Will Howard had an impressive day with three touchdown passes and two touchdown runs as No. 15 Kansas State defeated Troy 42-13 Saturday in Manhattan, Kan.
Howard finished 21-for-32 passing for 250 yards and one interception.
The defense showed up for the Wildcats (2-0), holding Troy to just 286 yards of total offense, one week after the Trojans amassed 540 yards and 48 points.
Gunnar Watson completed 17 of 32 passes for 167 yards, one touchdown and one interception for the Trojans (1-1).
A largely lethargic third quarter by both offenses saw K-State score the only points of the quarter on a 2-yard run by Howard. Troy gained just 49 yards in the third quarter, while K-State gained just one outside of a 44-yard drive capped by Howard’s run.
Scott Taylor Renfroe’s 37-yard field goal early in the fourth quarter cut into the K-State lead.
K-State erased any drama with a nine-play, 76-yard drive that made the score 35-13 with 8:48 left. Howard threw a shovel pass to Treshaun Ward, who scampered in from the 1-yard line. Howard’s second rushing touchdown gave the Wildcats a 42-13 lead with just 2:50 left.
K-State won the opening kickoff and marched 71 yards in eight plays for the opening touchdown, a 9-yard completion from Howard to Jadon Jackson.
After Troy failed on fourth-and-1 on the K-State 42, the Wildcats went 56 yards in 12 plays for a 14-0 lead. Phillip Brooks ran the final 2 yards on a jet sweep. Howard hit Jackson for a 24-yard gain on third-and-15 on the drive.
Troy got on the board with 3:46 left in the first half on a Renfroe 24-yard field goal as a 14-play drive stalled at the K-State 7-yard line. The Trojans’ next drive resulted in a 21-yard touchdown pass from Watson to Chris Lewis, who made a one-handed catch in the end zone. The Trojans were within 14-10 with 52 seconds left on the clock.
But Howard found Brooks on a crossing pattern and Brooks tiptoed up the sideline for a 39-yard touchdown with 10 seconds left, putting a damper on the Troy momentum.
–Field Level Media