MANHATTAN, Kan. – Quarterback Jesse Ertz threw for a score and ran for another and place-kicker Matthew McCrane connected on all four field goal tries to tally 12 points as K-State defeated the Baylor Bears 33-20 in its Big 12 season-opener in front of a home crowd of 52,293 – the 36th-consecutive sellout – at Bill Snyder Family Stadium.
HOW IT HAPPENED
K-State received the opening kickoff and had a sense of urgency early, scoring on their first possession only 1:43 into the game, propelled by an Alex Barnes 38-yard run down the Baylor sideline. The Barnes rush led to a K-State touchdown on an acrobatic reception from sophomore Isaiah Zuber, as K-State would maintain the lead for the following 58:17.
The only turnover for the Wildcats would come on a punt return, which provided Baylor the football in the red zone. With Baylor threatening, the K-State defense came in clutch with a sack on third down and a blocked 44-yard field goal on fourth down.
On the following Wildcat possession, K-State marched down the field in a six-play, 73-yard drive capped off by a 1-yard Winston Dimel touchdown rush. The Wildcats added a field goal to go into halftime with the lead, 20-3.
In the second half, Baylor running back John Lovett broke off a 74-yard rush against the Wildcat defense, bringing the score to 20-13. The Wildcat offense stalled on consecutive possessions before the defense recovered a fumble in Baylor territory. Ertz would get the offense rolling again with a 15-yard touchdown rush to push the lead to 27-13.
Baylor responded with a 70-yard touchdown pass to Denzel Mims to pull within a touchdown again (27-20) in the fourth quarter, but the Cats never relented.
Leading in the fourth quarter, the Wildcats would call upon McCrane to tack on two field goals, including a 49-yarder to make it a multi-possession game.
K-State accounted for 344 yards of total offense, 225 of which came on the ground.
OFFENSIVE PLAYERS OF THE GAME
Sophomore Alex Barnes got out of the gates fast with a 38-yard run on opening possession, marking the longest rush of his career. Barnes was a factor for the Wildcats offense, carrying 13 times for 80 yards. In addition to Barnes’ day, quarterback Ertz led the team in rushing, carrying 12 times for 95 yards, eclipsing 1,315 career rushing yards to establish himself as the third leading quarterback rusher in K-State history.
Isaiah Zuber led the Wildcats in the receiving department, hauling in four passes for 79 yards and a touchdown.
DEFENSIVE PLAYERS OF THE GAME
Defensive backs Kendall Adams and Duke Shelley led the Wildcats defensively, as Adams led the team with eight total tackles. Shelley contributed with five tackles, all of which were solo. Adams also helped ice the game with less than three minutes left, picking off a Baylor pass in the red zone, effectively ending the Bears’ day.
Defensive lineman Tanner Wood provided two crucial pass deflections on the defensive line, leading the team in the category. Wood also accounted for six total tackles.
Late in the third quarter, with the Wildcat offense struggling, the defense caught a break on a ball that was snapped over Baylor quarterback Zach Smith’s head and later recovered by Kyle Ball on the 14-yard line. This recovery would lead to a touchdown early in the fourth quarter.
SPECIAL TEAMS STARS OF THE GAME
The K-State special teams unit played a well-rounded game that included a 34-yard punt return by Byron Pringle. Pringle’s return was made possible by several key blocks, setting up the Wildcats with a 37-yard field goal by McCrane. The special teams unit was headlined by McCrane, who would go 4-for-4 on the day, including two crucial field goals in the fourth quarter, one of which was from 49 yards out. McCrane’s four field goals tied a career-high, previously set against West Virginia on Nov. 20, 2014.
The K-State special teams unit also prevented points from being scored, as sophomore Reggie Walker broke through the Baylor field goal unit to block a Baylor field goal attempt in the first half. The block marked the first of Walker’s career, and the first for K-State this season.
STATS OF THE GAME
58:17, the amount of time K-State led in the game after scoring on their opening drive. The Wildcats rushed down the field in a 1:43, four-play, 75-yard drive that resulted in a Zuber touchdown. The largest lead for the Wildcats was at halftime, as they led 20-3.
SEASON RECORD UPDATE
K-State 3-1 (1-0 Big 12)
Baylor 0-5 (0-2 Big 12)
IN THEIR WORDS
HEAD COACH BILL SNYDER
“It was very, very inconsistent. We made a few big plays but we need to be more of a big play offense. Not collectively a big play offense, but that needs to be part of the balance that we have and we do not have quite enough of those. In the second half, we were not a very good third down football team, but a lot of that is Baylor. Baylor has been very successful on some of the things that they have done on third downs so my goes off to them. I think they played well but nevertheless it is not about them, it is about us. We just have to be better. There is a lot of things that I can go through and define that are issues or problems that we had as I could in any other ballgame. Those are the things that we have to go to work on. Sometimes they are the same and sometimes they are totally different from the previous ballgame. It is the nature of the game.”
WHAT’S NEXT
K-State hits the road for their second conference battle of the season, as they take on the Texas Longhorns in Austin, Texas on October 7 at 6 p.m., the game will air on FS1.
Kansas State University, the nation’s first operational land-grant institution and a Carnegie Foundation Tier One university, is recognized as one of the nation’s best colleges with world-class research and academic excellence located in America’s No. 1 College Town (Manhattan, KS).
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TOM GILBERT
Associate Director for Athletics Communications | K-State Athletics