The 2011 Kansas State Wildcats football team represented Kansas State University in the 2011 NCAA Division I FBS football season. The Wildcats played their home games at Bill Snyder Family Football Stadium, in Manhattan, Kansas as they have done since 1968. It was the 116th season in school history. The Wildcats were led by head coach Bill Snyder in his 20th overall and third straight season since returning for his second tenure in 2009. They are a member of the Big 12 Conference. After winning all three non-conference games (Eastern Kentucky, Kent State, Miami), the conference schedule began with a close victory at home over the Baylor Bears, and ended with a victory over the rival Iowa State Cyclones in the Farmageddon showdown. Kansas State made to a 7–0 start for first time since 1999. In the week 10 action, Kansas State earned a quadruple-overtime win over the Texas A&M Aggies. It was the first overtime game in school history since the 1998 Big 12 Championship Game, a game that also saw the Wildcats and Aggies play, which they lost 36–33 in double-overtime.
The 2011 Wildcats season finished with 10–3 overall, 7–2 Big 12 play, finished in second place, behind Oklahoma State. They were invited to the Cotton Bowl Classic for their third appearance, where they were defeated by Arkansas, Kansas State's first Cotton Bowl Classic loss since 1996 against BYU in the 1997 Cotton Bowl Classic.
Off-season Coming off a close loss in the 2010 Pinstripe Bowl, K-State's off-season was headlined by signing brothers Arthur and Bryce Brown, from Wichita East High School joining the team. Arthur, a transfer from Miami was expected to (and did) start at middle linebacker while Bryce, a transfer from Tennessee expected to see time at running back, but left the program after the first two games. Collin Klein was the starting quarterback for the team after the departure of Carson Coffman.
Schedule
Rankings
Game summaries
Eastern Kentucky
K-State rallied late to defeat Eastern Kentucky 10–7 in front of a sellout crowd of 50,292. Collin Klein hit Chris Harper in the back of the end zone for a 33-yard touchdown pass with 1 minute, 39 seconds remaining that the Wildcats possessed a lead. K-State turned the ball over five times, needed 77 plays to gain 303 yards. Klein was sacked twice, and ended with a decent effort, completing 13 of 21 passes for 128 yards a touchdown and an interception while rushing for 78 yards on 25 carries. Running backs Angelo Pease, John Hubert and Bryce Brown all failed to consistently gain yardage. Though Hubert reeled off a few nifty runs and finished with 91 yards, Brown had difficulties. Brown played in his first game since transferring from Tennessee, managed 16 yards on three carries and set Eastern Kentucky up for its only score by fumbling in front of K-State's end zone.
The Wildcats' offensive struggles sent them into halftime tied 0–0, and put them behind 7–0 late in the third quarter when Jared McClain ran in a one-yard touchdown following Brown's fumble.
From there, the Wildcats did just enough to pull out the win. They drove into scoring position three times, with Anthony Cantele missing a 37-yard field goal attempt, then connecting on one from 36 yards out with 10:11 remaining to make the score 7–3.
K-State's defense, which played well and allowed 129 total yards, forced Eastern Kentucky to punt on its next possession and set Klein up for the game-winning score.
Kent State
K-State was favored by 17½ going into the game.
K-State had their first shutout in more than five years as David Garrett returned an interception 45 yards for a first-quarter touchdown, and Collin Klein dazzled with his legs and the Wildcats blew out Kent State 37–0. K-State scored on five of six first-half drives to build a 34–0 lead and had the only scoring in the second half with a field goal.
Klein finished with 139 yards rushing and 74 yards passing, nearly becoming the first Kansas State quarterback since Allen Webb in 2004 to eclipse 100 yards in each category. He had a hand in all three touchdowns scored by the offense, two running and one passing. The Wildcats held the second-worst offense in the Football Bowl Subdivision to 12 first downs and 199 yards.
The Golden Flashes didn't do much to help themselves, committing 11 penalties for 136 yards. That included eight personal fouls, one of which spoiled a first-and-goal situation at the Kansas State 3 in the fourth quarter. The Wildcats managed to keep the Golden Flashes out of the end zone to secure their first shutout since beating Florida Atlantic 45–0 on Sept. 9, 2006.
The senior cornerback waited until Keith finally unloaded a looping pass toward Eric Adeyemi near the sideline. Garrett deftly
K-State had the first interception returned for a touchdown by Kansas State since Jeffrey Fitzgerald did it against Texas Tech on Oct. 10, 2009.
Miami
Miami was favored by 13 going into the game.
K-State's victory was the Wildcats’ first road non-conference win since Bill Snyder began his second stint as coach.
Tre Walker made a game saving tackle at the two-yard line to preserve a 28–24 victory. On 4th and 1, with under a minute, Walker tackled Jacory Harris. Initially called a touchdown, officials overturned the call and K-State took possession of the ball with 45 seconds remaining. K-State ran two QB keepers, while Miami used the last of its two timeouts, and then Collin Klein took a knee to run out the remainder of the game clock and seal the victory for the wildcats
Collin Klein rushed 22 times, often up the middle of the Hurricanes’ defense, for 93 yards and a touchdown while also completing 12 of 18 passes for 133 yards and two touchdowns.
Helping him was the improved blocking of K-State's offensive line, and the consistent running of John Hubert, who had a breakthrough performance with a career-high 166 yards and a touchdown in 18 attempts.
In addition Nigel Malone had his third interception in as many games making him one of only 7 FBS players to average one interception per game.
While much of the preseason talk at running back revolved around hyped transfer Bryce Brown, it is Hubert who is emerging as the team's go-to runner.
This game also marked the second consecutive season of K-State being undefeated entering into conference play. It also marked K-State's second consecutive season of going undefeated in non-conference play.
This game also marked K-State's first win over a team currently in the ACC conference. (note: Syracuse was admitted to the ACC on September 18, and K-State had previously beaten Syracuse in the 1997 Fiesta Bowl.)
Baylor
Baylor was favored by 3.
Arthur Brown picked off Baylor's star quarterback, Robert Griffin III in the closing minutes Saturday, setting up a 31-yard field goal by Anthony Cantele that sent unbeaten Kansas State to a 36–35 upset over the number 15 Bears.
Collin Klein threw for 146 yards and two touchdowns and added 113 yards and another score for the Wildcats, who won their third straight Big 12 opener; this one in dramatic fashion.
Kansas State trailed 35–26 midway through the fourth quarter when Klein engineered a 13-play, 70-yard drive that he capped with a short touchdown plunge.
Cantele, who missed earlier in the game from 42 yards, hit the go-ahead field goal with 3:10 left to set off a raucous celebration at Bill Snyder Family Football Stadium.
Griffin finished 23 of 31 for 346 yards and five touchdowns and very costly interception that sealed the Wildcats' victory.
Most of Griffin's offense was directed at Kendall Wright, who caught nine passes for a school-record 201 yards and three TDs. Gerald McNeil had held the previous record since 1981.
None of the Bears’ five scoring drives took more than 2 minutes, 36 seconds, even though all of them covered at least 48 yards. That included a two-play, 75-yard drive that took all of 20 seconds late in the first half that gave them a 21–19 lead at the break.
K-State beat a ranked team for the first time since the 2007 team, when they beat number 4-ranked Texas.
Missouri
The Missouri Tigers were favored by 3.
Collin Klein had three touchdowns rushing for the number 20 Wildcats, who nearly blew a big second-half lead against Missouri before holding on for a 24–17 victory and their first 5–0 start since 2000.
Klein finished with 157 yards of total offense and John Hubert added 126 yards on the ground for the Wildcats, who had lost the last five matchups between the Big 12 rivals.
James Franklin was 19 of 35 for 214 yards passing for the Tigers, who came into the game averaging more than 500 yards of total offense. They only managed 326 against the Wildcats, most of that coming on a pair of long touchdown drives in the fourth quarter.
The first was 79-yard drive that Henry Josey finished with a 2-yard run to get the Tigers within 24–10. The Wildcats promptly went three-and-out, and Franklin led Missouri on a 74-yard drive that he finished off with a plunge from a yard out with 5:02 left in the game.
Tight end Michael Egnew fumbled after a catch on the drive, but a video review gave the ball back to Missouri. It was one of four calls by the officiating crew that were overturned.
Missouri never got another chance with the ball.
Klein bailed them out with a long touchdown pass in the closing minutes against Eastern Kentucky, the defense delivered a goal-line stand to beat Miami, and last week Kansas State scored 10 unanswered points in the final minutes to stun then-number 15 Baylor.
On Missouri's first offensive play of the game, Franklin dropped back to pass, looked over the middle and threw right to Wildcat defensive back Ty Zimmerman, who had deftly stepped in front of the intended receiver. The interception ended a stretch of 108 consecutive passes without throwing a pick for the sophomore quarterback.
It took Kansas State six plays to punch it into the end zone.
By the time the first quarter drew to a close, the Tigers had exactly zero yards of total offense—20 yards through the air and minus-20 on the ground.
Henry Josey finally got things rolling for Missouri in the second quarter, using his quick feet to spring for a couple of long runs. But a false start inside the 10-yard line on second down pushed the Tigers back and they had to settle for Grant Ressel's 32-yard field goal.
Ressel had a chance to get Missouri within 10–6 at the break, but he pushed a 43-yard attempt wide right on the final play of the half as rain started to fall.
Missouri cost itself later in the quarter when Darvin Ruise was called for roughing the kicker after the Tigers had forced Kansas State to punt. The penalty gave Kansas State the ball back and Hubert went to work. After taking a handoff deep in the backfield, he did his best Darren Sproles imitation and spun away from a defender, taking the ball all the way down to the 3.
Klein scored seconds later for a 17–3 lead.
Klein added a short TD plunge on the Wildcats' ensuing possession, and although Missouri managed to make the game close with a couple late touchdowns, the lead was too much to overcome.
It was K-State's first game being ranked since 2007.
Texas Tech