Wildcats outlast Jayhawks to extend streak in Sunflower Showdown

MANHATTAN, Kan. — The 124th edition of the Sunflower Showdown didn’t disappoint in entertainment, and after an intense battle on the gridiron, Kansas State still has bragging rights.

After all, the Wildcats started fast out of the gates, then went through some adversity, but once the smoke cleared, they prevailed against the Jayhawks, and won the game 35-24. It was Kansas State’s 18th-straight victory in the series, and Collin Klein’s first as the coach of his alma mater, and it couldn’t have happened at a better time.

The Wildcats’ backs were against the wall after an 0-2 start in Big 12 play, so they came out with a sense urgency against Lance Leipold’s Jayhawks, and it showed on their first drive of the game. On Kansas State’s first drive of the game, quarterback Avery Johnson set the tone. He exploded for a 59-yard run the put his team down in the red zone.

However, Johnson landed awkwardly on the ball, and remained on the ground for a couple of minutes afterwards, and the crowd was completely silent. Johnson eventually rose to his feet, appeared to be fine, and the Wildcats punched it in the end zone on the next play with a four-yard touchdown run by Rodney Fields.

After his team drew first blood, Klein realized they were ready to lay it all on the line for a win, which left Kansas with no choice, but to match the intensity.

“I think offensively, I liked our mindset, and I felt like we were in attack mode,” Klein said. “I felt like they were competing, and we left and did some things that, you know, you can’t do in a ball game like this, and expect to win consistently.”

Within a blink of an eye the Jayhawks responded, and Bryson Hayes returned the ensuing kickoff for a 95-yard touchdown. The momentum quickly shifted to Kansas’ side, and Klein knew his team was in for a dogfight. The Jayhawks eventually scored 17 unanswered points in the first quarter, before a light bulb came on for the Wildcats.

Kicker Luis Rodrigues nailed three field goals in the second quarter, which included a 51-yarder, and Kansas State (4-2) dominated the rest of the half. Klein was relieved to see his squad up 18-17 at halftime, after a sluggish start, and he wanted to keep his foot on the gas. Still, he knew Leipold would not go down without a fight, and the ground attack had to be the focal point of the second half.

“I think there was a couple plays in the first half, you know, whether there was a couple calls on those drives that frustrated me when they stalled us out,” he said. “We had a couple judgment call decisions on plays that didn’t go how they wanted to go, so trying to not beat ourselves with anything cute and let’s get north and south.”

Both teams exchanged touchdowns in the third quarter, and the Wildcats led by one point as they entered the final 15 minutes of the game. A potent ground attack that consisted of Johnson, Fields and Joe Jackson started to break down Kansas’ defense. Those small gains from the first half, turned into big chunks, and Klein smelled blood in the water.

The Wildcats put 10 points on the board in the fourth quarter, which included a fourth field goal from Rodriguez, and held the Jayhawks scoreless.