When Bill Snyder decided to return to coach Kansas State for a second tour, there were a lot of people who wondered if the game had passed him by, The Wildcats hadn’t exactly torn it up the last couple of years of before Snyder retired.
Saturday in Manhattan, KS, Snyder and his Wildcats started nailing down the Big 12 north title with a methodical 17-10 victory over Kansas in the Sunflower Showdown. It was a picture perfect day with a postcard finish for K-State.
Missed opportunities, turnovers and Daniel Thomas were the difference as Kansas saw their dreams of a Big 12 north title disappear in a fourth straight loss.
KU’s Darrell Stuckey returned the opening kickoff 69 yards and the Jayhawks drove to the K-State five, but a sack of Todd Reesing forced a 30 yard FG attempt by Jacob Branstetter that was wide right.
Next possession, Kansas drove from their own 13 to the K-State 30 before Reesing underthrew Dezmon Briscoe deep over the middle and was picked off by Emmanuel Lamur.
Kansas State’s Josh Cherry finally broke the scoring ice when he drove home a 47 yard FG to cap a 40 yard drive with just over eleven minutes left in the half.
Kansas responded, driving 60 yards in 7 plays, as Reesing connected with Briscoe for a 17 yard catch and run for a 7-3 Kansas lead.
On the next two KU possessions, Reesing lost fumbles after scrambling for yardage. The first time the defense held and Cherry missed a FG. K-State turned the second fumble into seven points as Grant Gregory hit Lamark Brown for a 31 yard strike with 17 seconds left in the half and a 10-7 lead.
That final score of the half and the opening drive of the second half were the difference for the Wildcats. On the opening drive of the second half, the Wildcats Daniel Thomas accounted for 63 yards of an 84 yard drive, all on the ground, the last from 5 yards out and a 17-7 lead.
Kansas State ate clock in the second half with Thomas ripping off yardage. He finished with 185 yards on 24 carries.
After Reesing engineered a 13 play drive to the Kansas State thirteen, Branstetter hooked a 30 yard FG attempt wasting the drive.
KU then drove 57 yards in 16 plays before stalling and Branstetter hit a 46 yard FG cutting the lead to seven with 5;20 to go. But for all of that work, 29 plays and 14 minutes of possession, KU has three points to show for it.
The Wildcats then ran out the clock for a 17-10 victory. Reesing finished 27 of 41 for 241 yards and a TD, but two of his his three first half turnovers proved costly as did the missed field goals by Branstetter. The question now is will Kansas at 5-4, totally collapse with a bowl berth still possible.
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