LAWRENCE, Kan. — Avery Johnson threw for 231 yards while accounting for four touchdowns, Kansas State returned a fumble 20 yards for another score, and the Wildcats routed Kansas 42-17 on Saturday for their 17th consecutive victory in the Sunflower Showdown.
Johnson ran for two TDs and threw for two more, including a 78-yard strike to Jayce Brown, who finished with four catches for 160 yards. Joe Jackson added 69 yards on the ground, helping the Wildcats (4-4, 3-2 Big 12) to run out the clock late.
“We dominated the football game from start to finish,” Kansas State coach Chris Klieman said, whose team has won three of its last four games after a difficult start, and seems to be hitting its stride at an important point in the season.
“Guys were coming out firing and ready to play,” Johnson said.
Meanwhile, the Jayhawks (4-4, 2-3) still have not beaten their rival since Nov. 1, 2008 — seven head coaches ago.
“I thought our guys had tremendous focus this week,” Klieman said. “They know all about the streak. They know all about everything. I know our guys could kind of feel — not necessarily disrespected, but (Kansas players saying), ‘This year, this is the year.' And it kind of (ticked) off some of the older Kansan kids.”
Kansas State made life especially miserable on a cold, wet day for Kansas quarterback Jalon Daniels, who was 17 of 35 for 129 yards with an interception in his final Sunflower Showdown. The Wildcats piled up four sacks and seven tackles-for-loss.
Daniels did have a touchdown run for the Jayhawks, while Daniel Hishaw Jr. ran for 67 yards and a score.
“I'm embarrassed right now,” said Kansas coach Lance Leipold, whose teams had been 5-1 coming off a bye. “We need to play better than that. Frustration across the board is warranted and blame starts with the head coach.”
The opening half Saturday was an exercise in polar-opposite quarters.
The first quarter was downright crazy: Kansas State fumbled the opening kickoff, leading to a quick touchdown by Kansas. Then the Wildcats answered with a long touchdown drive, held the Jayhawks, then scooped up a poor snap on the punt and returned it for another score, giving Klieman's bunch a 21-7 advantage.
“That just flipped everything. All the momentum is on their side,” Klieman said. “Then this place is quiet.”
The Jayhawks weren't done quite yet.
They took over midway through the second quarter and made it seem downright boring, grinding away on an 18-play, 85-yard drive in which they converted four third downs and soaked up more than 8 1/2 minutes. By the time Hishaw barreled into the end zone to make it 21-14, the Wildcats had enough time to run just one play before the break.
Yet as so often happens in this rivalry, the good feelings for Kansas didn't last.
The Jayhawks went three-and-out on their opening two series of the second half, and Kansas State capitalized on an interception of Daniels to extend the lead, with DeVon Rice's touchdown plunge making it 28-14 midway through the third quarter.
The decisive blow came moments later, after the Jayhawks had settled for a field goal. On the next play from scrimmage, Johnson found Brown in stride down the Kansas sideline, and he hauled in the heave for a 78-yard touchdown reception.
“That,” Klieman said, “was probably the dagger.”
Kansas turned the ball over on downs on its next two possessions, allowing the Wildcats to begin their celebration early.
“These guys were razor-sharp and focused,” Klieman said. “We knew if we played average, we'd lose the game. That's a talented football team over there. But if we played our best, we're a better football team.”
The takeaway
Kansas State showed remarkable poise after fumbling the game's opening kickoff. That hasn't always been the case this season, especially when games have been tight. Each of its four losses has been by six points or fewer.
Kansas had been averaging 418.3 yards and 32.4 points per game. It finished with 247 yards against the Wildcats, going 6 for 16 on third down and converting just one of five fourth-down attempts.
Up next
Kansas State plays No. 14 Texas Tech next Saturday.
Kansas plays Oklahoma State the same day.
