SportsDirect Inc. staff
Sep 15, 2012
No. 14 Kansas State 35, North Texas 21: Collin Klein threw two touchdown passes to Tramaine Thompson and ran for another as the heavily favored Wildcats struggled before pulling away from the visiting Mean Green.
Kansas State (3-0), which scored 103 points and averaged 306 yards rushing in blowout victories over Missouri State and Miami, led only 14-13 before Klein's second touchdown pass to Thompson - a 21-yarder on third-and-6 with 3:15 left in the third quarter - gave the Wildcats some breathing room. John Hubert's 6-yard touchdown run made it 28-13 with 13:20 to go.
Klein finished 15 of 20 passing for 230 yards and also rushed for a team-high 85 yards, and Thompson finished with 102 yards on five catches. Kansas State's Tyler Lockett returned a kickoff 96 yards to make it 7-7 in the first quarter after Brelan Chancellor had given the Mean Green (1-2) a 7-0 lead with a 6-yard TD run.
Antoinne Jimmerson's 1-yard touchdown run with 7:03 remaining in the third quarter brought the Mean Green to within 14-13, but Zach Olen pulled the extra point wide-right. Olen had a 45-yard field goal attempt blocked by Vai Lutui in the second quarter.
The Mean Green outrushed the Wildcats 145-143, more than double the 67.5 Kansas State was allowing per game. North Texas quarterback Derek Thompson was 25 of 28 passing for 208 yards. His 19-yard touchdown pass to Chancellor with 2:31 left finished the scoring.
GAME NOTEBOOK: North Texas, which defeated Texas Southern 34-7 last week, hasn't won two straight games since 2004. ... Kansas State is 44-2 in September home games since 1992 under coach Bill Snyder and 65-7 in non-conference games since 1990 under Snyder. ... North Texas coach Dan McCarney, who was 56-85 in 12 seasons at Iowa State, fell to 2-11 against Kansas State.