Field Level Media
Nov 10, 2018
Alex Delton scored on a 21-yard touchdown late in the fourth quarter to lift Kansas State to a 21-17 victory over Kansas on a cold and blustery day at Bill Snyder Family Stadium.
The win extended Kansas State's winning streak to 10 games against the Jayhawks.
After Delton's touchdown, Kansas marched down the field, but Kansas quarterback Peyton Bender fumbled with 20 seconds left and Kansas State (4-6, 2-5 Big 12) recovered to seal the victory.
Both teams had opportunities to seize control of the game, but failed to do so until the Wildcats' late recovery.
Kansas (3-7, 1-6) failed to take advantage of a big break to start the second half. The kickoff into the strong wind hung up in the air and was recovered by the Jayhawks' Caperton Humphrey on the Kansas State 29. But the Jayhawks lost seven yards in four plays and the Wildcats took over at their own 36.
Kansas State responded with a five-play, 64-yard drive (all on the ground), capped by a 24-yard dash up the middle by Alex Barnes.
The first-half offensive struggles seemed to disappear in the second half. After Kansas State took the lead, Kansas responded with a nine-play, 75-yard drive to regain the advantage. Peyton Bender found Jeremiah Booker alone in the end zone for a 9-yard touchdown.
But Barnes' second touchdown of the quarter, from 2 yards out, capped an 11-play, 75-yard drive to give Kansas State a 14-10 lead. The two teams combined for 235 yards in the third quarter, after combining for 225 in the first half.
On the first play of the fourth quarter, Bender hit Steven Sims on a 65-yard post pattern for a 17-14 lead. The teams traded punts before Kansas State went 60 yards in six plays for a 21-14 lead with 2:46 left. Delton ran untouched for 21 yards for the go-ahead score.
The first half reflected the offensive struggles of both teams this season. They combined for 77 total yards in the first quarter and posted a total of six first downs and five punts. After a Wildcats punt pinned Kansas on the 2-yard line with 18 seconds left in the first quarter, the Jayhawks marched 94 yards in 18 plays in 9:40, and still only managed a 21-yard field goal by Gabriel Rui.
The half ended with Kansas holding a 3-0 lead. Thanks to the long drive, the Jayhawks held a 166-59 advantage in total yards.
The temperature at kickoff was 24 degrees, with a wind-chill reading of 13 degrees.
--Field Level Media