K-State Jumps Back On Top Of Texas, 21-17 After Three Quarters
By Dave Thoman
Scott Sewell-US PRESSWIRE
Great play to kick off the half as John Hubert take a counter play to the write, then cuts back left about ten yards downfield to pick up 28 on the run. It’s only the second time the Wildcats have driven inside the 50 yard line. After a poor run, Klein pulls off an excellent play that we’ve seen a couple times this year and wouldn’t mind seeing a couple more. Collin Klein takes runs straight forward two steps to draw the defense in, then finds an open Travis Tannahill downfield to get the ball down to the five. A keeper for a short loss, a keeper for four yards, and pitch to Hubert puts K-State back in the end zone to go up 14-10.
It shouldn’t be so surprising, but The Jug is still amazed every time Collin Klein runs the option and keeps the ball until the last possible second before tossing the ball. It’s always sometime between when he gets hit and when his knee/back touches the ground, it always incurs a lot of punishment for the quarterback, and it almost always ends in success.
Quick note: it’s been loud all night long. Even when Texas has momentum, these fans have been loud.
Texas can’t run up the middle, period. However, they’ve found success running to the outside. They’ve executed multiple reverses tonight for positive yardage and have been able to exploit a speed advantage on the edge. However, from left guard to right guard, there’s a steel Texas has been unable to penetrate.
After Texas went up 17-14, Bill Snyder really started instituting some good play calling. There was no one smart string of plays to point to, but the most important aspect was an emphasis on Collin Klein. Rather than force Klein to make plays through the air, he’s been running on the ground. This team is best when Klein and Hubert are leading the team, but they’ve had the luxury of experimenting with passes, Angelo Pease, and plays that are not Klein/Hubert option runs. In a situation where K-State has to take control and enforce its will, number seven’s number has been called over and over again. And he responded by putting the Wildcats back on top, 21-17.
On the PAT that put K-State up 21-17, Texas jumped offsides twice. Bill Snyder declined the penalty, opting to maintain the extra yard to provide a little better angle. In this situation it’s better to still take the extra point (there’s no difference between going up four or five), but it’d be interesting if the score was 18-17 and Bill Snyder had the option of going up two or trying to go up by a field goal.