STILLWATER, Okla. – Kansas State’s defense provided the fireworks, and the Wildcats needed just a pair of touchdowns to celebrate a 14-6 win at Oklahoma State, giving the Wildcats just their third win at Boone Pickens Stadium in 27 years, and pushing them one win closer to bowl eligibility.
“I’m going to enjoy the heck out of this because we won in Stillwater,” K-State head coach Chris Klieman said. “We’d been here in 2019, 2021 and 2023, and just got drilled.”
While Oklahoma State, 1-9 overall and 0-7 in the Big 12 Conference, outgained K-State, 5-5 and 4-3, by a total of 373 to 284 offensive yards, the Wildcats forced a season-high five takeaways to win in Stillwater for the first time since 2017.
K-State knew nothing would come easy against an Oklahoma State team led by interim head coach Doug Meacham that had shown improvement over the past six games and came off a bye week.
Oklahoma State entered having won 79 of its last 80 games when holding opponents to under 20 points since 2005.
“We knew Oklahoma State was going to give us their best shot and having the week off probably refreshed those guys,” Klieman said. “I knew it was going to be a battle in here. I don’t care what the records are. You can date back to the 1990s and to the 2000s, and it’s hard to win in Stillwater. I don’t care what team it is and who’s coaching, it’s hard to win in here.”
Although Oklahoma State took a 6-0 lead on a pair of 47-yard field goals by Logan Ward, the Wildcats kept the Cowboys off the scoreboard the rest of the way and didn’t allow them into the end zone while wreaking havoc for quarterback Zane Flores and his teammates.
Flores completed 24-of-36 passes for 233 yards and two interceptions. He was sacked two times by Cody Stufflebean and Ryan Davis.
Avery Johnson completed 15-of-28 passes for 177 yards and one touchdown and one interception, and Joe Jackson had 14 carries for 69 yards and a touchdown for the Wildcats, who played the second half without star wide receiver Jayce Brown. Brown had three catches for 82 yards and one touchdown in the first half, but he appeared on the field for the second half in a shoulder sling.
“We’ll find out (Brown’s status),” Klieman said. “It didn’t look very good, so we’ll find out about his prognosis.”
K-State had six punts, two touchdowns, one interception and one missed field goal in the game, most notably struggling offensively during a first half that ended with a 7-6 advantage.
“We weathered the storm on it,” Klieman said. “We played a very hesitant first half and somehow led 7-6. That gave us a little bit of life.”
Oklahoma State outgained K-State, 193-133, in the first half and jumped on top with a pair of 47-yard field goals by Ward — one with 8:37 left in the first quarter, and another with 14:55 left in the second quarter — before the Wildcats finally got on the scoreboard.
On a first-and-10 play, Johnson completed a pass across the middle to Brown on a short slant, and the wide receiver turned it up field and raced into the end zone for a 34-yard touchdown with 7:07 left before halftime.
The Johnson-to-Brown connection — three completions for 82 yards — accounted for more than half of the Wildcats’ offensive production in the first two quarters.
The Wildcats, who punted each of their first four possessions and had just 47 total yards of offense before their 4-play, 48-yard touchdown drive, attempted to put together a second straight scoring drive, but an 8-play, 43-yard drive ended when Luis Rodriguez missed a 38-yard field goal attempt with 15 seconds to go until the half.
For all of K-State’s offensive difficulties, the Wildcats’ defense was staunch in keeping the Cowboys out of the end zone while Zashon Rich and VJ Payne each intercepted passes by Flores — giving K-State at least two takeaways for a seventh straight game.
Disaster struck on the third play of the third quarter when a Johnson pass across the middle went straight to Parker Robertson, who gave Oklahoma State possession at the K-State 36-yard line.
Gifted its best starting possession of the game, Flores completed a 23-yard pass to Rodney Fields Jr. and the Cowboys got inside the 10 on a Noah Walters keeper for seven yards.
Stufflebean and Damian Ilalio wouldn’t allow the Cowboys to travel any further. On third-and-6 from the 9-yard line, Stufflebean knocked the ball loose from Flores, and Ilalio recovered at the 11-yard line — thwarting the opportunity for Oklahoma State to get a field goal or a touchdown.
Oklahoma State quicky got another shot. But so did the K-State defense.
K-State got the ball to within the Oklahoma State 32 but had to punt. Oklahoma State, which got five of its first eight possessions inside K-State territory, appeared destined to reach the end zone, but Ryan Davis had a sack-fumble and Rex Van Wyhe recovered the ball at the K-State 30.
“Ryan played his best game he’s had, and we needed that,” Klieman said. “He’d missed so much time in fall camp. He’s coming into his own and his groove the last few weeks. He’s playing his best football now and we needed him to.”
That meant Oklahoma State had an interception, and two lost fumbles on its past three possessions — with more turnovers to follow.
“We played really well on defense and forced a bunch of turnovers and didn’t panic on defense,” Klieman said. “That’s what I was impressed about. They’d move the ball, and we’d have a turnover, and they’d have a drive going, and we’d just step up. Our defensive line really played well. We rushed the passer well. We still have to do a few things better on defense with some tackling, but we kept them out of the end zone. That was a huge key.”
After Oklahoma State’s third turnover, the K-State offense capitalized with its best drive of the game.
Johnson led a 10-play, 70-yard drive that featured a fourth-and-6 pass to Garrett Oakley for eight yards to the Oklahoma State 32, before Joe Jackson on fourth-and-1 rushed 15 up the middle for a touchdown and a 14-6 lead with 12:31 remaining in the fourth quarter.
“We were not going to settle for three come heck or high water,” Klieman said. “10-6 is not a good place to be, and I’ve been on the wrong side of that a few times. If we could get to 14-6 at least a score wasn’t going to beat you. That’s why it was so important we got that touchdown.”
Just when Oklahoma State tried to get some momentum and took the ball to the K-State 27, cornerback Daniel Cobbs intercepted Trent Howland on a deep halfback pass at the K-State 5-yard line, giving the Wildcats their fourth-straight takeaway and their fifth in six drives.
“Sometimes you live by the trick play and die by the trick play,” Klieman said. “We knew they were going to run trick plays. A couple times we were able to get interceptions.”
They all led to a memorable win for the 2025 season.
“I’m enjoying the heck out of this one,” Klieman said. “We found way. I’m not going to apologize for a win.”
