The Iowa State Cyclones defeated the Kansas State Wildcats 42-38 in the highest-scoring game in Farmageddon history on Saturday at Jack Trice Stadium.
Here are some grades, thoughts and awards from the football game.
Player of the game
Skylar Thompson: The sophomore quarterback guided the Wildcats to 38 points by completing 18 of 27 passes for 183 yards and three touchdowns. It wasn’t quite enough for K-State to win, but it was easily his best game of the season.
Play of the game
Iowa State defender Mike Rose stripped the ball away from Thompson and returned the fumble 21 yards for a touchdown. The defensive score pulled Iowa State within 10, 38-28, midway through the fourth quarter. The Cyclones probably don’t win without that play.
Stat of the game
80: K-State and Iowa State combined for 80 points, the most ever scored in this rivalry.
Quote to note
“I am going to have to think about how I respond from this loss in terms of what my feelings are. I have just never experienced a loss like that, not even back in whenever that was ... ancient history. It just wasn’t to be, I guess. I don’t know how I feel about it.” — Bill Snyder.
Grades
Offense — B+: Skylar Thompson was at his best and so was Alex Barnes, who rushed for 184 yards and a touchdown on 28 carries. That brought his season total up to 1,355, the most of any K-State running back since Daniel Thomas. He had a tremendous year. Isaiah Zuber was also terrific in this game, catching seven passes for 65 yards and two touchdowns. Why exactly was he benched a few weeks ago? The Wildcats sputtered in the fourth quarter, but they still had lots of success against a quality defense.
Defense — D: The Wildcats didn’t have any answer for Iowa State receiver Hakeem Butler and allowed Brock Purdy to throw for 337 yards. Credit Kevion McGee for coming up with two key interceptions, but it was still a frustrating day for this unit. Iowa State didn’t punt a single time.
Special teams — B: Colby Moore forced and recovered a fumble to set up a K-State touchdown with the punt coverage unit. That was a big play. Blake Lynch also connected on a 36-yard field goal. Special teams got off to an ugly start, though, when Zuber botched a fair catch on the opening kickoff and the Wildcats started their first drive from their own 2.
Coaching — C: Credit Bill Snyder and his staff for lighting a fire under K-State players following a 3-6 start and guiding them within striking distance of a bowl game. But they also deserve some blame for their part in Saturday’s collapse. Second-half leads are usually safe under Snyder, yet they blew a 17-point in eight minutes to Iowa State.
Next up
It will be a longer-than-usual offseason for Kansas State. The Wildcats (5-7, 3-6 Big 12) missed out on a bowl game for the first time since 2009 and will enter December with a great deal of uncertainty.
Will Snyder return as coach? Will Barnes leave for the NFL? How does K-State replace standout seniors like Duke Shelley and Dalton Risner? Can the Wildcats salvage a recruiting class that currently boasts just eight commitments?
For now, the answers to those questions are unknown.
The last time K-State finished the regular season with a losing record under Snyder was the year he initially decided to retire in 2005. History could repeat itself. Or, perhaps, a season like this will motivate Snyder to lead another turnaround.
Expect some difficult conversations between Snyder and K-State athletic director Gene Taylor in the coming days.
From a micro perspective, the Wildcats weren’t far away from reaching preseason expectations this year. They lost road games to Baylor, TCU and Iowa State by a combined eight points. They weren’t far away from 8-4. But they were a long way from anything more than that. Mississippi State, West Virginia and Oklahoma beat K-State by combined 87 points. The Wildcats rarely belonged on the same field with the best teams on their schedule.
It’s hard to say what comes next for K-State football. But this was a disappointing season.