All-Around Effort Guides K-State Past UTSA, 41-17

MANHATTAN, Kan. – Junior wide receiver Isaiah Zuber's career-best two touchdowns paced a Kansas State offense that rolled up 449 total yards and five touchdowns, as the Wildcats defeated UTSA, 41-10, in front of 50,618 fans at Bill Snyder Family Stadium on Saturday.

Of the 449 offensive yards, 285 came through the air, as sophomore quarterback Skylar Thompson set a new career high in passing yards (213), while Zuber set new career highs in receiving yards (144), receptions (7) and touchdowns (2). Thompson also led the Wildcat rushing unit, as he carried for 66 yards on 14 attempts and a touchdown.

Defensively, K-State (2-1, 0-0 Big 12) held their opponent to under 20 points for the first time this season, as UTSA (0-3, 0-0 Conference USA) totaled 300 yards of total offense in the game. Sophomore defensive back AJ Parker led the Wildcats in tackles with seven.

HOW IT HAPPENED
The Wildcats wasted no time jumping ahead of the Roadrunners on Saturday, as K-State used a 10-play, 78-yard drive on their opening possession to grab an early 7-0 lead. The drive was spurred by a 37-yard pass from sophomore quarterback Skylar Thompson to senior wide receiver Zach Reuter, which put the Wildcats into position to punch in a 3-yard touchdown rush by junior running back Alex Barnes, his first rushing touchdown of the season.

With five minutes remaining in the first quarter, UTSA evened the score at 7-7 on a play-action pass from junior quarterback Cordale Grundy to junior fullback Halen Steward.

K-State moved down the field again later in the first quarter, in a drive that saw Barnes bring in a catch for 30 yards from Thompson. The reception marked a new career-long touchdown reception for Barnes, leading to a 33-yard Blake Lynch field goal to bring the score to 10-7.

On the ensuing K-State offensive possession, the Wildcats continued to navigate through the air, as Thompson aired out a 42-yard pass to sophomore wide receiver Dalton Schoen to expand their lead to 17-7. The touchdown reception marked Schoen's fifth of his career, with an average touchdown length of 45.8 yards.

With under a minute remaining in the first half, the Wildcats ran off 10 points, including a 23-yard touchdown pass from Thompson to junior wide receiver Isaiah Zuber and a 42-yard field goal from Lynch to bring the score to 27-7. The Wildcats went into the break with 290 total yards on offense 213 of which came through the air.

Following a strong first half through the air, Thompson made use of his running abilities to start the second half, taking a 27-yard read-option for a touchdown on the first K-State possession of the second-half. The touchdown rush marked a career-long for Thompson as the Wildcats led 34-7 with 9:15 left in the third quarter.

Junior quarterback Alex Delton took over for Thompson at quarterback late in the third quarter, where he connected with a familiar target, Zuber for a 72-yard touchdown on his first attempt. The reception for Zuber marked his first-career two-touchdown performance, while also putting him over a career-high in receiving yards. The score put the Wildcats up, 41-7 with 3:31 left in the third quarter.

In the fourth quarter, UTSA found the end zone following a K-State fumble in Roadrunner territory. UTSA capitalized on the turnover on the first play of the drive, as senior quarterback D.J. Gillins connected with senior wide receiver Greg Campbell Jr. for a 10-yard touchdown pass to bring the score to 41-17 with 3:35 remaining in the game.

K-State finished with 449 yards of total offense, averaging out to 7.1 yards per play. The Wildcats also made efficient use of their trips to the red zone, scoring on all three of their opportunities.

OFFENSIVE PLAYERS OF THE GAME
Skylar Thompson – The Wildcat quarterback surpassed his career high in passing on Saturday, throwing for 213 yards through the air on 13-of-18 passing. Thompson found seven different receivers throughout the game, including finding Zuber for six receptions, 72 yards and a touchdown. In addition to his stellar day passing, Thompson led the Wildcats in rushing, accumulating 66 yards on 14 attempts and a touchdown.

Isaiah Zuber – On the receiving end of seven passes, Zuber set or tied career-marks in all three receiving cateogries, accumulating seven receptions, 144 receiving yards and two touchdowns on Saturday, as the junior led the Wildcats in receiving for the second time this season.

DEFENSIVE PLAYERS OF THE GAME
AJ Parker –Parker led the K-State defensive unit in total tackles on Saturday, garnering 7 total tackles and one tackle for loss. Parker's 7 tackles are the second-most of his career, after totaling 8 tackles against TCU in 2017.

Eli Walker – Senior defensive back Eli Walker accumulated five tackles, including a fourth-down tackle-for-loss in the third quarter on Saturday. Walker's five tackles are the second-most in his career, as he made six tackles against Iowa State in 2017.

SPECIAL TEAMS STAR OF THE GAME
Blake Lynch – Placekicker Blake Lynch continued to put the ball between the uprights on Saturday, connecting on each of his two field goal attempts from 33 and 42 yards out. Lynch has now connected on 7-of-8 field goals this season, with a long of 44 yards against South Dakota in the home opener. Lynch's seven field goal conversions are the most in the first three games of the season since Jack Cantele in 2015.

STAT OF THE GAME
October 15, 2016 – K-State orchestrated an efficient passing effort on Saturday, as seven different players recorded a reception, marking the first time the Wildcats have done so since October 15, 2016 against Oklahoma.

SEASON RECORD UPDATE
K-State 2-1 (0-0 Big 12)
UTSA 0-3 (0-0 Conference USA)

WHAT'S NEXT
The Wildcats hit the road for their first road trip of the season, as K-State takes on No. 14/15 West Virginia Mountaineers on Saturday, September 22 in Morgantown, West Virginia. The contest marks the first Big 12 Conference matchup for both teams, with kickoff slated for 2:30 p.m. CT on ABC, ESPN or ESPN2.

POSTGAME QUOTES
BILL SNYDER, K-STATE HEAD COACH
On opening drive offensively...
"It is always important to start ball games well in any phase, offense or defense. To think about it, that is the first touchdown we have scored in the first half for the season. It was significant, and it is just something you have to be able to do. It is not just a one time thing and we do not need to do flips because we scored on the first drive, that is just the intent. That is what we need to do and that is what we should do, and fortunately we did. To add onto that, I thought we played reasonably well in the first half and reasonably well halfway through the third quarter, then the wheels fell off."

On defensive performance through non-conference play...
"Improving, meaning we need to get better. There are areas we need to get better and areas where we have made improvement. It was not the same team as last week but we still made some improvement on the defensive side of the ball."

On the area that needs most improvement...
"We have to tackle better, number one. It is pretty simple to say but it is a hard thing to do. We are not tackling like we are capable of. We got soft up there several times where they pushed the pile. Their offensive linemen did a nice job of pushing the pile and getting an extra eight-to-nine yards that you cannot afford to give up.nWe allowed them to get on the edge a few times. We lost some containment and we let their quarterback bring it out scrambling a couple of times, which is always a nemesis. Nevertheless, we have to do a better job of defending the quarterback on draw plays and scrambles."

On passing the ball...
"I think Skylar (Thompson) did a nice job and Alex (Delton) only had the one throw but it was an extremely well thrown ball. Two of Skylar's touchdown passes were excellent throws, threading the needle. I was pleased. Once again, it starts with protection and our protection was good enough for our quarterback to have some time to get the ball off and some deep throws. I appreciate that. I thought they were a lot firmer up front. Receivers did a nice job of getting themselves open and catching the ball on deep throws. Deep throws are not as easy to catch when you have a guy hanging on your shoulder pads as it may seem some time."

On sophomore quarterback Skylar Thompson's performance…
"He played well. I do not think his demeanor or his approach was any different he just played a little better than he has. He made good decision for the most part for what he did. That is why you practice."

On back-ups getting some playing time and any standout performances late...
"Nobody caught my eye. I think that's one of the things I shared with our players afterwards. Young guys that are twos or threes, whatever the case may be, they come to practice, they work hard, they work hard for the opportunity to get on the field, but when they get on the field they have to take advantage of it. We had way too many mistakes in the second half, that's what slowed the ballgame down and put our defense in a hole with our offense and consequently gave up a score that you probably wouldn't give up if you were playing reasonably well on offense. They have to play well too, I don't expect them to play any differently than who they have in front of them. That's the nature of the game, you have to be the best you can be."

BLAKE LYNCH, SOPHOMORE PLACE KICKER
On making another tackle today..
"It was awesome to get out there and get some hitting in. I liked it. I think I had three to five tackles in my high school career."

On improving every day…
"I still have some things to work on. I just try to stay consistent, focus on things I need to improve on and just practice a lot. The biggest area of improvement is probably just distance and height on my field goals. I have always been the accurate kicker but I am trying to get more power behind the ball. A lot of it has just been getting older, working out a lot and getting more experience."

On how far he has come as a kicker…
"Everything just seemed to start clicking over the past six months or so. I think it is just getting used to a new program and getting used to being here. Getting comfortable with my snapper and holder helps a lot."

SKYLAR THOMPSON, SOPHOMORE QUARTERBACK
On his play today...
"I felt like we played well today. Coming into this game we really wanted to build momentum going into Big 12 play and really wanted to put emphasis on starting the game well - getting into the end zone and getting the offense rolling. I felt like we did that today. I just trust my coaching and my teammates and they made a lot of good plays today."

On being named the starter on Tuesday helping him settle in…
"It helped a little bit. The first two games I was not trying to think about that but when you hear confirmation publicly, it definitely helps a little bit. I wanted to come into this game, play loose and have a lot of confidence. We have a big game next week, going at West Virginia, starting Big 12 play. I knew it was really important for our offense to get going and build some confidence going into that game."

On the opening scoring drive…
"That was great. That is what we always want to try to do. Come out and score on the first drive we get the ball. Just kind of set the stage for the rest of the game. I felt like we did that well. We ran the ball well, we got them to jump offsides twice, threw the ball down the field to Zach (Reuter), who made a great catch, and then we punched it into the end zone. That was a great start to the game. It was good to see that because the first three games we were kind of struggling in that area. We felt like we started well today."

JUNIOR DEFENSIVE TACKLE TREY DISHON
On the biggest challenges of non-conference…
"I would say starting out the year, I don't think we played very well. I think we met a lot of big improvements today, especially just playing right and playing physically, it was cool."

On his thoughts about the run defense…
"I thought it was a major improvement, you know. We want to be the best run defense in the Big 12 like we have been in the past. We take pride in that, and we really focus on improving that. I'm happy to see what we did today."

On the running and passing games being on the same page…
"Our game was just going back and forth. It's good that we are cleaning it up. Coach (Blake) Seiler was getting affirmative with us and eliminating our mental errors. I think that was a big thing."

On the biggest changes with Coach Seiler…
"He definitely has a pedestal to talk on. He can do things his way, that's his job. I am really excited to get into Big 12 play, because we are going to see a lot of the same plays. He will have a lot to say when that comes."

JUNIOR WIDE RECEIVER DALTON SCHOEN
On his 42-yard touchdown…
"It was pretty similar situation to what we had last week. Man coverage, the man over me was pretty tight to the line and I knew I needed to get a good release because he was close. I got a clean release and Skylar (Thompson) let me run under it."

On his thoughts about the offense…
"I think just execution. Coach Snyder says it all the time, 'it's not about who we are playing it's about us.' It's about us going out there and executing the game point to win, and we really just tried to get back to that and harp on getting our tempo and energy up a little, then execute all of our assignments."

On getting off to a good start…
"It definitely feels good, getting momentum like that and just to know what we are capable of and just to be out there and do it."

On mastering over-the-shoulder catches…
"I think it's just a lot of reps at it. Just focusing and watching that ball and your hands, because it's easy to have it go over the top of your head and not go into your hands. I was battling the sun a little bit too and I was worried about that but, you know, Skylar (Thompson) put up a great ball and a great shot."

On covering more field…
"I liked it a lot, I feel like the guys were able to cover a lot. I really liked how we were aggressive and putting it out there and also putting out high percentage throws. Just spreading it out and getting it to other guys, because we do have a lot of weapons in this offense."

On his connection with Skylar Thompson…
"I don't really know. We always talk about it. I think it goes back to our days on scout team together and just throwing it around. And like you said, we really do have a good connection, we are always on the same page. I think that communication is a big thing. I told him that if he sees a look and he likes it, go to it. And he did."

ALEX BARNES, JUNIOR RUNNING BACK
On scoring on the first drive...
"It felt really good, you know. We needed that momentum going in. You know we've been struggling the last two weeks, and it was just reassuring for all of us to finally get in there."

On the offensive line and run game efficiency…
"I mean you know we still have a lot of stuff we need to work on, you know, quarterback run game, running back run game. We still need to do some things better. There's still a lot of guys running free when they shouldn't be and some other things that we need to address and that were going to work on."

On what how he rated the team's performance…
"I'd give it a C+ because we did struggle on the ground game, you know. We're going to see stacked boxes all year and we saw it all game this game, so that's why our pass game is so efficient. You know, we still have to be able to execute our stuff and play our game and be able to do better on the ground and we weren't really able to do that so you know we're going to try to be better."

DUKE SHELLEY, SENIOR DEFENSIVE BACK
On this win…
"It was great. I feel like after last week, coming off of an 'L', it is always good to bounce back versus a competitive team like UTSA. The biggest thing I feel like is just the momentum going into Big 12 play next week."

On preparedness for Big 12 play…
"I feel like we are ready. I feel like we are going to continue to be ready, continue to get better. Like I told the guys after the game, we have to enhance our play this week. Whether that's preparation, practice, everything. Going into Big 12 play we just have to get better. "

WYATT HUBERT, REDSHIRT FRESHMAN DEFENSIVE END
On the defense compared to last week…
"You know we were a lot more gap sound this week compared to last week, but one more thing we still struggled on a little bit was third down. They converted quite a bit of their third downs today and we just need to improve on that."

On defensive discipline during a play…
"It was a big emphasis compared to last week. You know we were having trouble, especially as a D-line with getting up field and getting ourselves into bad position. So this week we definitely honed in on just reading the mesh point and reading the reverses and throwbacks and that kind of stuff."

FRANK WILSON, UTSA HEAD COACH
On how his team played against K-State...
"We've engaged in a very tough three game series, it was very admirable the way our team continued to fight all the way until the end. We were still trying to get 24 points on the board even with the last play of the game. You see when we're able to play good defense and create turnovers, certainly your percentage of scoring opportunity is greater when you have a shorter length of the field. The playbook is now more visible, instead of 80-, 90-yard drives. When we did that, both turnovers resulted into touchdowns for us. If we continue to play that kind of team football consistently, we improve our chances of scoring."

On UTSA's struggles in the second quarter…
"Unfortunately in the second quarter, we had two critical issues; one, a punt return by our opponent that got the ball back to the 50 and they had a short field, and then in our attempt to go down and score points the quarterback lost the ball. So just like that a game that is very much still in the balance, a 14-point swing happens in a matter of minutes, that hurt us and I think was the turning point of this game. Prior to that I thought we were competing, going back-and-forth with this football team and that really took us out of rhythm going into the second half."

On his message to his team at halftime…
"We will fight, we will be resilient, and we will play like Roadrunners with a 'never say die' spirit."

On UTSA's defensive effort…
"You're talking about a team, they had 160 yards rushing, they generally average about 280 to 300 yards rushing, and so I thought our defense came in and did what we wanted to do to stop the run. We did not stop the big play, they threw a couple balls over our head. We have to be better, we can't fall down. You train better than that and we are better than that. Unfortunately we did not always execute to the fullest. But I think take away a couple big play opportunities, they weren't methodically going down the field just shoving us around, we would hold them to third-and-some change and third-and-long at times and unfortunately could not deliver the knockout punch to get off the field."

On his team's improvement from last week…
"I think the team we just played is a more formidable opponent then the one we played a week ago. I think it can be deceiving and hard to see the improvement because of the team we played here on the road opposed to playing at home. I think if you take away those last two plays in the second quarter, when the game is a seven point game, ten point game, it's a different football game. It's a game that's played with emotion and that when emotional swings happen and fourteen points within two minutes, it can sometimes change unfortunately with what the ultimate outcome can be. But yes, I think our team continued to get better today."

CORDALE GRUNDY, JUNIOR QUARTERBACK
On what coach said after the game...
"At halftime, he preached to us to fight and finish and at the end of the game he said that's what we did. We finished hard and we fought all the way to the end."

On the pressure K-State was putting on him…
"It wasn't that much pressure. We have to fix a couple things but I thought the offensive line did a good job, I didn't take any sacks today. But we got better."

On the feeling in the locker room after an 0-3 start…
"Positivity. Point blank. Positivity."

C.J. LEVINE, SENIOR SAFETY
On K-State's big plays…
"We had a whole bunch of sudden changes. We had to adapt. We couldn't give in each and every time. Something wrong didn't go our way so we had to just fight through it each and every play. Our motto is to spot the ball, find the place of the ball and we're going to be there and be able to play."

On playing hard until the end…
"We ended up coming up with some takeaways so that was an advantage for us. And our offense was able to score. I think that for us we have to keep working more and more throughout the game, throughout the practices, in getting the ball and that'll help us out as we keep going throughout the game."

On the feeling in the locker room after an 0-3 start…
"We're about to head back home to San Antonio and the next 2 games we're going to be at home. It's a chance for the San Antonio crowd, fans, and everyone to come out and keep supporting us because we need that support each and every game, each and every day. That shows us that people are still behind us, people still have faith in us, and we still have faith in ourselves."

Next Event

Team Stats

Eric Gallon II

Alex Delton

Players Mentioned

Alex Barnes

Alex Delton

Blake Lynch

AJ Parker

Zach Reuter

Dalton Schoen

Skylar Thompson

Eli Walker

Isaiah Zuber

Players Mentioned

Alex Barnes

Alex Delton

Blake Lynch

AJ Parker

Zach Reuter

Dalton Schoen

Skylar Thompson

Eli Walker

Isaiah Zuber

Kansas State University Athletics