West Virginia Mountaineers vs Kansas State Wildcats Match Player Stats On Dec 05, 2015

The Sports Xchange
Dec 5, 2015

Receiver Cody Cook stepped in at quarterback to spark two second-half scoring drives before Morgan Burns' 97-yard kick return lifted Kansas State to a 24-23 comeback win over West Virginia on Saturday at Manhattan, Kan.

Wendell Smallwood ran for 141 yards for the Mountaineers (7-5, 4-5 Big 12), who led 13-3 at halftime and seemed on its way to winning eight regular-season games for the first time since joining the Big 12.

But Kansas State State (6-6, 3-6) rallied behind Cook, who replaced the injured Joe Hubener by running for a 1-yard score and throwing a 77-yard touchdown to Deante Burns. The Wildcats clinched bowl eligibility with the win.

West Virginia led 23-17 early in the fourth quarter on Smallwood's 14-yard rushing touchdown until Burns matched the Big 12 record with his fourth kick-return score of the season.

Mountaineers quarterback Skyler Howard threw for 281 yards but was stopped on a fourth-and-1 keeper at midfield with 2:28 left.

Cook was 4-of-12 passing for 121 yards and put the game away with a 14-yard, third-down completion to Burns. Kansas State's Jordan Thompson had 127 receiving yards and Jovon Durante caught a 24-yard touchdown for Mountaineers, whose four-game win streak was snapped.

Hubener, victimized on first-half interceptions by linebacker Nick Kwiatkoski and cornerback Daryl Worley, finished 6 of 19 passing for 85 yards. He twisted his right knee on the first play of the third quarter.

West Virginia's Josh Lambert kicked first-half field goals of 40 and 19 yards and added a 28-yarder in the fourth quarter.