Kansas State University Athletics
K-State Falls Short at TCU, 14-13
Nov 03, 2018 | Football
K-State Falls Short at TCU, 14-13
FORT WORTH, Texas – The Kansas State Wildcats fell short on the road against the TCU Horned Frogs on Saturday, falling 14-13 in front of 40,486 fans at Amon G. Carter Stadium.
K-State (3-6, 1-5 Big 12) held the Horned Frogs to 275 yards in the game, including just 13 first downs, the fewest first downs by an opponent in a loss since 2017 against Vanderbilt. The K-State defense forced TCU into four three-and-outs on Saturday, tying a season high, previously set against South Dakota.
The Wildcat offense totaled 301 yards, including 162 passing yards, as junior quarterback Alex Delton found the end zone both on the ground and through the air. Delton's first quarter touchdown strike to freshman Malik Knowles was Knowles' first of his career.
TCU (4-5, 2-4 Big 12) improves its all-time series lead against the Wildcats to 7-5, earning their fourth victory against the Wildcats since joining the Big 12. TCU benefitted from a 76-yard touchdown by sophomore wide receiver Jalen Reagor in the third quarter, which proved to be the game-winner for the Horned Frogs.
HOW IT HAPPENED
The Horned Frogs got the first opportunity to put points on the board on Saturday, capitalizing following a K-State special teams turnover in the first quarter, resulting in a 4-yard touchdown rush by Darius Anderson.
Despite giving up the early lead, the Wildcats marched back later in the first quarter, as K-State scored on a 10-play, 72-yard drive that was capped off by an acrobatic catch from Knowles in the back of the end zone. The touchdown marked the first of Knowles' career as the Wildcats tied the game at 7-7 with 4:05 left in the first quarter.
To start the second quarter, TCU faced a fourth and short in K-State's territory. The Horned Frogs opted to go for it, being shut down to force a turnover on downs. The K-State defensive stop proved to be important as the Wildcats held TCU off the scoreboard for the remainder of the half, as the score was knotted 7-7 at halftime.
It wasn't until midway through the third quarter that either team scored again, as TCU took the advantage on a 67-yard touchdown pass from sophomore quarterback Mike Collins to Reagor, as the Horned Frogs regained the lead at 14-7 with 5:26 left in the third quarter.
In the fourth quarter the Wildcats fought back to bring the score to 14-13 with 9:16 left in the game, when K-State pushed the ball down the field for a 12-play drive that started at midfield. The drive was finished off on a quarterback sneak by Delton, who punched it in from 1-yard out on fourth down.
On their next offensive possession and pinned back in their own territory, the Wildcats converted on a series of influential plays, including a 31-yard completion from Delton to senior wide receiver Zach Reuter. On the following play, Delton was hurried and forced into throwing the football away, resulting in a flag for intentional grounding.
Needing to secure a first down after the penalty, K-State failed to convert on fourth and long, giving the ball back to TCU with 1:25 left on the clock. The Frogs were able to kneel the ball, subsequently ending the game at 14-13.
OFFENSIVE PLAYERS OF THE GAME
Alex Delton – After coming in for an injured Skylar Thompson in the first quarter, Delton completed 15 of 25 passes for 155 yards and a touchdown, garnering a 125.3 quarterback rating. In addition, Delton carried the ball 23 times for 71 yards and a score.
DEFENSIVE PLAYERS OF THE GAME
Jahron McPherson – The redshirt sophomore defensive back played a crucial role in the K-State pass defense on Saturday, where he forced two pass break ups against the TCU passing offense. The two pass breakups marked a new career high for McPherson.
Wyatt Hubert – Recording four tackles including two tackles for loss, Hubert made his presence felt in the backfield on Saturday. In addition to his four tackles, Hubert forced several quarterback hurries.
STAT OF THE GAME
13 – The K-State defense held the Horned Frogs to just 13 first downs in the game, the fewest since allowing 11 first downs against Vanderbilt a season ago. The 13 first downs are also the second time this season the Wildcats have held their opponent to under 15 first downs in the game.
COACH'S COMMENTS
Head Coach Bill Snyder
On Blake Lynch's miss...
"Of course I feel horrible for him. You have heard me say before, he's one of the young guys, he didn't lose the ballgame for us. There were a bunch of us that made mistakes that contributed."
On what sticks with him the most after the loss...
"Thousands of things, I don't have enough time to take you through it snap-by-snap throughout the course of the game."
On the loss...
"A loss is a loss, a close ballgame like that may hurt a bit more more. That's just the nature of the game."
On the TD catch by Malik Knowles...
"Malik made a nice catch, and it was a well-thrown ball. You know, every time you but the ball in the end zone it's nice because we've struggled with that. It's gotta happen more often."
On the defense...
"Like I said to the defense the whole game, and at halftime, we played really well. The defense really gave up only one score and that was just misjudging a thrown ball. It was a big play and you've got to be able to protect against those, but we can't take it back. At the end of the day they only gave up one score, which gave us more than a chance to win."
On special teams...
"Well, it wasn't special teams as much as it was an individual and you take away the turnover that gives them the winning touchdown."
On his postgame talk in the locker room...
"I'm just gonna tell it exactly the way it is, and be honest with them. I know they were in agony and I can appreciate that. If you don't really genuinely care then you wouldn't be in pain by a loss. The closer they are the harder it is to embrace."
On next week's game against Kansas...
"Every week is paramount, I don't think any one game that we prepare for is any greater than the other and I can't think of any that are any less important."
Linebacker Justin Hughes
On losing today...
"Every loss is tough. When you see your team making improvements and you're just so close to getting a win, but then the ball falls their way, it's tough."
On the mood in the locker room:
"The players stay together. We love each other. After the game everybody was like, 'We love y'all,' and everybody has love for each other. We know we have to come out and work at it and be 1-0 for next week."
On his own performance...
"I'm sick of losing. I want to get wins for my team. Being a leader on my defense, I just come out with intensity. I know a lot of guys work off my intensity and my passion. I have be an example for my defense."
On the rest of the season...
"I believe in my team. We can go out and beat anyone in the country. We just have to execute down the stretch, in all phases of the game."
Junior Running Back Alex Barnes
On if the losses wearing on him...
"It's getting old. Losing is never fun for anybody. This wasn't a lack of effort loss today. We were trying. There's a lot of stuff we have to get answered, a lot of questions we have to answer about ourselves. A lot of self-reflection we have to do."
On if there was confidence on the final drive...
"We practice the two-minute drill just about every day we practice. It's down by one with three minutes left on the clock and one timeout. We literally have repped that before. We were able to do it in practice so we had confidence that we were able to do it in a game, but obviously we came up short."
On losing a game where you outgained your opponent...
"I feel like we were able to compete with them today. We did a lot of good things, but obviously not enough. We had way too many errors. Too many turnovers, too many stupid things and little things."
On placekicker Blake Lynch...
"It's definitely not on Blake. There's a lot of things that go into a field goal kick than the actual kicker himself. Maybe it was the snap or maybe it was the hold. Maybe he felt pressure from either side. Who knows. It's not entirely on one person. Just like any other football play. There are 10 other people out there."
TCU Head Coach Gary Patterson
On the win...
"Well, win by one. Isn't that what I said on Tuesday? Finally, we get a little luck. We'll take it one at a time."
On the offense...
"We didn't do as well as we would have liked to have done offensively."
Looking forward...
"We've got to win two out of three, and we have West Virginia next week."
On the defense and the blitz...
"They had a couple of tendencies. You can't just stand there and play. They get three yards and then they get four yards, and then they go for it on fourth down and it's a first down. It's like playing a triple-option team. You have to get up and do some things where you can get the loss-yardage plays, and we were able to do that."
On the return game...
"The wind was bad today. We already talked that when they punted, we weren't going to catch it. When they had to punt against the win, we left the defense on the field."
On third-down defense...
"Except for one ball game we have played well on third down all year. We were able to dial it up last year on third down against them, and we had to do it again today just because of the quarterback draw. The quarterback draw hurt us as much as anything."
Quarterback Mike Collins
On ending the losing streak...
"It feels really good to get a win. October was a tough month and that wasn't the best win, but a win is a win and we will take it. It felt really good in the locker room after. Our defense played really well, our offensive line played really well, the receivers made plays when they had to. In the end, it ended up being the difference."
On keeping composure on the 67-yard TD to Reagor...
"I knew it was going to be a good play pre-snap. Then I fumbled the snap. I just picked it up and knew he would be open. I just gave him a chance and he made a great play."
On the play of Jaelan Austin and Jarrison Stewart...
"I know they are reliable guys, they've played in a lot of big games. I know if I throw them the ball they are going to make the catch and come down with it. If it is ever a big situation, I'm looking for them. Third down, third-and-long and we need to convert, they got it."
Cornerback Jeff Gladney
On Kansas State quarterbacks...
"He's definitely more of a runner. Definitely when 10 came out of the game and 5 went in, we know he's a runner. You've just got to focus more on the QB counters, QB draws, leads."
On Ben Banogu's fumble recovery and re-fumble...
"Coach P had gave me the blitz, and when I went, I noticed the running back didn't see me at all. The quarterback had no clue I was coming... I got my first one finally."
"At first I was just like, 'Man, the football gods are getting us right now.' But we still forced a fumble, told Ben it was okay, and kept playing hard. We'll be alright."
On being in a position to blitz...
"I love it. I'm being trying to get better, and I'm telling everybody I've been practicing on my blitzing. Coach P trusted me to go do it, so I know I can."
On being a junior and fighting through an injury last week...
"I was in pain, but I'm trying to be a leader. I've only got one more year left. I know we've got a lot of young guys so I'm trying to step up and lead them. I feel that just playing showed them you've gotta push through anything. All the adversity we've had you've just got to push through."
Wide Receiver Jalen Reagor
On his 67-yard touchdown...
"Sometimes I just run to try and get people open, other times you can feel it, when you know the ball is coming to you."
On the chemistry between him and Mike Collins...
"Coach Cumbie prepares all of the quarterbacks the same. I didn't feel any drop off or anything, it just felt normal."
On ending the losing streak...
"Man, just to get back on track and trying to have the best season we can. We're just trying to get into a bowl game."
On his streak of games with a touchdown...
"I feel like scoring is my job. I feel like I'm one of the, if not the, best receiver on the team. It's my job to lead the receiving corps and lead by my play."
On the implications of the victory on team morale...
"Coach preaches to us every day, the only thing you can do is come back to work. I feel like everybody has a good attitude. Just persevere and get through adversity."
Linebacker Jawuan Johnson
On ending the losing streak...
"It feels really good because we've been down. Caoch P turned it up a notch and it feels good to get this win. It's been a long season and we want to keep going with it."
On his personal performance...
"Every day has been a 'get better' day for me. Every day I take it as I have to get better at one thing. I have to get better at something. It felt good because I'm starting to get the flow of it but my goal is just to get better."
On injuries to the defense...
"It's been giving me a lot more experience in this defense. Ty [Summers] and Arico [Evans] are guys that have really helped me. It's a good group.
On playing the K-State offense...
"Coach P said it's 'middle drill' so be ready for it so we practiced it hard. It was a physical game so we had to out-physical them. That was the mindset.
"We knew he [Alex Delton] liked to run. We knew he wanted to run the ball Our biggest thing was to keep our eyes on him."
SEASON RECORD UPDATE
K-State 3-6 (1-5 Big 12)
TCU 4-5 (2-4 Big 12)
WHAT'S NEXT
The Wildcats play host to the Sunflower Showdown, as K-State and Kansas renew their in-state rivalry at Bill Snyder Family Stadium in Manhattan, Kansas. The game is slated for a 11:00 a.m. CT kickoff, airing on FSN.
K-State (3-6, 1-5 Big 12) held the Horned Frogs to 275 yards in the game, including just 13 first downs, the fewest first downs by an opponent in a loss since 2017 against Vanderbilt. The K-State defense forced TCU into four three-and-outs on Saturday, tying a season high, previously set against South Dakota.
The Wildcat offense totaled 301 yards, including 162 passing yards, as junior quarterback Alex Delton found the end zone both on the ground and through the air. Delton's first quarter touchdown strike to freshman Malik Knowles was Knowles' first of his career.
TCU (4-5, 2-4 Big 12) improves its all-time series lead against the Wildcats to 7-5, earning their fourth victory against the Wildcats since joining the Big 12. TCU benefitted from a 76-yard touchdown by sophomore wide receiver Jalen Reagor in the third quarter, which proved to be the game-winner for the Horned Frogs.
HOW IT HAPPENED
The Horned Frogs got the first opportunity to put points on the board on Saturday, capitalizing following a K-State special teams turnover in the first quarter, resulting in a 4-yard touchdown rush by Darius Anderson.
Despite giving up the early lead, the Wildcats marched back later in the first quarter, as K-State scored on a 10-play, 72-yard drive that was capped off by an acrobatic catch from Knowles in the back of the end zone. The touchdown marked the first of Knowles' career as the Wildcats tied the game at 7-7 with 4:05 left in the first quarter.
To start the second quarter, TCU faced a fourth and short in K-State's territory. The Horned Frogs opted to go for it, being shut down to force a turnover on downs. The K-State defensive stop proved to be important as the Wildcats held TCU off the scoreboard for the remainder of the half, as the score was knotted 7-7 at halftime.
It wasn't until midway through the third quarter that either team scored again, as TCU took the advantage on a 67-yard touchdown pass from sophomore quarterback Mike Collins to Reagor, as the Horned Frogs regained the lead at 14-7 with 5:26 left in the third quarter.
In the fourth quarter the Wildcats fought back to bring the score to 14-13 with 9:16 left in the game, when K-State pushed the ball down the field for a 12-play drive that started at midfield. The drive was finished off on a quarterback sneak by Delton, who punched it in from 1-yard out on fourth down.
On their next offensive possession and pinned back in their own territory, the Wildcats converted on a series of influential plays, including a 31-yard completion from Delton to senior wide receiver Zach Reuter. On the following play, Delton was hurried and forced into throwing the football away, resulting in a flag for intentional grounding.
Needing to secure a first down after the penalty, K-State failed to convert on fourth and long, giving the ball back to TCU with 1:25 left on the clock. The Frogs were able to kneel the ball, subsequently ending the game at 14-13.
OFFENSIVE PLAYERS OF THE GAME
Alex Delton – After coming in for an injured Skylar Thompson in the first quarter, Delton completed 15 of 25 passes for 155 yards and a touchdown, garnering a 125.3 quarterback rating. In addition, Delton carried the ball 23 times for 71 yards and a score.
DEFENSIVE PLAYERS OF THE GAME
Jahron McPherson – The redshirt sophomore defensive back played a crucial role in the K-State pass defense on Saturday, where he forced two pass break ups against the TCU passing offense. The two pass breakups marked a new career high for McPherson.
Wyatt Hubert – Recording four tackles including two tackles for loss, Hubert made his presence felt in the backfield on Saturday. In addition to his four tackles, Hubert forced several quarterback hurries.
STAT OF THE GAME
13 – The K-State defense held the Horned Frogs to just 13 first downs in the game, the fewest since allowing 11 first downs against Vanderbilt a season ago. The 13 first downs are also the second time this season the Wildcats have held their opponent to under 15 first downs in the game.
COACH'S COMMENTS
Head Coach Bill Snyder
On Blake Lynch's miss...
"Of course I feel horrible for him. You have heard me say before, he's one of the young guys, he didn't lose the ballgame for us. There were a bunch of us that made mistakes that contributed."
On what sticks with him the most after the loss...
"Thousands of things, I don't have enough time to take you through it snap-by-snap throughout the course of the game."
On the loss...
"A loss is a loss, a close ballgame like that may hurt a bit more more. That's just the nature of the game."
On the TD catch by Malik Knowles...
"Malik made a nice catch, and it was a well-thrown ball. You know, every time you but the ball in the end zone it's nice because we've struggled with that. It's gotta happen more often."
On the defense...
"Like I said to the defense the whole game, and at halftime, we played really well. The defense really gave up only one score and that was just misjudging a thrown ball. It was a big play and you've got to be able to protect against those, but we can't take it back. At the end of the day they only gave up one score, which gave us more than a chance to win."
On special teams...
"Well, it wasn't special teams as much as it was an individual and you take away the turnover that gives them the winning touchdown."
On his postgame talk in the locker room...
"I'm just gonna tell it exactly the way it is, and be honest with them. I know they were in agony and I can appreciate that. If you don't really genuinely care then you wouldn't be in pain by a loss. The closer they are the harder it is to embrace."
On next week's game against Kansas...
"Every week is paramount, I don't think any one game that we prepare for is any greater than the other and I can't think of any that are any less important."
Linebacker Justin Hughes
On losing today...
"Every loss is tough. When you see your team making improvements and you're just so close to getting a win, but then the ball falls their way, it's tough."
On the mood in the locker room:
"The players stay together. We love each other. After the game everybody was like, 'We love y'all,' and everybody has love for each other. We know we have to come out and work at it and be 1-0 for next week."
On his own performance...
"I'm sick of losing. I want to get wins for my team. Being a leader on my defense, I just come out with intensity. I know a lot of guys work off my intensity and my passion. I have be an example for my defense."
On the rest of the season...
"I believe in my team. We can go out and beat anyone in the country. We just have to execute down the stretch, in all phases of the game."
Junior Running Back Alex Barnes
On if the losses wearing on him...
"It's getting old. Losing is never fun for anybody. This wasn't a lack of effort loss today. We were trying. There's a lot of stuff we have to get answered, a lot of questions we have to answer about ourselves. A lot of self-reflection we have to do."
On if there was confidence on the final drive...
"We practice the two-minute drill just about every day we practice. It's down by one with three minutes left on the clock and one timeout. We literally have repped that before. We were able to do it in practice so we had confidence that we were able to do it in a game, but obviously we came up short."
On losing a game where you outgained your opponent...
"I feel like we were able to compete with them today. We did a lot of good things, but obviously not enough. We had way too many errors. Too many turnovers, too many stupid things and little things."
On placekicker Blake Lynch...
"It's definitely not on Blake. There's a lot of things that go into a field goal kick than the actual kicker himself. Maybe it was the snap or maybe it was the hold. Maybe he felt pressure from either side. Who knows. It's not entirely on one person. Just like any other football play. There are 10 other people out there."
TCU Head Coach Gary Patterson
On the win...
"Well, win by one. Isn't that what I said on Tuesday? Finally, we get a little luck. We'll take it one at a time."
On the offense...
"We didn't do as well as we would have liked to have done offensively."
Looking forward...
"We've got to win two out of three, and we have West Virginia next week."
On the defense and the blitz...
"They had a couple of tendencies. You can't just stand there and play. They get three yards and then they get four yards, and then they go for it on fourth down and it's a first down. It's like playing a triple-option team. You have to get up and do some things where you can get the loss-yardage plays, and we were able to do that."
On the return game...
"The wind was bad today. We already talked that when they punted, we weren't going to catch it. When they had to punt against the win, we left the defense on the field."
On third-down defense...
"Except for one ball game we have played well on third down all year. We were able to dial it up last year on third down against them, and we had to do it again today just because of the quarterback draw. The quarterback draw hurt us as much as anything."
Quarterback Mike Collins
On ending the losing streak...
"It feels really good to get a win. October was a tough month and that wasn't the best win, but a win is a win and we will take it. It felt really good in the locker room after. Our defense played really well, our offensive line played really well, the receivers made plays when they had to. In the end, it ended up being the difference."
On keeping composure on the 67-yard TD to Reagor...
"I knew it was going to be a good play pre-snap. Then I fumbled the snap. I just picked it up and knew he would be open. I just gave him a chance and he made a great play."
On the play of Jaelan Austin and Jarrison Stewart...
"I know they are reliable guys, they've played in a lot of big games. I know if I throw them the ball they are going to make the catch and come down with it. If it is ever a big situation, I'm looking for them. Third down, third-and-long and we need to convert, they got it."
Cornerback Jeff Gladney
On Kansas State quarterbacks...
"He's definitely more of a runner. Definitely when 10 came out of the game and 5 went in, we know he's a runner. You've just got to focus more on the QB counters, QB draws, leads."
On Ben Banogu's fumble recovery and re-fumble...
"Coach P had gave me the blitz, and when I went, I noticed the running back didn't see me at all. The quarterback had no clue I was coming... I got my first one finally."
"At first I was just like, 'Man, the football gods are getting us right now.' But we still forced a fumble, told Ben it was okay, and kept playing hard. We'll be alright."
On being in a position to blitz...
"I love it. I'm being trying to get better, and I'm telling everybody I've been practicing on my blitzing. Coach P trusted me to go do it, so I know I can."
On being a junior and fighting through an injury last week...
"I was in pain, but I'm trying to be a leader. I've only got one more year left. I know we've got a lot of young guys so I'm trying to step up and lead them. I feel that just playing showed them you've gotta push through anything. All the adversity we've had you've just got to push through."
Wide Receiver Jalen Reagor
On his 67-yard touchdown...
"Sometimes I just run to try and get people open, other times you can feel it, when you know the ball is coming to you."
On the chemistry between him and Mike Collins...
"Coach Cumbie prepares all of the quarterbacks the same. I didn't feel any drop off or anything, it just felt normal."
On ending the losing streak...
"Man, just to get back on track and trying to have the best season we can. We're just trying to get into a bowl game."
On his streak of games with a touchdown...
"I feel like scoring is my job. I feel like I'm one of the, if not the, best receiver on the team. It's my job to lead the receiving corps and lead by my play."
On the implications of the victory on team morale...
"Coach preaches to us every day, the only thing you can do is come back to work. I feel like everybody has a good attitude. Just persevere and get through adversity."
Linebacker Jawuan Johnson
On ending the losing streak...
"It feels really good because we've been down. Caoch P turned it up a notch and it feels good to get this win. It's been a long season and we want to keep going with it."
On his personal performance...
"Every day has been a 'get better' day for me. Every day I take it as I have to get better at one thing. I have to get better at something. It felt good because I'm starting to get the flow of it but my goal is just to get better."
On injuries to the defense...
"It's been giving me a lot more experience in this defense. Ty [Summers] and Arico [Evans] are guys that have really helped me. It's a good group.
On playing the K-State offense...
"Coach P said it's 'middle drill' so be ready for it so we practiced it hard. It was a physical game so we had to out-physical them. That was the mindset.
"We knew he [Alex Delton] liked to run. We knew he wanted to run the ball Our biggest thing was to keep our eyes on him."
SEASON RECORD UPDATE
K-State 3-6 (1-5 Big 12)
TCU 4-5 (2-4 Big 12)
WHAT'S NEXT
The Wildcats play host to the Sunflower Showdown, as K-State and Kansas renew their in-state rivalry at Bill Snyder Family Stadium in Manhattan, Kansas. The game is slated for a 11:00 a.m. CT kickoff, airing on FSN.
Players Mentioned
RB
/ Football
QB
/ Football
DE
/ Football
LB
/ Football
WR
/ Football
PK
/ Football
DB
/ Football
WR
/ Football
QB
/ FootballK-State Football | Chris Klieman press conference - Oct. 20, 2025
Monday, October 20
K-State FB | Chris Klieman Press Conference - Oct. 20
Monday, October 20
K-State Football | Game 7 ⚒️ TCU Victory Highlight
Thursday, October 16
GAME REPLAY | FB vs TCU
Tuesday, October 14