MANHATTAN, Kan. _ Kansas State lost a heartbreaker to Oklahoma State, 43-37, on Saturday at Snyder Family Stadium.
Jordan Sterns intercepted a pass in the end zone as time expired to end all hope of a Wildcats comeback after it looked like a victory was destined to occur early in the fourth quarter.
K-State led 37-28 and possessed the ball at midfield with 9 minutes remaining and its biggest victory of the season appeared within reach. But the No. 22 Cowboys (7-2, 5-1 Big 12) stuffed K-State quarterback Jesse Ertz on third-and-one and the Wildcats (5-4, 3-3) decided to punt.
A first down, followed by a score, would have gone a long way to securing victory for K-State, but coach Bill Snyder opted for the smart play and pinned Oklahoma State in bad field position.
The Wildcats were playing well on defense up to the point in the second half. Duke Shelley returned an interception 29 yards for a touchdown in the third quarter and D.J. Reed intercepted a pass near midfield in the fourth quarter. Oklahoma State's offense, after a hot start, was showing signs of weakness.
But that changed quickly when Mason Rudolph found James Washington for an 82-yard touchdown. Oklahoma State forced a quick punt from K-State and then scored again on a 17-yard run from Chris Carson with 1:46 remaining. A two-point conversion made the score 43-37.
That meant K-State had to score a touchdown in the final moments. It put itself in position, driving all the way to Oklahoma State's 3, but a pass-interference call against Byron Pringle pushed the Wildcats back to the 18 for a final desperation heave into the end zone. It ended in an interception and Oklahoma State won.
The result spoiled an afternoon for K-State in which it unveiled new military themed uniforms.
Rudolph led the way for the Cowboys, completing 29 of 38 passes for 457 yards and five touchdowns. He did more than enough good to overcome a pair of interceptions.
James Washington was his favorite target. He caught seven passes for 117 yards and two touchdowns. Tight end Blake Jarwin also had big plays, piling up 96 yards and a touchdown on two catches.
Oklahoma State gained 637 yards with 457 coming through the air against K-State's suspect secondary.
K-State answered with a strong rushing attack.
The Wildcats rushed for 345 yards behind Ertz. The junior quarterback rushed for 153 yards and three touchdowns on 30 carries. Alex Barnes added 72 yards, Charles Jones had 70 and Justin Silmon had 29.
This was quite the back-and-forth game.
It was all K-State in early going. The Wildcats began the game in dominant fashion, marching 75 yards for a touchdown on their opening drive on 11 straight running plays. Jones and Ertz took turns chewing up Oklahoma State's defense until Ertz punctuated the drive with a nine-yard score.
Then K-State got a stop on defense and got back to work, moving with ease into the end zone and setting up fullback Winston Dimel for a 10-yard touchdown.
At times, the Wildcats have struggled to start games this season. But it was hard to imagine a better opening than this. Aside from a missed extra point from Ian Patterson, who handled kicking duties in place of an injured Matthew McCrane, it was an ideal beginning 10 minutes.
But then Oklahoma State took control with quick-strike scores and took a 21-16 lead into halftime.
K-State surged ahead in the third quarter, but it wasn't enough to hold off a late push from Oklahoma State.
