Well, guys, we didn’t lose to the bye week last week, so it’s time to head to the Little Apple to take on the Kansas State Wildcats in the one hundred and seventh meeting of Farmageddon.

What Went Wrong

4th Quarter Defense

Okay, so maybe when you’re up 27-7, the defense doesn’t play 100% every single down, but the Cyclones looked a little more passive than most people would’ve liked to have seen. Deuce Vaughn had been largely contained (we’ll get to that later) and almost doubled his yardage in just the 4th quarter alone up to 87 yards. Joe Ervin also ran the ball well against us in the 4th, totaling 60 yards on 8 carries. Again, you’re probably not expecting 10 of your opponent’s 17 plays in a 2 to 3 possession game in the 4th quarter, but that’s something to keep an eye on for the future.

4th and Goal

Okay. I really hate singling players out in the “What Went Wrong” section of these articles, but T.J. Tampa has to make that play on 4th and goal in the 4th quarter. He knows this. He’s a young guy that I have no doubts will learn from that play and will excel in the future because of it, but to see that ball slip through his fingers was definitely not what you want to see. He’ll learn to just knock that one down. Or he’ll just make the play later on and celebrate on the sideline with the turnover belt. Either way, he’ll be better because of the mistake, but it’s a mistake you’d like to not have to worry about.

Last 2 offensive plays

Breece Hall eclipsed the two hundred-yard mark on the ground for the first time in his career on Saturday. Then we gave him the ball an extra 2 plays for -7 yards bringing him back down to 197. Still a career-high, but damn.

What Went Right

ANDREW. FREAKING. MEVIS.

THAT’S WHAT I’M TALKING ABOUT, ANDREW! The man, the myth, the Mevis went 4 for 4 on his field goal attempts. Not only that, he hit from 40+ on ALL 4 of the attempts. He also (for the most part) kept the ball out of Malik Knowles’ hands on kickoffs which was a HUGE win for the special teams. In his performance, he won Big 12 Special Teams Player of the Week and also caught the eyes of a certain CFB Award. Mevis also got 1 of 3 Lou Groza Star of the Week mentions joining Cayden Camper (Colorado State) and Marshall Meeder (Central Michigan.)

Offense. Yes, all of it.

Brock Purdy had one of his best games EVER on Saturday night. He didn’t light it up with four-hundred yards, he didn’t have 4 TDs in 5 passes, he didn’t rush for 70 yards, but he was stable in the pocket, he was lethal on the move, and he put the ball on the money every single time he was asked to. He was particularly good on 3rd down as he led the Cyclones to 9 of 15 on 3rd downs. Considering we were hitting around a 30-40% clip before this week, I’d say 9 of 15 is pretty dang good. Speaking of pretty dang good, Breece Hall is just that.

And how about the freshman, Jaylin Noel leading the team in both catches (5) and yards (48)? Even the offensive line had one of their best games of the year, starting it off (along with the tight ends, shoutout to Charlie Kolar, Chase Allen, and Jared Rus) by paving the way for Breece Hall to take the first play of the game 75 yards to the house (shown above.)

When the Cyclones weren’t scoring on the first play of the game, they were taking 10 minutes off the clock on 18 play 93-yard drives. Okay, they only did that once as well, but it was soooo nice to see the offense show their capability to do both. Going down the stretch, we’re going to need explosive plays, but we’re also going to need drives to suck the life out of the opposing defense to put the game away. Keep doing that, and we’re going to have something to say to Oklahoma State, Texas, and Oklahoma at the top of the Big 12.

A complete game from the offense was well worth the wait. They didn’t score the most points they have this season, but this felt like the most balanced attack from all parties.

Containing Deuce Vaughn

As has always been the case, Jon Heacock and Co. knew the biggest threat on the opposing team and was able to contain him. Deuce Vaughn was an absolute non-factor throughout the first 3 quarters, holding the Wildcats to just 7 points in the first quarter, and shutting them out in the 2nd and 3rd. The 4th quarter was a bit of a scare as Vaughn and Ervin got some gaps to run through, but the game was largely out of reach by that point. Vaughn was SO contained in the first 3 quarters, that the back totaled just 60 yards in said timeframe. The Cyclones held Deuce to his 2nd lowest total yardage game of the season with one-hundred seventeen, but in the lone game worse than that for #22, Oklahoma State let him find the end zone. The Cyclones kept Vaughn out, his first game since the Wildcats’ 45-0 loss in Ames last November without a touchdown.

Weekly Grades

Offense: A+

Defense: A

Special Teams: A

Will McDonald: Still really good at football

Little Apple Win: Freaking finally....

Next Up: #8 Oklahoma State