Close win brings relief

Football

Kansas State beat Texas Tech 30-27 under the lights in Lubbock yesterday, but escape would be a better word for it. With the win, the Wildcats ended a two-game skid and moved to 7-4 on the season. The Red Raiders, now 4-7, will not make the post-season in 2019.

In his post-game recap, Jon Morse put things in perspective a bit. Although there were a number of things the Wildcats didn’t do particularly well, the team managed to do just enough to leave Lubbock with a victory. That win sets up possibly the most intriguing Farmageddon game in a decade.

The first half of the game was effectively a punt-kick competition, as the Wildcats and Red Raiders tried desperately not to move the ball at all. With both offenses sputtering, we were treated to a Big Ten contest with a 6-3 halftime score. And then things got crazy. The second half was a wild ride, the two teams combined for 48 points (24 each), with the win coming down to Kansas State’s three-point halftime lead.

So what ails Kansas State exactly? It’s hard to say. Consistency remains elusive for this squad, with the offense operating in fits and starts and the defense going from outstanding to terrible faster than you can say “missed tackle.” I suspect this is just part of the normal growing pains any program experiences with a brand new coaching staff, but it’s been an exhausting roller coaster for everyone involved, I’m sure.

Oh, and yeah, we’re still #SpecialTeamsU. In addition to Joshua Youngblood doing his best impression of both David Allen and Tyler Lockett to take a kickoff from endzone to endzone, we had three field goals from Blake Lynch, and some stellar punting from Devin Anctil, averaging almost 52 yards/punt.

We are now officially in #Farmageddon week. Wheat is better than corn. That is all.

Basketball

The Kansas State women (3-0) will hit the road soon, but first, there’s a home game against UT Arlington. Tipoff is scheduled for 2 PM and the game can be seen on ESPN+.

Meanwhile, the men’s team (4-0) will be in action at the Fort Myers Tipoff against Pitt (4-2) at 5 PM CT on Monday. The game can be seen on FS1.

Volleyball

It was Senior Night at Ahearn Field House, but the VolleyCats could not sustain the celebration through the game, and dropped their final home match to #3 Baylor.

Peyton Williams led the team with eight kills and a .500 hitting percentage. Sarah Dixon had a team-leading 25 assists to go with five digs, just ahead of McKenzi Weber who had four digs.

William, Dixon, and Weber were all among the seniors honored last night, along with Avery Noel, Makenzie Holcomb, and Brooke Heyne.

Up next, the VolleyCats wrap up the regular season on the road at Texas Tech. First serve is scheduled for next Saturday at 1 PM.