Oklahoma State vs. Kansas State football: Five takeaways from Cowboys' loss to Wildcats
MANHATTAN, Kan. — When Oklahoma State receiver Brennan Presley fumbled deep in Kansas State territory in the first quarter, it felt like a missed opportunity and a big momentum swing against the Cowboys.
Instead, it turned out to be the last opportunity and the only taste of any momentum the ninth-ranked Pokes would experience in an inexplicable 48-0 rout at the hands of the No. 22 Wildcats on Saturday at Bill Snyder Family Stadium.
OSU never again moved the ball inside the Kansas State 30-yard line on a day that became nothing but a purple haze.
The Cowboys came into the game with a chance to cement themselves as serious contenders for the Big 12 Championship Game, but left in a crumpled ball of disappointment.
Kansas State dominated both lines of scrimmage, backup quarterback Will Howard regularly found open receivers and the Cowboys shot themselves in the foot in response to nearly every good play they found a way to make.
On top of that, starting quarterback Spencer Sanders left the field in the fourth quarter, going directly into the medical tent, then to the locker room, leaving his injury status going forward in the air next week when the Cowboys try to bounce back from the worst loss in the Mike Gundy era.
Here are four more takeaways from Saturday’s demoralizing defeat:
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A drop and a fumble
The OSU offense seemed to find some rhythm on a couple of early possessions, only to have those drives derailed by mistakes by receivers.
After falling behind 7-0, OSU moved into Kansas State territory, facing a third-and-8 when Spencer Sanders zipped a perfect pass across the middle. But it slipped through the hands of freshman wideout Stephon Johnson Jr., and the Cowboys turned the ball over on fourth down with an incompletion on the following play.
Later in the quarter, with OSU trailing 14-0, the Cowboy defense set up the offense with good field position at the K-State 47.
Sanders found Presley, who dodged tacklers and moved inside the K-State 20-yard line before having the ball knocked loose and recovered by the Wildcats.
OSU never advanced inside the K-State 30 the rest of the game.
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Deuce gets loose
Oklahoma State came into the game off back-to-back games struggling to stop the run, and K-State running back Deuce Vaughn quickly made it a third straight.
The 5-foot-6, 176-pound junior finished with 158 yards and a touchdown on 22 carries, but did most of his damage in the first half. He had 121 yards on 14 carries by halftime.
His biggest run came on the Wildcats’ second possession when he took a second-and-10 handoff and went 62 yards for a touchdown and a 14-0 lead.
For the game, K-State rushed for 199 yards on 37 carries, an average of 5.4 yards per carry.
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Backup QB Will Howard dices defense
Pregame news that Kansas State starting quarterback Adrian Martinez was unable to play — his injury status left him as a game-time decision — seemed like good news for Oklahoma State.
But backup Will Howard quickly flipped the script. He hit receiver Kade Warner, the son of NFL Hall of Famer Kurt Warner, for a 38-yard touchdown on fourth-and-10 for the Wildcats’ first points.
And Howard went on to roll the Cowboy defense for 296 yards on 21-of-37 passing for a school-record-tying four touchdowns.
Malik Knowles led the Wildcats with eight receptions for 113 yards.
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Injuries hamper Cowboys
OSU has struggled to run the ball in recent weeks, and that continued with injury absences of starting running back Dominic Richardson and right guard Hunter Woodard, who has been the Cowboys’ most reliable blocker all season.
Starting center Preston Wilson returned after missing the previous two games with a lower leg injury, but he left the game in the third quarter and was replaced by Eli Russ. Jason Brooks Jr. started in place of Woodard.
At running back, the Cowboys went with the trio of Jaden Nixon, Deondre Jackson and Ollie Gordon, but found little success on the ground. Gordon did not practice much of the week while dealing with an illness, according to OSU radio voice Dave Hunziker.
Receivers Braydon Johnson and Jaden Bray were out as well.
On defense, safety Thomas Harper returned after missing last week’s game, and Jason Taylor II played a week after injuring his knee against Texas. But Taylor was in and out of the lineup, sitting out virtually the entire second half.
Quarterback Spencer Sanders went into the injury tent after getting sacked early in the fourth quarter, being replaced by Gunnar Gundy.
Punter Tom Hutton also had to be helped off the field at one point in the fourth.
More:'Watch out for that cat': How Oklahoma State's Stephon Johnson Jr. seized first big moment
OSU at Kansas
KICKOFF: 2:30 p.m. Saturday at David Booth Kansas Memorial Stadium in Lawrence, Kansas (FS1)
Oklahoma State vs. Kansas State live updates
This article originally appeared on Oklahoman: Oklahoma State football shut out by Will Howard, Kansas State Wildcats
