K-State Overpowers KU in Sunflower Showdown, 45-14

LAWRENCE, Kan. – Kansas State used a strong first-quarter performance from all three phases of the game as the Wildcats won its seventh-straight Dillons Sunflower Showdown, 45-14, over the Kansas Jayhawks Saturday at Memorial Stadium.

The Wildcats (5-6, 3-6 Big 12) have now won the last four meetings in Lawrence and the last seven games overall by an average margin of 32.4 points.

Junior quarterback Joe Hubener had another strong performance on the ground, rushing for 88 yards on 17 attempts with two touchdowns. He also threw for 133 yards on 10-of-17 passing. Running back Charles Jones added 70 yards on the ground on 13 carries.

Redshirt freshman fullback Winston Dimel also had a strong game, rushing for 25 yards and two touchdowns while adding one reception for 44 yards. Senior Kody Cook led all Wildcat receivers with 33 yards on three receptions, while junior Deante Burton also hauled in three catches for 16 yards.

On defense, sophomore Elijah Lee led all Wildcats with eight tackles, including 1.5 tackles for loss and a sack. Kendall Adams and Charmeachealle Moore each added six tackles, while junior Jordan Willis added four tackles, including two sacks.

K-State took advantage of excellent field position early in the game after Kansas' punter fumbled a snap, and the Wildcats scored on their first play from scrimmage as Dimel rushed for a 12-yard touchdown for a 7-0 lead.

Kansas (0-12, 0-9 Big 12) answered on its next possession, capping a 6-play, 79-yard drive with a 27-yard touchdown pass from quarterback Ryan Willis to receiver Tre' Parmalee to tie the game at 7-7.

Dimel punched in his second touchdown of the game, taking the ball in from one yard out to give the Wildcats a 14-7 lead with 7:48 remaining in the first quarter.

After forcing a three-and-out on the Jayhawks next possession, redshirt freshman Sam Sizelove blocked a Kansas punt, which was recovered in the end-zone by Morgan Burns to extend the lead to 21-7 with 6:30 left in the first quarter.

Junior fullback Glenn Gronkowski scored his first career rushing touchdown from eight yards out to give the Wildcats a 28-7 lead with 1:30 left in the first period. The drive was highlighted by a 29-yard rush by Hubener to set up the score.

The Wildcats pushed the lead to 35-7 as Hubener scored on a two-yard rush on 4th-and-goal, capping a 12-play, 54-yard drive. Hubener accounted for 22 of the 54 yards on the drive with 18 of those yards coming on the ground.

K-State opened the second half with a 13-play, 59-yard drive that was capped by a 33-yard field goal by place kicker Matthew McCrane to extend the lead to 38-7.

Hubener scored his second rushing touchdown of the night – a 22-yard scamper – to give the Wildcats a 45-7 lead with 13:20 remaining in the game. The scoring drive was the Wildcats' second of the season that spanned over 90 yards, the first coming against Oklahoma State on Oct. 3 when K-State put together a 94-yard drive.

Willis threw his second touchdown pass of the game with 3:38 remaining, connecting with Bobby Hartzog on a 26-yard touchdown pass to cut the lead to 45-14. Willis also had a 21-yard rush on the drive to set up the scoring play.

K-State looks to become bowl-eligible next Saturday as it hosts the West Virginia Mountaineers on Senior Day. Kickoff is slated for 3:30 p.m. CT and will be televised nationally on Fox Sports 1.

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Team Stats

Joe Hubener

Kody Cook

Zach Davidson

Players Mentioned

Kendall Adams

Morgan Burns

Deante Burton

Kody Cook

Winston Dimel

Glenn Gronkowski

Joe Hubener

Charles Jones

Elijah Lee

Matthew McCrane

Charmeachealle Moore

Sam Sizelove

Jordan Willis

Players Mentioned

Kendall Adams

Morgan Burns

Deante Burton

Kody Cook

Winston Dimel

Glenn Gronkowski

Joe Hubener

Charles Jones

Elijah Lee

Matthew McCrane

Charmeachealle Moore

Sam Sizelove

Jordan Willis

Kansas State University Athletics