NORMAN, Okla. — The Oklahoma football team will benefit from at least one unexpected perk when it leaves the Big 12 for the SEC.
It will no longer have to play Kansas State every season.
The Wildcats were once again a thorn in the Sooners’ side on Saturday at Memorial Stadium. K-State defeated Oklahoma, 41-34, for a road upset that few of the 84,376 in attendance saw coming.
K-State (3-1, 1-0 Big 12) knocked off No. 6 Oklahoma (3-1, 0-1) thanks to some stellar play from quarterback Adrian Martinez. The Nebraska transfer played by far his finest game in a purple uniform, throwing for 234 yards and a touchdown in addition to rushing for 148 yards and four touchdowns.
His biggest play of the game came in the fourth quarter when he took off for a gain of 55 yards with K-State facing a third-and-long. He scored on a QB keeper a few moments later to clinch the game.
K-State has owned Oklahoma since Chris Klieman began coaching the Wildcats in 2019. The Wildcats have gone 3-1 against the mighty Sooners under his watchful eye.
Fans can begin thinking positively again about the season. This was an ideal way to bounce back from last week’s home defeat against Tulane.
Here are some key takeaways from the action:
This is what good Adrian Martinez looks like
That’s more like it.
K-State football fans have been waiting to see Nebraska transfer Martinez play with the aggressive style that he brought to the field for every game with his old school, and he finally delivered.
After three straight underwhelming games, Martinez looked like a new quarterback against the Sooners on his way to a performance that fans will be talking about for quite a while.
Not only did he throw for 234 yards and a touchdown, he also rushed for 148 yards and four touchdowns. Every time K-State needed him to make a big play, he came up with one.
He didn’t waste any time “cutting it loose,” to borrow a phrase from Klieman.
Martinez led the Wildcats to touchdowns on each of their first two drives with a mixture of precise passes and hard runs. He took off for a 12-yard scramble on third-and-long, he found the end zone on a QB keeper, he connected with Malik Knowles for a score. He played with confidence and swagger for the first time in a purple uniform.
Unlike previous games, he also did more than simply throw short passes. He hooked up with Ben Sinnot for a 27-yard gain early and continually looked downfield when he was on the move.
He kept the good times going in the second half by rushing for two more touchdowns and moving the chains with a number of impressive plays.
Then he wowed the crowd with his late 55-yard run.
It was appropriate that he took a bow following his final touchdown. He put on a show.
Any talk of K-State pivoting to Will Howard or Jake Rubley at quarterback can be tabled.
K-State fans can dream a little bit now
At least one sportsbook dropped Kansas State’s over/under win total all the way down to 5 1/2 earlier this week following a surprising loss to Tulane.
With Martinez in a slump and the schedule getting tougher, only the most devoted K-State supporters were projecting the Wildcats to contend for a Big 12 championship.
But that no longer feels like an impossibility.
A road game against Oklahoma felt like the most difficult game on the schedule, and K-State won it. The Wildcats can build even more positive momentum at the start of conference play if they defeat Texas Tech at home next week.
Malik Knowles had a good all-around game
The senior K-State receiver contributed in all phases.
On offense, he caught his first touchdown of the season when he hauled in a 6-yard catch from Martinez in the first quarter.
On defense (well, technically also offense) he broke up what looked like a sure interception for Oklahoma when he torpedoed his body into an OU defensive back near the sideline.
Talk about a good all-around game.
Shaky secondary
The Wildcats forced the Sooners to punt a handful of times and came up with an important stop on fourth down in the second half.
It’s fair to say K-State had its moments on defense against Oklahoma.
But OU quarterback Dillon Gabriel also burned the K-State secondary for some explosive plays. He hit Theo Wease for a 56-yard touchdown strike and Marvin Mims for a 50-yard score. He went on to throw for 330 yards and four touchdowns.
Those plays came on consecutive drives in the first half.
Unexpected K-State star on offense
Sinnot isn’t technically a receiver, but he was the most reliable pass-catcher on K-State’s roster Saturday night.
Martinez connected with Sinnot, a sophomore tight end, four times for 80 yards.
Those turned out to be some valuable contributions on a night when the Wildcats scored 41 points.
