Kansas State Gets a Scare in 35-28 Win

Iowa State finally played well enough to give No. 15 Kansas State a scare.

The Wildcats rallied in the second half behind David Allen’s 94-yard punt return and backup quarterback Adam Helm’s steady play to defeat the Cyclones, 35-28, Saturday at Ames, Iowa, overcoming a 28-7 halftime deficit.

Kansas State (3-0) didn’t lead in the Big 12 opener until Helm scored the winning touchdown on a one-yard run with 2:34 remaining, capping the biggest comeback in Bill Snyder’s 11 seasons as coach.

“We were lucky enough to pull it together in the second half,” Kansas State linebacker Travis Litton said. “We made up our minds that we were not going to give up and we knew if we limited our mistakes, we could win the ball game.”

Iowa State (3-1) dominated the first half, outgaining Kansas State, 332-102, and looking nothing like the team that has lost the previous five games in the series by an average of 29 points.

Helm revived a sputtering offense after replacing Jonathan Beasley on the second series of the third quarter.

Kansas State kept Iowa State’s Darren Davis, the nation’s No. 2 rusher, under control. Davis carried 17 times for 131 yards in the first half, then was limited to 21 yards in nine second-half carries.

Helm scored twice on short runs and led touchdown drives of 80, 75 and 62 yards.

Catching the ball at the six, Allen started left then turned upfield. Once he eluded a futile dive by punter Carl Gomez at midfield, Allen was home free for his sixth career punt return for a touchdown, one short of the NCAA record, and matched the longest in school history.

No. 5 Texas A&M; 23, Southern Mississippi 6--Jay Brooks and Michael Jameson each returned interceptions for touchdowns in the second half and Terence Kitchens kicked three field goals, including one from 62 yards, for the Aggies at College Station, Texas.

Brooks’ 41-yard return for a score midway through the third quarter staked Texas A&M; (3-0) to a 16-0 lead before Southern Mississippi (2-2) scored the only offensive touchdown of the game, a 54-yard pass from Cable Davis to Todd Pinkston on the second play of the fourth quarter.

No. 6 Nebraska 40, Missouri 10--The Cornhuskers capitalized on two high punt snaps and an interception to take a 16-point first-quarter lead at Columbia, Mo.

Missouri (2-1, 0-1) has lost 36 consecutive games to top-10 opponents since 1981.

Eric Crouch threw for two touchdowns and ran for one as Nebraska (4-0, 1-0) won its 100th game of the 1990s. Nebraska has won 21 in a row over Missouri since 1978, has won 25 consecutive conference openers and has outscored opponents this season, 126-23.

Crouch hit former quarterback Bobby Newcombe for a 53-yard score in the second half and Correll Buckhalter ran for 132 yards in 14 carries with a touchdown. Crouch had 92 yards rushing in 15 carries and was 10 for 17 for 143 yards.

No. 22 Texas 62, Baylor 0--Major Applewhite passed for 333 yards and three touchdowns and Hodges Mitchell scored three touchdowns for the Longhorns at Waco, Texas.

Chris Robertson added two touchdown runs for Texas (4-1, 1-0), which amassed 586 yards.

Texas’ first shutout since 1991 was the worst loss for Baylor since a 77-0 Texas victory in 1913. The Bears were held to 159 yards.

Baylor (0-4, 0-2) has lost 10 in a row and is off to its worst start since 1978 under first-year coach Kevin Steele.

The Longhorns built a 42-0 halftime lead, scoring six touchdowns on their first nine possessions.

San Diego State 41, Kansas 13--Jack Hawley threw for 343 yards and three touchdowns as the Aztecs ended an 18-year nonconference road drought at Lawrence, Kan.

Larry Ned ran for two scores and Jonas Lewis carried 14 times for 103 yards for San Diego State, whose last nonconference road win was a 38-20 victory at Nevada Las Vegas on Nov. 14, 1981. Since then, San Diego State had lost 26 in a row.

The Aztecs (2-2) gained 572 yards against the Jayhawks (1-3), including 413 in the first half. Hawley completed 16 of 19 passes for 331 yards as San Diego State took a 31-0 halftime lead.