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12th-ranked Kansas State remains unbeaten, routs Kansas

Oct 22, 2011 - 11:22 PM Lawrence, KS (Sports Network) - Collin Klein ran for four touchdowns and threw for another score, as 12th-ranked Kansas State remained unbeaten with a 59-21 rout of Kansas in the annual Sunflower State matchup.

Klein finished with 92 yards on 13 carries and threw for a career-high 195 yards while completing 12-of-19 passes for Kansas State (7-0, 4-0 Big 12), which has won its first seven games for the first time since the 1999 squad opened 9-0.

"We were not without our faults but I thought our youngsters played well and particularly played well when they had to," said Kansas State head coach Bill Snyder. "We got off to a good start and then stalled a little bit, but they came back and really opened it up in the third quarter. Our defense played so well and they got two turnovers (in the third quarter) right off the bat as well as the kick-off return, so I am proud of our youngsters."

It gets considerably tougher for the Wildcats over the next four weeks, starting with a home game next Saturday against Oklahoma. Kansas State will then visit Oklahoma State before a home game against Texas A&M and a trip to Texas.

Tyler Lockett had a big game for the Wildcats with five catches for 110 yards and a touchdown. The freshman also returned a kickoff for a touchdown for the second week in a row.

Jordan Webb threw for a touchdown and James Sims added a rushing score for Kansas (2-5, 0-4), which has lost five straight games after a 2-0 start. The Jayhawks have matched up with an unbeaten team in each of their seven games and have surrendered more than 42 points in each of their last six outings.

"It's tough. All of our losses are tough to take," said Kansas head coach Turner Gill. "We are competitive; we plan on going out and playing well. Unfortunately, things didn't work out, particularly in the second half. You've got to give credit to [Kansas State]. They're a great football team and that's why they're ranked as one of the top teams in the country."

The Wildcats grabbed a 7-0 lead late in the first quarter on a seven-yard run by Klein, who faked a handoff before rushing straight up the middle for the score. He also completed four passes for 67 yards on the 73-yard set.

Kansas State started its next possession from the Kansas 35 after the Jayhawks punted from their end zone and Klein needed just five plays to add to the lead. He again called his own number from six yards away for the score on the first play of the second quarter.

John Hubert scored on a five-yard run to cap a 77-yard Kansas State drive, expanding the margin to 21-0 with 9 1/2 minutes remaining in the half, and the scoring came fast and furious until the intermission.

Kansas answered with a 63-yard march as Sims scored on a two-yard run. Klein then added his third rushing score of the game, a two-yard burst directly after a 29-yard pass to Tramaine Thompson, but Kansas drove 78 yards on 11 plays in just under two minutes to respond. Webb found D.J. Beshears with a 13-yard TD pass to make it 28-14, giving Kansas fans some hope.

The Wildcats had just 11 seconds to work with after the kickoff, but Klein hit Lockett for 48 yards and called timeout with just one second left to set up a 26-yard field goal from Anthony Cantele for a 17-point cushion heading to the break.

"We had a guy who didn't do what he's supposed to do [on that play]," Gill noted. "He went onto another receiver instead of staying in his quarter of the field. They threw the ball right where he left. That was a huge play in the game. There were several others that we didn't execute as well, but that one hurt."

It only got worse from there, as Kansas State tacked on two touchdowns in the first 67 seconds of the third quarter. Lockett returned the second-half kickoff 97 yards for a score and Tony Pierson fumbled on Kansas' first play from scrimmage to set up Klein's one-yard TD run for a 45-14 cushion.

A Webb fumble just three plays later set up the Wildcats at the Kansas 48 and Klein quickly capped a six-play series with a 19-yard touchdown toss to Lockett to make it 52-14.

The Wildcats scored again in the fourth quarter with backup quarterback Sammuel Lamur, who finished a 10-play drive -- all on the ground -- with an 11-yard touchdown run.

Quinn Mecham threw a two-yard TD pass to Jimmay Mundine for Kansas just before time expired for the final margin.

Game Notes

Hubert ran for 92 yards on 17 carries as Kansas State racked up 261 yards on the ground to just 76 for Kansas...The Wildcats outgained the Jayhawks, 466-286...Kansas had nine penalties for 105 yards...Webb finished 21-of-28 passing for 169 yards...Kansas State head coach Bill Snyder improved to 16-4 all-time against Kansas, including a 59-7 romp last year in Lawrence...Kansas still leads the all-time series, 65-39-5...The Kansas-KSU matchup is the fourth-longest uninterrupted series in the nation at 101 games, trailing only Kansas-Nebraska (105), Minnesota-Wisconsin (104) and Clemson-South Carolina (102)...The Jayhawks will finally play a team with a loss next week at Texas.