Fort Worth, Texas — K-State found its rhythm after halftime, but the Wildcats had already dug themselves too deep a hole in the Lone Star State.

TCU defeated K-State 20-10 on Saturday at Amon G. Carter Stadium, handing the Wildcats their fourth consecutive loss and dropping them to 4-6 overall and 1-6 in Big 12 play. K-State managed just 90 yards of offense in the first half and went into the break trailing 10-0.

Head coach Collin Klein didn’t hide his frustration with the team’s opening performance. 

“We were inept on offense in the first half, sleepwalking through it, with mistakes at every level,” Klein said. “We’re not going to win games in this conference if you turn the ball over. We’re not going to win games in this conference if you have penalties that get us behind the sticks.”

Quarterback Dillon Duff took responsibility for the slow start, saying missed throws and a lack of offensive rhythm made it difficult to get the Wildcats moving. 

“It starts with me — I missed a couple of throws there, and we didn’t really get in a rhythm,” Duff said. “Guys kind of took their turns with some missed assignments, but like I said, it starts with me. I’ve got to get the guys going.”

After both teams punted on their opening possessions, K-State’s second drive ended in a costly turnover. Running back Rodney Fields Jr. fumbled at the Wildcats’ 28-yard line with 9:05 left in the first quarter. Koron Hayward forced the fumble, and Perry Cole Jr. recovered for TCU.

The Horned Frogs took advantage of the short field, needing just three plays to cover 28 yards. Kari Ashley finished the drive with a 19-yard rushing touchdown, and Kyle Lemmermann’s extra point gave TCU a 7-0 lead with 8:18 remaining in the first quarter.

Lemmermann added a 29-yard field goal early in the second quarter to extend TCU’s lead to 10-0.

The Wildcats couldn’t find an answer before halftime, struggling to sustain drives, never getting inside the red zone and managing 90 yards of offense in the first half. It was the first time TCU had held a Big 12 opponent scoreless in the first half since Nov. 9, 2024, against Oklahoma State.

Duff said K-State’s struggles on early downs put the offense in difficult situations.

“First and second down, we didn’t get enough yards, which left us in third-and-longs, and that’s a hard situation to be in,” Duff said. “We’ve got to do better and execute on first and second down, whether that’s me or up front. We just can’t be in third-and-longs.”

TCU’s defense made those situations even tougher. Five different Horned Frogs recorded a sack, with Hayward adding a sack to his forced fumble. K-State finished 5-of-13 on third downs. 

TCU continued to build its lead after the break. Quarterback Jaden Craig connected with Jacobe Hayes for a 5-yard touchdown pass to cap a 75-yard drive and put the Horned Frogs ahead 17-0. 

K-State finally got on the board with a career-long 55-yard field goal from Luis Rodriguez. The kick tied for the sixth-longest in program history, the longest since 2005, and gave the Wildcats some momentum.

That momentum carried into the next possession. Duff found Jaron Tibbs for a 53-yard touchdown, cutting the deficit to 17-10 late in the third quarter. Tibbs finished with a career-high 115 receiving yards on eight catches, while Duff completed 22 of 33 passes for 244 yards and a touchdown.

After halftime, Duff said the offense found better rhythm by executing together and trusting the team’s game plan. 

“I’m proud of the way we responded in the second half,” Duff said. “We came together, got the juice up, got our minds in it, stayed confident in coach’s game plan and executed a lot better.”

The Wildcats had life, but the Horned Frogs and Lemmerman answered with a 36-yard field goal early in the fourth quarter to make it a two-possession game again. Craig finished with 225 passing yards and a touchdown without a turnover, while the Horned Frogs scored on all four of their red-zone trips.

K-State’s defense kept the Wildcats within reach. The Horned Frogs finished with 99 rushing yards, while linebacker Asa Newsom led all players with a career-high 11 tackles. Klein said he saw improvement in the unit’s effort and physicality.

“I thought their fire, the passion, the competitiveness. … I thought we took some steps forward there,” Klein said. “They didn’t have any help in the first half; they were out there by themselves in the way they attacked and played hard and competed through the entirety of that game. I was very proud of that.”

Defensive back Ben Osueke echoed that assessment, crediting the effort across the defense. 

“D-line was playing with their hair on fire,” Osueke said. “Linebackers were hitting crazy. Just trusting my coaches, just trusting my technique again.”

But the offense couldn’t put together one final scoring drive. Duff moved K-State into TCU territory with completions to Derrick Salley Jr. and Tibbs, bringing the Wildcats to the 27-yard line. On third down, TCU’s Kaden McFadden sacked Duff and forced a fumble. Markis Deal recovered for the Horned Frogs, ending K-State’s last chance with less than two minutes remaining.

Klein said Duff showed progress in his second career start, but the final possession offered another lesson for the young quarterback. With K-State in field goal range and trailing by two scores, the Wildcats needed to manage the situation and come away with points.

“Situationally, there at the end in a two-minute drill when you’re in field goal range, like we have to be able to manage that situation and give ourselves points down two scores to continue to play and compete in that game,” Klein said.

The late fumble was K-State’s second of the afternoon. TCU recovered both Wildcats fumbles and finished without a turnover. The Horned Frogs converted 10-13 on third downs, while K-State never reached the red zone. 

The victory snapped TCU’s three-game losing streak against K-State and made it two games in a row that the Horned Frogs have beaten the Wildcats at home — K-State’s last game in Fort Worth ended with a 38-28 loss on Oct. 22, 2022. 

For Klein, the loss reflected a team still searching for consistency as the season winds down.

“It’s frustrating because I feel like in some areas we’re taking some steps forward and then we take a couple of steps back in others right now,” Klein said. “And we have to keep our heads down, keep getting better and have a really long way to go.”