TEXAS BOWL HALFTIME: K-State 23, Texas A&M 14

In a completely unexpected turn of events, Kansas State heads into the locker room with a two-score lead over Texas A&M in the Advocare V100 Texas Bowl at NRG Stadium in Houston.

Minutes into the game, an entirely different scenario appeared likely, as A&M marched downfield effortlessly on their opening possession. But K-State responded with a 79-yard bomb from Jesse Ertz to Byron Pringle, then took the lead early in the second quarter on a five-yard run by Ertz. The extra point was blocked, which meant A&M was able to regain the lead on the ensuing drive, but the Aggies haven’t seen the scoreboard since.

Meanwhile, K-State has added a 40-yard field goal from Ian Patterson, and Dominique Heath scored on a 52-yard jet sweep — the longest run from scrimmage for a K-State player in a bowl game. Ever. Also, Jordan Willis got his paws on Trevor Knight, and with 12.5 sacks is now K-State’s all-time single-season leader.

And in the midst of all this, we got to see something so beautiful, so moving, that tears may have been shed:

One thing to keep an eye on in the second half: Jesse Ertz has 17 yards on the ground, putting him at 962 on the year.

So, the Wildcats now have that most elusive of treasures: a halftime lead in a bowl game. The question before us now is whether they can maintain it. One key here will be Trevor Knight. He has appeared rattled and, in many respects, solved for much of the first thirty, which brings up a thought. We often talk about the success of K-State’s offense with an experienced quarterback. Has excess familiarity with an opposing quarterback possibly given the Wildcat defense an edge here?

We’ll find out. See you after the gun.