MANHATTAN, Kan. – With the help of an 85-yard punt return touchdown and 10-yard receiving touchdown from junior wide receiver Isaiah Zuber in the fourth quarter, the Wildcats pulled off a late-game 27-24 victory against South Dakota in front of 50,063 fans at Bill Snyder Stadium on Saturday.
Trailing by 12 entering the fourth quarter, the Wildcats found a spark behind an 85-yard punt return for a touchdown from Zuber with 12:12 remaining in the game, marking the 10th longest punt return in K-State history. On the subsequent K-State possession, the Wildcats drove down the field before sophomore quarterback Skylar Thompson connected with Zuber on the game-winning touchdown with 7:21 to play.
Along with the fourth quarter comeback, sophomore place kicker Blake Lynch connected on four field goals in the first half, from 22, 24, 38 and 44 yards, as the Wildcats trailed 24-12 at halftime. After allowing 24 points in the first half, the Wildcat defense flipped the script in the second half, hosting a shutout in the second half, including a decisive final defensive possession that sealed the K-State victory.
HOW IT HAPPENED
After a fumble that resulted in a South Dakota field goal, the Wildcats responded with their first score of the game on a 24-yard field goal from Lynch. The Wildcat’s scoring drive moved 66 yards in 10 plays, including a 44-yard scamper from Thompson, as the Wildcats tied the ball-game at 3-3 with 4:16 remaining in the first quarter.
South Dakota would drive down the field to take over the lead with a rushing touchdown by Coyotes’ junior quarterback Austin Simmons. The Wildcats trailed at the end of the of the first quarter, 10-3.
Like they did in the first quarter, the Wildcats responded to the Coyote’s score with a field goal. After the Wildcat drive stalled in the red zone, Lynch connected on a 22-yard field goal to bring the score to 10-6, Coyotes.
Lynch continued to put points on the board in the second quarter, connecting on field goals from 38 and 44 yards to give the Wildcats their first lead at 12-10.
Trailing by two with 2:15 remaining in the first half, South Dakota was able to put together two consecutive touchdowns, including an interception returned for a touchdown by Coyotes’ senior linebacker Alex Gray, to bring the South Dakota lead to 24-12 at the half.
Following a scoreless third quarter for both sides, the Wildcats got a spark from junior wide receiver Isaiah Zuber on special teams, where he fielded a punt at the Wildcats’ 15-yard line. Zuber was able to find space along with several blocks, leading to an 85-yard punt return touchdown to bring the score to 29-19, South Dakota.
On the subsequent K-State possession, junior running back Alex Barnes busted a big run through the South Dakota defense, rushing 34 yards to the South Dakota 30-yard line. Later in the drive, sophomore quarterback Skylar Thompsonfound Zuber in the back of the end zone for the eventual game-winner. The Wildcats converted on the two-point conversion to lead 27-24.
On the final possession of the game, South Dakota place kicker Mason Lorber missed a game-tying 51-yard field goal as time expired, as K-State held on for its season-opening victory.
OFFENSIVE PLAYERS OF THE GAME
Isaiah Zuber – Leading the Wildcats in receptions, receiving yards and receiving touchdowns, Zuber played a vital role in the K-State offense, including a late receiving touchdown to give the Wildcats the lead in the fourth quarter. Zuber totaled five receptions for 66 yards and a touchdown.
DEFENSIVE PLAYERS OF THE GAME
Reggie Walker – The K-State junior defensive end recorded the sole K-State sack in the game, while also hurrying South Dakota quarterback Austin Simmons on three occasions. Walker finished the game with three tackles, including two solo tackles and a pass break up.
SPECIAL TEAMS STARS OF THE GAME
Blake Lynch – K-State sophomore place kicker Blake Lynch converted on all four of his field goals in the first half, including a long of 44-yards. Lynch’s four field goal conversions were the most in the first half since Jamie Rheemconnected on four field goals on October 16, 199 against Utah State, and the most field goals by any place kicker in their K-State debut.
Isaiah Zuber – Needing a spark in the second half, trailing 24-12, Isaiah Zuber returned a punt 85 yards for a Wildcat touchdown to bring K-State within a score of the Coyotes. The return by Zuber marks the fifth punt or kick return for a touchdown in the first two games of the season in the last six seasons. Zuber’s return was also the 10th longest punt return in school history and the longest since Tramaine Thompson went 89 yards versus Missouri State in 2012.
STATS OF THE GAME
112 – The Wildcats have scored 112 non-offensive touchdowns since 1999, which is the most in the country. 38 of the non-offensive touchdowns have come from punt returns, including Saturday’s 85-yard touchdown return by Zuber. In addition, the Wildcats have scored 48 kickoff or punt returns since 2005, also most in the nation.
COACH AND PLAYER COMMENTS
BILL SNYDER, K-STATE HEAD COACH
What are your emotions right now …
“Well I am, you know, all of them – angered, disappointed, etc. But it goes back again, we can say all we want about anything, but I just didn’t have them prepared to play. If they were ready to play and played they way we wanted them to, which is my responsibility, we would have probably fared a little bit better than what we did.”
On trying not to overlook games…
“I guess I can always see it coming, because I’m always concerned about it, I don’t care who you’re lining up and playing. Don’t let me play down how good a football team South Dakota was today. They played extremely well. Their quarterback is every bit the quarterback that they had in the previous year. They did a nice job, they played well and they schemed well defensively. They did a nice job and their youngsters did a nice job. I can’t tell you that I saw anything, an outward expression of any of the youngsters in our program, any of the experienced youngsters in our program that indicated that they would have taken this for granted. Now some of the younger players I don’t know and I wouldn’t have known because I don’t know them that well right now, haven’t been around them that long. But at the end of the day, where we had the most experience is were we had the most difficulty, on the offensive side of the ball. Special teams we did find except for penalties, which called big plays back and defensively we played well with the exceptions of the big plays on throws and a couple of penalties.”
On defense being able to pull it together…
“I was pleased with how well we played defensively throughout the ballgame, there are exceptions to the rule quite obviously. I don’t know how many snaps that South Dakota took, but the vast majority of the snaps we played, we played quite well. You go back, we had a couple of deep balls thrown over our heads. We had some deep balls that they didn’t complete that we still had some difficulty covering. That is a major concern to me because they all lead to substantial plays, game changers as well. I thought we played well against the run, we gave up some throws in the middle. They had 257 yards passing, they were 24 out of 56 so that was less than 50%. From that standpoint, considering they threw it all night, I thought we defended reasonably well as far as completion percentage is concerned, but it’s giving up those deep throws and converting to get 1st downs with substantial yardage plays, 20 plus yard plays that was a concern.”
On special teams…
“Well I was concerned going in because I didn’t know. It was just because of the uncertainty not just about the punter and the kicker and the kickoff guy and all that and you know the little guy that we talk about all the time did a great job tonight in all facets of the game. Punter was okay but still didn’t hit the ball as well as we need to and we like. By and large we played pretty well on special teams and made some major plays on special teams.”
On Alex Barnes’ 3 fumbles…..
“There’s no stat that you can create that will overcome three turnovers. Alex is not that kind of player, he feels bad about it, he got up in the locker room and apologized to his teammates, he’s a humble young guy. But that goes back to us being able to coach guys to possess the ball, quarterbacks, backs, and receivers.”
TREY DISHON, JUNIOR DEFENSIVE TACKLE
On the final defensive stop …
“That is big no matter who we are playing. Whether it is the first game or last game of the season it doesn’t really matter. A stop like that is always big time in a close game like that.”
On how well he got to the quarterback…
“Personally, I feel like I did well. I had to work through some double teams sometimes but I have to be ready for that. My play was average but I do not feel like I played bad at all. I am pretty happy with my play.”
On whether they overlooked South Dakota…
“I do not know that I would say we overlooked them. We never overlook teams. We are preparing hard all week for every team. We are not overlooking to the next team ever. I think we just need to play to our level and not anybody else’s level.”
On getting a big sack after the punt return touchdown…
“A sack is a big play for our defense. It slows things down and slows down their tempo. We were talking about who was going to get the first sack, slow them down and get a stop.”
DALTON RISNER, SENIOR OFFENSIVE TACKLE
On South Dakota’s defensive front…
“I think they came out and just did a good job. They moved around a lot. I have not been able to watch the film obviously but I am excited to get in there and see where we did good and where we did bad.”
On the mental mistakes…
“It is tough for game one to see so many fumbles and penalties. What does it look like on my offensive line when Alex Barnes is getting tackled in the backfield. A lot of areas that just were not good tonight. Of course it is shocking and not what you want as a team. We prepared very well but just because you prepare well does not mean that you are guaranteed a clean win. That is a good football team that came in to play. We are also a good football team because we found a way to win. A lot of teams would have put their heads down and say, ‘Man, this is an FCS team and we are losing.’ But we pushed through, scratched, clawed and found a way to get a win. That means a lot that my team did that.”
On their lapses during the game…
“We have not played football in a long time. You get out there in an environment like that and a lot of guys have a lot of nerves. Sometimes it is being out of shape, sometimes it is being lazy and sometimes it is a lack of focus. Sometimes a holding call is a lack of focus and sometimes that is laziness because your feet are underneath you and you are reaching out with your arms. A lot of mistakes tonight on the offensive line and a lot of mistakes as an offense. As an offense there is so much work to do. We killed ourselves, which is the good thing. We did not really play a good game as an offense and we still found a way to win. As Coach Snyder said, our offense played about as bad as we could and that will lead for room to grow so I am excited about that.”
REGGIE WALKER, JUNIOR DEFENSIVE END
On defensive stance at the end of the game…
“I loved it. We knew that we wouldn’t want it any other way but to be on the defense because we always try to look to be better and always better ourselves. So for us to go out there and do that with that time that we needed, it was perfect timing.”
BLAKE LYNCH, FRESHMAN KICKER
On field goals made when offense isn’t doing well …
“It’s my job to get out there when things aren’t going well and put them through.”
AJ PARKER, SOPHOMORE DEFENSIVE BACK
On the defensive preparation…
“I feel like we prepared well, it’s just we’ve got to come out and execute. Credit to South Dakota, they did a good job of coming right out and executing properly. We’ve just got to go back to the drawing board and execute well.. it’s a priority.”
On preparation for South Dakota Starting Quarterback Austin Simmons with limited film…
“I mean, we had a couple plays on him here and there but I mean it was more of a couple of missed assignments, a couple of things we didn’t do well that we have to go back and cover and fix on film. But credit to him, he came out and was just throwing it around and doing his thing. We’ve just got to be better.”
On preparing for Mississippi State Quarterback Nick Fitzgerald…
“It’s just about what we’ve got to do to focus on us and how we can execute. As a DB, you’ve got to execute and do what you’re supposed to do and then everything will fall into place.”
On the impact of Zuber’s punt return…
“It was a huge play. It turned the momentum of the game. Obviously, it was the energy we needed. Special teams are always going to be a big part of everything and this dude made a good play and then it’s the full 11 with blocking and he made something happen.”
SKYLAR THOMPSON, SOPHOMORE QUARTERBACK
On the game…
“It was a rough performance all around but I mean we found a way to win the game and that’s what’s important more than anything else. We’ve got to be thankful for that. But I mean we’ve got to play better from here. We’ve got to play better next week.”
On the Touchdown pass to Isaiah Zuber…
“I was reading the safety and he got kind of flat footed so I put it over the top so that was pretty much the story. I mean, Zube was there, like always.”
On Zuber’s big play role…
“I mean, we need that on this team. And you know it was kind of up and down tonight so it was good to see him helping out tonight and it’s great to see him when he’s one on one so he’s someone you know isn’t going to let you down so… I knew he was going to be there, he ran a great route. It’s something he’s got to bring every weekend.”
ISAIAH ZUBER, SOPHOMORE WIDE RECEIVER
On his punt return…
“I have to give all the credit to my punt return team, I call them my crib team. Every time I touch the ball I’m trying to bring it to the house. Everyone just had to block. It was 10 on 10, I just had to make a move on the kicker. Then I was in the end zone.”
On his touchdown catch…
“You know, that was a play that we practiced all week in practice. Me and Skylar knew that safety was going to be sitting back like that so we knew the way we had to get it was to get the ball high so you know that was a play we’ve been practicing all week and we made it work.”
BOB NIELSON, SOUTH DAKOTA HEAD COACH
Opening statement…
“I am really pleased with the effort of our guys and really disappointed with the outcome of the game. We had opportunities. When you play a really good football team like Kansas State you have to capitalize on all the opportunities. Our inability to put any points on the board in the second half certainly was the difference in the football game.”
On passing against Kansas State…
“They are a really difficult team to run the football against. There is not a lot of teams that have had success running the football against them the last few years. We felt like we had to pick a little bit on the perimeter and move the ball that way. Looking back on it we should of tried to run the football a little more. They are a good defensive football team. They have big strong interior guys that are some of the better players in the Big 12. We knew we were going to have to throw it.”
On quarterback Austin Simmons…
“I thought he played okay. We are going to go back and there were a couple times he missed some reads and tried to force the ball. At the same time he stood under pressure and completed some passes against a Big 12 football team. He made a couple plays with his feet which I told guys all along that he is certainly capable of doing. For a first-game performance against a quality Big 12 football team we would all say he played pretty well.”
On the defensive performance…
“I am really proud of our defense. The defense played really well early in the football game and created some field position and opportunities for us. They generated turnovers and basically did everything we thought they were going to have to do for us to win the football game.We did not let them control the clock and continually move the football. When they did move the football in the first half and third quarter our guys bowed their neck and forced them to take field goals. I feel pretty good about the way that they played. I am sure we will look at the video and see a lot of things that we could have done better. That is what I told our guys after the game we have to use this game to get better next week.”
On the final field goal attempt…
“Unfortunately we had the ball and with a little bit of breeze we wanted to get it down around the 25 yard-line and try to get a field goal attempt in the low forties. We had a play call to run one of those hitch routes and take a time-out then kick a field goal. Then we had the false start penalty and we were really on the far outside of field goal range. We tried to do the same thing and we do not get a completion then it puts on a 51-yard field goal. Mason (Lorber) has that kind of range. He has made them and made on in practice the other day. He obviously did not hit that one very good. Certainly field goals made a big difference we went one for three and they went three for three. It is an area where we have to improve.”
On moving onto Northern Colorado…
“There is an old adage that says teams make the most improvement from week one to week two during the season. I look as this game and I think hopefully it does a couple things. I hope it gives our guys attention that we can compete against anyone in the country. Number two it reinforces the fact that every opportunity makes a big difference.”
AUSTIN SIMMONS, SOUTH DAKOTA JUNIOR QUARTERBACK
Opinion on overall performance as a starter…
“It’s a little bit different than I’m used to. Overall I made some plays, but I left quite a few out there. Definitely a lot of room for improvement this coming week.”
Things to zero in on minutes after the game…
“I think sometimes to just have a little more composure, just really settle in there, making more throws.”
Thoughts on the crowd…
“The crowd was awesome for them tonight, they were cheering loud. Getting used to the game time format was a little bit different. Obviously you do your best and practice to assimilate for a lot of those things, but when you get to the game, it’s a little bit different.”
Getting the most out of this game going into next week…
“We just have to watch the film and learn from mistakes, just really dial in on those [mistakes] and correct them next week. Our execution will be a lot better then.”
ALEX GRAY, SOUTH DAKOTA JUNIOR LINEBACKER
Thoughts on what the defense did best today…
“We came out hot. I thought we did a really good job in the beginning of coming out and stopping the run. I think we got a couple three-and-outs right off the bat. It catapulted our offense a little bit. I think we did a good job stopping the run. We didn’t give up too many big plays.”
Pinpointing the difference in the second quarter…
“It’s tough, you’ve got to get the stop. They’re a big physical team. They did a good job in the end, they out-executed us. We could’ve gotten a stop but we didn’t do a lot of the little things right.”
Thoughts on confidence in the first half…
“I thought we did a really good job approaching this game. We didn’t come in intimidated, we came in believing that we were going to win.”
SEASON RECORD UPDATE
K-State 1-0 (0-0 Big 12)
South Dakota 0-1 (0-0 MVFC)
WHAT’S NEXT
K-State hosts SEC opponent Mississippi State (0-0, 0-0 SEC) to Bill Snyder Family Stadium on September 8 at 11:00 a.m. CT, airing on ESPN. The showdown will be the first in the series history and also serves as the K-State Stripe Out day and Harley Day.
The Kansas Highway Patrol reported a 2007 Yamaha YZF-R6S driven by Raphael R. Byrd, 32, Chatanooga, TN., was eastbound on U.S. 24 at a high rate of speed.
