend that if one safety can flummox half of your playbook then your playbook needs work. Between the safety adjustment and Kansas State’s terrific secondary play — which flustered OSU quarterback Alan Bowman most of the game — the Wildcat defense was up to the task all afternoon.
THE HARD ROAD AHEAD FOR THE COWBOYS
During the game ESPN showed data that indicated what a win or a loss would do for each team’s College Football Playoff hopes.
For a win, Oklahoma State was at 17% and Kansas State was at 10%.
For a loss, Oklahoma State was at 3% and Kansas State was at 1%.
So, yeah, this loss is a big deal for Oklahoma State. It’s not impossible to rally back into the Big 12 title picture and the CFP, but it’s highly improbable.
Oklahoma State basically has to win out the rest of the season. What’s left? A home game with West Virginia, followed by trips to BYU and Baylor. Then it’s back home for Arizona State, followed by a trip to TCU. The Cowboys wrap things up with a home game against Teas Tech and a road trip to Colorado.
Manageable? Sure. But do you want your season to hinge on winning seven straight football games? No. The Cowboys now have no margin for error.
You can find Matthew Postins on Twitter @PostinsPostcard.
