Arizona State didn’t just beat Kansas State - it squeezed the Wildcats’ offense dry.
Behind a monster day from Cardae Mack and a steady vertical punch from Reed Harris, the Sun Devils rolled to a 28-17 win at Mountain America Stadium in Tempe, Arizona, while their defense took away the one thing K-State usually wants to lean on: the ground game.
Mack and Harris combined for more than 300 yards of total offense, and Mack finished with 159 rushing yards and four touchdowns on 26 carries. Harris added 147 yards on six catches, a huge chunk of it coming in chunks that kept Arizona State ahead of the sticks and the scoreboard.
Kansas State was shorthanded from the start. Avery Johnson was sidelined because of an injury suffered last week against Kansas, and Brandon White also missed the game with an undisclosed injury. Jacob Knuth handled the quarterback duties and had moments that kept the Wildcats alive, but the broader issue was a run game that never got free.
K-State did open the game well after Collin Klein won the toss and chose to receive. The kickoff went out of bounds, and the Wildcats moved quickly, with Fields breaking loose for 31 yards to help set up the opening drive. Knuth converted on third-and-11 with his legs, then found Jaron Tibbs on a seven-yard touchdown to give K-State the first lead.
Arizona State answered immediately. Mikey Keene hit Reed Harris for 51 yards on the first play from scrimmage, and Cardae Mack punched in a nine-yard score three plays later to tie it up. The Sun Devils kept stress-testing the Wildcats’ defense, and after K-State punted from midfield and pinned Arizona State deep, the Devils eventually worked their way out of trouble and back into scoring range.
The Wildcats had a chance to force a stop near the goal line, but Keene and Harris connected again, this time for 39 yards, and Mack finished the drive from the one to put Arizona State up 14-7.
K-State managed to chip away before halftime. A pass interference call and a completion from Knuth to Derrick Salley helped get the Wildcats close, and Luis Rodriguez finished the drive with a 22-yard field goal.
But Arizona State still had the cleaner final sequence before the break. Logan Bartley nearly came up with a pick-six during the two-minute drill, and after Keene went down when Darien Whitaker was blocked into his ankle, the Sun Devils turned to Cutter Boley.
Jordan Allen sacked him to end the half.
The second half belonged to the defenses for a while, but Arizona State kept getting the better of the field position battle. Jayden Bryant sacked Boley to start the half, and after a sequence of punts, Sterling Lockett gave K-State a spark by fielding a punt at the Arizona State 48 and returning it to the 21. Knuth then took advantage, sneaking in from 10 yards out to put the Wildcats back in front 17-14.
That lead didn’t last long. Arizona State forced another three-and-out, and when the Wildcats got the ball back near midfield after a penalty on the punt, disaster nearly hit.
Knuth fumbled under pressure, but Ryan Howard saved it. The drive still stalled, and K-State turned it over on downs after Knuth fell four yards short on fourth down.
From there, Arizona State made another quarterback switch, benching Boley and inserting Jake Fette. Mack immediately went back to work, ripping off a 30-yard run to help set up the Sun Devils in the red zone. He finished the quarter by carrying Arizona State to the doorstep, and on the first play of the fourth, he scored from 12 yards out to make it 21-17.
K-State still had chances to hang around. The Wildcats reached Sun Devil territory, but Arizona State kept hounding Knuth and stopped K-State on fourth-and-2. The Devils’ defense added another three-and-out, but a huge punt from Simon McClannan was wiped out by an illegal formation penalty that changed the field dramatically.
Arizona State took full advantage. Mack broke another long run, Harris came down with another big catch, and the Sun Devils marched to the 11. Mack then scored his fourth touchdown of the day to push the lead to 28-17.
K-State’s final push never got off the ground. On fourth-and-5, Knuth was sacked for a big loss, and Arizona State took over at the Wildcats’ 20.
The next snap nearly produced an interception by JoJo Scott in the end zone, but a defensive holding penalty gave the Sun Devils a first down at the 7 and effectively shut the door. The Wildcats forced a stop at the 1, but they had 1:45 left and 99 yards to cover.
They never came close.
Knuth finished 26-of-41 for 194 yards and a touchdown and also ran for 19 yards and a score on nine carries, though the source notes that his rushing total was 41 in real numbers. Fields had 36 yards on 10 carries, and Joe Jackson added 17 yards on nine attempts.
Tibbs led the receivers with nine catches for 57 yards and a touchdown. Josh Manning had seven catches for 57 yards, Salley caught six passes for 63 yards, and Cure added three receptions for 21 yards.
Arizona State outgained Kansas State 359-278, including 212-194 through the air and 147-84 on the ground. Both teams went 4-for-15 on third down.
The Sun Devils were 1-for-2 on fourth down, while K-State finished 0-for-4. Arizona State took the bigger hit in penalties, drawing four for 50 yards to Kansas State’s three for 18.
The Wildcats held a six-minute edge in time of possession, and neither team turned the ball over.
For Arizona State, the story was simple: Mack and Harris kept landing punches, and the defense made sure K-State never found a rhythm.
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Avery Johnsons absence against Arizona State changed the look of Kansas States offense in a hurry, and it came after the quarterback was hurt in the previous game against Kansas. With Johnson unavailable, fifth-year senior Jacob Knuth got the start, giving the Wildcats a very different answer at the most important position on the field.
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