Kansas State vs. West Virginia: Game Grades, Analysis for Wildcats, Mountaineers
It wasn't a pretty game by any means—there were six total turnovers and Kansas State University had just one rushing yard—but the Wildcats went into Morgantown on Thursday night and left with a 26-20 victory to keep their Big 12 title hopes alive.
Tyler Lockett was the unquestioned star of the game for Bill Snyder's club. He finished with 196 yards on 10 catches and also returned a punt for a touchdown near the end of the first half.
With that, let's check out both WVU's and K-State's game grades for their positional units.
.jpg?w=256 "Ohio State Team Doctor")
Kansas State Wildcats
| Pass Offense | A | A+ |
| Rush Offense | D | F |
| Pass Defense | A | B+ |
| Rush Defense | B | C |
| Special Teams | B | B+ |
| Coaching | B+ | A- |
Pass Offense: If it wasn't for the Wildcats' aerial assault, led by the Batman and Robin combo of Jake Waters and Tyler Lockett, K-State probably wouldn't have won this game. Waters finished with 400 yards and a touchdown. His interception came on the last play of the game when he heaved the ball as high as he could to run out the clock. Passing the ball is what gave K-State its win.
Rush Offense: One yard against one of the worst rush defenses in the nation won't get you any praise. What was even worse was that on two separate occasions, the Mountaineers stuffed the Wildcats' run game on short goal-to-go situations to force field goals. It was K-State's inability to run the ball—something almost unheard of in Manhattan—that kept WVU in the game.
Pass Defense: When you're guarding against Dana Holgorsen's air raid offense, the bend-don't-break model always seems to work best. K-State employed that against the Mountaineers, giving up 310 yards through the air between Clint Trickett and Skyler Howard. K-State allowed just two passing touchdowns while hauling in two interceptions.
Rush Defense: West Virginia isn't known as a rushing team, yet it still gained 123 yards on one of the more stout defenses in the Big 12—and probably the country. It picked up some big third downs on the ground as well, particularly in the second half.
Special Teams: Snyder-coached teams are usually flawless in special teams. Against West Virginia, the Wildcats were inconsistent. There was a fumble on a kickoff by Lockett and two missed field goals—one of which was blocked. But there was also the punt return for a touchdown by Lockett and four made field goals by Matthew McCrane. So, overall, special teams helped shift the needle positively for K-State.
Coaching: It seemed like K-State's players did everything they could to let WVU back into a game they almost had wrapped up in the fourth quarter. But winning in the Big 12 on the road is never easy, especially against a pesky team like West Virginia on a cold Thursday night. It takes good coaching, and everybody knows Snyder delivers in that department week in and week out.
West Virginia Mountaineers
| Pass Offense | C- | B |
| Rush Offense | C+ | B |
| Pass Defense | C | D |
| Rush Defense | A+ | A+ |
| Special Teams | C- | D- |
| Coaching | C | D |
Pass Offense: While in the long run, you'd prefer a healthy Trickett, Howard gave a much-needed energy boost to WVU on Thursday night. Trickett had struggled with two interceptions and just 112 yards on 12-of-25 passing. When Howard came in, he racked up two scores and 198 yards through the air. Does WVU give the permanent nod to Howard? It'll all depend on Trickett's health.
Rush Offense: Against one of the nation's best rush defenses, the Mountaineers still gained 123 yards on the ground. Rushel Shell led the team with 60 yards, followed by Dreamius Smith with 35 yards. Howard had the second-fewest rushing yards on the team with 16, while Trickett had minus-15 thanks to sacks.
Pass Defense: As incredible as West Virginia's front line was at stopping the run, the secondary was just as bad—if not worse—at guarding Lockett and limiting Waters. The team gave up 400 yards, 196 of them to Lockett. Everybody in the nation knows that Waters is going to target Lockett, and they still couldn't stop them.
Rush Defense: When you give up just one yard on the ground, no matter if you're playing Kansas State or a FCS team, you'll grade out high. That's what the Mountaineers did, and a healthy dose of goal-line stands that became seven-to-three point tradeoffs on K-State's end kept the Mountaineers in the game.
Special Teams: Josh Lambert missed a crucial field goal after a K-State turnover, and a muffed punt gave K-State the ball back in the second half at a critical juncture. That really hurt WVU on Thursday night—you could even say it was the difference in the game. Plus, it gave up a punt return for a touchdown right at the end of the first half that swung the game in K-State's favor.
Coaching: You have to be perfect to beat Snyder. To be perfect, that takes coaching. At home, it should be a little easier. K-State made enough mistakes that a good team would've taken advantage, especially on its home field. But it took a wild-card backup quarterback to even give WVU a chance on Thursday night, so clearly Holgorsen's game plan wasn't up to par.
.jpg?w=480 "Ohio State Team Doctor")
