Kansas State didn’t just beat Washington State on Saturday at Bill Snyder Family Stadium. It smothered the Cougars.
The Wildcats rolled to a 34-7 win, and the real story was the way K-State controlled the game from the opening snap. Washington State managed only 166 yards of offense, and after Avery Johnson’s mistake led to the Cougars’ lone score, the Wildcats’ defense never let them find anything else.
Just after halftime and a brief weather delay, Kansas State wasted no time getting back on track. On the first offensive play of the second half, Rodney Fields ripped off a 75-yard touchdown run to blow the game open again.
“I think Washington State's an incredibly physical team,” K-State coach Collin Klein said. “I was really, really proud of our guys' approach and their mindset right from the jump on all sides of the football.
Starting with defense, I don't know if there's much more that you can say other than that they're just doing an unbelievable job over there, and it's starting with the details in their preparation, how those guys are buying into the plan, and what the [defensive] staff is doing, a great job of lining them up to do. I thought we got after the passer extremely well.”
Klein’s defense had the kind of day that made the rest of the conversation almost irrelevant. The Wildcats were disruptive at every level, never letting the Cougars get comfortable and never allowing them to cash in on much of anything.
“It’s at every level. I mean they're not giving anything easy in the back end or on the edges,” Klein added.
“We're not allowing the quarterback to sit there comfortably without guys getting to him and moving him off of his spot. I think we're doing a really good job of mix and matching some coverage looks to confuse their quarterbacks, which is really, really good.
And we've been able to tackle and get guys on the ground without giving up too many bleeding yards.”
Johnson’s two interceptions will get attention, but the Wildcats’ defense was the engine in this one. Kansas State took care of business, and it did so by shutting the door on Washington State.
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Kansas State's Big 12 Opener Will Say A Lot About Collin Klein
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There is also a bigger backdrop here: Kansas State was picked to finish eighth in the Big 12, but the path back toward national relevance looks more manageable than that prediction suggests. With an experienced quarterback in Avery Johnson and a schedule that offers some room to build momentum, the opener in Cincinnati should say a lot about whether Kleins team is simply off to a good start or ready to climb faster than expected. [Read more 🡒]