The College Football Blog: 2012 Big XII Game of the Year

Big XII Game of the Year

Week 4: Kansas State at Oklahoma (24-19)

Highlights: Kansas State looked to be surprisingly good again as they entered this one ranked #15. However, #6 Oklahoma was a 15.5-point favorite and was a virtual lock to win at home. They’d won 6 straight and 8 of 9 against the Wildcats, and hadn’t lost at home to KSU since 1997. 

Oklahoma controlled the game early on and led 3-0 after a quarter of play. The game changed early in the 2^nd quarter as Oklahoma faced a 3^rd and long from their own 13. Landry Jones was sacked by Justin Tuggle and fumbled near the goal line and KSU’s Jarell Childs scooped and scored to put KSU on top 7-3.

If that was the biggest play of the game, the second biggest play of the game occurred on the ensuing Oklahoma drive. The Sooners had 2^nd and goal at the 1 but Blake Bell was stuffed and fumbled and Ty Zimmerman recovered for KSU at the 6. The Cats then went on a 13-play, 88-yard drive over 7 minutes, resulting in a FG to make it 10-3. 

Kansas State led 10-6 at the half, but Oklahoma was still expected to get it together at some point. They did so midway through the 3^rd quarter, marching 88 yards for a score to retake the lead, 13-10. Kansas State wasn’t finished, however. Again they would get a big play from Zimmerman, who intercepted Jones at the Oklahoma 38 late in the 3^rd. Early in the 4^th Colin Klein scored to give KSU the lead again, 17-13. Kansas State’s defense responded with a 3-and-out and the Cats marched right down the field again and scored to take a commanding 24-13 lead with 7-and-half minutes to play. All of the sudden this thing had gotten real.

Oklahoma wasn’t dead yet. They went on a 10-play drive for a TD to make it a 1-score game with over 4 minutes still on the clock. However, Jones fired incomplete on the 2-point try, leaving the score at 24-19. 

Now it was all up to KSU’s offense to seal the deal. Klein completed a pass on 3^rd and 11 from the KSU 24 for 12 yards and a huge 1^st down. Oklahoma was forced to use their final timeout with 1:59 to go. Facing a 3^rd and 3 from the KSU 43, Klein took it himself and picked up 5 yards for the game clinching 1^st down.