From The Couch – It Was Ugly, But K-State Gets The Win Against Iowa State In Ames
K-State won an ugly game Saturday night against Iowa State in Ames, beating the Cyclones 10-9. The Wildcats had missed opportunities throughout the game, including a missed field goal and what looked like a sure touchdown pass to Malik Knowles that was punched out of his arms by a Cyclone defender at the one yard line. K-State struggled to run the ball against Iowa State’s defense, but Iowa State had the same problem against the Wildcat defense, which stepped up at big moments in the game and sealed the victory for K-State. Here are the key quotes and notes from the game.
“That’s a really good team.”…Chris Klieman, in a post-game interview on the field
JM: This is a disingenuous comment from Klieman. I understand that it’s coach speak and that he says it all the time, but Iowa State is not a “really good team.” They have a good rush defense that keeps the score of their games close, but that’s about it. The Cyclones moved to 0-3 in the Big 12 and they make a trip to Austin next Saturday to play Texas. They’ll likely start out 0-4 in league play.
“It’s fun to be able to have these team wins. Whether it’s the offense one week, defense the next week or making a big special teams play. Those kids in the locker room love each other. It is fun to be around those guys because it is a special group. They know that they have a chance to have a special season.”…Chris Klieman, post-game
JM: Coach Klieman was very excited after this one. After the defense made a final stop of Iowa State on a fourth down late in the game to seal the victory, he took his headset off and he made a beeline for athletic director Gene Taylor on the sideline and the two had a long embrace that you might see after someone wins a conference or national championship. This game meant a lot to these guys and they were thrilled to get even a one point victory.
“We knew coming into it that they were physical and big and we knew it was going to be a fist fight. That’s exactly what it was. They made us earn every yard. We weren’t frustrated at halftime. We understood we could move the ball on these guys, and we were going to find a way to win.”…Quarterback Adrian Martinez, post-game
JM: K-State did move the ball quite easily through the air in the first half. On K-State’s third offensive play of the game, Martinez eluded an Iowa State defender in the backfield and found Phillip Brooks downfield for an 81-yard touchdown pass to give K-State the lead….
It was K-State’s only touchdown of the game. With the Wildcats leading 7-6 in the second quarter, Martinez found a wide open Malik Knowles who caught the ball and was running towards the end zone before getting the ball punched out on the one-yard line….
JM: If Martinez makes a better throw there and hits Knowles in stride, it’s an easy touchdown because no defender was near him. Since Knowles had to come back for the ball, it allowed the defenders to adjust, and it became a footrace to the end zone. Iowa State’s defender made a great play to punch the ball out, allowing Iowa State to recover the ball for a touchback. both Malik Knowles and Phillip Brooks had 100-yard receiving games and Martinez ended the game with 246 passing yards.
JM: As of this morning, there are no injury updates about Khalid Duke and Deuce Vaughn. Let’s hope they’re both okay, because K-State is going to need them to keep their winning streak going.
JM: I’m not going to break down all of the bad play calls in the game, especially after a win, but this is just a sampling of what people are saying on social media about Collin Klein’s play calling. I will say that it is maddening watching the offense stare at the sideline for the play call while the play clock is running down and then running a play up the middle for a loss on third and two. There is a lot of improvement that needs to happen offensively with TCU, Oklahoma State, Texas, and Baylor coming up on the schedule. Luckily, there is some time with the bye week coming up next weekend. K-State plays TCU on October 22nd in Fort Worth. TCU is undefeated on the season with a game against Oklahoma State next Saturday.
No game from here on out will be an easy one for the Wildcats. However, the defense is playing great and should keep them competitive in every game that they play, which means that every game left is winnable. Despite an ugly game last night, I’m still predicting the Wildcats will end up in Arlington playing Oklahoma State for the Big 12 championship. Of course, my prediction is subject to change!
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