No. 16 Kansas State saw its perfect home record and chances of contending for a spot in the Big 12 Championship Game come to a crushing end in a 24-14 loss to Arizona State before a stunned sellout crowd at Bill Snyder Family Stadium.
In a matchup between teams that entered the day tied for third place in the league standings, Arizona State, 8-2 overall and 5-2 in the Big 12, picked 16th in the Big 12 preseason poll, rolled to a 21-0 lead after two quarters — its largest halftime lead over a ranked opponent since 2014 — and captured its first road victory over an AP Top 25 opponent since 2019.
The Wildcats, 7-3 and 4-3, suffered their second straight loss, and this one seemed much more painful than their 24-19 setback at Houston two weeks prior.
K-State played its second game in 49 days at home, where it was 4-0, and where the Wildcats had won 15 games over the last three years, the 16th-best such stretch in the nation.
If there was a bright spot, K-State regained its running game, as running back DJ Giddens had 14 carries for 133 yards. Giddens’ efforts gave him 1,128 rushing yards this season, becoming the fourth player in K-State history to record multiple 1,000-yard rushing seasons.
Arizona State QB Sam Leavitt threw for 275 yards and three touchdowns; Tyson had 12 catches for 176 yards and two touchdowns.
K-State trailed 24-0 with 11 minutes remaining in the third quarter and finally got on the scoreboard when Giddens had rushes of 27 and 19 yards and took the Wildcats to the 10-yard line, and Johnson ran into the end zone on the next play. However, the two-point conversion was unsuccessful, and the Wildcats trailed 24-6 with 2:51 left in the third quarter.
After being held below 200 total yards through three quarters, the Wildcats’ offense came to life early in the fourth quarter, as Giddens raced 45 yards and wide receiver Dante Cephas caught a pass and turned it into a 26-yard gain to give the Wildcats first-and-10 at the Arizona State 19-yard line. Running back Joe Jackson then made his first-career reception for a 15-yard gain. Jackson took the handoff on the next play for his first-career touchdown. K-State scored the two-point conversion when Johnson found Tre Spivey in the corner of the end zone and cut the deficit to 24-14.
Watch postgame press conferences with K-State head coach Chris Klieman, quarterback Avery Johnson and linebacker Austin Moore
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Chris Klieman
Avery Johnson
Austin Moore
