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Oct. 23, 1999 SportsLine wire reports |
STILLWATER, Okla. -- Kansas State had been here before, going nowhere
and trailing by 21 points.
This time, the seventh-ranked Wildcats didn't need David Allen in coming
back to beat Oklahoma State 44-21 on Saturday.
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Game summary T O P N E W S
Kansas State did it with unflinching persistence on defense and big pass plays by quarterback Jonathon Beasley.
"You have got to give them credit. They had us on our heels," defensive coordinator Phil Bennett said. "Our kids didn't lose faith in our ability to make adjustments. Once we made them, we could take the game under control. And we did."
Beasley threw for 311 yards, completing 13 of 25 passes, as the Wildcats (7-0, 4-0 Big 12) scored their 20th straight conference victory.
Oklahoma State (3-3, 1-2), inspired by the return of injured quarterback Tony Lindsay, built a 21-0 lead in the first 17 minutes.
But the Cowboys crumbled under the steady pressure of a Wildcats defense that allowed only 60 yards in the second half and snagged four interceptions.
"I thought that we really started this game off executing our game plan," Oklahoma State coach Bob Simmons said. "We started out fast and we did hit a brick wall and they got their momentum going."
Against Iowa State a few weeks ago, the Wildcats were down 28-7 at halftime when Allen's 94-yard punt return ignited Kansas State's rally for a 35-28 victory.
This time, it was an unflappable Beasley who led the steady second-quarter comeback.
His 56-yard pass to George Williams with 12:15 to go in the second quarter put the Wildcats in position, and Beasley capped the drive with a 1-yard run.
Oklahoma State fumbled to end its next possession and the Wildcats took over at the Cowboys 17. Beasley found Quincy Morgan open in the left corner of the end zone for a 17-yard score.
And that was the turning point.
"He had a great day," Simmons said of Beasley. "Number one, I thought he had too much time. Number two, he made some great throws. For them to complete the routes that they did and go from one side of the field to the other side, my only question is where was the pressure?"
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| Kansas State's Joe Hall rumbles and climbs his way to 112 yards on 27 carries Saturday.(AP) |
Kansas State tied it just before halftime on Beasley's 35-yard pass to Aaron Lockett.
Beasley threw a 58-yard pass in a fourth-quarter drive that he topped with a 14-yard touchdown pass to Lockett. He added a 32-yard touchdown pass to Williams a few minutes later.
"I felt comfortable as the game went on," Beasley said. "The line was blocking well and the passes were falling in place."
The Wildcats rolled up 520 yards with the help of 290-pound battering ram Joe Hall, who rushed for 112 yards on 27 carries.
Lindsay, returning after being sidelined in the season opener by a knee injury, led the pass-run attack that enabled the Cowboys to mount an early lead.
He scored on runs of 1 and 5 yards in the first quarter, both set up by long passes to receiver Bryan Blackwood.
With 13:24 to go in the second quarter, Lindsay faked short and then threw a 24-yard pass to Ethan Howell for a touchdown.
The Cowboys managed only 17 yards the rest of the second quarter and gained only 43 yards the rest of the game. Lindsay finished with 130 yards and was 9-of-19 with three interceptions.
Kansas State followed an interception by Dyshod Carter with a 30-yard field goal in the third quarter to move ahead 24-21. Beasley added a 19-yard touchdown run in the Wildcats' next drive.
The game moved out of range with 9:28 remaining on Beasley's 14-yard touchdown pass to Lockett.
The Wildcats had another interception seconds later, which Kansas State turned into its sixth touchdown.
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