Kansas State Wildcats Football: Good, Bad, and Ugly vs. Auburn
By Eddie Grier
What could have jumped the Kansas State Wildcats up in the rankings turned into a huge missed opportunity last Thursday night in Manhattan. The team had everything pretty much out there to gain with the fifth largest sellout in Bill Snyder Family Stadium history, ESPN locked into the game, and a chance to beat a high ranked opponent in Auburn.
More from Kansas State Wildcats
- NBA Draft Prospects to Watch From Kansas, Missouri, and Kansas State
- Wildcats Draft Profiles: Josh Rivas Looks Towards the NFL
- Wildcats Draft Profiles: Skylar Thompson is Kansas State’s best draft bet
- Wildcats Upset Texas Tech for First Conference Win
- Kansas State Falls Short Against Texas, Winless in Conference Play
When the Wildcats play in Bill Snyder Stadium, they normally win games. That was not the case here. Again the story was just too many mistakes and the Cats left points on the field. If K-State played to their abilities they could have won this game. Auburn made the play of the game late in the 4th quarter to seal any hopes of a Wildcat comeback.
With defending SEC champ Auburn in the rear view mirror, let’s take more of a inside look of what went down last week.
Game #3: Auburn 20, Kansas State 14
Good
K-State’s defense rose up to the occasion and did what pretty much no team has done: slowed down Auburn’s usually vicious ground attack. Carrying the momentum from the Iowa State a couple weeks before where they shutout the Cyclones in the 2nd half, K-State forced Auburn to throw the football and to make plays.
The D held Auburn to 128 yards on the ground. That’s way under Auburn usually total average of more than 200 yards. K-State defense gave every reason why the Cats should pulled the upset and they didn’t. Dakorey Johnson stepped up his game making 6 tackles and grabbing an interception.
Bad
It seems like the first quarter has been where K-State had the most opportunities to put teams in a tough hole. Iowa State victory should have been more thanks to missed opportunities. And then look at Auburn where they left at least 10 points in the 1st quarter of this one.
Even with the wind, Jack Cantele missed a makable field goal and the Big 12 All-American wide receiver Tyler Lockett had a pass go through his hands, bounce off his chest and in the hands of an Auburn defender for an interception. That play was the hardest because Lockett should have had that catch and it should have been 6 points, which could have been all the difference in this game.
Ugly
And must we continue the trend of missed opportunities with the offense including Cantele’s inability to make field goals. Kansas State left at least a possible 16 points out on the field last Thursday night, maybe even 21 points.
Live Feed
Saturday Blitz
K-State, late in the 2nd quarter, was driving towards a possible touchdown before halftime where Jake Waters missed handled a snap, which stopped that drive and forced KSU to attempt a field goal. And we all know that Cantele didn’t have a good night. He missed a 40+ yard field goal on that drive.
Cantele later missed a field goal, which was set up near the middle of the field in the 2nd half of the game. Going forward the Wildcats need to start cashing in scoring opportunities especially when the Cats entering the rest of Big 12 play.
So what’s next for the Wildcats, you ask? They will host the UTEP Miners in Manhattan on Saturday. KSU won’t have a road game until October 18th when they take on the Oklahoma Sooners in their home field in Norman. The Cats need to play better before then if they even want a chance at beating the Sooners.