Avery Johnson threw two touchdown passes and ran for another score, while Chris Tennant kicked a 51-yard field goal with 1:42 left to play. No. 16 Kansas State then stopped Kansas on fourth down to secure a 29-27 win on Saturday night.
D.J. Giddens rushed for 102 yards for the Wildcats (7-1, 4-1 Big 12), keeping their hopes alive for a conference title and a spot in the College Football Playoff by defeating their biggest rival for the 16th time in a row.
“You know, we missed opportunities. I think they missed opportunities. It was a game of who could make another play,” said Kansas State coach Chris Klieman, who experienced some dizziness during the game and went to the locker room at one point.
“I was proud at the end that offense, defense, and special teams came through.”
Kansas (2-6, 1-4) had a chance to respond to Tennant’s field goal in the final minute. However, after a quick first down, Jalon Daniels completed a short pass but then had two incomplete passes.
On fourth down, he was pressured out of the pocket and caught near the Jayhawks’ sideline, giving Kansas State the chance to run out the clock.
Daniels ended with 209 yards passing, with two touchdowns and two turnovers. Devin Neal rushed for 66 yards and a score, just six yards away from breaking June Henley’s career rushing record at Kansas.
“This one stings as much as any of them,” said Jayhawks coach Lance Leipold, whose team now must win all their remaining games to reach their third straight bowl game. “But I told them again I was proud of the way we fought and competed for four quarters.”
The Jayhawks have not defeated Kansas State since November 1, 2008.
“They’re a great team. It doesn’t matter what their record is,” said Marques Sigle of the Wildcats, who intercepted a pass in his second straight Sunflower Showdown. “They had nothing to lose and everything to gain.”
Kansas started the game with a 75-yard touchdown drive and seemed ready to take control a few minutes later when Daniels found Quentin Skinner wide open down the middle. However, the senior wide receiver dropped what would have been a 49-yard touchdown pass, and the Jayhawks ended up punting.
The Wildcats took advantage of this missed opportunity. After Johnson led a 95-yard drive to tie the game, Kansas freshman Jameel Croft Jr. made a mistake by catching the kickoff at the 1-yard line and stepping out of bounds. Neal was tackled for a safety on the next play, and Kansas State quickly followed with a 59-yard drive and another touchdown.
“I don’t want to get into criticizing a player,” Leipold said. “A young man was trying to make a play and made a mistake.”
The Jayhawks bounced back, and Daniels threw a touchdown pass to Luke Grimm to bring the score to 16-14 at halftime.
After both teams scored touchdowns to start the second half, Kansas regained the lead late in the third quarter when Daniels powered his way into the end zone—marking the second year in a row they led the Wildcats in the second half.
The result would be the same once again.
The Jayhawks were still ahead 27-26 with 3:44 left when Daniels, trying to scramble near midfield, jumped and lost the ball. Brendan Mott was there to recover it for the Wildcats, giving Johnson and the team one last opportunity.
They did just enough to set up Tennant’s go-ahead field goal with less than two minutes remaining.
“The last month of watching Chris Tennant, I knew that was going in,” Klieman said. “I had no doubt in my mind. There was nobody on our sideline that had any doubt. It was exciting for him to be able to do that, being a senior from Kansas.”
