Kansas State University Athletics
Saturday, October 4
Waco, Texas
11 a.m.
Kansas State University
2-4 , 1-2
34
at
35
Baylor
4-2 , 2-1
1st
2nd
3rd
4th
F
Kansas St.
7
10
14
3
34
Baylor
3
14
0
18
35
Late Field Goal Lifts Baylor Past K-State, 35-34
Oct 04, 2025 | Football
By: D. Scott Fritchen
WACO, Texas – Kansas State saw Baylor's Caden Jenkins block a 56-yard field goal attempt by Luis Rodriguez with 5 seconds remaining, and the Wildcats suffered another narrow loss with a 35-34 defeat at McLane Stadium.
Avery Johnson completed 29-of-45 passes for 339 yards and two touchdowns and one interception, and he added 10 carries for 72 yards and one score, but his standout performance was overshadowed by a valiant comeback from Baylor, which stormed back from a 31-17 deficit to take the lead on a Connor Hawkins 53-yard field goal with 31 seconds left, ultimately giving the Wildcats their forth one-score loss in a frustrating season.
"Our kids battled," said K-State head coach Chris Klieman, whose team fell to 2-4 overall and 1-2 in the Big 12. "We made a couple mistakes, and Baylor probably made a couple mistakes, too. That's what happens in this league. It's a really good league, as we all know.
"I'm proud of the resolve and the resiliency of our guys on the road against a really good team."
Baylor's comeback was keyed by one of the rare mistakes of the game by Johnson, whose pass up the middle to wide receiver Jaron Tibbs was intercepted by Jacob Redding, and his 66-yard return gave the Bears a 32-31 lead with 4:28 left in the fourth quarter.
"We threw the interception for a touchdown," Klieman said, "but Avery made a ton of plays, too."
On the ensuing drive, the Wildcats were unable to get the ball into the end zone inside the 10 and used a Rodriguez 22-yard field goal to take a 34-32 lead with 1:48 left.
The Bears, 4-2 and 2-1, weren't finished.
Sawyer Robertson, who entered the game leading the FBS in passer rating, passing yards and touchdown passes, completed 25-of-39 passes for 345 yards with two touchdowns and one interception, and he drove the Bears for Hawkins' decisive 53-yard field goal, which proved to be enough to keep the Wildcats winless on the road.
"To have a chance, we wish we would've scored a touchdown late," Klieman said. "They did a good job blitzing us, we had a couple guys open, but they did a good job blitzing us, and we ended up taking the lead.
"Then they make a 53-yard field goal to go up. Then we get it down and probably needed another five yards with the wind in our face a little bit."
Although Baylor entered with the 11th-ranked offense in the FBS, the Wildcats outgained the Bears 501-443 in total offensive yards, forced three turnovers, and held the Bears to just 3-of-9 on third downs and 0-1 on fourth downs. K-State also led in time of possession 37:47 to 22:13.
Johnson's 339 passing yards were the most by a K-State quarterback Since Jake Waters had 400 at West Virginia in 2014.
The game featured standout performances by pass catchers from both teams. K-State wide receiver Jayce Brown had four catches for 106 yards and one touchdown, and Tibbs had six catches for 80 yards. Tight end Garrett Oakley had a career-high seven catches for 54 yards and one touchdown.
Baylor tight end Michael Trigg had eight catches for 155 yards.
"The Trigg kid was a difference maker," Klieman said. "He's an NFL kid who made so many acrobatic catches. We did a good job on him for a while."
K-State and Baylor were tied 17-17 at halftime.
K-State began its first drive of the second half at its own 3-yard line in what turned out to be arguably the best drive so far in the 2025 season as the Wildcats converted on two third-and-shorts and one fourth-and-short to keep alive a possession that included a Brown 30-yard catch-and-run before Brown caught a 12-yard touchdown back-hip pass on a slant at the goal line for a 24-17 lead. It was the Wildcats' longest drive of the season — 14 plays, 97 yards and it consumed 6:41.
K-State then forced a three-and-out keyed by a 10-yard sack by defensive end Cody Stufflebean. Following a punt, the Wildcats regained possession at the Baylor 44-yard line. Johnson found tight end Will Anciaux, who out-wrestled Baylor's Tevin Williams III for the ball, and that gave the Wildcats the ball at the 5. Dylan Edwards scored on the next play to make it 30-17 with 1:15 left in the third quarter.
Robertson and the Bears tried to answer as the game steered into the fourth quarter. But facing fourth-and-8 from the K-State 15-yard line, Robertson overthrew wide receiver Kole Wilson on fade in double coverage.
But moments later, Robertson came back and hit Trigg with a pair of long passes. First, he completed a 42-yard pass to Trigg to take the Bears to the K-State 40. Then Robertson fired a 29-yard completion that Trigg caught with one hand to the K-State 11. Finally, running back Bryson Washington caught a swing pass at the 10 and broke tackles to get the ball inside the right pylon for a score. Robertson ran into the end zone for a 2-point conversion to cut K-State's lead to 31-25 with 8:50 to go.
K-State had its eyes set on putting the game away with a touchdown. Johnson converted a third-and-11 at the K-State 29 when he found running back Joe Jackson on a 17-yard catch-and-run. Facing third-and-9 at the K-State 48, Johnson hit Tibbs for 11 yards. But the next play, disaster struck. Johnson's pass up the middle to Tibbs was intercepted by Redding, whose pick six gave the Bears a 32-31 lead with 4:28 left.
The K-State offense was ready come back. Johnson fired a right-side stop-and-go deep ball over the defense to Brown, who raced down the field, but was ruled down at the Baylor 28 when his helmet was taken off. Brown was credited with a 48-yard catch.
"We had to be aggressive on offense, and I thought we were," Klieman said. "If (Brown's) helmet doesn't come off on the facemask he probably scores."
Caldra Williford, who took off Brown's helmet, was charged with a face-mask penalty, which gave K-State the ball at the Baylor 14. Three Jackson runs got the ball to the 4. But facing third-and-goal at the 4, Johnson's pass fell incomplete, leading to Rodriguez's 22-yard field goal for a 34-32 lead with 1:48 to go.
Then Baylor answered with Hawkins' 53-yarder.
"We don't score, but get it down inside the 5," Klieman said. "They made a couple good calls, and they made a couple good blitzes, and if you go high-and-tight on fourth down at the 4 and don't get it — we thought we'd take the lead and try to get a stop.
"Honestly, we got a stop, and their kid made a 53-yarder."
K-State had two timeouts and started at its own 25-yard line. Johnson's pass to Brown fell incomplete. Then Johnson completed a 15-yard pass to Brown to the K-State 40-yard line with 21 seconds to go. Then Baylor was called for pass interference, which moved the ball to the Baylor 49-yard line. Then Johnson saw his pass fall incomplete to Tibbs at the Baylor 31. Johnson completed a 6-yard pass to Isaac Koch. Johnson snapped the ball and spiked it.
All that was left was a final field-goal try by Rodriguez from 56 yards that didn't go as planned.
"Give them credit," Klieman said. "It was a game with a lot of kids making plays. In the game of football, it comes down to playmakers. Both sides had a lot of plays being made.
"Obviously, we wish we would've made one more."
WACO, Texas – Kansas State saw Baylor's Caden Jenkins block a 56-yard field goal attempt by Luis Rodriguez with 5 seconds remaining, and the Wildcats suffered another narrow loss with a 35-34 defeat at McLane Stadium.
Avery Johnson completed 29-of-45 passes for 339 yards and two touchdowns and one interception, and he added 10 carries for 72 yards and one score, but his standout performance was overshadowed by a valiant comeback from Baylor, which stormed back from a 31-17 deficit to take the lead on a Connor Hawkins 53-yard field goal with 31 seconds left, ultimately giving the Wildcats their forth one-score loss in a frustrating season.
"Our kids battled," said K-State head coach Chris Klieman, whose team fell to 2-4 overall and 1-2 in the Big 12. "We made a couple mistakes, and Baylor probably made a couple mistakes, too. That's what happens in this league. It's a really good league, as we all know.
"I'm proud of the resolve and the resiliency of our guys on the road against a really good team."
Baylor's comeback was keyed by one of the rare mistakes of the game by Johnson, whose pass up the middle to wide receiver Jaron Tibbs was intercepted by Jacob Redding, and his 66-yard return gave the Bears a 32-31 lead with 4:28 left in the fourth quarter.
"We threw the interception for a touchdown," Klieman said, "but Avery made a ton of plays, too."
On the ensuing drive, the Wildcats were unable to get the ball into the end zone inside the 10 and used a Rodriguez 22-yard field goal to take a 34-32 lead with 1:48 left.
The Bears, 4-2 and 2-1, weren't finished.
Sawyer Robertson, who entered the game leading the FBS in passer rating, passing yards and touchdown passes, completed 25-of-39 passes for 345 yards with two touchdowns and one interception, and he drove the Bears for Hawkins' decisive 53-yard field goal, which proved to be enough to keep the Wildcats winless on the road.
"To have a chance, we wish we would've scored a touchdown late," Klieman said. "They did a good job blitzing us, we had a couple guys open, but they did a good job blitzing us, and we ended up taking the lead.
"Then they make a 53-yard field goal to go up. Then we get it down and probably needed another five yards with the wind in our face a little bit."
Although Baylor entered with the 11th-ranked offense in the FBS, the Wildcats outgained the Bears 501-443 in total offensive yards, forced three turnovers, and held the Bears to just 3-of-9 on third downs and 0-1 on fourth downs. K-State also led in time of possession 37:47 to 22:13.
Johnson's 339 passing yards were the most by a K-State quarterback Since Jake Waters had 400 at West Virginia in 2014.
The game featured standout performances by pass catchers from both teams. K-State wide receiver Jayce Brown had four catches for 106 yards and one touchdown, and Tibbs had six catches for 80 yards. Tight end Garrett Oakley had a career-high seven catches for 54 yards and one touchdown.
Baylor tight end Michael Trigg had eight catches for 155 yards.
"The Trigg kid was a difference maker," Klieman said. "He's an NFL kid who made so many acrobatic catches. We did a good job on him for a while."
K-State and Baylor were tied 17-17 at halftime.
K-State began its first drive of the second half at its own 3-yard line in what turned out to be arguably the best drive so far in the 2025 season as the Wildcats converted on two third-and-shorts and one fourth-and-short to keep alive a possession that included a Brown 30-yard catch-and-run before Brown caught a 12-yard touchdown back-hip pass on a slant at the goal line for a 24-17 lead. It was the Wildcats' longest drive of the season — 14 plays, 97 yards and it consumed 6:41.
K-State then forced a three-and-out keyed by a 10-yard sack by defensive end Cody Stufflebean. Following a punt, the Wildcats regained possession at the Baylor 44-yard line. Johnson found tight end Will Anciaux, who out-wrestled Baylor's Tevin Williams III for the ball, and that gave the Wildcats the ball at the 5. Dylan Edwards scored on the next play to make it 30-17 with 1:15 left in the third quarter.
Robertson and the Bears tried to answer as the game steered into the fourth quarter. But facing fourth-and-8 from the K-State 15-yard line, Robertson overthrew wide receiver Kole Wilson on fade in double coverage.
But moments later, Robertson came back and hit Trigg with a pair of long passes. First, he completed a 42-yard pass to Trigg to take the Bears to the K-State 40. Then Robertson fired a 29-yard completion that Trigg caught with one hand to the K-State 11. Finally, running back Bryson Washington caught a swing pass at the 10 and broke tackles to get the ball inside the right pylon for a score. Robertson ran into the end zone for a 2-point conversion to cut K-State's lead to 31-25 with 8:50 to go.
K-State had its eyes set on putting the game away with a touchdown. Johnson converted a third-and-11 at the K-State 29 when he found running back Joe Jackson on a 17-yard catch-and-run. Facing third-and-9 at the K-State 48, Johnson hit Tibbs for 11 yards. But the next play, disaster struck. Johnson's pass up the middle to Tibbs was intercepted by Redding, whose pick six gave the Bears a 32-31 lead with 4:28 left.
The K-State offense was ready come back. Johnson fired a right-side stop-and-go deep ball over the defense to Brown, who raced down the field, but was ruled down at the Baylor 28 when his helmet was taken off. Brown was credited with a 48-yard catch.
"We had to be aggressive on offense, and I thought we were," Klieman said. "If (Brown's) helmet doesn't come off on the facemask he probably scores."
Caldra Williford, who took off Brown's helmet, was charged with a face-mask penalty, which gave K-State the ball at the Baylor 14. Three Jackson runs got the ball to the 4. But facing third-and-goal at the 4, Johnson's pass fell incomplete, leading to Rodriguez's 22-yard field goal for a 34-32 lead with 1:48 to go.
Then Baylor answered with Hawkins' 53-yarder.
"We don't score, but get it down inside the 5," Klieman said. "They made a couple good calls, and they made a couple good blitzes, and if you go high-and-tight on fourth down at the 4 and don't get it — we thought we'd take the lead and try to get a stop.
"Honestly, we got a stop, and their kid made a 53-yarder."
K-State had two timeouts and started at its own 25-yard line. Johnson's pass to Brown fell incomplete. Then Johnson completed a 15-yard pass to Brown to the K-State 40-yard line with 21 seconds to go. Then Baylor was called for pass interference, which moved the ball to the Baylor 49-yard line. Then Johnson saw his pass fall incomplete to Tibbs at the Baylor 31. Johnson completed a 6-yard pass to Isaac Koch. Johnson snapped the ball and spiked it.
All that was left was a final field-goal try by Rodriguez from 56 yards that didn't go as planned.
"Give them credit," Klieman said. "It was a game with a lot of kids making plays. In the game of football, it comes down to playmakers. Both sides had a lot of plays being made.
"Obviously, we wish we would've made one more."
Team Stats
KSU
BAY
Total Yards
501
443
Pass Yards
339
345
Rushing Yards
162
98
Penalty Yards
40
74
1st Downs
30
25
3rd Downs
8
3
4th Downs
1
0
TOP
37:47
22:13
1st Quarter
KSU 7, BAY 0
KSU - Johnson,Avery 31 yd run (Rodriguez,Luis kick), 10 plays, 75 yards, TOP 05:27
KSU 7, BAY 3
BAY - Hawkins,Connor 30 yd field goal 13 plays, 76 yards, TOP 05:11
2nd Quarter
KSU 7, BAY 10
BAY - Prentice,Kobe 30 yd pass from Robertson,Sawyer (Hawkins,Connor kick) 4 plays, 70 yards, TOP 01:31
KSU 10, BAY 10
KSU - Rodriguez,Luis 49 yd field goal 9 plays, 57 yards, TOP 03:11
KSU 10, BAY 17
BAY - Turner,Michael 17 yd run (Hawkins,Connor kick), 8 plays, 75 yards, TOP 02:26
KSU 17, BAY 17
KSU - Oakley,Garrett 9 yd pass from Johnson,Avery (Rodriguez,Luis kick) 9 plays, 72 yards, TOP 01:38
3rd Quarter
KSU 24, BAY 17
KSU - Brown,Jayce 12 yd pass from Johnson,Avery (Rodriguez,Luis kick) 14 plays, 97 yards, TOP 06:41
KSU 31, BAY 17
KSU - Edwards,Dylan 5 yd run (Rodriguez,Luis kick), 4 plays, 44 yards, TOP 02:02
4th Quarter
KSU 31, BAY 25
BAY - Washington,Bryson 11 yd pass from Robertson,Sawyer (Robertson,Sawyer rush) 3 plays, 82 yards, TOP 01:07
KSU 31, BAY 32
BAY - Redding,Jacob 66 yd interception (Hawkins,Connor kick)
KSU 34, BAY 32
KSU - Rodriguez,Luis 22 yd field goal 7 plays, 72 yards, TOP 02:35
KSU 34, BAY 35
BAY - Hawkins,Connor 53 yd field goal 6 plays, 28 yards, TOP 01:10
Game Leaders
CMP
29
TD
2
YDS
339
INT
1
Players Mentioned
TE
/ Football
WR
/ Football
RB
/ Football
RB
/ FootballQB
/ Football
WR
/ Football
TE
/ Football
K
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DE
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WR
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