K-State gets Farmageddon’d

Football

Kansas State lost 42-38 to Iowa State last night in Ames. It was the first loss for the Wildcats in the series since 2007, and ended not only a decade-long win streak against the Cyclones but also the current streak of bowl appearances for Kansas State.

This one ended in a weird and unexpected fashion. The only difference was that Kansas State was on the wrong end of the scoreline. Leading 38-21 in the fourth quarter, the Wildcats had the game in hand and just needed to ride out the clock to head into the locker room with a win and bowl eligibility.

After all, the offense had played well enough to win. Skylar Thompson went 18/27 for 183 yards and three touchdowns. Thompson also added a score with his feet, while Alex Barnes rushed for 184 yards and Kansas State’s other rushing touchdown.

The defense—not nearly as stout as against Texas Tech—forced three turnovers that Kansas State converted into points. Though Iowa State never punted, for much of the second and third quarters, the Wildcat defense kept the Cyclones’ Brock Purdy and David Montgomery in check.

And then Farmageddon happened. (Jon Morse, Bring on the Cats).

In a bizarre turn of events that included the Wildcats; only turnover of the game, Kansas State collapsed and Iowa State scored 21 unanswered points in the space of just 12 minutes to finally—FINALLY!—beat Kansas State (Ryan Black, Manhattan Mercury).

This is the end of the 2018 season. Is it also the end of this era of Kansas State football? (Arne Green, Topeka Capital-Journal).

We—the players, the coaches, and the fans—are not new to this rodeo. We’re Kansas State. We’ve had enough experience with losing to know it doesn’t feel great. We also know—perhaps more than any fanbase—what it’s like to finally get the monkey off your back in a rivalry series.

But we have little experience with staying home for the post-season. We have little experience with giving up a 17-point lead, and almost no experience with the sort of uncertainty now facing the program (Kellis Robinett, Wichita Eagle).

Bill Snyder has almost certainly coached his last game. Still dealing with the shock of the loss, he was dismissive when asked about his retirement timeline after the game, noting it was the “last thing on [his] mind.” But it’s probably the first thing in the minds of most fans, and I don’t know if we are equipped to tread water until he makes up his mind. Speculation has been rife for weeks, and while the fans didn’t lose their minds over losing to Iowa State, we might yet melt down over our future prospects (D. Scott Fritchen, 247Sports). Rest assured, there will be plenty of time for that in the coming weeks.

Alex Barnes may have played his last game as a Wildcat. Asked to comment on the possibility of returning next year, Barnes shrugged.

Several seniors have definitely played their last game for Kansas State. Dalton Risner was devastated by the loss and felt compelled to apologize to the fans. It’s safe to say this—whatever else we may feel about the program, Risner and the rest of the team have absolutely nothing to apologize for.

So let’s take this opportunity to thank everyone associated with Kansas State football for another season that we kind of enjoyed, and then let’s take a deep breath before we plunge into our uncertain future.

Basketball

The men’s basketball team is still undefeated after a 77-58 win over Lehigh. The 6-0 record is the best start for 12th-ranked Kansas State since in 14 years.

The end result was good, but the Wildcats were not that great right out of the gate. Although the team led 9-7 early in the first half, a series of three-pointers from Lehigh meant the Hawks led by as much as 5 with less than six minutes to play in the half. But Kansas State rallied to pull even and ultimately took a 37-35 lead into the locker room at halftime (Eddie Chuculate, Mercury).

After that, it was all Kansas State. The Wildcats began the second stanza with a 6-0 run and then never looked back. Dean Wade led the team in scoring with 18 points, 14 of them coming in the second half. Teammate Barry Brown had 16, while Kamau Stokes and Makol Mawien had 10 each. Brown also had four steals on the day, which puts him within eight of Jacob Pullen’s school record (AMS, Bring on the Cats).

Up next, the Wildcats will head north to Milwaukee, Wisconsin to take on Marquette on December 1.

Meanwhile, the women’s team. playing at the Cancun Challenge in Mexico, finally ended an eight-game losing streak in the event by beating Princeton 80-61.

The Wildcats started strong and went up 21-15 in the first quarter, but a strong three-point shooting quarter from Princeton meant that Kansas State ended the first half behind 42-34. In the third quarter though, the Wildcats played with their hair on fire, outscoring the Tigers 26-8 and then adding 20 more points in the final frame to just 11 from Princeton to seal the victory.

Peyton Williams had a team-leading 23 points on 8-of-10 shooting, and also added seven rebounds, two blocks, and a steal. For her efforts, she earned Cancun Challenge-Mayan Division All-Tournament Team honors. Teammate Christiana Carr had her first game in double figures, putting 22 points on the board and went 4-of-8 from the three-point range.

The Wildcats will next be in action on December 2 at Bramlage Coliseum. They’ll be taking on Vanderbilt as part of the 2018 SEC/Big 12 Challenge.