SE: K-State Embracing the Challenge against Top-10 Sooners
Oct 01, 2021 | Football, Sports Extra
By: D. Scott Fritchen
Current Kansas State players are too young to remember when the Wildcats defeated No. 1 Oklahoma to capture the 2003 Big 12 Championship, and many probably don't recall the wins over the Sooners in 2012 and 2014. But Felix Anudike-Uzomah has reason to grin as the sophomore defensive end thinks back to 38-35 comeback victory at No. 3 Oklahoma last season in Norman.
The four-touchdown underdog Wildcats trailed by 21 points twice, including a 35-14 deficit late in the third quarter, before tying the record for the largest comeback in school history while beating a top-three team on the road for the first time. Afterward, jubilant players danced inside the compact visitor's locker room at Memorial Stadium.
"I was jumping and got my foot stepped on," Anudike-Uzomah said earlier this week. "It was very crowded but a great experience. We had our masks on, but we weren't six feet apart."
If K-State, 3-1 overall and 0-1 in the Big 12 Conference, can take down No. 6 Oklahoma, 4-0 and 1-0, in Saturday's 2:30 p.m. kickoff, there will assuredly be plenty more jumping among coaches and players along with the expected sold-out crowd at Bill Snyder Family Stadium. The Wildcats opened the league season with a 31-20 loss at Oklahoma State.
"This is going to be a great environment," K-State head coach Chris Klieman said at his weekly news conference. "Our guys love running out of the tunnel and seeing the crowd with the band and the students. We need everybody to come back out because we have a really good football team. Did we stumble last week? You bet, but we didn't quit, either. Our kids played their tails off for four quarters. We just came up short. I know our guys are excited about coming back home."
A K-State win would mark the first time that Oklahoma has lost to the same opponent three-straight times when ranked in the top 10 in each game since Miami beat the Sooners in 1985, 1986 and 1987.
"I guess they're ranked No. 4 or No. 6 but it doesn't matter," Anudike-Uzomah said. "They're a football team we have to play our game against and beat them. Our confidence level is still high. We still think we're the best team in the Big 12."
K-State beat No. 5 Oklahoma, 48-41, in Manhattan in 2019 prior to last season's win in Norman. The Wildcats haven't won three-straight games in the series since the 1990s. Oklahoma has won 26 of its last 28 true road games and have lost just two true road games in four years under head coach Lincoln Riley.
The Wildcats have been listed as 10-point underdogs most of this week against Oklahoma, which has won the last six Big 12 titles and has scored at least 30 points in 44 of its last 51 games away from Norman.
"Whether you're an underdog or favorite, you've still got to come ready to play every weekend," Klieman said. "You're seeing that across the landscape of college football with teams that are favored to win and don't win or are hanging on. There's a lot of parity."
Shortly before K-State's loss last Saturday, Baylor knocked No. 14 Iowa State from the rankings (31-29) and SMU outlasted TCU (42-34). Meanwhile, Oklahoma needed its first-ever game-ending field-goal to beat West Virginia 16-13 in Norman. It marked the Sooners' fewest points since a 40-6 loss to Clemson in the Russell Athletic Bowl on December 29, 2014.
Oklahoma, which averages 38.8 points this season, has combined to score just 39 points in two meetings against Power 5 opponents this season — Nebraska (23-16) and the Mountaineers. That's somewhat uncharacteristic, as explosive offenses have been a big part of why the Sooners are 49-8 with three College Football Playoff appearances under Riley.
"I'll be honest that I'm shocked that their scores are that low," Klieman said. "Nebraska and West Virginia had good defenses, but this is still Oklahoma with unbelievably explosive players, a great play caller, and with schemes where people can be running free at times. We've seen that. Every team in the Big 12 has seen that when they've played them."
Oklahoma sophomore Spencer Rattler is completing 74.1% of his passes with 8 touchdowns and 3 interceptions while leading the conference with 254.3 passing yards per contest. However, it appeared some Sooners fans grew restless with Rattler's performance, as he went 26-of-36 for 256 yards with 1 touchdown and 1 interception against the Mountaineers.
"I don't know if they're seeing the same thing I'm seeing on tape because to me it looks like he has a good command of what's going on, getting the ball where it needs to go," K-State defensive coordinator Joe Klanderman said. "They may be a little spoiled. I think he's playing at a high level."
But the Sooners do not rank in the top 20 in scoring offense (38.8), total offense (443.8), passing offense (292.8) or rushing offense (161.0). That's rare.
K-State defensive players would like to keep it that way.
"We prepare hard every week, but when you prepare for a team like Oklahoma that every year has the national recognition, it just means a little bit more," senior defensive tackle Eli Huggins said. "You want to surprise people and show that you can play with anybody."
Although K-State held Oklahoma State scoreless over the final two quarters, Klanderman points to the 31 points that the Cowboys scored in the first half, saying that it was the defense's worst tackling performance of the season "by far … and it wasn't even close."
"Bad angles, not running through our leverage, terrible technique on tackling — it was embarrassing," Klanderman said.
The key concern remains at quarterback, as the Wildcats rank 103rd in total offense and 118th in passing offense. Sixth-year senior Skylar Thompson remains doubtful while recovering from a knee injury on September 11 against Southern Illinois.
On Tuesday, Klieman called Thompson's return "not likely this week."
"He's doing more things," Klieman continued. "Maybe late in the week we'll have a better understanding, but right now, I'd say no. Our hope all along was (he would be healthier by) the open week and getting him a chance to be back for Iowa State (on October 16). That's kind of the timetable it was. I don't think that will change. He's doing more things but to play a game, I don't think so right now."
Offensive coordinator Courtney Messingham while meeting with reporters on Thursday could provide no further clarity on the chances of a Thompson return on Saturday.
"It'd be highly unlikely, but we'll see," Messingham said, adding that "we'll see how it unfolds."
Sophomore quarterback Will Howard also continues to battle back from a lower-body injury that kept him off the field much of the second half against the Cowboys. Sophomore Jaren Lewis came in and completed 10 of 19 passes for 148 yards with 1 touchdown and 1 interception.
"Right now, (Howard) is banged up and a lot of guys are, but I believe over the next two or three days some of the soreness will come out and he'll be effective Will," Klieman said on Tuesday. "Time will tell on that."
Time continues to tick toward another opportunity to defeat the 14-time Big 12 Champions in Manhattan.
"They're humans," Anudike-Uzomah said. "We don't treat them like they're the 'beast' of the nation. We're going to attack like how we attack everybody. We're going to play our game."
Sophomore running back Deuce Vaughn, who caught four passes for 129 yards and ran for a touchdown in last season's win over the Sooners, likens the Wildcats' mentality to that of a "giant slayer."
"We're super excited," Vaughn said. "No matter who we're playing it's an opportunity to show that Kansas State is a good football team. There are a lot of great teams in the Big 12. We think we have a really good team as well."
Asked why K-State has had success against Oklahoma in the previous two meetings, Anudike-Uzomah replied, "We didn't have any fear playing them. We didn't think, 'Oh, they're OU,' and get scared. We focused on what we were taught in practice, attacked, and defeated them."
When K-State attacked and took a 25-point fourth-quarter lead before fending off a Sooners' rally late in the Wildcats' victory in Manhattan in 2019, it marked their first win over a top-five opponent in 13 years and broke a home losing streak to the Sooners dating back to 1996.
The win also set off a memorable celebration that went viral on social media among college football followers.
"Storming the field two years ago has to be the best memory I have playing here," Huggins said. "We need to see that again in Manhattan."
Current Kansas State players are too young to remember when the Wildcats defeated No. 1 Oklahoma to capture the 2003 Big 12 Championship, and many probably don't recall the wins over the Sooners in 2012 and 2014. But Felix Anudike-Uzomah has reason to grin as the sophomore defensive end thinks back to 38-35 comeback victory at No. 3 Oklahoma last season in Norman.
The four-touchdown underdog Wildcats trailed by 21 points twice, including a 35-14 deficit late in the third quarter, before tying the record for the largest comeback in school history while beating a top-three team on the road for the first time. Afterward, jubilant players danced inside the compact visitor's locker room at Memorial Stadium.
"I was jumping and got my foot stepped on," Anudike-Uzomah said earlier this week. "It was very crowded but a great experience. We had our masks on, but we weren't six feet apart."
If K-State, 3-1 overall and 0-1 in the Big 12 Conference, can take down No. 6 Oklahoma, 4-0 and 1-0, in Saturday's 2:30 p.m. kickoff, there will assuredly be plenty more jumping among coaches and players along with the expected sold-out crowd at Bill Snyder Family Stadium. The Wildcats opened the league season with a 31-20 loss at Oklahoma State.
"This is going to be a great environment," K-State head coach Chris Klieman said at his weekly news conference. "Our guys love running out of the tunnel and seeing the crowd with the band and the students. We need everybody to come back out because we have a really good football team. Did we stumble last week? You bet, but we didn't quit, either. Our kids played their tails off for four quarters. We just came up short. I know our guys are excited about coming back home."
A K-State win would mark the first time that Oklahoma has lost to the same opponent three-straight times when ranked in the top 10 in each game since Miami beat the Sooners in 1985, 1986 and 1987.
"I guess they're ranked No. 4 or No. 6 but it doesn't matter," Anudike-Uzomah said. "They're a football team we have to play our game against and beat them. Our confidence level is still high. We still think we're the best team in the Big 12."
K-State beat No. 5 Oklahoma, 48-41, in Manhattan in 2019 prior to last season's win in Norman. The Wildcats haven't won three-straight games in the series since the 1990s. Oklahoma has won 26 of its last 28 true road games and have lost just two true road games in four years under head coach Lincoln Riley.
The Wildcats have been listed as 10-point underdogs most of this week against Oklahoma, which has won the last six Big 12 titles and has scored at least 30 points in 44 of its last 51 games away from Norman.
"Whether you're an underdog or favorite, you've still got to come ready to play every weekend," Klieman said. "You're seeing that across the landscape of college football with teams that are favored to win and don't win or are hanging on. There's a lot of parity."
Shortly before K-State's loss last Saturday, Baylor knocked No. 14 Iowa State from the rankings (31-29) and SMU outlasted TCU (42-34). Meanwhile, Oklahoma needed its first-ever game-ending field-goal to beat West Virginia 16-13 in Norman. It marked the Sooners' fewest points since a 40-6 loss to Clemson in the Russell Athletic Bowl on December 29, 2014.
Oklahoma, which averages 38.8 points this season, has combined to score just 39 points in two meetings against Power 5 opponents this season — Nebraska (23-16) and the Mountaineers. That's somewhat uncharacteristic, as explosive offenses have been a big part of why the Sooners are 49-8 with three College Football Playoff appearances under Riley.
"I'll be honest that I'm shocked that their scores are that low," Klieman said. "Nebraska and West Virginia had good defenses, but this is still Oklahoma with unbelievably explosive players, a great play caller, and with schemes where people can be running free at times. We've seen that. Every team in the Big 12 has seen that when they've played them."
Oklahoma sophomore Spencer Rattler is completing 74.1% of his passes with 8 touchdowns and 3 interceptions while leading the conference with 254.3 passing yards per contest. However, it appeared some Sooners fans grew restless with Rattler's performance, as he went 26-of-36 for 256 yards with 1 touchdown and 1 interception against the Mountaineers.
"I don't know if they're seeing the same thing I'm seeing on tape because to me it looks like he has a good command of what's going on, getting the ball where it needs to go," K-State defensive coordinator Joe Klanderman said. "They may be a little spoiled. I think he's playing at a high level."
But the Sooners do not rank in the top 20 in scoring offense (38.8), total offense (443.8), passing offense (292.8) or rushing offense (161.0). That's rare.
K-State defensive players would like to keep it that way.
"We prepare hard every week, but when you prepare for a team like Oklahoma that every year has the national recognition, it just means a little bit more," senior defensive tackle Eli Huggins said. "You want to surprise people and show that you can play with anybody."
Although K-State held Oklahoma State scoreless over the final two quarters, Klanderman points to the 31 points that the Cowboys scored in the first half, saying that it was the defense's worst tackling performance of the season "by far … and it wasn't even close."
"Bad angles, not running through our leverage, terrible technique on tackling — it was embarrassing," Klanderman said.
The key concern remains at quarterback, as the Wildcats rank 103rd in total offense and 118th in passing offense. Sixth-year senior Skylar Thompson remains doubtful while recovering from a knee injury on September 11 against Southern Illinois.
On Tuesday, Klieman called Thompson's return "not likely this week."
"He's doing more things," Klieman continued. "Maybe late in the week we'll have a better understanding, but right now, I'd say no. Our hope all along was (he would be healthier by) the open week and getting him a chance to be back for Iowa State (on October 16). That's kind of the timetable it was. I don't think that will change. He's doing more things but to play a game, I don't think so right now."
Offensive coordinator Courtney Messingham while meeting with reporters on Thursday could provide no further clarity on the chances of a Thompson return on Saturday.
"It'd be highly unlikely, but we'll see," Messingham said, adding that "we'll see how it unfolds."
Sophomore quarterback Will Howard also continues to battle back from a lower-body injury that kept him off the field much of the second half against the Cowboys. Sophomore Jaren Lewis came in and completed 10 of 19 passes for 148 yards with 1 touchdown and 1 interception.
"Right now, (Howard) is banged up and a lot of guys are, but I believe over the next two or three days some of the soreness will come out and he'll be effective Will," Klieman said on Tuesday. "Time will tell on that."
Time continues to tick toward another opportunity to defeat the 14-time Big 12 Champions in Manhattan.
"They're humans," Anudike-Uzomah said. "We don't treat them like they're the 'beast' of the nation. We're going to attack like how we attack everybody. We're going to play our game."
Sophomore running back Deuce Vaughn, who caught four passes for 129 yards and ran for a touchdown in last season's win over the Sooners, likens the Wildcats' mentality to that of a "giant slayer."
"We're super excited," Vaughn said. "No matter who we're playing it's an opportunity to show that Kansas State is a good football team. There are a lot of great teams in the Big 12. We think we have a really good team as well."
Asked why K-State has had success against Oklahoma in the previous two meetings, Anudike-Uzomah replied, "We didn't have any fear playing them. We didn't think, 'Oh, they're OU,' and get scared. We focused on what we were taught in practice, attacked, and defeated them."
When K-State attacked and took a 25-point fourth-quarter lead before fending off a Sooners' rally late in the Wildcats' victory in Manhattan in 2019, it marked their first win over a top-five opponent in 13 years and broke a home losing streak to the Sooners dating back to 1996.
The win also set off a memorable celebration that went viral on social media among college football followers.
"Storming the field two years ago has to be the best memory I have playing here," Huggins said. "We need to see that again in Manhattan."
Players Mentioned
DE
/ Football
QB
/ Football
DT
/ Football
QB
/ Football
QB
/ Football
RB
/ FootballK-State Tennis | Weekend Recap
Tuesday, February 24
K-State Track and Field | Sights & Sounds Steve Miller Invitational
Monday, February 23
K-State Baseball | Highlights vs Michigan - Feb. 22, 2026
Monday, February 23
K-State Men's Basketball | Postgame Press Conference at Texas Tech
Sunday, February 22
