Kansas State football’s Big 12 opener could not have gone much worse Saturday night in Provo, Utah, as Brigham Young cashed in on a slew of Wildcat mistakes and rolled to a 38-9 victory at LaVell Edwards Stadium.
Here is how the No. 14-ranked Wildcats (3-1, 0-1 Big 12) graded out against an inspired BYU team (4-0, 1-0).
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Kansas State football report card against BYU
Offense: Turnovers, mistakes too much to overcome
K-State moved the ball effectively for much of the night, but penalties forced them to settle for field goals in the red zone three times. And then there were Avery Johnson’s two interceptions and DJ Giddens’ fumble that led to three BYU touchdowns.
Grade: F
Defense: Wildcats never had a chance
The Wildcat defense was on its heels for much of the night, mostly thanks to mistakes by the offense. K-State did not give up a touchdown drive of longer than 38 yards and held BYU to a respectable 241 total yards, but it wasn’t nearly enough.
Grade: B
Special teams: Punt return touchdown a killer
Turnovers weren’t the only thing that did K-State in. A 90-yard punt return by Parker Kingston, after he muffed the kick no less, essentially put the game out of reach at 31-6 early in the third quarter.
Grade: D
Coaching: The Wildcats’ inability to handle adversity was telling
The three turnovers and punt return that led to four BYU touchdowns were bad enough, but just as bad was K-State simply could not stop the bleeding. And then there were the Wildcats’ three long scoring drives where red zone penalties forced them to settle for short field goals.
Grade: F
Overall grade: F
Arne Green is based in Salina and covers Kansas State University sports for the Gannett network. He can be reached at agreen@gannett.com or on Twitter at @arnegreen.
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This article originally appeared on Topeka Capital-Journal: Kansas State football report card, grades against BYU
