 "Photo: Matt Binter")
 "Photo: Jonathan Knight")
NORMAN, Okla. — When Oklahoma quarterback Landry Jones hit receiver Ryan Broyles on a two-yard touchdown strike in the first quarter of Saturday’s 42-30 win over K-State, it looked like the Wildcats were in for another beating like the one they took at Texas Tech on Oct. 10.
It was only 10 minutes and 20 seconds into the game and the Sooners were up 21-0. Oklahoma’s offense looked untouchable and the Wildcats (5-4, 3-2 Big 12 Conference) were held at minus-10 offensive yards on their first two drives. Even when K-State found some life - a two-yard touchdown run by running back Keithen Valentine midway through the second quarter - the Sooners responded by blocking Josh Cherry’s extra point attempt and marching 78 yards for a score less than three minutes later. Cherry managed a 31-yard field goal before halftime, but the Wildcats trailed by 19 points by then and all signs pointed to another blowout loss on the road.
But the K-State team that took the field for the second half seemed a little different. This team refused to go away and, in fact, gave Bob Stoops and company a run for their money down the stretch.
On the half’s opening drive, Valentine hit paydirt again, this time on a 14-yard run. Fellow running back Daniel Thomas hit tight end Jeron Mastrud on a jump pass for a two-point conversion to trim the Sooners’ lead to 28-17. Then K-State’s defense did something it had not done all night: stopped Oklahoma’s offense dead in its tracks and forced a punt. On the first play of the ensuing drive, head coach Bill Snyder gambled with some trickery and it paid off when Thomas connected with receiver Brandon Banks on a 41-yard bomb. The long play was followed by a steady diet of runs and K-State capped off the drive with a two-yard scoring run by Thomas with 4 minutes and 35 seconds left in the third quarter. The atmosphere at Memorial Stadium became uneasy as the Wildcats had suddenly trimmed a three touchdown lead to five points.
The Sooner offense got back on track when Jones hit running back DeMarco Murray on a six-yard touchdown pass early in the game’s final period, extending the lead to 12. But before the Oklahoma fans could exhale, the Wildcats responded. As he had already done three times in 2009, Banks took the ensuing kickoff 98 yards for a score, which cut the lead to 30-35 with 11 minutes and 18 seconds left in the game. The return touchdown moved Banks’ career total to five, which broke the Big 12 record previously set by Oklahoma State’s Perrish Cox in 2008.
“That guy can go, he’s got great speed.” Oklahoma head coach Bob Stoops said about Banks. “You fool yourself into thinking you’re doing a good job and you kick it to him one too many times.”
The Sooners eventually put the game out of reach on a Murray touchdown run with 6 minutes and 27 seconds left on the clock. K-State’s final comeback attempt was extinguished when Gregory was intercepted in by Quinton Carterwith 42 seconds left.
After the game, Snyder said he was disappointed, but also seemed please with his team’s performance, saying he saw some improvements despite the loss.
“You’ve got to be proud of the fact that they didn’t give up, which I am,” Snyder said. “Not giving up and playing better was the most important thing to us, and I think we did that.”
The Wildcats will try to build on those improvements when they take on in-state rival KU Saturday at Snyder Family Stadium. Kickoff is slated for 11:30 a.m.
