MANHATTAN — Believe it or not, Kansas State football had opportunities against No. 13 Texas Tech , but missed chances and way too many turnovers cost it any chance of pulling off an upset.
The Wildcats lost 43-20 to the Red Raiders on Saturday, Nov. 1, at Bill Snyder Family Stadium in Manhattan.
Five giveaways to one of the best defenses in college football were killers, as was allowing Texas Tech to score on six consecutive drives after the first quarter .
Kansas State (4-5, 3-3 Big 12) will have a week off before returning to the field on Nov. 15 at Oklahoma State .
Here are our takeaways from the loss:
Kansas State kept a pulse behind big plays created by its quarterback. Avery Johnson had a solid outing, especially on the ground, where he finished with a pair of touchdowns.
Johnson's first touchdown run was from 46 yards out when he outran the TTU defense for an early lead. He struck again when he scrambled early in the third quarter after the Red Raiders took a two-score lead.
Deep passes to Jaron Tibbs and Jayce Brown also turned into a combined 94 yards when the Wildcats couldn't find any consistency otherwise.
Texas Tech gave the Wildcats a few opportunities late in the game, but Texas Tech's pass-rush and more drops by receivers kept it from happening. Johnson's fumble with under five minutes to go was scooped up by the Texas Tech defense and returned for an eight-yard touchdown, sending the crowd to the exits.
Texas Tech's star linebacker entered the game already having five forced fumbles this season. He added two more, both leading to the Red Raider touchdowns.
He stripped Jayce Brown during the second quarter deep in K-State territory, leading to a Cameron Dickey one-yard touchdown run five plays later. He struck again in the third quarter, punching the ball out from behind when Garrett Oakley already picked up a nice gain. Three plays later, J'Koby Williams broke away for a 41-yard touchdown run.
The Red Raiders' first four drives resulted in an interception, a punt, a turnover on downs, and another punt. After that? They scored on their next six drives, not punting again until there was 10:35 left in the game.
Poor tackling allowed J'Koby Williams to get loose on multiple occasions, including on a 41-yard touchdown early in the second half. He rushed for 135 yards and a score, averaging 7.9 yards per carry.
After maybe the best game of his career, Kansas State's explosive receiver had a day to forget.
Brown dropped a pass early, which could have turned into at least three points for the Wildcats' offense. He then lucked out when a review wiped away a catch-and-fumble, ruling that he never had control.
Such luck ran out when he caught another quick pass, tucked it away, and fumbled. The ball was recovered deep in K-State territory, turning into the Red Raiders' first touchdown and a lead.
Not all was bad for Brown, who hauled in a 56-yard pass in the third quarter, which set up Johnson's second rushing touchdown of the day.
Wyatt D. Wheeler covers Kansas State athletics for the USA TODAY Network and Topeka Capital-Journal. You can follow him on X at @WyattWheeler_ , contact him at 417-371-6987 or email him at wwheeler@gannett.com
This article originally appeared on Topeka Capital-Journal: Kansas State football vs Texas Tech takeaways: Turnovers cost Wildcats
