Kansas State University Athletics
Ready to Reverse the Trend
Nov 14, 2025 | Football, Sports Extra
By: D. Scott Fritchen
Kansas State has beaten Oklahoma State in Stillwater, Oklahoma. For more than two decades, it's just been rare.
No. 7 Kansas State and its perfect record got a scare, but Jonathan Beasley and a defense that allowed just 60 yards in the second half and snagged four interceptions helped the Wildcats overcome a 21-point deficit for a 44-21 victory at Oklahoma State on October 23, 1999.
K-State entered as a 19 ½-point underdog when it visited No. 10 Oklahoma State on November 18, 2017, but redshirt freshman quarterback Skylar Thompson threw for 204 yards and three touchdowns, and he ran for 93 yards and a score, while Byron Pringle caught three touchdowns and returned a kickoff for another in a 45-40 victory at Boone Pickens Stadium.
But that's where K-State's most recent successes at Stillwater stops. Two victories in 26 years. It's one of the more maddening and puzzling trends for K-State football in more than a quarter century.
"I don't know why we struggle playing over there," K-State fifth-year senior defensive tackle Damian Ilalio said, "but we're very determined to get over that hump on Saturday."
Getting over the hump will be crucial for K-State's bowl hopes. The Wildcats, 4-5 overall and 3-3 in the Big 12 Conference, visit the Cowboys, 1-8 and 0-6, in Saturday's 11:00 a.m. kickoff at Boone Pickens Stadium, needing to win two of their final three games — at Oklahoma State, at No. 13 Utah, at home against Colorado — to gain bowl eligibility.
"I want us to obviously win out and go bowling," K-State defensive tackle Malcolm Alcorn-Crowder said. "Obviously, the focus is on Oklahoma State. We haven't talked about bowls, but that's the plan. It's a one-week season. Just one week at a time."
K-State is a heavy favorite for Saturday's game against the Cowboys, whose 38-21 loss at Kansas marked their eighth straight defeat overall and 15th straight loss to a Big 12 opponent.
But crazy things happen when K-State hits Boone Pickens Stadium.
"You hear that you haven't won in Stillwater in however many years, and that kind of hurts," K-State offensive lineman John Pastore said. "I've been down there, and we didn't win. It's a little extra edge to go down there and finally win where you haven't won in a while."
Added tight end Will Anciaux: "We've won there one time in 25 years or something? We'll come ready."
Saturday's game marks the 72nd overall meeting between the Wildcats and Cowboys in a series that dates to 1908. This season marks the 16th consecutive year the team have played. Oklahoma State holds a 43-28 all-time advantage in the series, including a 24-9 mark in games played in Stillwater. Oklahoma State has won four of the last six overall in the series and has won eight of the past nine games played in Stillwater.
In Klieman's tenure, K-State has lost in Stillwater by scores of 29-21 in 2023, 31-20 in 2021 and 26-13 in 2019.
"There are a lot of guys in the locker room who were there in 2023 when we didn't play very well, and who were there in 2021 when we didn't play very well," Klieman said. "I think that's our main focus, is playing well in Stillwater. There haven't many K-State teams that have played well in Stillwater.
"We need to flip that if we can."
Avery Johnson probably remembers K-State's 42-20 victory over Oklahoma State last season in Manhattan. Johnson threw for 259 yards and three touchdowns and rushed for 60 yards and two scores in the game, becoming the first K-State quarterback to throw for three touchdowns and rush for two more in a Big 12 contest since Collin Klein in 2012.
Johnson is one of four Power 4 quarterbacks with 16 passing touchdowns and seven rushing touchdowns this season. He has thrown touchdown passes to six different pass catchers, including five to tight end Garrett Oakley and four to wide receiver Jayce Brown.
Running back Joe Jackson is expected to make his eighth career start on Saturday as he averages 3.9 yards per carry on 105 rushing attempts and has scored one rushing touchdown.
Jackson has been the lead running back for several games in place of injured standout running back Dylan Edwards, who will redshirt this season and is no longer a member of the team.
"Last week, he decided to redshirt and that he was going to leave the program," Klieman said. "I wish him well."
K-State will miss preseason All-Big 12 junior middle linebacker Austin Romaine, the team's top tackler, the remainder of the season. Romaine recently attempted to play with a cast or club on an injured hand but apparently reached a mutual decision with Klieman shut it down, perhaps opting for surgery to ensure a healthy senior season next fall.
"We needed to get something done for him," Klieman said. "The club was kind of the stopgap a little bit. He and I talked before the game and then after the game. We decided to shelve him the rest of the year."
Doug Meacham seeks his first victory as Oklahoma State interim head coach after being elevated to the position on September 23 following the firing of Mike Gundy, the school's all-time winningest head coach, whose 21-year career included 12 bowl wins and a 2011 Big 12 Conference title.
The Wildcats and Cowboys both come off a bye week.
"It was an opportunity to reset for sure and an opportunity to reflect back on what's occurred, and re-energize, and remember what's important," Meacham said. "What's important is these kids right now. We're adults, we're going to be fine, and we have good coaches in there, and they're going to be fine, but you reflect and think about what's most important, and it's those kids."
Oklahoma State ranks 100th or worse in the FBS in 14 major statistical categories. Each of its past six opponents scored no fewer than 38 points and four opponents scored more than 40. Oregon scored 69 points on September 6.
"Their defense has some areas we can attack in a couple different ways," Anciaux said. "We'll be able to get after them a little it and hopefully get a W in Stillwater."
Oklahoma State averages 15.2 points per game. It failed to score more than 17 points in a game during the month of October.
"We're going to get physical in the trenches," Alcorn-Crowder said. "We have a great defensive line and a great defense overall. We get a lot of turnovers. I can't give too much of the plan out there, but we're going to try and dominate them."
K-State comes of a 43-20 loss to No. 13 Texas Tech but has still won three of its last five games. The Wildcats are also 1-3 in games away from Manhattan.
"It's just funny, man," Meacham said. "You watch them, and they have some big, physical guys, two great inside linebackers, the quarterback scares you to death, a running back that's solid, good tight end play — it looks very similar to what they've always had but they're just not getting the results, you know? Their numbers are good, and they have good players. It's just a play or two there, man. Every game boils down to about four or five plays. They've been close.
"Those guys do a good job, they do it old-school, and have big, tough guys, and they play super hard. I know early in the season they were ranked really high, and it didn't come to fruition, and they kind of struggled there for a while.
"They're maybe getting their second wind here at the end."
The Wildcats hope their second wind continues with a victory in a city and at a stadium that has largely been a nightmare — regardless of the year.
Kansas State has beaten Oklahoma State in Stillwater, Oklahoma. For more than two decades, it's just been rare.
No. 7 Kansas State and its perfect record got a scare, but Jonathan Beasley and a defense that allowed just 60 yards in the second half and snagged four interceptions helped the Wildcats overcome a 21-point deficit for a 44-21 victory at Oklahoma State on October 23, 1999.
K-State entered as a 19 ½-point underdog when it visited No. 10 Oklahoma State on November 18, 2017, but redshirt freshman quarterback Skylar Thompson threw for 204 yards and three touchdowns, and he ran for 93 yards and a score, while Byron Pringle caught three touchdowns and returned a kickoff for another in a 45-40 victory at Boone Pickens Stadium.
But that's where K-State's most recent successes at Stillwater stops. Two victories in 26 years. It's one of the more maddening and puzzling trends for K-State football in more than a quarter century.
"I don't know why we struggle playing over there," K-State fifth-year senior defensive tackle Damian Ilalio said, "but we're very determined to get over that hump on Saturday."
Getting over the hump will be crucial for K-State's bowl hopes. The Wildcats, 4-5 overall and 3-3 in the Big 12 Conference, visit the Cowboys, 1-8 and 0-6, in Saturday's 11:00 a.m. kickoff at Boone Pickens Stadium, needing to win two of their final three games — at Oklahoma State, at No. 13 Utah, at home against Colorado — to gain bowl eligibility.
"I want us to obviously win out and go bowling," K-State defensive tackle Malcolm Alcorn-Crowder said. "Obviously, the focus is on Oklahoma State. We haven't talked about bowls, but that's the plan. It's a one-week season. Just one week at a time."
K-State is a heavy favorite for Saturday's game against the Cowboys, whose 38-21 loss at Kansas marked their eighth straight defeat overall and 15th straight loss to a Big 12 opponent.
But crazy things happen when K-State hits Boone Pickens Stadium.
"You hear that you haven't won in Stillwater in however many years, and that kind of hurts," K-State offensive lineman John Pastore said. "I've been down there, and we didn't win. It's a little extra edge to go down there and finally win where you haven't won in a while."
Added tight end Will Anciaux: "We've won there one time in 25 years or something? We'll come ready."
Saturday's game marks the 72nd overall meeting between the Wildcats and Cowboys in a series that dates to 1908. This season marks the 16th consecutive year the team have played. Oklahoma State holds a 43-28 all-time advantage in the series, including a 24-9 mark in games played in Stillwater. Oklahoma State has won four of the last six overall in the series and has won eight of the past nine games played in Stillwater.
In Klieman's tenure, K-State has lost in Stillwater by scores of 29-21 in 2023, 31-20 in 2021 and 26-13 in 2019.
"There are a lot of guys in the locker room who were there in 2023 when we didn't play very well, and who were there in 2021 when we didn't play very well," Klieman said. "I think that's our main focus, is playing well in Stillwater. There haven't many K-State teams that have played well in Stillwater.
"We need to flip that if we can."
Avery Johnson probably remembers K-State's 42-20 victory over Oklahoma State last season in Manhattan. Johnson threw for 259 yards and three touchdowns and rushed for 60 yards and two scores in the game, becoming the first K-State quarterback to throw for three touchdowns and rush for two more in a Big 12 contest since Collin Klein in 2012.
Johnson is one of four Power 4 quarterbacks with 16 passing touchdowns and seven rushing touchdowns this season. He has thrown touchdown passes to six different pass catchers, including five to tight end Garrett Oakley and four to wide receiver Jayce Brown.
Running back Joe Jackson is expected to make his eighth career start on Saturday as he averages 3.9 yards per carry on 105 rushing attempts and has scored one rushing touchdown.
Jackson has been the lead running back for several games in place of injured standout running back Dylan Edwards, who will redshirt this season and is no longer a member of the team.
"Last week, he decided to redshirt and that he was going to leave the program," Klieman said. "I wish him well."
K-State will miss preseason All-Big 12 junior middle linebacker Austin Romaine, the team's top tackler, the remainder of the season. Romaine recently attempted to play with a cast or club on an injured hand but apparently reached a mutual decision with Klieman shut it down, perhaps opting for surgery to ensure a healthy senior season next fall.
"We needed to get something done for him," Klieman said. "The club was kind of the stopgap a little bit. He and I talked before the game and then after the game. We decided to shelve him the rest of the year."
Doug Meacham seeks his first victory as Oklahoma State interim head coach after being elevated to the position on September 23 following the firing of Mike Gundy, the school's all-time winningest head coach, whose 21-year career included 12 bowl wins and a 2011 Big 12 Conference title.
The Wildcats and Cowboys both come off a bye week.
"It was an opportunity to reset for sure and an opportunity to reflect back on what's occurred, and re-energize, and remember what's important," Meacham said. "What's important is these kids right now. We're adults, we're going to be fine, and we have good coaches in there, and they're going to be fine, but you reflect and think about what's most important, and it's those kids."
Oklahoma State ranks 100th or worse in the FBS in 14 major statistical categories. Each of its past six opponents scored no fewer than 38 points and four opponents scored more than 40. Oregon scored 69 points on September 6.
"Their defense has some areas we can attack in a couple different ways," Anciaux said. "We'll be able to get after them a little it and hopefully get a W in Stillwater."
Oklahoma State averages 15.2 points per game. It failed to score more than 17 points in a game during the month of October.
"We're going to get physical in the trenches," Alcorn-Crowder said. "We have a great defensive line and a great defense overall. We get a lot of turnovers. I can't give too much of the plan out there, but we're going to try and dominate them."
K-State comes of a 43-20 loss to No. 13 Texas Tech but has still won three of its last five games. The Wildcats are also 1-3 in games away from Manhattan.
"It's just funny, man," Meacham said. "You watch them, and they have some big, physical guys, two great inside linebackers, the quarterback scares you to death, a running back that's solid, good tight end play — it looks very similar to what they've always had but they're just not getting the results, you know? Their numbers are good, and they have good players. It's just a play or two there, man. Every game boils down to about four or five plays. They've been close.
"Those guys do a good job, they do it old-school, and have big, tough guys, and they play super hard. I know early in the season they were ranked really high, and it didn't come to fruition, and they kind of struggled there for a while.
"They're maybe getting their second wind here at the end."
The Wildcats hope their second wind continues with a victory in a city and at a stadium that has largely been a nightmare — regardless of the year.
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