K-State throws Big 12 football into chaos with massive OU upset

More chaos occurred around the Big 12 football conference on the afternoon of Sep. 26, with Kansas State upsetting Okahoma in Norman.

In what was the second straight year, the Kansas State Wildcats were able to pull off the massive upset of their Big 12 football foe and the No. 3 ranked Oklahoma Sooners. It just so happens that this upset for second-year head coach Chris Klieman and Kansas State came over head coach Lincoln Riley and the Sooners in Norman.

Kansas State came into this game as a sizable four possession underdog, but that only seemed to motivate them. They did fall a bit far behind early, but that didn’t phase them down the stretch in the second half. Oklahoma did hold a three possession lead at one point. Kansas State did wind up scoring more than 21 unanswered points in the second half to get the win in the end.

An Oklahoma lead that once stood at 35-14 was erased starting later in the third quarter. Oklahoma wouldn’t score a single touchdown after getting to the 35-point mark. A solid start from standout redshirt freshman quarterback and former five-star recruit Spencer Rattler was wiped out by a huge comeback from the Wildcats.

Rattler finished the day with 30 completions on 41 passing attempts, good for 387 passing yards, four passing touchdowns, and three interceptions. The first career pick for Rattler came in the first quarter of this game, going to sixth-year senior linebacker Elijah Sullivan for his second career interception.

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Rattler was not good enough for the Sooners down the stretch, including a decimating interception at game’s end that gave Kansas State the win. His offensive line and ground game didn’t give him much help either.

Meanwhile, senior Kansas State quarterback Skylar Thompson played a pretty spotless game. He finished up with 325 passing yards, one passing touchdown, a whopping three rushing touchdowns, and no interceptions. Thompson got a big day from wide receiver Deuce Vaughn, who wrapped up with 129 receiving yards on four catches.

A late field goal for Kansas State gave them the three-point lead, and they were able to seal the win by the final score of 38-35 after Rattler threw that aforementioned final pick. This was a huge bounce back for Kansas State after they fell short against Louisiana in their season opener two weeks ago.

Where the Big 12 football conference goes from here

Entering the first weekend of Big 12 conference play, Oklahoma looked to hold the best chances to represent for the College Football Playoff. The likes of the Texas football program and Oklahoma State Cowboys still have a good shot to represent the Big 12 if they get through the regular season and conference title game unscathed, or with one loss. But this Oklahoma loss is definitely a blemish to the Big 12’s national image right now.

It did not help that Oklahoma State struggled with the Tulsa Golden Hurricane in Week 1, and that the Iowa State Cyclones and Kansas Jayhawks both lost in their openers. Oklahoma and Texas gave the Big 12 their best shot of making the College Football Playoff entering this weekend of conference openers.

As long as Texas and Oklahoma State can take care of business against the Texas Tech Red Raiders and West Virginia Mountaineers, respectively, this weekend then the Big 12 should be fine heading into the October slate. Oklahoma has also slipped up before in conference play like this, so no one should be pressing the panic button yet on them.

Iowa State and Oklahoma are still alive in the race to win the Big 12 and make the College Football Playoff, but their margin for error is pretty much gone at this point. The TCU Horned Frogs, Baylor Bears, Texas, and Oklahoma now have the clearest path to make the College Football Playoff with one or no losses this year.

Oklahoma moves to 1-1 (0-1 Big 12) on the season after falling short to Kansas State. Meanwhile, Kansas State moves to a record of 1-1 (1-0 Big 12). Texas and Oklahoma State are both up early in the first half against their opponents on Sep. 26.