Early Fumble Kickstarted Kansas State's Second-Half Downfall Against Cincinnati

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Kansas State Wildcats receiver Derrick Salley Jr., had the game of his life last Saturday against the Cincinnati Bearcats. 

He also had one play he'd like to forget. 

Salley had a costly fumble on the first play of the second half that swayed momentum in what turned out to be a 31-26 loss on the road at Nippert Stadium. The loss dropped the Wildcats to 3-1 as they dropped the first game of the Big 12 conference schedule. 

After the game, Wildcats coach Collin Klein said the fumble was a momentum-shifter. K-State was ahead 17-10 at the time. 

"That's life," Klein said. "That's football, and how you respond and how we get out of that rut offensively or defensively. And we couldn't get it done on either side to just get it, get them shut down, and let that momentum kind of blossom. And then all of a sudden you're down a touchdown and a dogfight."

Salley fumbled after hauling in a 34-yard catch that would have put the Wildcats in contention to score more points. Instead, it was the start of 14 straight points for the Bearcats. 

It spoiled an otherwise impressive performance by Salley. He finished with seven catches for 140 yards and a touchdown. He helped fill in for the injured Jaron Tibbs, who was injured. 

If anything, the Wildcats learned they could count on Salley when needed. But the performance would have been more memorable if not for the fumble. That could have been the difference between the Wildcats grabbing their first 4-0 start since 2012. 

Now, they have a bye week to sort out the issues, mainly the run defense, before returning the following week against the Houston Cougars at Bill Snyder Family Stadium. 

The Cougars are one of the strongest teams in the Big 12 conference. At 3-1, their only loss this season is to the Texas Tech Red Raiders, who are the defending league champs. 

MORE KANSAS STATE NEWS 

Kansas State quarterback Avery Johnson is off to a fast start this season 

Have the K-State Wildcats found a new weapon on offense? 

What exactly went wrong in the Wildcats loss at Cincinnati? 

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Shandel Richardson is the publisher of KStateRoundtable. He can be reached at shandelrich@gmail.com 

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