Wildcats crush Jayhawks to extend streak in Sunflower Showdown

LAWRENCE, Kan. — The 123rd edition of the Sunflower Showdown didn’t disappoint in excitement, but rainy conditions and turnovers is why the narrative is staying the same for another year.

Although Kansas State fell behind early on the road, it made the necessary adjustments, rallied back and trounced Kansas 42-17. The sold out crowd was full of energy, but that quickly evaporated as the Wildcats dominated in the trenches, and capitalized off the Jayhawks’ mistakes.

It was a performance that Coach Chris Klieman could be proud of, and he thought his team kept up the intensity. Matching wits with Lance Leipold is never easy, but Klieman didn’t overlook the opposition, nor did his players.

“These guys were razor sharp and focused, even coming off the bye-week, and we knew if we played average we would lose the football game,” Klieman said. “That’s a dang good football team, and I got so much respect for Lance and he knows it, but if we played our best football, we were the better football team, and I really believed that, and I got our kids to believe that.”

Earning Kansas State’s 17th consecutive victory in the series is mind-boggling, considering the streak is the nation’s longest among all Power Four rivals. Klieman now believes his players are starting to crack the surface of their potential. Most importantly, he admired the way the Wildcats dealt with early adversity.

Kansas State didn’t get off to a fast start. Wideout Bryce Norenberg fumbled on the opening kickoff, which the Jayhawks recovered, and received great field position. Quarterback Jalon Daniels took the ball in for a score five plays later, and within a blink of an eye Kansas State was down 7-0.

However, the Wildcats quickly responded with a seven-play, 82-yard touchdown drive, that ended with signal-caller Avery Johnson across the goal line to tie the game up at 7. Kansas State (4-4) took back the momentum with ease, and that’s when everything started to unravel for Kansas.

On the Jayhawks’ next possession, punter Fin Lapin failed to secure the snap, and linebacker Ralph Ortiz recovered the ball and returned it 20 yards for a score to give the Wildcats the lead for good. Kansas State smelled blood in the water after Kansas’ miscue on special teams, and the rest was history. The Wildcats eventually scored 21 unanswered points, after wide receiver Jaron Tibbs hauled in a 27-yard pass from Johnson, which gave them a two-touchdown lead at the end of the first quarter.

The fans at David Booth Kansas Memorial Stadium were shell-shocked, and the non-stop rain caused the field to be very slippery. Still, the Jayhawks made it interesting after they punched it in the endzone right before the end of the second quarter, and trailed by seven points at halftime.

Regardless, Klieman never panicked, made the necessary adjustments and his players came out inspired for the second half. The Wildcats extended their lead to 14 points after running back DeVon Rice took it in from one yard out. Kansas couldn’t get anything going on offense in the second half, and Klieman credits that to his defense.

“In the first half it’s 21-14, and they had the ball for 45 plays,” he said. “We challenged the defense, we didn’t tackle very well in the first half, but I think we played better in the second half and we did.”

Kansas State’s defense forced four turnovers, and sacked Daniels four times. The Jayhawks only scored three points in the entire second half. The most explosive play of the game happened late in the third quarter when Johnson connected with wide receiver Jayce Brown for a 78-yard touchdown. It was by far Johnson’s best pass of the season, and basically put an explanation point on the afternoon for the Wildcats in Klieman’s eyes.

“Avery was on point, and everybody knows it’s more challenging to throw and catch the football when it’s raining,” the 55-year old said. “We were able to protect the football, and Avery did not put it in harm’s way.”

Johnson put the finishing touches on the afternoon with a three-yard touchdown run that put the game out of reach for the Jayhawks. Once the smoke cleared, Kansas State led Kansas (4-4) in total offense, passing yards, rushing yards, yards per play, and fourth down efficiency. The Jayhawks did lead in plays and time of possession, but their four turnovers were too much to overcome, and resulted in a lopsided loss.

Johnson completed 11 of his 17 passes for 231 yards and two touchdowns, to go along with two rushing scores. Running back Joe Jackson carried the ball 20 times in the rain, and didn’t fumble. He rushed for a team-high, 69 yards. Brown generated four receptions for a game-high, 160 yards and a touchdown. Tibbs added 43 receiving yards and a score. Kansas State was so successful offensively, that it didn’t even attempt a field goal.

Defensively, linebacker Desmond Purnell put together another stellar outing, and racked up nine tackles, including a sack. Malcolm Alcorn-Crowder, and Ryan Davis also put Daniels to the turf. Gunner Maldonado and Daniel Cobbs each intercepted a pass.

Now the Wildcats are two wins away from bowl eligibility after their third victory in Big 12 play, and still have a lot to play for. Klieman is going to enjoy the win, and the players will boast about the bragging rights, but the road only gets tougher moving forward.

A top-15 Texas Tech team will invade Bill Snyder Family Stadium next Saturday, and Klieman knows Kansas State will have to play lights out to win. Regardless, the Wildcats will carry the momentum into practice leading up to the pivotal Big 12 matchup. After all, Klieman’s boys are starting to show life after losing three of their first four games, and he can’t wait to see how they finish down the stretch with everything starting to gel together.

“Seniors, resolve, trust, I trust those kids and I believe they trust me.”