The Oklahoma defense had been like the Great Wall of China to opposing offenses. The Sooners had 60 tackles for loss on the season, 25 sacks, and ranked sixth nationally, allowing just 264.86 yards per game.
They were holding opponents to 10.1 points per game and the most points they had allowed in a single contest was 21 at Miami earlier this season.
I went with the numbers. I didn't think K-State had any chance to be able to run with the more-talented Sooners for 60 minutes. I was wrong — dead wrong.
The K-State offense had been bad in the 20-6 victory against Colorado. K-State coach Bill Snyder was noticeably angry with the unit following the victory.
Against Oklahoma, the offense defied all odds. It scored 30 points, 23 discounting Brandon Banks' 97-yard kickoff return for a score. K-State did what no other team in the country has been able to do against the Stout Sooner defense — score points and do it consistently.
Not even Texas could do what the Wildcats did. The Longhorns' 16th-ranked offense only put up 16 points against the Sooners.
K-State quarterback Grant Gregory played like he'd been a starter for three years, not five games. He was poised in the pocket, sensed the rush when it was coming, and made several throws that were near perfect. Needless to say, he managed the offense in an intimidating environment.
Banks had one of his best games in a K-State uniform, catching nine passes for 156 yards. The kick return touchdown gives him 10 touchdowns of 50 yards or more during his brief two-year career.
The unfortunate thing is the Wildcats dug themselves too big of a hole early on. It wasn't a surprise, the Sooners had outscored their opponents 58-0 in the first quarter. Make that 79-0 after Saturday's contest.
Take away that ugly first quarter and we may be talking about a different story right now. For much of that football game, the Wildcats played like the better team. They played with swagger. When Oklahoma seemed to knock the wind out of K-State's stomach, they had an answer.
K-State did something most Big 12 North teams haven't done this year — it played with the South's best. There's an immense talent gap between the Sooners' roster and K-State's. But if you watched much of Saturday's game, you may not have noticed. That's a testament to great coaching.
Snyder smelled blood against the Sooners. He truly thought the Wildcats could win. He opened up the playbook a considerable amount. Who can blame him? With 4:35 remaining in the third quarter, as Daniel Thomas plunged into the end zone to bring the Wildcats to within 28-23, I thought the same thing. They could win that game.
Unfortunately for K-State, talent eventually won out. But not without a fight.
Despite losing, the Wildcats sent a resounding message to the college football world Saturday night: They are a team to be reckoned with.
And after that performance, I'm going to have a hard time ever doubting this team no matter what the numbers say. Because numbers are on paper, and they can't measure heart. And heart was something the Wildcats showed plenty of Saturday night.
