The 25th-ranked Kansas State Wildcats clashed with the Texas Tech Red Raiders on Saturday in Manhattan in a highly-anticipated Big 12 matchup. Both teams are coming off major upsets last week against Texas and Oklahoma and found themselves in a position to take the lead in the Big 12 standings.
While this game was a grind for four quarters for both teams, the Wildcats outlasted the Red Raiders 37-28.
Adrian Martinez rushed for 171 yards and three touchdowns and threw for another score. Martinez was 12-for-19 passing for 116 yards for Kansas State (4-1, 2-0 Big 12), while Deuce Vaughn had 170 rushing yards for the Wildcats, who extended their winning streak against the Red Raiders to seven games.
Donovan Smith was 34-for-48 passing for 359 yards and two TDs for Texas Tech (3-2, 1-1). Smith also rushed for a touchdown.
Martinez raced 57 yards on the first play of the game, then capped it with an 18-yard touchdown on the second play, giving K-State a quick 7-0 lead.
The Wildcats also got three field goals from Chris Tennant after drives stalled.
Tech cut the lead to 13-7 with 1:24 left in the first half. After gaining just 48 yards of total offense, the Red Raiders went 86 yards on nine plays, capped by a 6-yard touchdown pass from Smith to Nehemiah Martinez.
Trey Wolff kicked a 51-yard field goal for Tech before the break, then tied the score at 20-20 with a 39-yard field goal midway through the third quarter.
K-State answered with its second two-play drive of the game. Vaughn ran 69 yards to the Tech 8-yard line on the first play after the kickoff. Following an offensive holding penalty, Martinez found Phillip Brooks with an 18-yard touchdown pass.
The lead didn't last long, as Smith hit Xavier White with a 12-yard touchdown pass to cap a seven-play, 75-yard drive. Wolff missed a 42-yard field goal, denying Tech its first lead of the game.
Martinez then scored on his second big run of the day, 69 yards untouched up the middle of the field. Tennant's 32-yard field goal gave the Wildcats a 30-20 lead with 9:07 left. A fumble on the next series gave K-State the ball at the Tech 27-yard line and the Wildcats iced the game with Martinez's third rushing touchdown.
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