MANHATTAN — No college football team has made the most of their opportunities on special teams over the past few decades like Kansas State.
As it turned out, when the No. 15-ranked Wildcats sputtered against North Texas on Saturday night at Bill Snyder Family Stadium, they turned to something that has been reliable for them for some time.
Tyler Lockett’s 96-yard kickoff return for a touchdown helped Kansas State snap out of its funk, the first of five touchdowns during a 35-21 getaway against the Mean Green.
“I think it was a big swing because we needed a spark to help us get going,” said Lockett, a sophomore from Tulsa, Okla. “It was a game-changing moment.”
As far as Kansas State head coach Bill Snyder was concerned, Lockett’s return was paramount in a game where they sputtered throughout.
“It was major,” Snyder said. “That probably was the difference in the ballgame. Special teams saved us.
“Across the board, I don’t think we played well.”
Since 1999, Kansas State leads the nation with 83 non-offensive touchdowns. With Lockett’s return, the Wildcats moved one ahead of Virginia Tech.
Since 1990, Kansas State is now 47-15 after recording a special-teams touchdown. It also didn’t hurt that the Wildcats scored 21 unanswered points to build a 35-13 lead after the Mean Green missed an extra-point kick in pulling within 14-13.
• Thompson makes big plays — Kansas State wide receiver Tramaine Thompson had five catches for a career-high 102 yards and two touchdowns.
Thompson caught a 38-yard scoring pass from quarterback Collin Klein in the second quarter. He later came free on a fade route and hauled in a 21-yard touchdown reception in the third quarter, keeping one foot in bounds as he made the catch just beyond the pylon in the left corner of the end zone.
“That’s the most yards I’ve ever put up,” Thompson said. “On the first touchdown, Collin laid it out there and put some air underneath it, so I could run it down.
“On the second one, I immediately pointed out to the referee where I was. You always know where you are on the field.”
• Last meeting — In 2010, Kansas State fell behind 20-7 in the first quarter in Denton, Texas, before it rallied for a 49-41 victory over the Mean Green.
The Wildcats outscored North Texas 42-21 during the final three quarters. Two-time Big 12 rushing champion and current Miami Dolphins running back Daniel Thomas accumulated a career-high 269 rushing yards for Kansas State.
• Coaches — It was the 12th meeting between Mean Green head coach Dan McCarney and Snyder, former assistants for Hayden Fry at Iowa (1979-88). McCarney was 2-9 against Snyder while he was the head coach at Iowa State (1995-2006) and is now 2-10 lifetime against him.
• Coming up — Kansas State travels to Norman, Okla., next Saturday to take on the fifth-ranked Oklahoma Sooners, who were idle this weekend.