K-State shuts out Missouri State in shortened game

Manhattan, Kan. (westernkansasnews.com)–It was an unusual night Saturday at Bill Snyder Family Stadium, as storms delayed the start of the game by 55 minutes, and a second delay would prove to be long enough for officials to call the game at halftime. In the first 30 minutes, Kansas State was dominant and shut out Missouri State 35-0. The stats in the first half will count, according to NCAA rules.

K-State won the toss and elected to receive, which is unusual for a Bill Snyder-coached team. The Wildcats marched down the field in less than six minutes with 11 plays. Charles Jones punched it in from a yard out wiht 9:02 remaining in the first quarter to give K-State the early 7-0 lead, after the Matthew McCrane PAT. K-State (2-1) added another touchdown in the first quarter, as Jesse Ertz connected on a 19-yard pass to Byron Pringle with 5:22 left in the first period to extend the lead to 14-0. What made that play extra special was the pass was caught by tight end Dayton Valentine, punched out of his hands by a Missouri State player, and Pringle made the catch while running by.

In the second quarter, the Wildcats got their second touchdown through the air, as Ertz hit Domique Heath from nine yards out with 12:27 remaining in the first half to extend the lead to 21-0. The final two scores of the night belonged to Winston Dimel. His first score came with 7:01 left in the half from a yard out, and the last at the 4:37 mark of the second quarter to make it 35-0.

After a one-hour, 10-minute delay, the game was called at 9:45 pm. Missouri State fell to 2-1 with the loss.

Kansas State finished with 270 yards of offense, with 165 coming on the ground. Jesse Ertz was 7-8 for 94 yards with two touchdowns, and added 85 rushing yards on only three carries, including a 40-yard run. Byron Pringle had two catches for 30 yards and a touchdown. The Wildcats were plus-one in the turnover ratio.

Missouri State saw Brodie Lamber go 3-7 passing for 24 yards. Phoenix Johnson was the leading receiver with an nine-yard catch. Malik Earl led the rushing attack with 11 yards on one carry. The Bears only had 54 yards of offense and four first downs. Their starting quarterback Breck Ruddick was suspended for the game on Friday, and did not make the trip to Manhattan.

Kansas State will open Big 12 play at West Virginia on Saturday at 2:30 pm, while Missouri State will open up Missouri Valley play at Indiana State at 2 pm on Saturday

Coach Bill Snyder