It may not have had the "Game of the Century" hype, but Oklahoma State vs Kansas State was where all the action was; delivering all the excitement that one could possibly ask for.
The Cowboys won 52-45, but it wasn't until K-State QB Collin Klein's pass to Tramaine Thompson in the end zone fell incomplete that they could truly get the celebration going. A game that looked like another rout for the Pokes early on, turned in a "cat and mouse" affair, especially in the last 5 minutes which saw a total of 29 points scored between both teams.
The Breakdown.
Offense:
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| Weeden bounced back from 2 early turnovers to register a career passing day. |
The Cowboys seemed to be on a roll, but it was their 4 turnovers that kept the Wildcats in the game. Justin Blackmon muffed a punt early, and lost a fumble near the goal-line later on, while Brandon Weeden threw 2 interceptions, one of which was returned for a touchdown, rounding off a 24 point run for K-State.
Other than that, there wasn't really much the Wildcats could do to stop Weeden from hitting them up for 502 yards (a school single-game record); this only a week after getting torched by Oklahoma's Landry Jones for 505 yards (a school single-game record for OU). With his offensive line giving him all the time in the world to execute, Weeden was literally playing armchair quarterback; picking off a secondary that not only played soft coverage, but hardly covered the middle of the field despite getting burned for big plays all game long.
Blackmon more than atoned for his costly fumbles with a 54 yard TD reception late in the game, but the rest of the receiving corp deserves some credit as well. Tracy Moore, Isaiah Anderson and Josh Stewart combined for 15 receptions, causing more problems for an already weak secondary.
There wasn't much production from the running game, as Joseph Randle only managed 73 yards on 16 carries. He still had three touchdowns, the last one giving his team the lead for good. With the kind of success the Cowboys had in the passing game, Randle only had to be at his best when needed to.
Defense:
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| Klein gave the Cowboys more than they could handle. |
A recovered fumble on K-State's opening possession helped the Cowboys take a 7-0 lead, and a James Thomas interception resulted in another touchdown to bring the score even at 24. Unlike most teams however, the Wildcats would just not go away.
Collin Klein, who was held to 58 yards passing against Oklahoma the previous week, passed for a season-high 231 yards. His improved passing enabled the Wildcats to mix the pass and run effectively, and play "keep away" by holding the ball for a little over 40 minutes.
While they Cowboys weren't able to force as many turnovers, a few stops here and there helped them stay ahead of a pesky Wildcat team determined to bounce back after getting routed in their previous outing.
Overall:
The Cowboys haven't been 9-0 since 1945, when they won the Sugar Bowl under the guidance of Jim Lookabaugh. With only 3 games left in the season, they've positioned themselves for a BCS bowl invitation at the very least. Anything more than that is literally "in their own hands".
Next up:
Oklahoma State travels to face a Texas Tech that's been routed in its last 2 games, and has lost 4 of their last 5 overall. Lubbock hasn't always been kind to the Cowboys, but they were able to win there last year, and should probably do the same on this visit.
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