MANHATTAN, Kan. _ Another year. Another early flop from the Kansas State football team.
The K-State Wildcats entered Saturday hoping to prove they belonged in the national polls with a strong effort against the No. 18 Mississippi State Bulldogs at Snyder Family Stadium. But things didn't work out that way. A 31-10 loss exposed them as a squad with much improvement to make before the start of Big 12 play.
It's a result that is becoming an annual trend for the Wildcats.
They haven't defeated a notable nonconference opponent in the regular season since 2012 (losing to North Dakota State, Auburn, Stanford, Vanderbilt and now Mississippi State since) and they haven't beaten a ranked nonconference opponent in the regular season since 2002.
K-State also continues to struggle against top 25 teams at home. It has now lost 10 straight against ranked opponents in Manhattan, dating back to 2002.
Perhaps another lackluster showing was to be expected, given how both of these teams looked last week. K-State squeaked by South Dakota, 27-24, while Mississippi State demolished Stephen F. Austin, 63-6. The Bulldogs were favored by eight.
Still, some hoped for a bounce back effort from the Wildcats. It just didn't happen.
Mississippi State was clearly the better team and proved it from the start, amassing 538 yards (8.2 per play) while holding K-State to 213 yards (3.8 per play).
The Bulldogs weren't much to look at on offense, calling a mixture of quarterback keepers from Nick Fitzgerald and handoffs to running back Kylin Hill, but they ran their simple plays to perfection. Time and time again, they overpowered the Wildcats up front and created huge running lanes for their skill players.
Hill was a one-man wrecking crew, rushing for 211 yards and two touchdowns on 17 carries.
Fitzgerald wasn't far behind, rushing for 159 yards on top of 154 passing yards and two touchdowns.
K-State had no answers for them. When the Wildcats brought pressure, the Bulldogs sidestepped it and cut up field. When they dropped back into coverage, linebackers were often caught out of position and defensive backs took bad angles.
The Wildcats needed a stellar showing on offense to keep up. Problem was, K-State didn't have any answers for Mississippi State's defensive line, either. Jeffery Simmons and Montez Sweat overwhelmed K-State's offensive line and forced quarterbacks Skylar Thompson and Alex Delton into rushed decisions on many occasions.
One of the nation's top defensive lines finished with four sacks and five hurries.
The lone bright spot of the day for K-State came on a 23-yard touchdown pass from Thompson to Dalton Schoen. Defensive end Wyatt Hubert had just put the Wildcats in scoring range with an interception, and Thompson took advantage with a nifty pass to Schoen that pulled K-State within 24-10 late in the third quarter.
There was still hope for a comeback, until Mississippi State answered with a 76-yard touchdown drive to make it 31-10.
The Bulldogs cruised from there.
Of course, the first half belonged to them, too. There was an obvious talent difference in this game, and it was noticeable early.
The Bulldogs led 17-3 at halftime, outgaining the Wildcats 261-111.
Important plays included a 47-yard run from Hill that set up the Bulldogs for an easy field goal, giving them a 3-0 lead.
Later, Fitzgerald found Stephen Guidry across the middle for 19 yards on third-and-17. It was the type of play K-State could ill afford to allow while trying to upset the Bulldogs, and they paid for it moments later when Fitzgerald found Hill for a 16-yard touchdown.
K-State trailed 10-3 at that point and opted to replace Thompson with Delton at quarterback. The switch didn't go well. After driving to midfield, Delton made a bad read and threw an interception trying to hit Zach Reuter. Running back Alex Barnes was open in the flats, but Delton forced a pass into double coverage.
Mississippi State took over and quickly marched down field, taking a 17-3 lead on a 28-yard run from Hill.
K-State tried to respond with a score before halftime, but Blake Lynch came up just short on a 52-yard field goal.
Chalk it up as a missed opportunity on a day filled with them.
The Wildcats will face familiar questions as they prepare for their final nonconference game against Texas-San Antonio next week.
K-State, once again, will enter Big 12 play with a blemish on its record.
