Stephen F. Austin
Kansas State
SFA Falls To No. 20 Kansas State in Season Opener
8/30/2014 12:00:00 AM | Football
Box Score | Photo Gallery| Postgame Quotes 
MANHATTAN, Kan. - Stephen F. Austin spotted 20th-ranked Kansas State a 21-point lead in the first half and never recovered, falling 55-16 at Bill Snyder Family Stadium in the 2014 season opener.
"We're disappointed, but we're not discouraged," said head coach Clint Conque. "We knew coming in this would be a significant challenge, and they certainly played like the number 20 team in the country. That said, we had a lot of miscues. Some dropped balls, some missed assignments, some blocking issues. We had a few big plays that were just beyond our reach. We'll learn from this and we will continue to grow as a football team."
Kansas State dominated in time of possession, holding the ball for 37:45 while running 81 plays for 478 yards in an extremely balanced effort. The Wildcats rushed for 240 yards while passing for 238.
SFA managed just 294 yards of total offense on the night, with 225 of that coming through the air. Zach Conque went 17-of-30 for 118 yards while Joe Minden completed seven of his nine attempts for 107 yards.
Aaron Thomas was the top `Jack receiver, catching six passes for 85 yards while Marquis Mosley added five receptions for 17 yards. Tyler Boyd also notched three catches for 31 yards on the night.
On the ground, Gus Johnson rushed for 26 yards on eight carries, including a 30-yard touchdown scamper in the third quarter after missing the first half. Minded rushed for 25 yards and a touchdown as well for the `Jacks.
Defensively, Collin Garrett and Alex Miller led the way with seven tackles each while Justin Owens added six of his own. Nick Bryant notched five tackles and a sack with Kedrick Harrison and Donald Bryant registering sacks of their own.
SFA had a sluggish start in its season opener, and Kansas State took advantage. The Setting the tone for the evening, The Wildcats controlled the game for the duration of the first quarter, holding the ball for 11:58 in the opening stanza, running 21 plays for 134 yards. To contrast, the `Jacks ran just nine plays for 17 yards, chewing just 3:02 off the clock.
K-State used an 11-play, 69-yard drive to open the scoring as Jake Waters hit Tyler Lockett for a nine-yard touchdown strike. Waters then scored on a five-yard scramble nine seconds into the second quarter before Charles Jones took a direct snap 15 yards up the gut less than four minutes later, giving the Wildcats the 21-0 lead with 11:13 left in the opening half.
SFA responded on its ensuing drive as Minden led the `Jacks on an eight-play, 77-yard drive, capped by his own 18-yard scramble to put SFA on the board at 21-10. After another Wildcat scoring drive, Conque led the `Jacks on a 13-play, 72-yard drive which resulted in a 33-yard field goal for Jordan Wiggs with 53 seconds left in the half. K-State missed a 45-yard attempt as time expired, taking the 28-10 lead into the half.
After notching its first three-and-out to start the second half, SFA appeared to build some momentum. But it was short-lived as the ensuing drive stalled and Kansas State added two more touchdowns to extend its lead to 42-10 midway through the third quarter.
SFA responded with a big 30-yard touchdown run down the Lumberjack sideline by Johnson, trimming the deficit to 42-16 after three following a missed extra point. But that was as close as the `Jacks could get, giving up 13 more points in the fourth quarter.
Two other statistics contributed to SFA's struggles as the `Jacks had 10 penalties for 130 yards, including eight for 115 in the first half. Kansas State also was successful on eight of its 14 third down conversions and was two-for-two on fourth down while SFA converted on just five of its 14 third down attempts.
Quarterback Jake Waters completed 19 of his 28 passes for 223 yards and two touchdowns while also rushing for 55 yards on 17 carries with a pair of scores. Charles Jones also rushed for 55 yards and a pair of touchdowns for K-State.
The Lumberjacks will now return home as SFA begins a four-game home stand at Homer Bryce Stadium, beginning Saturday, September 6th when the `Jacks host Southland Conference newcomer Incarnate Word. Kickoff against the Cardinals is set for 6 p.m.
-SFA-
