MANHATTAN, Kan. _ Here's how good things went for Kansas State during a 63-7 rout of Florida Atlantic on Saturday: Three of its nine touchdown drives lasted one play.
The Wildcats dominated the Owls, piling up 495 yards of offense and forcing four turnovers on defense, but no stat summed up the blowout better than K-State's scoring efficiency.
Three times Florida Atlantic turned the ball over within 12 yards of its own end zone. Three times K-State scored on the following play.
The trend began in the first quarter with an interception from Kendall Adams that he returned within the red zone. Fullback Winston Dimel responded with a 10-yard touchdown run. It kept going when linebacker Charmeachealle Moore returned a fumble within scoring range and quarterback Jesse Ertz scored on a 12-yard keeper. Then Dimel scored immediately after K-State recovered a fumble at the one.
Throw in a 75-yard punt return touchdown from Dominique Heath in the third quarter and it was a day of quick-strike scores for the Wildcats.
That made things easy for K-State two weeks after it opened the season with a 26-13 loss at Stanford. The Wildcats (1-1) raced to a 42-0 halftime lead and flooded the field with backups in the fourth quarter. The Owls (1-2) never had a chance.
It was exactly the result K-State coach Bill Snyder had hoped for.
K-State looked sharp on defense, particularly in the secondary. After struggling at times to slow Stanford's passing attack, it clamped down on Florida Atlantic's receivers, coming up with a pair of interceptions. Adams, a safety, made the first pick in zone coverage on an ill-advised pass from FAU quarterback Jason Driskel. Cornerback D.J. Reed made the other while delivering excellent man coverage.
Both were helped by K-State's defensive line, which pressured Driskel throughout. At one point, he appeared so flustered that he let the ball slip out of his hands for a fumble while trying to throw a screen pass.
Jordan Willis, Tanner Wood and Reggie Walker all had sacks. Linebackers Elijah Lee and Moore were consistently in the backfield.
They had the freedom to take chances the way the offense was playing in front of 50,871 fans at Snyder Family Stadium.
Florida Atlantic entered the day sporting one of the nation's worst run defenses, coming off a loss to Miami in which it allowed 279 rushing yards. K-State running backs were even more effective on the ground against the Owls, helping the Wildcats rush for 336 yards and seven touchdowns.
Dimel led the way with 19 yards and four touchdowns, Ertz added 40 yards and a touchdown, Alex Barnes finished with 73 yards and Alex Delton and Joe Hubener both scored. But Dalvin Warmack was the most explosive running back on the field, gaining 90 yards on nine attempts.
Overall, K-State averaged 6.9 yards per rush.
That made for a much different, and happier, scene than the Stanford loss, in which the Wildcats averaged 2.9 yards per run. It was a nice step forward before they take on Missouri State next week.
Ertz didn't have to do much in the passing game, but his 117 yards and a touchdown helped the cause. He was at his best on the opening drive when he found Heath for a 20-yard touchdown on a well-placed throw against coverage. The Wildcats were sloppy at the start of the game, committing three penalties on their opening drive, but they scored all the same.
Penalties (13 for 131 yards) continued to be an issue for K-State, but they didn't have much impact on the final score.
K-State played too well for them to matter against an overmatched foe.
