Kansas State’s 14-6 victory against Oklahoma State on Saturday at Boone Pickens Stadium was the type of college football game that can be viewed through many different prisms.
For some, it was the definition of an “ugly win.” The Wildcats needed a salty performance from their defense, which featured an incredible five takeaways, to beat the worst team in the Big 12 by single digits.
The Cowboys have lost nine straight games this season, and they haven’t won a conference game in two calendar years.
K-State (5-5, 4-3 Big 12) was favored to beat Oklahoma State (1-9, 0-7 Big 12) by nearly three touchdowns. On paper, this matchup looked like it was going to be a walk in the park. It turned out to be quite the opposite.
For others, this was a hard-fought victory that was worth celebrating. Why? Because the Wildcats won on a day when they clearly didn’t have their best stuff on offense. And because K-State has lost its share of close games this season.
One more thing: K-State beat Oklahoma State on the road for the first time since 2017.
What does all that mean? K-State football coach Chris Klieman made it clear how he viewed the win.
“I’ve been here (three times) and lost games here,” Klieman said. “This is a hard place to play. So we’re going to enjoy this win. I’m not apologizing for winning in Stillwater, because it’s dang hard to win here.”
There is no such thing as a bad win in the Big 12. But this result will raise questions about the Wildcats after they moved within one victory of bowl eligibility. Up next is a difficult road trip to Utah. After that is a less taxing home game against Colorado.
Can the Wildcats keep their bowl streak alive?
They may need to play better than they did against Oklahoma State. But there were positives to take away from this game, aside from the final score.
The biggest of them all came on defense. K-State allowed Oklahoma State to gain 373 yards, but the Wildcats dominated where it mattered. Not only did they keep the Cowboys out of the end zone, they didn’t let them reach the 10. Oklahoma State only made it into the red zone once, and that drive ended with a fumble at the 11.
“That was a dominant defensive performance,” Klieman said, “and the biggest reason it was dominant is ... we didn’t play great between the 20 and about the 30. But when we got near the red zone, our guys showed up and our guys made play after play after play.”
K-State defensive back Zashon Rich made two of them. He finished the day with an interception and fumble recovery.
“It’s big for us,” Rich said. “We came out here and we showed that we could be in a dogfight like that and that we could trade blows.”
K-State linebacker Asa Newsom said it was fun to win a defensive battle.
“It feels you up with pride,” he said. The Wildcats needed all the big plays they could make on defense, because they struggled mightily on offense. K-State only gained 284 yards on offense and put just 14 points.
Avery Johnson led K-State on two scoring drives. That turned out to be enough. But the Wildcats started the game with four straight punts, which allowed Oklahoma State to take an uncomfortable 6-0 lead.
The junior quarterback wasn’t happy. He threw for 177 yards and a touchdown to go along with an interception.
“I’m definitely not satisfied with how I played today,” Johnson said. “It was one of my worst games I have played in my college career.”
