MANHATTAN, Kan. — Bill Snyder didn’t have a whole lot to say to No. 7 Kansas State at halftime on Saturday.
It wasn’t because he was at a loss for material.
The Wildcats had stumbled their way through a first half in which everything went right for Kansas — a faked field goal, a faked punt, a massive advantage in time of possession — and yet the boys in purple were downright angry about leading the game by only a touchdown.
Snyder assumed, and rightly so, that his team could figure things out on its own.
The Wildcats came out of the locker room and scored four touchdowns in the third quarter, Collin Klein and John Hubert leading the way, and the big surge carried unbeaten Kansas State to a 56-16 victory and its fourth straight win against its biggest rival.
“I think they were angry as much as anything, which is probably the best mental approach and emotion they could have in that situation,” Snyder said of the halftime mood.
“I’m not a mind-reader, but collectively I think they were angry.”
They certainly took it out on the Jayhawks, too.
Hubert finished with 101 yards and four touchdowns rushing. Klein threw for 129 yards and two scores while running for 116 yards and two more touchdowns. Travis Tannahill and Tyler Lockett had the TD receptions, and Daniel Sams added 70 yards rushing when the game was out of reach.
The result was a 35-2 second half dominated by the Wildcats (5-0, 2-0 Big 12).
“It was like big play after big play,” said Kansas coach Charlie Weis, who just like his three predecessors got a rude introduction to the Sunflower Showdown. “It seemed like the third quarter went on forever because they were scoring so quick.”
Dayne Crist threw for 189 yards and a touchdown, but he also threw three interceptions and lost a fumble. James Sims had 115 yards rushing and a touchdown for the Jayhawks.
“It really came down to not executing,” Crist said.
Kansas (1-4, 0-2) certainly executed in the first half.
It started with a time-gobbling, 86-yard drive that kept Klein and Co. on the sideline for a good chunk of the first quarter and ended with a 19-yard touchdown pass to Tony Pierson.
Kansas State answered with a 74-yard touchdown drive of its own, but the Jayhawks — with a go-for-broke mentality — pulled back ahead after two audacious plays on special teams.
Held to three-and-presumably-out, Weis told Ron Doherty to execute what amounted to a punter draw that went for a first down. The Jayhawks marched to the Kansas State 23 before they were held again, but this time they faked a field goal, and holder Blake Jablonski threw a pass to defensive end Toben Opurum — a former running back — to set up Sims’ short TD run.
“It was kind of crazy there for a little bit,” the Wildcats’ Ty Zimmerman said.
Kansas State needed only four plays and just over a minute to answer again. Klein scooted for 27 yards and two plays later hit Lockett in stride for a 34-yard touchdown reception.
After holding Kansas to three-and-out — this time the Jayhawks did punt — the Wildcats needed only three plays for the fullback-like Klein to barrel into the end zone for 21-14 lead.
It looked as if Kansas State might score again just before the half when Crist was intercepted by Nigel Malone, who returned it to the Kansas 5. But Klein burned the Wildcats’ last timeout with 16 seconds left, and was tackled in bounds on the ensuing play as the clock ran out.
Not that it mattered a whole lot.
The game quickly got out of hand in the third quarter.
Klein’s 2-yard touchdown pass to Tannahill made it 28-14, and after Kansas managed a safety, Tre Parmelee fumbled the ensuing kickoff to give the Wildcats the ball back. Hubert made one cut and ran untouched 32 yards for another touchdown and a 35-16 lead.
Crist was picked off again on the Jayhawks’ next possession and, three plays later, Hubert scored from a yard out. Klein added another touchdown run minutes later to make it 49-16.
“We made some errors and stuff that just hurts you,” Klein said. “We knew they were going to come out fighting. Give them credit in their preparation, but again, I was very proud in how we responded in the second half.”
The second-half scoring binge allowed Klein to spend the fourth quarter watching from the sideline, a rare luxury in a conference game. Meanwhile, Sams put Kansas State was in position to score again when time mercifully expired.
“We kept our composure, and that’s what is great about this team. We don’t do any name-calling or anything like that,” Zimmerman said. “It was a little frustrating what they were doing on us in the first half, but in the second half we started to get some turnovers and that got us moving.”
Talk to us
> Give us your news tips.
> Send us a letter to the editor.
> More Herald contact information.
