MANHATTAN, Kan. – Kansas State found itself playing from behind after Iowa State's very first play from scrimmage, suffered sweeping frustration in all three phases of the game, and proved unable to keep running back Breece Hall from enjoying the best game of his career in a 33-20 loss at Bill Snyder Family Stadium. It was the Wildcats' first home loss to the Cyclones since 2004.
Hall rushed for a career-high 197 yards on 30 carries and scored his first of two touchdowns just 12 seconds into the game when he bounced outside and raced 75 yards into the end zone, quieting a crowd that saw the Wildcats, 3-3 overall and 0-3 in the Big 12 Conference.
"We missed a fit and two guys ran into each other, and it popped a big play," K-State head coach Chris Klieman said of Hall's touchdown. "We can't make the critical errors and give a kid of that ability the space to make a big run."
After winning 10 straight in the series, K-State has lost two straight against Iowa State for the first time in 16 years. After starting this season at 3-0 and ranked No. 25 in the Associated Press Poll, the Wildcats have suffered their bumps against arguably the top three teams in the league in Oklahoma State, Oklahoma, and Iowa State.
Asked if he had concern regarding his team's mental ability to bounce back, Klieman replied, "No, not at all."
The Wildcats' inability to slow one of the top rushers in the nation served as only one frustration in a contest that featured inconsistencies on offense, defense, and special teams. K-State struggled to execute the big play, couldn't prevent lengthy Iowa State drives, and a normally excellent kicking game endured a missed field goal and extra point.
Sixth-year senior quarterback Skylar Thompson afterward suggested that he and his teammates needed to take an introspective approach before moving ahead, which begins with Saturday's game at Texas Tech.
"Everybody on our team has to look at themselves in the mirror," he said. "There's more to give. There's more we can do. We have to execute better. We have to find those inches. There are a handful of plays in the game that are dictating the outcomes of the games and we're not making those plays. It's obviously frustrating. I hate to lose."