MANHATTAN, Kan. _ A game that began with energy and hope ended with agony for the Kansas State football team.
Oklahoma rallied from an early deficit and defeated K-State, 42-35, on Saturday at Snyder Family Stadium. Sooners running back Rodney Anderson won the game with a 22-yard sprint up the left sideline with 7 seconds remaining in the fourth quarter.
K-State stunned Oklahoma by jumping out to a 21-7 lead in the first half, but the Wildcats were unable to maintain their stellar play after halftime.
OU quarterback Baker Mayfield overwhelmed K-State's defense with 410 passing yards and two touchdowns, and 69 yards and two touchdowns running.
It was a rough day for K-State's secondary, which had to play without starting defensive backs Kendall Adams and Cre Moore.
No. 9 Oklahoma (6-1, 3-1 Big 12) took another step toward another conference championship. K-State (3-4, 1-3) fell below .500 for the first time this season.
This game mirrored K-State's disappointing year in some ways. Everything looked spectacular in the beginning, then things turned bad and late positives weren't enough to secure victory.
Still, the Wildcats came close. Bill Snyder isn't into moral victories, but this could qualify as one.
K-State shocked a national viewing audience in the first half.
Left for dead last week following a 26-6 loss to TCU, the Wildcats roared to life on offense and moved the ball at will on the Sooners.
K-State looked like a totally different unit from the start. On the second play from scrimmage, sophomore running back Alex Barnes found a hole between the tackles and outran everyone to the end zone for a 75-yard touchdown.
Not only was it his longest run of the season, it was a confidence booster. Oklahoma entered this game as a 14-point favorite, and some K-State fans wondered if the Wildcats could cover the spread. But K-State players believed they could spring an upset.
Oklahoma answered with a lightning-quick touchdown drive, but K-State was undeterred.
Behind the steady legs of quarterback Alex Delton, the Wildcats marched to a 21-10 halftime lead. Delton, a sophomore making his second college start, looked much improved from his debut against TCU. The main reason why: he put his speed to good use.
Delton rushed for 142 yards and three touchdowns on 27 carries, impressive numbers considering Oklahoma's defense had allowed about 90 yards on the ground in its first three conference games. He also threw for 144 yards and a touchdown.
The Sooners couldn't contain Delton. He got loose for several long gains, including a 21-yard touchdown in which he tip-toed down the right sideline and dove to touch football against the pylon.
Offensive coordinator Dana Dimel received a strong dose of criticism for calling predictable plays last week, and K-State's offensive line challenged itself to give skill players time to make things happen.
They both responded.
K-State's defense showed up, too. Though OU quarterback Baker Mayfield piled up yardage, the Sooners had difficulty reaching the end zone. Safety Denzel Goolsby turned away Oklahoma in the first quarter with one of the niftiest interceptions you will ever see, yanking the ball away from OU receiver CeeDee Lamb with his back turned to the quarterback.
Later, the Wildcats' front seven sniffed out a string of trick plays in which the Sooners moved Mayfield to receiver and stuffed them at the line of scrimmage on two series. One ended with Oklahoma turning the ball over, the other ended in a field goal.
But Oklahoma seized control for the next portion of the game.
The Sooners played so well in the second half that it felt as though they were winning when they weren't. Mayfield led them on one scoring drive after another until they had a 28-21 lead.
The Wildcats fought back after an errant snap on an Oklahoma punt gave them excellent field position to tie the score at 28-28.
And Delton engineered an impressed drive late in the fourth quarter with K-State trailing 35-28. The game was essentially over if he failed to guide the Wildcats into the end zone, but he didn't flinch and found Byron Pringle for two long gains and then found Isaiah Zuber for a five-yard touchdown to tie the score with 2:19 remaining.
But it wasn't quite enough to force overtime.
