K-State Wildcats stunned in 38-9 blowout loss to BYU Cougars
The Kansas State Wildcats suffered their first loss of the season in shocking, blowout fashion Saturday night, losing to the BYU Cougars 38-9 on the first day of Big 12 play.
With the loss, the Wildcats are now 3-1 on the year and 0-1 in conference play. Meanwhile, upstart BYU is off to a 4-0 start this season.
K-State struggled to finish drives early, taking a 6-0 lead after settling for field goals instead of touchdowns to cap two long drives in the first half. BYU finally got on the board with a field goal of its own with just 2:10 to go in the first half. That’s when the floodgates opened in extreme fashion.
Running back D.J. Giddens fumbled on the Wildcats’ next drive, which Cougars safety Tommy Prassas returned and recovered for a go-ahead touchdown. Quarterback Avery Johnson threw an interception two plays later, directly leading to another BYU touchdown just 29 seconds before the break.
The onslaught continued in the second half, with Johnson getting picked off again on the opening drive of the third quarter. It took just two more plays for BYU to score again and extend its lead over K-State. A highlight-reel punt return touchdown following the Wildcats’ next drive effectively put the game away, with returner Parker Kingston racing a punt back 90 yards to the end zone to make it 31-6 Cougars. Those 31 BYU points all came in under six and a half minutes of game time.
Johnson had the worst passing game of his young career in the loss, going 15-of-28 through the air for just 130 yards with two interceptions and no scored. He also recorded 11 carries for 74 yards.
Despite losing by 29 points, K-State dominated plenty of team stats on Saturday, including having more total yards (by 122), more first downs, a better third-down conversion rate and more time of possession.
The Wildcats will try to bounce back next weekend when they host the Oklahoma State Cowboys, who are also coming off their first loss of the season in their Big 12 opener.
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