Field Level Media
Nov 24, 2018
Kansas State scored 17 straight second-half points but 25th-ranked Iowa State answered with 21 straight of its own to claim a 42-38 win Saturday at Jack Trice Stadium in Ames, Iowa. The victory snapped the Cyclones' 10-game losing streak to Kansas State.
After Iowa State (7-4, 6-3 Big 12) scored on its opening possession of the second half, K-State got a Blake Lynch field goal to take a 24-21 lead. Two straight Kevion McGee interceptions led to touchdown drives of 92 and 52 yards and gave the Wildcats (5-7, 3-6) a seemingly comfortable lead.
But Iowa State got back on track with a six-play, 77-yard drive that took just 2:04 to make it 38-28. It was capped by a 3-yard scoring pass from Brock Purdy to Sam Seonbuchner. The Cyclones then cut the lead to 38-35 when Willie Harvey sacked K-State quarterback Skylar Thompson and knocked the ball loose. Mike Rose recovered and ran it 21 yards for the touchdown.
Following a K-State punt, David Montgomery's third touchdown of the game, an 18-yard run, capped a six-play, 69-yard drive and gave the Cyclones a 42-38 lead.
Purdy finished 20 of 27 for 337 yards, two touchdowns and two interceptions. Montgomery had 149 yards on 19 carries.
The loss snapped K-State's bowl streak at eight straight seasons. The Wildcats were trying to win their third straight game to become bowl eligible.
Thompson was 18 of 27 for 183 yards with three touchdowns for Kansas State. Alex Barnes finished with 184 yards rushing and a touchdown for the Wildcats.
Iowa State leads the all-time series 50-48-4, but K-State had won 21 of the previous 24 meetings entering Saturday. K-State head coach Bill Snyder is 22-5 all-time against Iowa State -- 13-4 in his first tenure and 9-1 since his return to the K-State sideline in 2009.
The question now turns to whether this was Snyder's last game on the sideline. He just concluded his 27th season in the two different tenures and there has been plenty of speculation that the 79-year old might retire at the conclusion of the season.
At his weekly news conference on Tuesday, Snyder said he would continue to coach as long as the fans and the K-State administration wanted him to. That has been the subject of questions for much of the 2018 season.
Snyder is now 215-117-1 in his career.
--Field Level Media