Kansas State (5-1, 3-0) somehow was able to escape Ames with a 10-9 win against Iowa State (3-3, 0-3) in the 106th edition of “Farmageddon”.

K-State would strike first with the lone touchdown of the game, an 81-yard connection from quarterback Adrian Martinez, who avoided getting sacked to get it to wide receiver Phillip Brooks.

On Iowa State’s next drive, the Cyclones got two chunk plays to get them in field goal range. Wide receiver Xavier Hutchinson was wide open in the endzone on a third down play, but he dropped it. ISU settled for a 35-yard field goal from kicker Jace Gilbert who missed three crucial field goals in their 14-11 loss to KU in Lawrence last weekend.

After the first quarter, the Cats led 7-3, but Iowa State ran 27 plays compared to K-State’s just six plays.

The Cyclones put together a methodical drive that took up 7:43 of game time, but they settled for another field goal as the Wildcats’ defense locked down in their own territory. Gilbert was true from 44 yards away to make it a 7-6 game.

After both defenses got stops, K-State completed a 68-yard pass to wide receiver Malik Knowles and it looked like it was going to be a touchdown, but fifth year defensive back Anthony Johnson Jr. knocked the ball out at the one-yard line for a touchback.

Neither offense was able to do anything for the remainder of the half, and K-State held on to a 7-6 lead at halftime.

Both defenses stayed hot out of the break, but on K-State’s second possession of the third quarter, they had a few chunk plays to get them into the redzone. Unfortunately, the drive stalled at the 16-yard line and kicker Chris Tennant, who hadn’t missed since their game against Missouri, couldn’t make one from 33 yards.

The Cyclones responded with a good drive of their own, but once again, Iowa State couldn’t get a touchdown. This time Gilbert made a 43-yard field goal to give them their first lead since their opening drive field goal. K-State found themselves down 9-7 going into the fourth quarter. It was the first time this season they trailed going into the final frame.

It took a while, but the Wildcats finally were able to generate points for the first time since the opening drive with Tennant making up for his prior miss by burying a 30-yard field goal to take a 10-9 lead. Offensive coordinator Collin Klein spiced things up that drive by having Knowles throw a pass to Martinez which was completed for a 12-yard gain.

K-State committed an unsportsmanlike conduct penalty after the field goal which gave Iowa State great field position on their next drive right at midfield. The Cylcones couldn’t capitalize, though, as Hutchinson dropped a pass on 4th & 7 that would have kept the drive alive in K-State territory with 2:29 left to go.

Kansas State needed to get two first downs to run out the clock, and they got them both with some angry runs from redshirt freshman DJ Giddens.

The game was ugly, but it was gutsy. The offense struggled, but they got plays when they needed to. They made mistakes, but they didn’t hang their heads and give up. Like they say, a win is a win is a win.

K-State left ten points on the board with Knowles’ fumble and Tennant’s missed field goal, but, fortunately, they didn’t become a factor in the outcome of the game.

Hutchinson, the conference’s leader in receiving yards and the nation’s leader in receptions, had two crucial drops. The first one in the first quarter in the endzone, which was their best chance at getting a touchdown all day, and the second being the Cyclones’ final play from scrimmage. If he catches one of those passes, the result of the game could have been completely different.

Martinez went 12-for-19 with 246 passing yards and a passing touchdown. He also had 19 carries for 77 rushing yards. Running back Deuce Vaughn was bottled up in this game and had some injury issues throughout the night. He had ten carries for just 23 yards.

The Wildcats had two 100+ yard performances from Brooks and Knowles which is the first time since their win versus Central Arkansas in 2017. Brooks had four catches for 119 yards and the touchdown, and Knowles had five catches for 108 yards with his fumble.

Their ten points is the fewest in a confernce win since 1993 and the fewest in a road conference win since 1982.

K-State improves to 5-1 on the regular season and 3-0 in conference play. They are in solo first place in the Big 12 half way through the 2022 regular season.

The Cats get a much-needed bye with multiple players on both sides of the ball leaving the game with injuries. Their next game will be at TCU on October 15th with the time of that game to be determined.