Kansas State’s 17-10 victory over Kansas on Saturday goes to show just how far good coaching combined with a strong running game can take a team.
Daniel Thomas ran over, around and through the Jayhawks for 185 yards and a touchdown. K-State’s defense tightened up every time Kansas threatened to score and allowed 10 points. Grant Gregory made no major errors.
Just like that, the Governor’s Cup returned to Manhattan.
Kansas State players and fans wildly celebrated the victory, and they deserved to.
The Wildcats have found their identity and are now 5-2 in their last seven games. They are also yet to lose a game to an opponent from the Big 12 North. At 6-4 overall and 4-2 in league play, they are knocking on the door of a division title.
Will they get there?
If they continue to play the way they have during this streak of success, they are certainly a good bet.
But thanks to Nebraska’s upset win over Oklahoma last night, winning their home games may not be enough anymore. A trip to Dallas for the Big 12 championship could come down to the season-finale in Lincoln.
As of now here is what it will take for K-State to clinch the division:
Without help: Two wins OR a win at Nebraska.
With help: Win vs. Missouri combined with two Nebraska losses OR Colorado winning out and forcing a three-way tie at the top. (In that case K-State, CU and NU would be 5-3 with wins against each other. K-State would win the tiebreaker based on its 4-1 North record)
There’s likely a way K-State could also win the division at 4-4, but that would take a whole lot of help and the Wildcats would need to win the Big 12 championship game to gain bowl eligibility. So let’s not go there.
Thomas certainly isn’t.
After his impressive day against Kansas, in which he cracked the 1,000-yard mark for the season and was a true workhorse, he was asked if the Wildcats were now seen around the league as the favorites to win the North.
His response: “I hope so, but it doesn’t even matter. We’re just gonna keep playing.”
What they are saying
Jason Whitlock, of the Kansas City Star, believes Snyder is making this look too easy.
Bob Lutz, of the Wichita Eagle, says whoever vandalized the K-State football complex with red and blue paint Saturday morning should now be painting the town purple.
The Omaha World Herald’s Lee Barknecht had these thoughts on the game.
Key Stats
14-4 Bill Snyder’s record against Kansas.
9 straight wins against Kansas in Manhattan under Snyder.
5-0 K-State’s home record this season.
13 Number of turnovers forced by K-State in its last four games.
1,087 Daniel Thomas’ rushing yards on the season. He is ninth player in school history to eclipse the 1,000-yard mark.
43 Receiving yards by Lamark Brown. He also grabbed a TD. Good to see him back.
301 Offensive yards for Kansas
332 Offensive yards for K-State
66 Passing yards for K-State
1 Passing yards for K-State in the second half
8 Tackles by Ulla Pomele
14 straight points scored by K-State before and after halftime to swing the game its way for good
Quotes of note
“I think he’s the best running back in the conference,” — Gregory on Thomas.
“Everybody told me that I’d learn to hate them once I got here and everything. And that was true. Just watching them and hearing everything about them, I pretty much hate them.” — Thomas on not liking KU.
“It was a major score. A major happening so to speak to go in at that point of time. It wasn’t anything that was going to break KU’s back, but what it probably did was give our youngsters a little bit of space. It excited them, and that was plus.” — Snyder on Brown’s touchdown catch just before halftime.
“It was kinda like, we’re the football school this year. We haven’t owned that title in the last couple years.” — Wade Weibert on what it felt like to win.
“K-State is light-years ahead of where they were last year. They are disciplined and very well-coached. Coach Snyder hasn’t missed a beat and I knew that he wouldn’t.” — Mark Mangino.
“I was really happy for our fans. You could hear it in their response, that it meant an awful lot to them.” — Snyder.
“No one thought we were going to win today, I mean we were picked to be the bottom of the Big 12 on every poll, but we know what kind of team we are so we just want to show everyone. It just feels good.” — Thomas.
“The things we’ve gone through since coach Snyder got here, he’s changed the persona of this entire team and changed a lot of people’s attitude toward the game itself. It’s not really a surprise to me that we’ve come out and played the way we have. We have the talent and we have people who can do things.” — Brown.