Kansas State upsets Cincinnati in Senior Day home finale, snaps two-game skid

Kansas State wiped the slate clean Saturday night with a Week 13 41-15 win against the Cincinnati Bearcats.

The Wildcats (8-3, 5-3 Big 12) showed few weaknesses after losing to Arizona State and Houston to drop out of the College Football Playoff picture.

Kansas State dominated the game on both sides of the ball, amassing 415 yards. It forced the Bearcats into an inefficient pace on third down, converting 33 percent of their attempts. It came up empty on fourth down on five separate occasions as the Wildcats led the game wire-to-wire.

Quarterback Avery Johnson wasn’t flashy, but was ready. He completed 13-of-23 for 147 yards and two touchdowns. Johnson added a rushing touchdown for good measure.

For the first time in a month, Johnson didn’t turn the ball over. He was complimented by running back DJ Giddens’ two-touchdown performance. He ran the ball 15 times for 143 yards, averaging 9.5 yards per carry. carry.

The Wildcats forced four sacks against a Bearcat offense whose quarterback, Brendan Sorsby, managed to complete 21 passes in a 200-yard, two-touchdown performance.

The Wildcats shift their focus to their final regular season game against the Iowa State Cyclones next Saturday. The Cyclones are in a tie with Arizona State, BYU and Colorado to make the Big 12 title game, making the game a must-win to keep their hopes alive.

Heading into Week 13, the Bearcats needed one win in their last two games to become bowl eligible. At 5-6 (3-5 Big 12), they finish the regular season with TCU next week.

Kansas State finished the year 5-1 at home.

Zain Bando is a Kansas State Wildcats On SI contributor. He can be contacted at [email protected] and on Instagram/’X’ @zainbando99.

Follow our coverage and updates on Facebook

X: @KStateOnSI