Kansas State stayed in the game most of the night, but like many games a year ago the Wildcats couldn’t make enough plays to stay in the game against No. 8 Stanford, losing 26-13.
The Wildcats didn’t see much of the football in the first half losing the time of possession battle 19:01 to 10:59 and when they did have the ball they were mostly ineffective. Quarterback Jesse Ertz was unable to consistently move the ball through the air.
While the K-State offense was having trouble generating offense, Stanford was able to build a 17-3 lead at the half behind a 10 for 10 passing display from Ryan Burns and 35-yard touchdown run from Christian McCaffrey.
The second half was much better for Cats. The Wildcat defense showed their ability to make adjustments at the half and had a dominating performance holding the Cardinal to only 70 yards in the second half.
On the offensive side things weren’t as bad in the second half. K-State actually ended up with a 335-272 advantage in total offense but penalties, turnovers and a missed field goal hampered their chances of pulling ahead.
It certainly didn’t help when the Wildcats were forced to shuffle their quarterbacks when Ertz went down with cramps. Joe Hubener replaced him and threw an interception on the first play. Ertz and Hubener split snaps the rest of the game and a consistency through the air was never found.
Some hope was left when Ertz hit Isaiah Zuber in the endzone with a 15-yard strike, making the score 19-13 with 2:20 left in the game. However after a failed onside kick Stanford sealed the game with a 41-yard touchdown scamper from McCaffrey.
The Wildcats will now have a bye week before they take on Florida Atlantic at Bill Snyder Family Stadium.
