
MANHATTAN — It may be too early to call it a trend, but Kansas State's winning formula through its first two Big 12 games has followed an eerily similar path.
As was the case in the previous week's upset of Oklahoma, the Wildcats jumped on Texas Tech early Saturday, saw the Red Raiders come back to tie it, and then seized control in the fourth quarter to hang on for the victory.
For the second straight week, the Wildcats also relied on the combination of Adrian Martinez and Deuce Vaughn in the running game, plus a defense that made just enough big plays at key times.
Here are the grades from K-State's 37-28 victory over Tech at sold-out Bill Snyder Family Stadium:
Offense: Deuce Vaughn and Adrian Martinez run wild
The run-pass balance that carried K-State to victory over Oklahoma never materialized against Texas Tech, but in the end, it didn't matter. Quarterback Adrian Martinez and running back Deuce Vaughn more than made up for it with their legs.
After Martinez covered 75 yards on just two runs to open the game, and completed 7 of 8 first-quarter passes for 60 yards, Tech decided to go after him with an all-out blitz. It worked for a while, as the Wildcats managed just 24 total yards in the second quarter, but then Vaughn and Martinez were off to the races.
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With the game tied at 13 midway through the third quarter, Vaughn busted loose for a 69-yard run that set up an 18-yard Martinez-to-Phillip Brooks touchdown pass. Tech answered to tie it again and missed a 42-yard field goal attempt for the lead, which was when Martinez went back to work.
Two plays after the miss, Martinez burst 69 yards up the middle for the second of his three rushing touchdowns, and with 5:54 left he bolted 12 yards for a decisive score that made it 37-20.
Martinez finished with 171 yards on 12 carries and Vaughn put up 170 on 23 attempts. In all, the Wildcats finished with 343 yards on the ground and 459 yards overall. After his red-hot start, Martinez cooled off in the passing game, finishing 12 of 19 for 116 yards and was sacked three times.
The explosive running plays were enough to overcome a dreadful second quarter and make up for a lack of balance and consistency, though it forced a slight deduction in what could have been an A+ effort.
Grade: A-
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Defense: Wildcats bend, then break Texas Tech's spirits
At first blush, Kansas State's defensive performance might have looked like a dismal failure. But the fact that Texas Tech put up 473 yards and 28 points misses the greater point.
The Wildcats have developed a knack for making splash plays at just the right time, and that was the case once again against the Red Raiders.
Not only did they come up with two key fourth-down stops in Tech territory to set up field goals for the offense, but they stymied the Red Raiders with four takeaways.
And that's not counting the 10 tackles for loss and six sacks — three each — produced by defensive end Felix Anudike-Uzomah and linebacker Khalid Duke, an all-time K-State first.
Consecutive stops on third and fourth down by linebackers Daniel Green and Austin Moore turned the ball over to the offense at the Tech 33-yard line late in the first quarter and resulted in a field goal to make it 13-0.
Early in the second, Moore added an interception — the fourth this season by a Wildcat linebacker — and after a rare Deuce Vaughn fumble two plays later, the defense got it back when Kobe Savage put a big hit on the Red Raiders' Tahj Brooks and Nate Matlack recovered, preserving the 13-point lead.
More:Recap: Kansas State football hangs on to beat Texas Tech, 37-28, and move to 2-0 in the Big 12
But the biggest sequence for the defense came in the fourth quarter with K-State protecting a 27-20 lead. On fourth down at the Tech 40-yard line, Ekow Boye-Doe came up with a big pass breakup and the Wildcats got a field goal to make it a two-possession game.
Then it was Anudike-Uzomah's turn with a strip-sack of quarterback Donovan Smith, with Robert Hentz recovering the fumble at the Red Raider 27. Four plays later, Martinez was in the end zone and the lead was in insurmountable 37-20.
After Tech scored and recovered an onside kick, cornerback Julius Brents iced the game with an interception at the 2-minute mark.
Grade: B-
Special teams: Kicker Chris Tennant reliable again
K-State's special teams failed to produce any explosive plays and had one serious gaffe that did not come back to bite them, which left it to kicker sophomore Chris Tennant to carry the banner.
Tennant, whose accuracy was becoming a serious headache earlier in the season, took care of business without fanfare against Texas Tech. He was perfect on field goal attempts of 29, 26 and 32 yards, which — while they should be routine — provided the final margin of victory.
More:Kansas State football determined to avoid Oklahoma hangover against Texas Tech
The Wildcats' return game produced next to nothing, limited to a 9-yard punt return by Phillip Brooks and a 20-yard kickoff return by Malik Knowles, and punter Ty Zentner had an average day, averaging 36.8 yards, but putting two inside the Tech 20-yard line.
The one mistake came from typically sure-handed receiver Kade Warner, who could not come up with a late onside kick after Tech had cut the lead to nine points. It was Warner who recovered an Oklahoma onside kick the week before to preserve a Wildcat victory.
Grade: C
Coaching: Making the formula work
Texas Tech seemed to outfox the K-State coaches in the first half by blitzing quarterback Adrian Martinez and grinding the Wildcat offense to a halt after a fast start.
But to their credit, the Wildcats found a way of turning that pressure around on the Red Raiders by turning Martinez and Deuce Vaughn loose in the run game. Ideally, offensive coordinator Collin Klein will find a way to incorporate the passing game more, but with defenses having to contend with both Vaughn and Martinez running the ball they didn't need to throw a lot against Tech.
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The biggest concern defensively for the Wildcats is stopping the pass. Oklahoma quarterback Dillon Gabriel threw for 330 yards last week, and Texas Tech's Donovan Smith put up 359. But credit Joe Klanderman and his defensive staff for limiting the damage by putting a premium on forcing turnovers and pressuring the passer.
The 10 tackles for loss and six sacks were huge, but the four turnovers were even bigger.
Grade: B
Arne Green is based in Salina and covers Kansas State University sports for the Gannett network. He can be reached atagreen@gannett.comor on Twitter at @arnegreen.