From The Couch – K-State Stands Alone In Second Place After Demolishing The Baylor Bears
K-State regained sole possession of second place in the Big 12 Conference and control their destiny for a spot in the conference title game with two games to go after a dominating 31 to 3 victory over the Baylor Bears.
Adrian Martinez started the game at quarterback for K-State but was injured during a quarterback sneak on a third and one on the second drive of the game with the game tied at zero. Will Howard replaced Martinez and played brilliantly again, throwing for 196 yards and three touchdowns in the victory.
There was a lot of good in this game and little to be critical about. Here’s what the coaches and players were saying after the win, along with some highlights from the game…
JM: Will Howard came into the game in relief of Adrian Martinez and drove the Wildcats down the field, capped off by this 23-yard touchdown pass to tight end Ben Sinnott. Not to be hyperbolic, but this pass may have been the best of Will Howard’s career. He got it into a tight window in good coverage. The announcer on television commented “that window doesn’t get any tighter.” The people I was watching the game with remarked that it was an “NFL throw.” I agree.
JM: Hopefully, someone picked up Baylor safety Devin Lemear’s jock strap off the field after this run. Three drives for Howard and two touchdowns and a field goal for the Wildcats. Deuce Vaughn had another strong game, rushing for 106 yards and catching eight passes for 50 yards and a touchdown.
“Honestly, I didn’t think I was going to get the ball on that play. I ran as hard as I could and tried to get past the guy playing man on me, turned around, and the ball was on the way back shoulder and it was perfect placement. It was pretty exciting.”…Tight end Ben Sinnott, post-game
JM: Sinnott had a huge night for the Wildcats. He had seven catches for 89 yards and two touchdowns. His catches, yards, and touchdowns were all career highs. It was the first two touchdowns of his career.
JM: DJ Giddens capped off the scoring for K-State with this touchdown run early in the fourth quarter. Giddens was strong in relief of Deuce Vaughn, rushing for 58 yards on 13 carries and a touchdown.
“It was a dominant performance. I don’t know what to say about this group. They’re a resilient bunch.”…Chris Klieman, post-game
JM: Baylor came into the game averaging 38 points per game and the Wildcat defense held them to three. I don’t know what to call the performance other than “dominant.”
“We sat in the locker room after a tough loss to Texas and I told the guys to rise up, and our seniors came along and said we have to rise up, and we had a really good week of preparation. This is a really good team and it’s hard to win here.”…Chris Klieman, post-game
JM: It was Baylor’s second home loss of the season, the only other a 36-25 loss to Oklahoma State on October 1st. The Bears were undefeated at home (7-0) last season.
“It doesn’t change anything for us, I feel like we’re not really trying to think of things that way. We know that we have two games on our schedule, and we know that we control our own destiny. All we can do is focus on those two games and win them and see what happens and go from there. We’re in a good spot, I know that. We just have to put our heads and down focus on the task at hand.”…Quarterback Will Howard, post-game
JM: Beat West Virginia on Saturday and KU at home the following week, and the Wildcats are in the Big 12 championship game.
“(Martinez’s departure) happened pretty early in the game so I was still good from warmup. I’m getting kind of used to this at this point. It’s happened a couple times. It’s my job, so I just have to be ready for it.”…Quarterback Will Howard, post-game
JM: Howard has been fantastic in relief of Adrian Martinez. He is good at throwing the ball away when receivers aren’t open, which is one key thing I have noticed in his development. His passing accuracy and command of the offense have dramatically improved as well. If I’m Chris Klieman, I don’t know how you don’t start him against West Virginia.
“I’m so happy for Will (Howard). He’s one of my best friends and I know how much he prepares. Even if he doesn’t think he’s going to be the one out there, he studies, and knows exactly what to do when his time comes. Obviously, he takes advantage of it.”…Tight end Ben Sinnott, post-game
JM: It’s great to see that Howard’s hard work is paying off on the field.
JM: What’s the debate? Go with Will Howard and be done with it.
JM: It’s becoming a tradition that the offensive line gets a shirtless photo after every victory. It is well deserved. They are playing great as a unit.
JM: The K-State marching band and a group of super fans met the team at the football complex when they returned from Waco. I love these videos. Thanks, Misty, for posting them.
JM: K-State travels to Morgantown next Saturday for a 1:00 kickoff against West Virginia. Unfortunately, the game will be streaming only on ESPN Plus.
JM: It is ridiculous that the number two team in the conference is not worthy of having their game seen on broadcast television. The schools in the Big 12 need to address this with their broadcast partners. It’s not just football, but basketball as well. It used to be that every exhibition and non-conference basketball game was broadcast on FoxSports Midwest. Whatever happened to that? Now fans have to sign up for a free trial of FuboTV in order to watch their favorite basketball team. This will continue to be an issue, as the basketball Wildcats have games coming up that are streaming on FloHoops, which requires a monthly subscription. Hey K-State and Big 12, how about thinking about the fans for once instead of the almighty dollar? End rant.
JM: Kobe Savage had a key interception in the first quarter last night that changed the momentum of the game. Unfortunately, he was injured later in the game and appears to be out for the season. Savage has played GREAT all season and this is a huge loss for this defense. I hope he is okay. Here is video of his interception. Baylor was in the red zone threatening to score with the game tied at zero…
JM: Can K-State get it done by winning the next two weeks? I like their chances, but I’m still nervous every time they take the field. Any game is winnable and they can lose any game. We will see what happens, but it is very exciting that K-State is in this position.
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