Kansas State football vs Oklahoma State takeaways — Wildcats avoid disaster in Stillwater
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STILLWATER, OK — Kansas State football has had its struggles when playing on the road against Oklahoma State, but it pulled off a nail-biting win against the Cowboys.
Kansas State escaped disaster with a 14-6 win over Oklahoma State on Saturday, Nov. 15, in Stillwater, Oklahoma.
The K-State defense bailed out its offense, forcing five turnovers, with four coming in the second half in Wildcats territory, while the offense made the few plays it needed to win the game.
Kansas State is now 5-5 overall, and 4-3 in Big 12 play. It is one win from bowl eligibility with two games left, starting with a Nov. 22 game at Utah.
Here are our takeaways from the win:
Kansas State football made the critical plays when needed
It was an unimpressive and inefficient day for the Wildcats’ offense, but they made the plays when needed, avoiding a disastrous loss to one of the worst teams in the country.
Led by the four takeaways by the Wildcats’ defense, the offense took advantage of two of them.
The first came when the Wildcats trailed by six in the first half, when Avery Johnson found an open Jayce Brown over the middle of the field for a 34-yard touchdown. With the one-point lead, the Wildcats struck again early in the fourth quarter when Joe Jackson broke away for a 15-yard touchdown run on fourth-and-short, even when Oklahoma State had 12 players on the field.
After punting midway through the fourth quarter, Oklahoma State had a chance to put together a late-game-tying drive. The Cowboys drove to the Wildcats’ 24 with 43 seconds left, but turned the ball over on downs.
Kansas State’s defense bailed its offense out
Oklahoma State had its opportunities, but it kept getting in its own way.
The Cowboys turned the ball over five times, with two fumbles and three interceptions. Four of the turnovers came on consecutive drives in the second half, each of which occurred in Kansas State territory.
Kansas State didn’t look motivated in the first half
A disgusting first half saw the Wildcats lead by only one point at the break, while they were outgained by 60 yards by one of the worst all-around teams at the Power 4 level.
Johnson was inefficient through the air, and the ground game couldn’t get a push, averaging 2.4 yards per carry. At the same time, the Cowobys found success on the ground, with three different ball carriers rushing for 28 or more yards.
Kansas State’s lone score came after it lucked out when it failed to convert on fourth down, but the Cowboys lined up offsides. Johnson immediately followed by hitting Jayce Brown over the middle of the field for a 34-yard touchdown.
Wyatt D. Wheeler covers Kansas State athletics for the USA TODAY Network and Topeka Capital-Journal. You can follow him on X at @WyattWheeler_, contact him at 417-371-6987 or email him at wwheeler@usatodayco.com
This article originally appeared on Topeka Capital-Journal: Kansas State football vs Oklahoma State takeaways: Wildcats avoid disaster
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