K-Stated

Overall Assessment: There are two ways to look at the way Kansas State lost a 52-45 thriller to Oklahoma State on Saturday at Boone Pickens Stadium.

1. The Wildcats responded from their first loss of the season, a 58-17 setback to Oklahoma last week, in encouraging fashion. Though they left Stillwater with a second straight loss, they earned a moral victory that will give them momentum and help them win their final three games.

2. The Wildcats surrendered 500 passing yards for the second time in as many weeks, and were unable to take advantage of an early 24-14 lead and a late 38-37 lead. A loss is a loss, and there is no redeeming value in playing the nation’s No. 3 team to a close game on the road.

K-State players took both approaches before heading home Saturday night, and it looks like most fans are split this morning, too.

I find myself somewhere in the middle, leaning toward answer No. 1. Though there should be no moral victories for a team ranked in the top 25 that began the year with seven straight wins, K-State showed many positives Saturday.

It battled back from an early 14-0 hole for the second straight week, and kept pushing when Oklahoma State tried to pull away. Collin Klein played his most impressive game yet from a leadership standpoint, and Tyler Lockett continues to amaze.

The defense continued to struggle against a high-powered passing offense. No pass rush and inconsistent coverage meant Brandon Weeden was in for a big day. Considering K-State faced a similar look last week, allowing 52 points was disappointing.

But the two toughest games on K-State’s schedule are now behind it. Coming into the year, any realistic fan circled Oklahoma and Oklahoma State as likely losses. The Wildcats close out the season with three winnable games against Texas A&M, Texas and Iowa State. Finish strong and maybe some good will come out of this loss.

Here’s a look at all that and more in this week’s Sunday Rewind:
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