Kansas State wrecks Oklahoma’s title run
Wildcats pull off upset after a key onside kick call and hand a major first loss to Sooners.
MANHATTAN, Kan. — There was never a moment of uncertainty on Kansas State’s sideline when fifthranked Oklahoma raced to an early lead, or when the wounded Sooners began to mount a frantic fourthquarter comeback.
There might have been just a bit when they recovered an onside kick.
“It was a little anxious,” Wildcats defensive end Wyatt Hubert said.
Anxiousness that soon gave way to elation.
Officials reviewed the recovery with 1:45 left in the game and determined the ball hit an Oklahoma player a yard early, giving it to the Wildcats. They ran out the rest of the clock to finish off a 48-41 victory that dealt the Sooners’ national title hopes a major blow.
“Oklahoma isn’t a team that is used to facing adversity very well,” said Hubert, who along with the rest of the Kansas State defense did just enough to hold Heisman Trophy contender Jalen Hurts in check.
“If you can put their backs against the wall,” he said, “things are going to go more smoothly.”
Oklahoma (7-1, 4-1 Big 12) tried to make the case that its player was blocked into the ball on the onside kick. But by the time the Sooners headed for the bus, the scoreboards inside Bill Snyder Family Stadium still read the same.
“We had a similar situation at Baylor my first year. They engaged our player and it definitely hit him before the 10-yard [mark],” Sooners coach Lincoln Riley said, “but I was under the impression if they engage our player into it that there’s no illegal touching. It was a 50-50 call that didn’t go our way.”
It was the first home win for the Wildcats (5-2, 2-2) over Oklahoma since 1996, and just their fourth win ever over a top-five team. It also snapped the Sooners’ nation-leading 22-game road win streak — a span of five years and 22 days since their loss at Texas Christian.
Skylar Thompson had 213 yards passing and ran for four scores. James Gilbert had 105 yards rushing and a touchdown. It was the third straight week a top-10 team lost to an unranked foe.