MANHATTAN (AP) — Kansas State only needed a couple decent minutes to win its season opener, and only a good first half on Saturday night to beat Kent State.
The Wildcats will probably need four quarters to have a chance next week against Miami.
Collin Klein was efficient executing the Kansas State offense, and David Garrett highlighted a strong defensive effort with his 45-yard interception return for a touchdown, as the Wildcats cruised to a 37-0 victory over the Golden Flashes by pitching their first shutout in more than five years.
Kansas State, which needed a touchdown pass by Klein in the closing minutes two weeks ago to beat Eastern Kentucky, had no such trouble this time. The Wildcats (2-0) returned from an early bye week to score on five of six first-half drives and build a 34-0 lead by the break.
I thought offensively we played reasonably well,” Kansas State coach Bill Snyder said, “but they don’t let you get away with playing well for 30 minutes.”
Klein finished with 139 yards rushing and 74 yards passing, nearly becoming the first Kansas State quarterback since Allen Webb in 2004 to eclipse 100 yards in each category. He had a hand in all three touchdowns scored by the offense, two on the ground and one through the air.
“A couple of times my eyes were moving faster than my feet,” Klein said, “but for the most part, I thought my decision-making was at an extremely high level.”
Klein didn’t have much help — John Hubert and Robert Rose each had 29 yards rushing — but the defense more than made up for the paltry offense.
The Wildcats held the second-worst offense in the Football Bowl Subdivision to just 199 yards, much of that coming on 72 yards rushing by Trayion Durham. Spencer Keith finished 11 of 23 for 81 yards and a pair of interceptions in a performance the junior quarterback would rather just forget.
“We just didn’t execute on offense,” he said simply. “I’ve got to step up and make throws.”
The Golden Flashes also committed 11 penalties for 136 yards. That included eight personal fouls, one of which spoiled a first-and-goal situation at the Wildcats’ 3 in the fourth quarter. Kansas State managed to keep Kent State out of the end zone for its first shutout since beating Florida Atlantic 45-0 on Sept. 9, 2006.
“It means a lot,” defensive back Tysyn Hartman said. “This is my fifth year here and I haven’t seen it done. It means a lot to do something special.”
Garrett’s interception set the tone for the game.
The senior cornerback waited until Keith unloaded a looping pass toward Eric Adeyemi near the sideline and deftly stepped in its path. Garrett corralled the ball near his shoestrings and was gone 45 yards untouched down the sideline to give Kansas State a 7-0 lead.
“I saw him break and I broke, and I just undercut the route,” Garrett said. “Next thing I know, I’m running down the sideline.”
It was the first interception returned for a TD by Kansas State said since Oct. 10, 2009, and it helped give a stagnant offense a lift. For the first time all season, the Wildcats finally started purring.
Backed up to the 3 after a false start, Klein picked his way through the line for a 46-yard gain on first down, and Kansas State methodically marched the rest of the way. Kent State helped with a pair of personal fouls, and Klein capped the 95-yard drive with a 5-yard scoring run.
It was the first of three straight drives that Kansas State turned into touchdowns.
The Wildcats went 98 yards the next time, converting four third downs along the way, the final one when Klein hit Sheldon Smith for a 3-yard TD toss that made the score 21-0.
“They weren’t doing anything we didn’t expect them to do,” Kent State coach Darrell Hazell said. “I think it was the penalties that probably hurt us a couple times, put ourselves in bad situations.”
Unable to get anything going offensively, Kent State resorted to trying a fake punt after its next drive stalled, but even that failed. The turnover gave Kansas State the ball at the Golden Flashes’ 48, and Klein completed three straight passes before scampering in from 4 yards out for another score.
Anthony Cantele added three field goals for Kansas State, and the defense preserved the shutout to send the Wildcats off to Miami on a high note.
“The shutout is great, just awesome,” linebacker Tre Walker said. “It means you did what you were supposed to do and you owned them.”