Kansas State Football: Run game dominant in upset over Oklahoma
Kansas State football took down the fifth ranked Oklahoma Sooners and have shown that they’re able to hang with the premiere teams in their conference.
What a win by the Kansas State Wildcats!
Oklahoma entered this game as the fifth ranked team in the country while Kansas State, 5-2, were unranked, but showing improvement for sure. With the 48-41 victory over the fifth best team in the country, the Wildcats move to 5-2 and are one game away from being bowl eligible.
This is a huge win for Chris Klieman and company, as he just took over the reigns from Bill Snyder this year and already has the program nearing bowl eligibility. The Wildcats had their first Power-5 win in week three when K-State took down Mississippi State in Starkville, which resulted in the Wildcats being ranked.
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While K-State would fall out of the rankings the next week and then lose the next two games, they’ve rebounded nicely under Klieman. Their win over Oklahoma was incredibly impressive and at one point, the good guys led by as many as 25 points. It was a happy Homecoming for all!
The run game and the defense were key in this one, as the rushing attack totaled 213 yards and SIX touchdowns while the defense held the Sooners to 102 rushing yards (that’s an accomplishment, even if it doesn’t sound like it) and were putting pressure on Jalen Hurts all day long.
The run game has been phenomenal all season long, with James Gilbert and Jordon Brown being as good as advertised. Gilbert went for over 100 yards with a touchdown against the Sooners while Brown had 63 yards and has been highly reliable. Joshua Youngblood had the other rushing touchdown and it was good to see him get that moment in front of a hyped Homecoming crowd.
Going back to the defense, Hurts accounted for four total touchdowns with three on the ground and one through the air, but somehow it was one of his more disappointing performances this season. That’s a win for the K-State defense.
Skylar Thompson might not have put up electric numbers either, but he rushed for four touchdowns and has been a huge reason as to why the Wildcats have had the success they’ve had this season.
All in all, this was a VERY impressive win for a team who is still trying to figure things out with its new head coach. Klieman has been everything K-State fans were hoping for and more, getting the Cats two big wins this year.
Next. All-Time Leaders in Rushing Yards for Kansas State Football. dark
With Oklahoma now out of the way, no team seems unbeatable for Kansas State football and if their run game continues to grind at this level, there’s no reason why they can’t finish the year at 9-3 or, even better, 10-2.