Paul Rhoads’s Iowa State Cyclones gave it their all against No. 20 Kansas State but were unable to hold off the resurgent Wildcats. After taking an early 13-0 lead, Bill Snyder’s Wildcats surrendered 28 straight points to the Cyclones. 19 straight second half points for Kansas State gave the visitors the 32-28 victory in both teams’ Big 12 opener.
Kansas State vs. Iowa State final score: 3 things we learned from the Wildcats’ comeback victory
Bill Snyder’s squad just barely survived against a resilient Iowa State.
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Rhoads went full Hulk after a big third down stop early in the second quarter, and Jarvis West rewarded his coach's enthusiasm with his 82-yard punt return touchdown, taking the Cyclones' first lead at 14-13. Of Iowa State's four first half touchdowns, West was responsible for three: one on a reception, one on the punt return and one on this gadget play pass:
Gorgeous Iowa State WR reverse pass is your play of the day so far: http://t.co/FiIicvzJCp pic.twitter.com/MsX7I7deZx
— SB Nation (@SBNation) September 6, 2014 The Cyclones’ defense were able to hold on for most of the second half, coming up with a number of stops on third-and-short or fourth-and-short and controlling the line of scrimmage. The Wildcats responded with around nine minutes left, stripping the ball out of West’s hands on a short slant route and coming up with the interception.
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The interception led to Charles Jones’s four-yard touchdown run, putting the Wildcats within one two-point conversion of tying up the game. Iowa State’s defense came up big again on a short-yardage play, leveling quarterback Jake Waters at the goal line and keeping the lead.
Kansas State ended up with one last chance, getting the ball at their own 20 with around three minutes left to play. Waters shredded the Iowa State defense, driving down the field in 91 seconds and running for the 8-yard score to take the 32-28 lead.
Three things we learned
1. Kansas State’s Big 12 stock remains firmly behind Oklahoma’s. The Wildcats looked fine in their opener against FCS Stephen F. Austin, but nearly losing to Iowa State puts you more than a rung below Oklahoma and Baylor (not to mention Oklahoma State and Texas). They’ve got a tough home date with Auburn next, and early reports of that being a potential trap game for the Tigers may have been a tad premature.
2. Jarvis West is enough reason to watch the Cyclones this year. The senior from Florida was electrifying nearly every time he touched the ball, and looked like a legitimate candidate for Big 12 Offensive Player of the Year. He finished the game with eight receptions for 75 yards and three total touchdowns.
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3. Iowa State? More like ¯\_(ツ)_/¯. After an absolute dud against a North Dakota State team that FBS schools should stop scheduling, the Cyclones outplayed Kansas State for most of this game. Sam Richardson moved the ball through the air, Mark Mangino showed some creative playcalling and the defense was able to shut down Kansas State's rushing attack in a number of key situations. We don't really know what we'll get from the Cyclones this season, but if they play like they did Saturday, keep tuning in.
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