Kansas State University Athletics
Saturday, September 29
Manhattan, Kan.
2:30 p.m.
Kansas State University
2-3 , 0-2
14
vs
19
Texas
4-1 , 2-0
1st
2nd
3rd
4th
F
Texas
7
12
0
0
19
Kansas State
0
0
7
7
14
Rally Falls Short in 19-14 Loss to No. 18 Texas
Sep 29, 2018 | Football
MANHATTAN, Kan. – Kansas State scored 14 unanswered points while pitching a shutout in the second half, but it wasn't enough to climb out of 19-point halftime deficit as No. 18 Texas escaped with a 19-14 victory in front of 49,916 fans at Bill Snyder Family Stadium on Saturday.
Trailing 19-0 and stifled offensively at the break, K-State (2-3, 0-2 Big 12) found touchdowns from sophomore quarterback Skylar Thompson and junior running back Alex Barnes in the second half, while the defense held Texas to 148 yards and no points in the game's final 30 minutes. Despite the rally, the Longhorns were able to run out the clock late in the game to secure the victory.
The Wildcat offense totaled 217 yards of total offense, including 107 yards on the ground. Thompson completed 8-of-18 passing for 96 yards and a rushing touchdown, all after halftime. Throughout the entirety of the game, the Wildcats did not commit a penalty, marking the first time since a game against Auburn on September 18, 2014.
Texas (4-1, 2-0 Big 12) benefitted from a 19-point first-half performance, including a 90-yard punt return touchdown from freshman D'Shawn Jamison. Offensively, the Longhorns totaled 339 yards of offense, including 226 yards through the air, as sophomore quarterback Sam Ehlinger completed 29-of-36 passes for 207 yards and a touchdown.
HOW IT HAPPENED
After defeating No. 17 TCU a week ago, the No. 18 Texas Longhorns continued to make plays against the Wildcats on Saturday, where the first score of the game came on a 90-yard punt return for a touchdown by Jamison to give the Longhorns a 7-0 lead with 5:25 left in the first quarter.
On their next offensive possession, Texas opened up the second quarter with another score, after driving 89 yards to the end zone. The score came on a 4-yard touchdown pass from Ehlinger to junior wide receiver Collin Johnson to increase their lead to 14-0 with 14:03 left in the half.
After scores on special teams and offense, the Longhorn defense provided some points in the second quarter, sacking junior quarterback Alex Delton in the end zone for a safety. Texas would also tack on a field goal in the second quarter to increase their lead to 19-0 at halftime.
In the first half, the Longhorns led the way with 191 total yards, including 136 yards through the air. The Wildcats struggled to get anything going on offense, accumulating just 64 yards and 50 yards through the rushing game.
After the halftime break, the Wildcats went with Thompson at quarterback, who led the Wildcats out to a score on their first possession of the second half. Thompson took the designed quarterback run around the edge and found the pylon with an acrobatic dive for a 7-yard touchdown to bring the score to 19-7 with 11:13 remaining in the third quarter.
In the fourth quarter, the Wildcats found another spark behind a 16-play, 70-yard drive that resulted in their second touchdown of the game. After a scoreless first half, K-State found the end zone behind a touchdown rush out of the Wildcat formation by junior running back Alex Barnes on fourth and goal from the 1-yard line. The touchdown brought the Wildcats within a score, as the Longhorns led 19-14 with 9:55 remaining in the game.
Needing a defensive stop late in the game, Texas was able to force K-State into a three-and-out with 6:20 remaining. The Longhorns were able to run the clock out by converting on three first downs, including a 12-yard rush by Ehlinger in the waning minutes.
The Wildcats totaled 217 total yards of offense, including 107 on the ground. The Longhorns ended the game with 339 total yards of offense, including 228 yards through the air. Ehlinger completed 29-of-36 passing, throwing for 207 yards and a touchdown.
OFFENSIVE PLAYERS OF THE GAME
Skylar Thompson – After entering at quarterback in the second half, Thompson punched the ball into the end zone on the Wildcats' first offensive possession of the half, taking a designed quarterback run around the edge and diving for the pylon for a 7-yard touchdown rush. Through the air, Thompson completed 8-of-18 passing for 96 yards.
Alex Barnes – The Wildcat running back upped his career-rushing yardage to 1,618 career yards on Saturday, moving him into 14th all-time on the K-State career rushing list. Barnes also scored a touchdown in the fourth quarter on Saturday, marking his 15th career touchdown.
DEFENSIVE PLAYERS OF THE GAME
Reggie Walker – The Wildcat junior came up with two sacks for the Wildcats on Saturday, including a forced fumble on Ehlinger in the second quarter. Walker's two sacks tie a career high for him, as he also accumulated four tackles in the game, including two that were behind the line of scrimmage.
SPECIAL TEAMS STAR OF THE GAME
A.J. Parker – In the third quarter, Parker pressured a Texas punt, resulting in a block that turned into a 17-yard punt. The block was the first blocked punt by a Wildcat since Jayd Kirby had a block against Oklahoma State in 2015.
STAT OF THE GAME
54 – The Wildcat streak without allowing a punt-return touchdown ended at 54 games on Saturday, as Texas' D'Shawn Jamison returned a punt for a 90-yard touchdown in the first quarter.
SEASON RECORD UPDATE
K-State 2-3 (0-2 Big 12)
Texas 4-1 (2-0 Big 12)
WHAT'S NEXT
Next up, the Wildcats will travel to Waco, Texas to take on the Baylor Bears for their third conference battle of the season on Saturday, October 6. The game is slated for a 2:30 p.m. CT kick, and will air on FS1.
POSTGAME INTERVIEWS
BILL SNYDER, K-STATE HEAD COACH
On the loss...
"All losses are painful. There is a variety of different reasons why we did not win the ballgame. I think we became a little better football team, not necessarily because of the game but because of the way we practiced this last week."
On the defense…
"I was very proud of our defense, I thought they did play very well. The biggest problem we had in the first half was our third-down-conversion rate was higher than it needed to be and I thought that is where we became a better football team defensively. In the second half, I thought we were better on third downs but at the end of the day we just could not get the breaks put on when we absolutely needed it."
On the decision to start Alex Delton at quarterback…
"Just the fact that he kind of finished the ballgame and gave us a spark last week and did some things that we wanted to do early in the ballgame a little bit better. Going in still, with the idea that they were both going to play. In all reality, who starts probably does not impact the ballgame."
On the offense in the second half…
"I applaud our offensive line. Our offensive line had an approach and an attitude leaving the locker room in the second half which I have not seen this year. It was one of anger. There was a determination, which is something that has been big in my terminology for a couple weeks, to be successful. To win the battle, to win up front, and they did. Not always, but a good portion of the time. I think they had the biggest impact on scoring a couple times in the second half."
DALTON SCHOEN, JUNIOR WIDE RECEIVER
On his dropped pass in the second half…
"It is definitely tough to move on from because I hate not making a play like that, especially when it is wide open. At the end of the day, you have to have a short memory. Get it out of your mind and move on."
On their improved play in the second half being impacted by the quarterback under center…
"I am not really sure how much it is has to do with who is back there. As a whole offensive unit we obviously played poorly in the first half and then we came out in the second half with some fight and a sense of urgency in what we were doing."
On Skylar Thompson's touchdown…
"It is definitely encouraging to see him lay it all out there on the line for his team. That is the kind of guy he is and we know we are going to get that out of him every time."
On the downfield attack in the second half…
"I think we came out with a sense of urgency and were a little bit more aggressive with what we were doing. We had some good calls to get the ball downfield and attack their open areas."
ADAM HOLTORF, JUNIOR OFFENSIVE LINEMAN
On the first drive of second half…
"Coming out of the locker room at halftime there was a lot of energy. All of us offensive guys got together realizing that we have to get going, there's no more sitting around. I think we had a lot of energy coming out to the second half and I think that showed, I think that's what sprung that first drive. That felt good to be able to march that ball down there and score in the second half."
On getting "fired up" for second half…
"Starting with O-line, we were all collectively just looking at each other and just realizing, you know, quit sitting around. We've got to get going and we realise it starts with us. Some of the defensive guys got going and then you know all of a sudden everybody's yelling and picking each other up. That energy really spread throughout the locker room and I think that's what got everybody going and translated into how we came out for the second half."
On change in flow of game after Thompson entered the game…
"I think there was a lot of energy coming out of the locker room in the second half. I don't think that's attributed to one quarterback or the other. We get reps with both quarterbacks. I work with both quarterbacks extensively. There was just a lot of collective team energy coming out of the second half."
JUSTIN HUGHES, JUNIOR LINEBACKER
On tackling…
"We've got to improve even more on tackling this week. We've got to work on it and get better. That is probably going to be our mindset this week, just work on tackling and pass coverage. A couple of those plays is just us running to the ball full speed and getting over leveraged. We are running to the ball and trying to make plays, but we have to be disciplined in our tackling."
On second half adjustments…
"Just our mentality, we've got to do better. We knew we had to get a couple stops and get the offense the ball back. We came out with a dog mentality, just trying to stop the offense."
On Skylar Thompson's play…
"Skylar did really good coming out in the second half. There was more of a mentality of everybody has to do their part. The offense took it as a challenge in the locker room. They took it as 'We've got to be better.' I think that gave Skylar an easy play."
JORDAN MITTIE, JUNIOR DEFENSIVE TACKLE
On the defensive play…
"I was proud of the way we fought. Anytime you're on defense and give up 10 points, that's 10 points too many. I'm proud of the effort we gave and how we fought. We've definitely improved every game, so that's exciting for us. One of our goals for the season is to get better every game. I would say that were playing with more confidence week by week, so that has helped a lot."
On the second half…
"Especially with the offensive guys, you could tell we were upset and we were angry with their performance in the first half. When you see the offensive guys get pumped up, that translates over to defense."
REGGIE WALKER, JUNIOR DEFENSIVE END
On what got the team fired up for the second half…
"Really we just had to lock in. Just say to ourselves, 'Okay we're a really good team, and we have to know we're a really good team.' I feel like at halftime we really realized that and came out and just had that on our minds."
On his personal performance yet coming up short as a team…
"It's really tough, but once again we can only control what we can control. With the offense, once they started clicking, it gave us more energy and just trying to get the ball back. It was pretty frustrating but at the end of the day, we can only control what we can control."
TOM HERMAN, TEXAS HEAD COACH
On his expectations for the game...
"It was very much the way that we told our players it was going to be. There's not a coach in this profession that I have more respect for than Bill Snyder. I think he's kind of the gold standard of what we all strive for our programs to be; which is tough, physical, they're great tacklers, they're great technicians in everything that they do, and you can tell they play for each other. That was a really good football team, they gave us their best shot, obviously we have a lot to clean up, but to able to do something in Manhattan, Kansas, that a Texas team hasn't done in 16 years still should be celebrated, to end the game the way we did, when things were looking fairly bleak there for most of the second half. For the defense to get the offense the ball back up by five and our offense getting a few first downs and ended up taking a knee against that defense, that's pretty tough to do. There wasn't an opponent on our schedule last year that we would have been able to do that and I think we took another step."
On Texas' 10 penalties…
"We've got to do a better job initiating contact on offense to draw the same kind of pass interference calls that teams are getting against us. I've got to do a better job of teaching that, on how to draw flags because teams are getting really good at it. I've got to get a good explanation from our new head of officials on what exactly we can and can't do. Most of these penalties are aggressive penalties, we had one false start which was a freshman tailback that got antsy and one offsides. Procedurally, I thought we were good, it's the end play penalties that we've got to do a better job coaching great technique."
On the defense adjusting to Skylar Thompson starting the second half…
"It wasn't a slowness of adjustment, it was the kid was playing really good. He eluded pressure well, their quarterback played really, really well."
On appreciating the moment after struggling in a rebuilding year last year…
"At the end of the season when you look at our record, you're not going to see half of a W in the win column for this, you're going to see a full W and it's going to count exactly the same as beating USC by whatever we beat them and TCU by whatever we beat them. They all count the same. We told our guys that championships are won on the road and this is historically a ridiculously tough environment to play in for a lot of different reasons. Yes, we are going to enjoy this one, we've got a lot to learn, but again to take another step which was finishing and winning a road game in such a hostile environment I think was an important step."
On winning the game despite playing a far from perfect game…
"Not to take anything away from Coach Snyder and the job that his team did, but we won ugly. But the key word in there is 'won.' They're all going to look pretty on Sunday when you wake up. The flight is shorter, the food tastes better, you get better sleep, you sleep in a little later when you win. We did not play our best, but we found a way to do so in critical times which I think was important."
SAM EHLINGER, SOPHOMORE QUARTERBACK
On the last two offensive drives...
"I think it shows our maturity, being able to overcome a lull. We obviously didn't score as much as we would like, but a lot of offenses after that would happen would curl up at the end of the game, but we decided to finish. The last four games we've had the ball at the end of the game taking a knee which shows signs of us advancing and learning. I think we know how to finish now. We know how to end the game on the field. But guys stepping up like that in big times is great."
On the big win and the big game for Keaontay Ingram….
"I think everyone can see what's in store for him. He has great potential and I'm very excited for what he's going to do in the future. He's continuing to progress every game. He's doing an excellent job with protecting the football and getting downfield."
On if he looks for Collin Johnson in big moments…
"No, I don't think so. We get great matchups with Collin because he's 6-foot-6 and really hard to defend. That makes it a lot easier to throw him the ball when he's always open because of how good of a receiver he is. I don't think it's like, 'Hey, it's third down, let's get the ball to Collin.' I think it's, 'Hey, it's third down, they're taking away L.J. because we've been going to him a lot.' That's the great thing about our offense, if you try to take one thing away then we're going to hit you with the other."
ANDREW BECK, SENIOR TIGHT END
On how they prepared for K-State…
"Coach talked to us, and we all kind of knew, especially older guys that have played up here, watching a K-State road film and playing them at home is very different. This is a hard place to play, obviously. Coach said this is the first time we've won up here in about 16 years. That's a credit to this team and the maturity of these guys. And we knew before we got here that this would be a harder team then the one we watched on film and they played up to what we expected."
On the big win and the big game for Keaontay Ingram….
"He's a key part of our offense. He's really matured since he got here both mentally and physically. He's a very intelligent, very physical back with speed that we really look for in a guy like that. It's a lot of fun to block for him, that's for sure because we know he's going to make plays, make one or two guys miss and run somebody over."
On the defense's impact…
"Our defense played an incredible game. That's a tribute to Coach T.O. that all the guys that went out there in the game, they've continued to play really really well and consistently play really, really well which is exciting. I know they've helped us out a ton. It's something for us to build for, being able to help them out."
GARY JOHNSON, SENIOR LINEBACKER
On playing two quarterbacks…
"Nothing changed, we prepared for both quarterbacks. We knew Delton was more of a runner and No. 10 was more of a pass guy."
On physicality…
"(Delton) is a hard runner, him and No. 34. We knew that the whole week. I told my guys in the back and in the front, 'We've got to hit this guy.' All eleven guys have to run to the ball and wrap up. I just kept preaching to my DB's and linebackers that we have to wrap up because their guys run hard."
Trailing 19-0 and stifled offensively at the break, K-State (2-3, 0-2 Big 12) found touchdowns from sophomore quarterback Skylar Thompson and junior running back Alex Barnes in the second half, while the defense held Texas to 148 yards and no points in the game's final 30 minutes. Despite the rally, the Longhorns were able to run out the clock late in the game to secure the victory.
The Wildcat offense totaled 217 yards of total offense, including 107 yards on the ground. Thompson completed 8-of-18 passing for 96 yards and a rushing touchdown, all after halftime. Throughout the entirety of the game, the Wildcats did not commit a penalty, marking the first time since a game against Auburn on September 18, 2014.
Texas (4-1, 2-0 Big 12) benefitted from a 19-point first-half performance, including a 90-yard punt return touchdown from freshman D'Shawn Jamison. Offensively, the Longhorns totaled 339 yards of offense, including 226 yards through the air, as sophomore quarterback Sam Ehlinger completed 29-of-36 passes for 207 yards and a touchdown.
HOW IT HAPPENED
After defeating No. 17 TCU a week ago, the No. 18 Texas Longhorns continued to make plays against the Wildcats on Saturday, where the first score of the game came on a 90-yard punt return for a touchdown by Jamison to give the Longhorns a 7-0 lead with 5:25 left in the first quarter.
On their next offensive possession, Texas opened up the second quarter with another score, after driving 89 yards to the end zone. The score came on a 4-yard touchdown pass from Ehlinger to junior wide receiver Collin Johnson to increase their lead to 14-0 with 14:03 left in the half.
After scores on special teams and offense, the Longhorn defense provided some points in the second quarter, sacking junior quarterback Alex Delton in the end zone for a safety. Texas would also tack on a field goal in the second quarter to increase their lead to 19-0 at halftime.
In the first half, the Longhorns led the way with 191 total yards, including 136 yards through the air. The Wildcats struggled to get anything going on offense, accumulating just 64 yards and 50 yards through the rushing game.
After the halftime break, the Wildcats went with Thompson at quarterback, who led the Wildcats out to a score on their first possession of the second half. Thompson took the designed quarterback run around the edge and found the pylon with an acrobatic dive for a 7-yard touchdown to bring the score to 19-7 with 11:13 remaining in the third quarter.
In the fourth quarter, the Wildcats found another spark behind a 16-play, 70-yard drive that resulted in their second touchdown of the game. After a scoreless first half, K-State found the end zone behind a touchdown rush out of the Wildcat formation by junior running back Alex Barnes on fourth and goal from the 1-yard line. The touchdown brought the Wildcats within a score, as the Longhorns led 19-14 with 9:55 remaining in the game.
Needing a defensive stop late in the game, Texas was able to force K-State into a three-and-out with 6:20 remaining. The Longhorns were able to run the clock out by converting on three first downs, including a 12-yard rush by Ehlinger in the waning minutes.
The Wildcats totaled 217 total yards of offense, including 107 on the ground. The Longhorns ended the game with 339 total yards of offense, including 228 yards through the air. Ehlinger completed 29-of-36 passing, throwing for 207 yards and a touchdown.
OFFENSIVE PLAYERS OF THE GAME
Skylar Thompson – After entering at quarterback in the second half, Thompson punched the ball into the end zone on the Wildcats' first offensive possession of the half, taking a designed quarterback run around the edge and diving for the pylon for a 7-yard touchdown rush. Through the air, Thompson completed 8-of-18 passing for 96 yards.
Alex Barnes – The Wildcat running back upped his career-rushing yardage to 1,618 career yards on Saturday, moving him into 14th all-time on the K-State career rushing list. Barnes also scored a touchdown in the fourth quarter on Saturday, marking his 15th career touchdown.
DEFENSIVE PLAYERS OF THE GAME
Reggie Walker – The Wildcat junior came up with two sacks for the Wildcats on Saturday, including a forced fumble on Ehlinger in the second quarter. Walker's two sacks tie a career high for him, as he also accumulated four tackles in the game, including two that were behind the line of scrimmage.
SPECIAL TEAMS STAR OF THE GAME
A.J. Parker – In the third quarter, Parker pressured a Texas punt, resulting in a block that turned into a 17-yard punt. The block was the first blocked punt by a Wildcat since Jayd Kirby had a block against Oklahoma State in 2015.
STAT OF THE GAME
54 – The Wildcat streak without allowing a punt-return touchdown ended at 54 games on Saturday, as Texas' D'Shawn Jamison returned a punt for a 90-yard touchdown in the first quarter.
SEASON RECORD UPDATE
K-State 2-3 (0-2 Big 12)
Texas 4-1 (2-0 Big 12)
WHAT'S NEXT
Next up, the Wildcats will travel to Waco, Texas to take on the Baylor Bears for their third conference battle of the season on Saturday, October 6. The game is slated for a 2:30 p.m. CT kick, and will air on FS1.
POSTGAME INTERVIEWS
BILL SNYDER, K-STATE HEAD COACH
On the loss...
"All losses are painful. There is a variety of different reasons why we did not win the ballgame. I think we became a little better football team, not necessarily because of the game but because of the way we practiced this last week."
On the defense…
"I was very proud of our defense, I thought they did play very well. The biggest problem we had in the first half was our third-down-conversion rate was higher than it needed to be and I thought that is where we became a better football team defensively. In the second half, I thought we were better on third downs but at the end of the day we just could not get the breaks put on when we absolutely needed it."
On the decision to start Alex Delton at quarterback…
"Just the fact that he kind of finished the ballgame and gave us a spark last week and did some things that we wanted to do early in the ballgame a little bit better. Going in still, with the idea that they were both going to play. In all reality, who starts probably does not impact the ballgame."
On the offense in the second half…
"I applaud our offensive line. Our offensive line had an approach and an attitude leaving the locker room in the second half which I have not seen this year. It was one of anger. There was a determination, which is something that has been big in my terminology for a couple weeks, to be successful. To win the battle, to win up front, and they did. Not always, but a good portion of the time. I think they had the biggest impact on scoring a couple times in the second half."
DALTON SCHOEN, JUNIOR WIDE RECEIVER
On his dropped pass in the second half…
"It is definitely tough to move on from because I hate not making a play like that, especially when it is wide open. At the end of the day, you have to have a short memory. Get it out of your mind and move on."
On their improved play in the second half being impacted by the quarterback under center…
"I am not really sure how much it is has to do with who is back there. As a whole offensive unit we obviously played poorly in the first half and then we came out in the second half with some fight and a sense of urgency in what we were doing."
On Skylar Thompson's touchdown…
"It is definitely encouraging to see him lay it all out there on the line for his team. That is the kind of guy he is and we know we are going to get that out of him every time."
On the downfield attack in the second half…
"I think we came out with a sense of urgency and were a little bit more aggressive with what we were doing. We had some good calls to get the ball downfield and attack their open areas."
ADAM HOLTORF, JUNIOR OFFENSIVE LINEMAN
On the first drive of second half…
"Coming out of the locker room at halftime there was a lot of energy. All of us offensive guys got together realizing that we have to get going, there's no more sitting around. I think we had a lot of energy coming out to the second half and I think that showed, I think that's what sprung that first drive. That felt good to be able to march that ball down there and score in the second half."
On getting "fired up" for second half…
"Starting with O-line, we were all collectively just looking at each other and just realizing, you know, quit sitting around. We've got to get going and we realise it starts with us. Some of the defensive guys got going and then you know all of a sudden everybody's yelling and picking each other up. That energy really spread throughout the locker room and I think that's what got everybody going and translated into how we came out for the second half."
On change in flow of game after Thompson entered the game…
"I think there was a lot of energy coming out of the locker room in the second half. I don't think that's attributed to one quarterback or the other. We get reps with both quarterbacks. I work with both quarterbacks extensively. There was just a lot of collective team energy coming out of the second half."
JUSTIN HUGHES, JUNIOR LINEBACKER
On tackling…
"We've got to improve even more on tackling this week. We've got to work on it and get better. That is probably going to be our mindset this week, just work on tackling and pass coverage. A couple of those plays is just us running to the ball full speed and getting over leveraged. We are running to the ball and trying to make plays, but we have to be disciplined in our tackling."
On second half adjustments…
"Just our mentality, we've got to do better. We knew we had to get a couple stops and get the offense the ball back. We came out with a dog mentality, just trying to stop the offense."
On Skylar Thompson's play…
"Skylar did really good coming out in the second half. There was more of a mentality of everybody has to do their part. The offense took it as a challenge in the locker room. They took it as 'We've got to be better.' I think that gave Skylar an easy play."
JORDAN MITTIE, JUNIOR DEFENSIVE TACKLE
On the defensive play…
"I was proud of the way we fought. Anytime you're on defense and give up 10 points, that's 10 points too many. I'm proud of the effort we gave and how we fought. We've definitely improved every game, so that's exciting for us. One of our goals for the season is to get better every game. I would say that were playing with more confidence week by week, so that has helped a lot."
On the second half…
"Especially with the offensive guys, you could tell we were upset and we were angry with their performance in the first half. When you see the offensive guys get pumped up, that translates over to defense."
REGGIE WALKER, JUNIOR DEFENSIVE END
On what got the team fired up for the second half…
"Really we just had to lock in. Just say to ourselves, 'Okay we're a really good team, and we have to know we're a really good team.' I feel like at halftime we really realized that and came out and just had that on our minds."
On his personal performance yet coming up short as a team…
"It's really tough, but once again we can only control what we can control. With the offense, once they started clicking, it gave us more energy and just trying to get the ball back. It was pretty frustrating but at the end of the day, we can only control what we can control."
TOM HERMAN, TEXAS HEAD COACH
On his expectations for the game...
"It was very much the way that we told our players it was going to be. There's not a coach in this profession that I have more respect for than Bill Snyder. I think he's kind of the gold standard of what we all strive for our programs to be; which is tough, physical, they're great tacklers, they're great technicians in everything that they do, and you can tell they play for each other. That was a really good football team, they gave us their best shot, obviously we have a lot to clean up, but to able to do something in Manhattan, Kansas, that a Texas team hasn't done in 16 years still should be celebrated, to end the game the way we did, when things were looking fairly bleak there for most of the second half. For the defense to get the offense the ball back up by five and our offense getting a few first downs and ended up taking a knee against that defense, that's pretty tough to do. There wasn't an opponent on our schedule last year that we would have been able to do that and I think we took another step."
On Texas' 10 penalties…
"We've got to do a better job initiating contact on offense to draw the same kind of pass interference calls that teams are getting against us. I've got to do a better job of teaching that, on how to draw flags because teams are getting really good at it. I've got to get a good explanation from our new head of officials on what exactly we can and can't do. Most of these penalties are aggressive penalties, we had one false start which was a freshman tailback that got antsy and one offsides. Procedurally, I thought we were good, it's the end play penalties that we've got to do a better job coaching great technique."
On the defense adjusting to Skylar Thompson starting the second half…
"It wasn't a slowness of adjustment, it was the kid was playing really good. He eluded pressure well, their quarterback played really, really well."
On appreciating the moment after struggling in a rebuilding year last year…
"At the end of the season when you look at our record, you're not going to see half of a W in the win column for this, you're going to see a full W and it's going to count exactly the same as beating USC by whatever we beat them and TCU by whatever we beat them. They all count the same. We told our guys that championships are won on the road and this is historically a ridiculously tough environment to play in for a lot of different reasons. Yes, we are going to enjoy this one, we've got a lot to learn, but again to take another step which was finishing and winning a road game in such a hostile environment I think was an important step."
On winning the game despite playing a far from perfect game…
"Not to take anything away from Coach Snyder and the job that his team did, but we won ugly. But the key word in there is 'won.' They're all going to look pretty on Sunday when you wake up. The flight is shorter, the food tastes better, you get better sleep, you sleep in a little later when you win. We did not play our best, but we found a way to do so in critical times which I think was important."
SAM EHLINGER, SOPHOMORE QUARTERBACK
On the last two offensive drives...
"I think it shows our maturity, being able to overcome a lull. We obviously didn't score as much as we would like, but a lot of offenses after that would happen would curl up at the end of the game, but we decided to finish. The last four games we've had the ball at the end of the game taking a knee which shows signs of us advancing and learning. I think we know how to finish now. We know how to end the game on the field. But guys stepping up like that in big times is great."
On the big win and the big game for Keaontay Ingram….
"I think everyone can see what's in store for him. He has great potential and I'm very excited for what he's going to do in the future. He's continuing to progress every game. He's doing an excellent job with protecting the football and getting downfield."
On if he looks for Collin Johnson in big moments…
"No, I don't think so. We get great matchups with Collin because he's 6-foot-6 and really hard to defend. That makes it a lot easier to throw him the ball when he's always open because of how good of a receiver he is. I don't think it's like, 'Hey, it's third down, let's get the ball to Collin.' I think it's, 'Hey, it's third down, they're taking away L.J. because we've been going to him a lot.' That's the great thing about our offense, if you try to take one thing away then we're going to hit you with the other."
ANDREW BECK, SENIOR TIGHT END
On how they prepared for K-State…
"Coach talked to us, and we all kind of knew, especially older guys that have played up here, watching a K-State road film and playing them at home is very different. This is a hard place to play, obviously. Coach said this is the first time we've won up here in about 16 years. That's a credit to this team and the maturity of these guys. And we knew before we got here that this would be a harder team then the one we watched on film and they played up to what we expected."
On the big win and the big game for Keaontay Ingram….
"He's a key part of our offense. He's really matured since he got here both mentally and physically. He's a very intelligent, very physical back with speed that we really look for in a guy like that. It's a lot of fun to block for him, that's for sure because we know he's going to make plays, make one or two guys miss and run somebody over."
On the defense's impact…
"Our defense played an incredible game. That's a tribute to Coach T.O. that all the guys that went out there in the game, they've continued to play really really well and consistently play really, really well which is exciting. I know they've helped us out a ton. It's something for us to build for, being able to help them out."
GARY JOHNSON, SENIOR LINEBACKER
On playing two quarterbacks…
"Nothing changed, we prepared for both quarterbacks. We knew Delton was more of a runner and No. 10 was more of a pass guy."
On physicality…
"(Delton) is a hard runner, him and No. 34. We knew that the whole week. I told my guys in the back and in the front, 'We've got to hit this guy.' All eleven guys have to run to the ball and wrap up. I just kept preaching to my DB's and linebackers that we have to wrap up because their guys run hard."
Team Stats
UT
KS
Total Yards
339
217
Pass Yards
228
110
Rushing Yards
111
107
Penalty Yards
104
0
1st Downs
22
17
3rd Downs
8
6
4th Downs
0
2
TOP
32:30
27:30
1st Quarter
UT 7, KS 0
UT - D'Shawn Jamison 90 yd punt return (Cameron Dicker kick)
2nd Quarter
UT 14, KS 0
UT - Collin Johnson 4 yd pass from Sam Ehlinger (Cameron Dicker kick) 11 plays, 89 yards, TOP 4:11
UT 16, KS 0
UT - TEAM 8 yd safety
UT 19, KS 0
UT - Cameron Dicker 28 yd field goal 13 plays, 53 yards, TOP 5:36
3rd Quarter
UT 19, KS 7
KS - Thompson, S. 7 yd run (McLellan, Nick kick), 10 plays, 82 yards, TOP 3:42
4th Quarter
UT 19, KS 14
KS - Barnes, Alex 1 yd run (McLellan, Nick kick), 16 plays, 70 yards, TOP 6:02
Game Leaders
Passing Leaders
CMP
8
TD
0
YDS
96
INT
0
CMP
3
TD
0
YDS
14
INT
0
Players Mentioned
RB
/ Football
QB
/ Football
LB
/ Football
QB
/ Football
DE
/ FootballK-State FB | Pregame Hype vs Arizona
Thursday, September 11
K-State Football | Pregame Hype vs Arizona
Thursday, September 11
K-State Football | Chris Klieman Press Conference - Sept. 8, 2025
Monday, September 08
GAME REPLAY | FB vs Army
Monday, September 08