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Kansas State stays perfect with win over Missouri

Oct 9, 2011 - 3:45 AM Manhattan, KS (Sports Network) - Collin Klein rushed for 45 yards and three touchdowns and threw for 112 yards on 11-of-16 passing, leading No. 20 Kansas State to a 24-17 victory over Missouri Saturday afternoon.

John Hubert had a big day on the ground for the Wildcats, (5-0, 2-0 Big 12), rushing 26 times for 126 yards.

Kansas State is off to its first 5-0 start since the 2000 season.

Sheldon Smith caught four passes for 29 yards and Chris Harper hauled in two balls for 37 yards.

James Franklin completed 19-of-35 pass attempts for 214 yards and one interception for the Tigers (2-3, 0-2). He ran 11 times for 46 yards and one score.

Henry Josey rushed 12 times for 55 yards and one touchdown, while Michael Egnew snagged eight passes for 73 yards.

"First of all, we are just not playing very good football right now; and it starts with me," Missouri coach Gary Pinkel said. "I am not doing a good enough job of coaching these guys. I make a lot of mistakes; this does not look like a well coached team. Overall, did some good things on defense. Offensively, here and there we did some good things, but we are really inconsistent. We had penalties, in critical situations. I am responsible for it and it does not look very good."

Things started off well for the Kansas State defense, as they intercepted Franklin on the first play of the game. The offense took over with excellent field position, starting from the Missouri 21-yard line. K-State moved down to the two before Klein bowled his way into the end zone on 3rd-and-1 to give the Wildcats an early 7-0 lead.

Kansas State extended its lead to 10-0 on its second possession. This time, the offense marched 51 yards on 12 plays, eating up over 6 1/2 minutes of game time before Anthony Cantele connected on a 20-yard field goal.

Missouri got on the board on its first possession of the second quarter when the Tigers drove 58 yards in 12 plays and capped the march with a 32-yard field goal by Grant Ressel to make it 10-3.

Early in the third stanza, Kansas State widened its lead to 17-3. Starting from their own 20, the Wildcats were able to move the ball up to the 43 before setting up for a punt on 4th-and-12.

That's where they got a little help.

On the play, Missouri was flagged for running into K-State punter Ryan Doerr. The penalty moved the ball into Tigers territory at the 42. From there, Kansas State used six rushing plays to get down to the Missouri three before Klein pushed his way into the end zone for a three-yard touchdown run and a 17-3 K- State lead.

"The special teams played a huge impact in today's game as well," Klein said. "It really is a family affair. I say the same thing every week, but these are team victories. One component does not work without the other, and our defense played huge today. Our defense got us a turnover and short field, and our special teams made sure that our backs were never against the wall. Things like that are huge, and being able to play together is important."

The Wildcats again extended their lead early in the fourth quarter. Following a Missouri three-and-out, Tramaine Thompson returned the punt 26 yards into Tigers territory and down to the 36.

From there, a 10-yard completion to Smith on 2nd-and-12 and a 21-yard burst by Hubert sparked the Kansas State offense as it worked its way down to the Missouri one-yard line before Klein snuck into the end zone for a one-yard score and a 24-3 margin.

On the ensuing drive, the Tigers finally put together some cohesive offense, going 79 yards in 12 plays before Josey plowed his way through the line and into the end zone on fourth down, pulling Missouri to within 24-10.

With just over five minutes to go in the game, Missouri made it a one-score game when Franklin punched the ball across the goal line from the one-yard line to make it 24-17, but Kansas state was able to keep the ball for the remaining five minutes to hold onto the win.

Game Notes

The loss snapped Missouri's five-game winning streak against Kansas State. The Tigers still own a 60-32-5 series edge, including last year's 38-28 verdict in Columbia...Ressel struggled, connecting on only one of his three field goal attempts...Kansas State converted 7-of-18 third downs, while Missouri converted only four of their 13 third down situations...Missouri defensive lineman Jacquies Smith finished with two sacks.