Defeating the Oklahoma State Cowboys in Week 12 gave Kansas State football another year of bowl eligibility under Bill Snyder.
No. 13 Oklahoma State football came into this matchup with the Kansas State Wildcats looking to win its second straight after the Nov. 4 Bedlam loss to the No. 4 Oklahoma Sooners. However, Kansas State was also fighting for bowl eligibility, a norm under head coach Bill Snyder.
Oklahoma State did not get the outcome expected as freshman quarterback Skylar Thompson had a huge day for Kansas State. Wide receiver Byron Pringle had a huge performance too with four touchdowns. One of those touchdowns came from a kick return for a touchdown and the other three came on receptions.
Meanwhile, Oklahoma State quarterback Mason Rudolph struggled to get much of anything going as he threw two costly picks in the first half. With Kansas State scoring so quick, the Cowboys needed Rudolph to keep pace and he could not. Sophomore running back Justice Hill was held in check also.
Any chance the Pokes had at getting to the Big 12 Championship Game are now gone after this huge loss to the Wildcats. Oklahoma State did need a loss from the TCU Horned Frogs to the Baylor Bears to round out the regular season, but they would have needed to win out themselves.
Moreover, Kansas State notched its sixth win of the year and gets bowl eligible, which seems like a routine now under Snyder. Few expected this type of performance out of the Wildcats after a four-point loss to the West Virginia Mountaineers the week before.
Here’s 3 takeaways from Kansas State’s big win over the Oklahoma State Cowboys in Week 12.
3. Oklahoma State Cowboys are not what we though they were
Head coach Mike Gundy definitely gets the blood pressure up for his fan base this year. Oklahoma State has not been able to put any opponent away since the non-conference slate ended. In games with top notch competition like Oklahoma and TCU, the Pokes kept close.
However, the Pokes were supposed to be in the thick of the race for the Big 12 Championship and they had nearly collapsed on multiple occasions. It took one team that was well prepared and could control the clock to finally do that.
Oklahoma State made a real run at things in the fourth quarter, but it was just too much to overcome, down 42-13 at one point. The defense gave up a few big plays to Pringle, allowing more than 150 yards and three touchdowns.
The Cowboys nearly pulled off the enormous comeback, but fell short when it mattered. The final drive for the Pokes felt like Bedlam, unable to convert by going four and out when it mattered. Kansas State came through in the clutch.
2. Skylar Thompson can lead this Kansas State offense down the stretch
If someone told you that Thompson would be able to completely outplay Rudolph in this game, you would probably not believe them. Thompson was beyond good in situations where Kansas State put the game out of reach for the Pokes.
With Snyder so low on quarterbacks after injuries to presumed starter Jesse Ertz and Alex Delton, Thompson was the last man up. Losing Thompson to injury would have put the Wildcats out of quarterbacks on the depth chart.
There was a lot of pressure on Thompson’s shoulders in his first career start in the Week 11 loss to West Virginia. Even though that game was at home, Thompson was not prepared for that big of a stage yet.
Nothing phased Thompson at Boone Pickens Stadium on Nov. 18. He got over 100 yards in both passing and rushing even before the end of the first half. He could easily lead the Wildcats to a win over Iowa State in the final regular season game.
1. James Washington is hard to stop no matter what
While Kansas State was able to hold an Oklahoma State offense that scored no less than 49 points in each of the last three games in check most of the way, senior wide receiver James Washington looked like his normal self.
Washington is one of the best, if not the best, receiver in the country. We’ll find out what NFL scouts think about him in the 2018 NFL Draft. Alabama’s Calvin Ridley and Texas A&M’s Christian Kirk should be the other receivers in consideration to go in the first round.
However, Washington almost caught up with Pringle in terms of production in the passing game. Any problem that the Pokes had in the passing game was largely due to inconsistency from Rudolph, not issues with Washington.
Next: NFL Mock Draft 2018: First round after Week 11 edition
He’ll be one of the favorites for the Biletnikoff Award by the end of the regular season. West Virginia’s David Sills V, SMU’s Courtland Sutton, and Memphis’s Anthony Miller are also some good candidates for the award.