CBS SportsLine wire reports
Sept. 26, 1998
MANHATTAN, Kan. -- On Michael Bishop's grading chart, 475 yards of offense represent only the second-best effort in his 16-game Kansas State career.
Not according to the record book, however.
While leading No. 5 Kansas State past Northeast Louisiana 62-7 Saturday,
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"This was not my best game," the senior quarterback said after throwing for 441 yards and four touchdowns. "I put up some good numbers. But if I had to take a choice, I'd take the Fiesta Bowl."
Last year in a 35-18 victory over Syracuse in the Wildcats' first-ever major bowl, Bishop passed for 317 yards and four TDs.
"I don't care how much I pass for or how much I rush for as long as we win," he said.
Bishop hit 23 of 40 passes and was 48 yards away from Chad May's school passing-yardage record when he went to the bench with 11 minutes remaining and Kansas State on top 48-7. He has nine touchdowns and no interceptions this season and his total offense of 474 eclipsed May's record of 461.
ERIC HICKSON SCORED THREE TOUCHDOWNS and Martin Gramatica kicked two field goals to become the career leader for the once-woeful Wildcats, whose 12-game winning streak is one short of the school record set in 1909-10.
"He's smart," said wide receiver Darnell McDonald, who caught one of Bishop's scoring passes. "If you're not open, he's not going to throw it to you. If you're just barely open, he's going to drill it in there so only you can catch it."
Kansas State (4-0), which beat its first three opponents by a combined 191-14, seemed in danger until a sudden turnaround in a 15-second span late in the third period.
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Kansas State's Darnell McDonald had eight catches for 120 yards and one touchdown against NE Louisiana.
(AP)
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The Indians (2-2) trailed 20-7 but had a first-and-goal at the 6 after a 68-yard pass play from Andre Vige to Marty Booker. But the Wildcats, who came into the game leading the nation in scoring defense (4.7 points per game) stopped three straight runs and took over after a failed fake field goal.
With Kansas State at its 3, Bishop retreated into the end zone and heaved the ball to Aaron Lockett streaking down the sideline.
HENRY WHITEHEAD, THE ONLY DEFENDER near him, missed a lunging tackle by inches and Lockett completed the longest touchdown pass play in school history with 5:17 left in the third.
In the next five minutes, the Wildcats took control with TDs on Eric Hickson's 19-yard run and Bishop's 28-yard pass to tight end Justin Swift. As the Northeast Louisiana effort further collapsed, Kansas State set another school record with 45 points in the second half.
"That took a lot out of our guys," Vige said. ``You could see it in their eyes. Our morale went down. It broke our backs."
"I was running for my life," said Lockett, the younger brother of Kevin Lockett, the Wildcats' career receptions leader. "I didn't know how close he was to me. Michael has a rocket for an arm."
Lockett also caught a 33-yard scoring pass for a 7-0 lead with 8:45 left in the opening quarter.
The Indians fooled the Kansas State defense on successive pass plays of 26 and 49 yards to set up Vige's 1-yard TD pass to Chris Spencer in the first period and a 7-7 tie.
HICKSON MADE IT 14-7 WITH A 4-YARD scoring run on the first play of the second quarter, then Gramatica hit from 39 and 24 yards, running his career total to 38 and erasing the record which Mark Porter and Steve Willis had shared.
Bishop completed his day with a 22-yard touchdown pass to Darnell McDonald. The final two touchdowns, following Northeast Louisiana turnovers, came on a 5-yard run by Hickson and a 7-yard run with 9:37 to go by Marlon Charles.