Avenging last season's loss at University of California, Los Angeles, the Wildcats won their home opener with a score of 31-22. Though they struggled to pass and take care of the ball, the Wildcats prevailed on the strength of their defense and ground game.

Despite an alarming number of fumbles (two) and sacks of the quarterback (six), the victory showed the character of K-State and served as a good start to the season.

"Wins are hard to come by," said head coach Bill Snyder. "I do not care if you are the coach, the quarterback or the water guy. They are hard to come by, and they are important and good for everyone involved."

Snyder said he liked the way the defense responded to adverse situations. One instance he mentioned in particular was when K-State gave up a late touchdown on a 29-yard zinger from UCLA quarterback Kevin Prince to receiver Ricky Marvay with 1:19 remaining in the game to cut K-State's advantage to a mere two points. However, the Wildcats did not allow the two-point conversion.

"There is some character there," Snyder said. "That takes more than just being a good football player. We have all been faced with adversities in our life, but it is how you respond to tough times that tells what kind of individual you are. That is what I was proud of our defensive football team for."

Captain and junior linebacker Alex Hrebec led the team with 12 tackles. The number is one thing, but to watch Hrebec in the game is a much better measure of what a great defender he is. On a punt return, UCLA junior Josh Smith broke loose for a 43-yard run, and he might have broken loose for more had Hrebec not hauled a good 50 yards down the field to back up defensive back Tysyn Hartman and drag Smith down.

The secondary and defensive line also made life very difficult for Prince and his receivers.

Junior defensive backs David Garrett and Terrance Sweeney had an interception apiece and combined for five pass breakups and nine tackles.

"We knew they would have a height advantage, so we had to be physical against them," Sweeney said. "We had to keep hitting them and keep hitting them and then get to the ball." pretty good idea of what they were going to do. It comes down to execution, and fortunately it got the job done."

On the offense, passes came few and far between, but the running game did not disappoint. Although 313 yards rushing and 64 yards passing does not reflect the balance Snyder likes, nobody was complaining about that Saturday.

Senior running back Daniel Thomas gained ground in his strong yet smooth style for two lengths of the football field and then some, furthering his reputation as the best running back in the Big 12 Conference and maybe in the country.

"Daniel is such a quiet young guy," Snyder said. "Most of you have interviewed him and he doesn't have much to say, but he plays so hard. Second, third, fourth effort, that is just his way. I am awfully proud of him."

Adding to Thomas' 234-yard contribution was senior running back William Powell, who got his first touchdown amid six carries for 72 yards — not bad for his first game back from injury. Powell credits Thomas with elevating the team as a whole and also him personally.

"Daniel gets the whole team excited," Powell said. "I see him making plays, and that just makes me want to play that much harder. When he comes out and I go in, I don't want there to be any discrepancy. I want to get in there and be able to produce just like he does."

UCLA head coach Rick Neuheisel said the tandem of Thomas and Powell was a great one-two punch when K-State had UCLA on the ropes.

As the numbers show, K-State's rushing game was the bread and butter of the offense. The offensive line certainly made that possible.

The passing offense was paltry. Senior quarterback Carson Coffman's numbers were decent, but after he took a vicious sack from sophomore linebacker Patrick Larimore at the beginning of the second quarter, his confidence appeared to deflate. In the first quarter, he had perfect completion (4 for 4) for 38 yards, compared to 58 yards of rushing for the team. That was close to the balance Snyder prefers.

After that it went downhill, however. He fumbled and would be sacked four more times during the game. Those sacks did not seem to be the responsibility of the offensive line; Coffman hesitated on his throws, and often that indecision led to him being squashed like a bug by a large UCLA lineman.

While Snyder did not think K-State should have been able to break the game open, he said he thought there were missed opportunities - just-missed throws, passes caught out of bounds, etc. - that would have allowed the Wildcats some breathing room.

"We need to have more than what we got," Snyder said. "We have to just make good decisions. The thing that he did, with a couple of exceptions, he managed the ballgame."

The longest reception of the game went for 15 yards, and the receiver was none other than the leading rusher.

Special teams surprised as well; sophomore placekicker Anthony Cantele took over kicking duties and made a field goal, four extra points and four touchbacks on kickoffs.

All in all, the Harley Day season opener meant a 1-0 record for K-State, but the journey there was fun, at least for UCLA sophomore tailback Johnathan Franklin.

"It was a very exciting game," Franklin said. "Kansas State is a great team. They came very far from last year. I feel like they'll have a great season. They just wanted it more in the end, and they won the game."