Kansas State walked out of Boulder with a loss, but Saturday’s 27-24 overtime thriller at Folsom Field packed enough twists to fill a whole month of football.
The Wildcats were down to their last breath in regulation, trailing 21-14 with 2 seconds left, when Blake Barnett hit Garrett Oakley on an 8-yard touchdown to force overtime. Head coach Collin Klein even left his offense on the field and weighed going for two and the win, but after Colorado called timeout, he chose the extra point instead.
That call set the stage for a finish K-State couldn’t close.
Luis Rodriguez put the Wildcats ahead 24-21 with a field goal on their overtime possession, but the defense couldn’t deliver the final stop. Colorado answered with a touchdown pass to Charlie Williams and ended it there.
Barnett, who came off the bench, gave K-State a real chance. He threw for 224 yards and three touchdowns, and the Wildcats got 347 total yards and 24 points from his effort. Still, the loss dropped Kansas State to 4-4 overall and 1-4 in Big 12 play, with Oklahoma State next on the schedule at home.
Barnett’s entrance changed the feel of the game
K-State may have found a quarterback it can lean on while Avery Johnson is out.
Barnett replaced an ineffective Dillon Duff and immediately gave the offense more life. He completed 18 of 28 passes for 224 yards and three scores, while also running for 40 yards. He looked more decisive, more aggressive, and more willing to push the ball downfield.
The Wildcats needed that kind of lift, and Barnett delivered it even if the final result didn’t follow.
Duff’s night ended fast
Duff was handed the start, but he barely made it out of the opening quarter.
After K-State opened with three straight three-and-outs, Klein made the switch. Duff had only helped the Wildcats to 16 yards on those drives, and the offense never got into any kind of rhythm with him running it.
The passing game was there in theory early on, but Duff mostly played it safe. He threw just one pass, a 2-yard completion to Rodney Fields, while several open receivers went unused. His attempts to create with his legs didn’t move the chains either, and Klein moved on to Barnett.
Linkon Cure made his presence felt
The best individual sequence of the day belonged to Linkon Cure.
The sophomore tight end flashed the talent that made him a five-star recruit out of high school with back-to-back catches in the third quarter, first for 25 yards and then for 33. Both plays came largely after the catch, and the second one ended with Cure powering through three Colorado defenders for a touchdown.
He finished with three receptions for 65 yards and a score, a bright spot for K-State in a game that needed one.
A huge defensive break changed everything
Colorado looked ready to make life miserable early in the second half when DeKalon Taylor was barreling toward the goal line with the Buffaloes up 7-0.
Instead, Kaleb Patterson delivered the hit that flipped the moment. He jarred the ball loose at the 1-yard line, the ball bounced around in the end zone, and eventually rolled out of bounds.
No touchdown. No disaster.
Just a touchback and K-State ball at the 20.
The Wildcats took full advantage. Barnett then led an 80-yard touchdown drive that ended with a highlight catch-and-run from Josh Manning, and the game suddenly shifted from a 14-0 hole to a tie at 7.
That was one of the biggest swings of the afternoon.
Brandon White’s punt-return day was rocky again
K-State also rolled the dice by putting Brandon White back on punt returns.
White opened the year in that role and even took one back for a touchdown, but he had already lost trust after issues with catching punts and protecting the ball. Sterling Lockett had seemed like the safer choice.
Saturday brought more trouble. White put the ball on the ground on a first-quarter return, though a teammate recovered it.
He muffed another punt in the third quarter, and that one also escaped disaster. He also made the odd choice to fair catch a punt at his own 5.
It was not a clean day for White, and Lockett still looks like the steadier option.
In Other News...
Kansas State Suddenly Has A Quarterback Debate Fans Can't Ignore
Kansas States trip to Folsom Field ended in a 27-24 overtime loss to Colorado, but the bigger conversation may have been the Wildcats quarterback usage. The offense leaned on two different passers, and Blake Barnett helped spark a late touchdown drive that gave Kansas State a chance to extend the game after a night when the defense had its share of problems but still came up with a few late punts to keep the door open.
Barnetts role in that rally only sharpened the question of how Kansas State wants to handle the position moving forward. In a game decided by a handful of plays, the Wildcats found enough late energy to erase a deficit and force overtime, but the split approach under center leaves plenty to sort out as the season moves on. [Read more 🡒]
Kansas State Leaves Colorado With A Bigger Problem Than Another Loss
Kansas States trip to Colorado ended the same way too many of its recent Saturdays have, with another close loss and another reminder that the Wildcats are still searching for answers under first-year coach Chris Klieman. The 27-24 overtime defeat was their second straight and fourth in five games, a stretch that has left little margin for error as the season wears on.
The quarterback situation only added to the uncertainty. Sophomore Dillon Duff got the start, but Blake Barnett finished the game after the Wildcats made a switch and helped spark a late comeback attempt that fell just short. Colorado, meanwhile, finally got its first Big 12 conference win of the season, leaving Kansas State with more to sort through than the final score alone. [Read more 🡒]
Kansas State Turns To An Unknown QB In A Brutal Spot
Kansas State is making a major quarterback pivot at a difficult time, with Dillon Duff set to make his first career start against Colorado. Duff has not appeared in a collegiate game before this opportunity, and his path to the lineup has been slowed by a preseason injury that kept him out until he was recently cleared to play.
Collin Klein has sounded encouraged by what he has seen from Duff behind the scenes, pointing to his work ethic and decision-making as reasons the Wildcats are willing to trust him in a pressure-packed spot. For a team looking for stability at the most important position, this is a big leap of faith, and it will say plenty about where Kansas State stands in the quarterback room going forward. [Read more 🡒]