K-State took a beating from Oklahoma State on Nov. 8, falling 66-28 in an offensive showcase at Bill Snyder Family Stadium. Quarterback Drew Mestemaker and running back Caleb Hawkins were the Cowboys’ offense, combining for 504 total yards and all nine of Oklahoma State’s touchdowns. The Cowboys answered K-State’s defense, posting 565 total yards and their most points in Manhattan ever. 

Oklahoma State started its barrage early, holding K-State to a three-and-out on its first possession. Hawkins ran it for 31 yards on the first play of the game before the Cowboys went no-huddle and quickly completed a pass to wide receiver Miles Coleman for 9 yards. The next play, Mestemaker threw a ball up to wide receiver Justin Bowick, who leaped and high-pointed it for a quick Oklahoma State touchdown. 

Down 7-0 less than three minutes in, K-State needed a quick response. Two plays to running back Rodney Fields gave the Wildcats a third-and-five when Oklahoma State left wide receiver Derrick Salley Jr. wide open along the right hash. Quarterback Blake Barnett delivered a strike to Salley, who had no Cowboy defender within 20 yards of him. Salley ran the ball in for a 73-yard touchdown pass to tie it 7-7 with 11:18 left in the first quarter.

“Derrick [Salley Jr.] continues to get better and better,” head coach Collin Klein said. “His improvement through the course of the season has been very marked. He competes hard. He’s a really good teammate. He’s got a bright future and a lot of good football ahead of him.”

The Cowboys’ next drive started with an 11-yard completion to Bowick and quickly gave Oklahoma State a first down. On second down of the next set, Mestemaker completed a 26-yard pass to receiver Wyatt Young, setting the Cowboys up in Wildcat territory on the 38-yard line.

Two more plays gave Oklahoma State another first down before Hawkins ran it in for a 21-yard touchdown. Just as quickly, the Cowboys delivered another gut punch, going up 14-7 with 8:12 left in the first.

Fields did what he could, getting a 23-yard run to start the drive for K-State, before two plays and 1 yard left K-State with a long third down. After an 8-yard pass, Barnett ran a quarterback keeper on fourth down, but Oklahoma State stopped him just short, giving the Cowboys the ball right back. 

After two 10 and 17-yard passes, Hawkins called his own number again, running it in from 37 yards out to put Oklahoma State up 14-7.

Needing to respond, K-State ran three straight plays, got a first down and built momentum. Barnett then rolled out to his left and threw to tight end Garrett Oakley. The ball went right through Oakley’s hands and into the hands of Oklahoma State corner Quinton Hammonds, who ran it back to the K-State 11-yard line.

The first-quarter onslaught continued, as the Cowboys had their third three-play touchdown drive of the first quarter, cashing in on a 3-yard touchdown from Mestemaker. The touchdown pass capped off a perfect first quarter for Mestemaker, who went 8-for-8 for 118 yards and two touchdowns to put Oklahoma State up 28-7. 

K-State once again went three-and-out to start the second quarter, with the offense struggling to get in front of the sticks, getting tackled for loss on early downs and forcing obvious passing situations on third down. The Cowboys took control on their own 30, looking to expand their lead by more than 21.

The Wildcats’ defense forced their first tackle for loss, giving the Cowboys a third-and-11. Mestemaker rolled out and threw a strike to Young, who cut upfield for a first down. Before he stepped out of bounds, however, safety Wesley Fair punched the ball out, and linebacker Rex Van Whye recovered the fumble at the Oklahoma State 43-yard line. 

Unfortunately for the Wildcats, an unsportsmanlike conduct penalty set K-State back 15 yards. The Wildcats couldn’t get anything going offensively, as two plays gained 2 yards before Oklahoma State sent an all-out blitz, forcing another K-State three-and-out. 

As the Cowboys took over, safety Logan Bartley did too. On the first play of the drive, Bartley jumped a route, intercepted Mestemaker, and returned it to the house for a pick-six, making it 28-14.

K-State suddenly gained momentum and looked to get back into the game. Klein tried to catch the Cowboys off guard, attempting an onside kick, which Oklahoma State recovered. Already in enemy territory, the Cowboys’ offense took advantage, and Mestemaker kept the ball at the one and ran it in for a rushing touchdown, bringing the score to 35-14. 

The Wildcats tried to storm back, with tight end Linkon Cure hanging on to a 14-yard pass that a roughing-the-passer penalty on Oklahoma State moved 15 yards further. K-State looked to get something going, but the Cowboys forced them to go for it on fourth down again, where Barnett nearly threw an interception on a rollout pass, but Oklahoma State batted it down, and it became a turnover on downs.

Oklahoma State took over and immediately had an 18-yard pass, before K-State’s passing defense finally broke through and forced three straight incompletions, forcing the Cowboys to punt it away for only the 15th time this season. The Wildcats took over but gave it right back when Barnett threw a pass over the head of Fields, and Oklahoma State intercepted it. The Cowboys then took no time to score, as Hawkins ran in from 9 yards out for Oklahoma State’s sixth touchdown of the first half. 

Once K-State got a first down on the succeeding drive, three more plays brought another fourth down for the ‘Cats, keeping punter Simon McClannan active. Oklahoma State then methodically drove down the field again, scoring once more on a 19-yard touchdown pass from Mestemaker to Coleman to cap off a record-breaking first half for Oklahoma State and take the lead 49-14 going into halftime.

The second half was not as eventful as the first, as K-State’s defense held Oklahoma State to a three-and-out to start the half — the third three-and-out Oklahoma State has had in the last five games. 

Looking to get something else going on offense, freshman QB Dillon Duff came in to start the second half for K-State, replacing Barnett. Duff led the Wildcats down the field and threw an 18-yard pass to Salley for his first collegiate touchdown. The 18-yard pass capped an eight-play, 55-yard drive for the first score of the second half.

“Just trying to be the best version of myself every single day,” Duff said. “Give the best to this team. Give the coaches confidence to go in there and play. I’ll be ready when my number’s called.”

Oklahoma State responded immediately with a seven-play drive of their own. Through chunk plays of 13 and 39 yards, the Cowboys throttled the Wildcat defense, pushing them to the limit again. On first and goal, Oklahoma State cashed in again on a 5-yard completion to Hawkings, bringing the score to 56-21.

K-State tried to respond, but an Oklahoma State player deflected Duff’s pass on second-and-six. Another Cowboy intercepted it, this time coming from corner LaDanian Fields, setting Oklahoma State up deep in K-State territory. After a 17-yard completion, the Cowboys pulled out all the stops up 56-21, running a “Philly Special” to give Mestemaker a receiving touchdown from Young and run up the score to 63-21 with 3:29 left in the third quarter.

The Wildcats got the ball back, looking to do anything offensively to put up at least some fight. Two completions from Duff gave K-State two new sets of downs before the third quarter wound down. As the fourth quarter started, the Wildcats’ drive kept going, as Duff used his legs on a third down to convert once again. 

After a 13-yard completion to receiver Jaron Tibbs to set K-State up with a goal-to-go situation, Fields punched it in on a 1-yard rush, bringing the score to 63-28 early in the fourth quarter.

Oklahoma State went into their next drive up by 35, and Mestemaker still trotted onto the field to start the drive for the Cowboys. After a 9-yard completion, Mestemaker threw a 16-yard pass to Bowick, putting him at over 300 passing yards for the day. After that play, Mestemaker jogged off the field, having boosted his stats for the day. Backup quarterback Broderick Vehrs subbed in for Mestemaker and threw a 24-yard completion on his first throw.

The Cowboys drove all the way down to the K-State 8-yard line before the ‘Cats defense came up strong over the next three plays, limiting Oklahoma State to a field goal, their first of the day. The field goal gave the Cowboys the lead, 66-28, with 4:20 remaining.

The Wildcats tried to get something going on offense, marching down the field after Fields hurdled an Oklahoma State defender for a first down, but couldn’t score after a failed fourth-down conversion following the two-minute timeout. 

When the Cowboys took over, they ran it straight up the middle to bleed the clock and end the game, capping off Oklahoma State’s 66-28 victory, its biggest win over the Wildcats since 1987 and biggest win ever in Manhattan.

For the Cowboys, Mestemaker was sensational, going 22-for-28 for 313 yards and four touchdowns through the air, along with 16 rushing and receiving yards and two more touchdowns. For K-State, Salley was its best player, racking up 100 receiving yards on three receptions, two of which were touchdowns. 

The Wildcats are on the road next week for a 1 p.m. kickoff on Nov. 14, as they travel to Fort Worth, Texas, to play the TCU Horned Frogs. The game will air on ESPNU.