Ames, IA– It didn’t look pretty, but K-State escaped from Ames, IA with a hard fought 27-21 victory over the Iowa State Cyclones. In K-State’s defense it was a game they always seemed to have control of. Despite a very un Snyder like 9 penalties, K-State fought through diversity the entire game, and a record crowd of 56,800 disappointed at Jack Trice Stadium.
As usual, Collin Klein led the offense with 105 yards on the ground (second game in a row Klein has ran for 105 yards) while throwing for 187 more, and added 3 touchdowns on the ground. The Wildcat offense looked somewhat distracted for the majority of the game, but made plays when they needed to. Including converting key third downs through out the game. Klein ran for his 3rd rushing touchdown of the day from 9 yards out on a 3rd down late in the 3rd quarter to give K-State a 24-14 lead going into the 4th quarter.
While the offense stalled at times, it was their select timing that gave K-State the victory. Following a 30 yard touchdown by Ernst Brun, K-State marched 69 yards down the field in only a minute and 38 seconds to retake the lead 17-14 going into half time. This drive was highlighted by a 45 pass from Lockett to Klein on the first play of the drive, Klein ran in it from 6 yards out 3 plays later.
Later in the game, after Iowa State cut the Cat lead back down to 3 in the 4th quarter, K-State embarked on another key drive. The Cats took a staggering 8 minutes and 10 seconds of the clock during a 14 play 67 yard drive that ended in a key Anthony Cantele field goal to pushed the lead back to 6 at 27-21.
The defense did a great job of shutting down the Iowa State offense for the majority of the game, holding the Cyclones to just 231 total yards. The Cats bottled up the Cyclone rushing attack, and limited Jared Barnett to just 166 yards. The Cat defense only allowed 1 drive over 10 yards the entire second half, and forced the Clones to two consecutive 4 and outs when they had a chance to drive down the field and take the lead. While the offense sputtered, the defense was dominant for just about the entire game.
Ryan Doerr continued his terrific season, landing 2 of his 5 punts inside the Cyclone 3 yard line, and only allowed 1 punt to be returned. Doerr’s punt that landed at the Cyclone 5 directly lead to a K-States only touchdown of the second half.
Overall, the 27-21 victory was a good win for the Cats that keeps them undefeated going into Morgantown next Saturday. This win, continues K-States streak of gritty road victories in the past two years. Included in those wins are victories over Oklahoma this year, and Texas and Miami last year. K-State will need that very same grittiness if they want to remain unbeaten after next weeks trip to West Virginia.
