NORMAN, Okla. – Kansas State has done it again.
Quarterback Adrian Martinez ran for 148 yards and four touchdowns, and the Wildcats stunned No. 6 Oklahoma 41-34 on Saturday night.
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Kansas State beat Oklahoma in 2012, 2014, 2019 and 2020, but an upset seemed unlikely this time — the Wildcats were coming off a home loss to Tulane the previous week.
“I just know that our kids believe that they’re a good football team, and they have to go out there and prove it,” Kansas State coach Chris Klieman said. “And tonight, they proved it.”
Martinez also passed for 234 yards and a score. He was Nebraska’s quarterback last year when the Cornhuskers lost to Oklahoma 23-16 in the same stadium.
Martinez, a senior, said it was his best college performance.
“Absolutely, beating a team like this, on a team like this — it's a special feeling, and one I’ve never had in my career," he said.
Deuce Vaughn rushed for 116 yards for the Wildcats (3-1, 1-0 Big 12).
It was first-year Oklahoma coach Brent Venables' first loss as a head coach, and it came against his alma mater.
“I don’t think that we played, obviously, like we have these first three weeks,” he said. “It starts with the man in the mirror and it starts with us as coaches. Obviously, we did a poor job of getting our guys ready to play. Obviously, we didn’t handle success very well. Sometimes, it’s just the other team. They just outplayed you, outcoached you.”
Dillon Gabriel passed for 330 yards and four touchdowns and Eric Gray ran for 114 yards for the Sooners (3-1, 0-1).
Kansas State broke out to a 14-0 lead about nine minutes into the game behind Martinez's 6-yard touchdown run and 6-yard scoring pass to Malik Knowles.
“I think coming out really fast helped us as a unit,” Martinez said. “Immediately, we knew we could score on these guys.”
The Wildcats gained 279 yards in the first half to take a 24-17 lead at the break.
Martinez scored his third touchdown run of the game from 15 yards out to put Kansas State up 34-20 with 8 minutes to play.
Gabriel found Brayden Willis for a 1-yard touchdown pass with 4:36 remaining to cut Kansas State's lead to 34-27. But on the Wildcats' next possession, Martinez broke loose for 55 yards on a third-and-16. He finished the drive with a 1-yard scoring run — his fourth touchdown rushing of the game.
Gabriel found Willis for a 10-yard touchdown pass with 35 seconds left, and the Sooners cut the deficit to 41-34, but Kansas State's Kade Warner recovered Oklahoma's onside kick.
“They onside kicked it to the kid that’s got the best hands on our team in Kade Warner, and I felt pretty good,” Klieman said. “When he recovered that, I was like, ‘Wow. We’re going to beat these guys again here.’ It’s amazing to do this two times in a row here.”
THE TAKEAWAY
Kansas State: The Wildcats showed resilience and found a way to once again win in Norman — just as they did in 2012, 2014 and 2020. They beat up a defense that had allowed just 30 points in its first three games.
Oklahoma: The Sooners' defense, which was tough during nonconference play, surrendered 509 total yards and 275 yards rushing. The Sooners committed 11 penalties for 87 yards, including five false starts.
POLL IMPLICATIONS
The Sooners missed an opportunity to climb, with Clemson going two overtimes before holding off Wake Forest and Michigan having trouble before defeating Maryland. They'll likely take a steep drop.
WARNER’S SONS
NFL Hall of Fame quarterback Kurt Warner’s sons had quite the day.
E.J. Warner got his first win as a college starting quarterback. He completed 11 of 22 passes for 173 yards and two touchdown passes to lead Temple to a 28-0 victory over Massachusetts.
Kade Warner then caught three passes for 26 yards against Oklahoma and secured the onside kick.
SELMON BROTHERS
Oklahoma dedicated a statue honoring the Selmon brothers — defensive linemen Lucious, Dewey and Lee Roy. The trio starred for Oklahoma from 1971 through 1975 and helped the Sooners compile a 54-3-1 record with national championships in 1974 and 1975 and four Big Eight titles. All three started on the defensive line in 1973. Lee Roy passed away in 2011, but Lucious and Dewey were present.
QUOTABLE
Venables: “They obviously were the better team tonight. I thought they played more physical than us, played with better fundamentals, they played with better precision on both sides of the ball.”
UP NEXT
Kansas State: Hosts Texas Tech on Oct. 1.
Oklahoma: Visits TCU on Oct. 1.
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Follow Cliff Brunt on Twitter: twitter.com/CliffBruntAP
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