Saturday, August 30, 2014 07:10 PM (ET)

Recap: Kansas State 55, Stephen F. Austin 16

SportsDirect Inc. staff
Aug 30, 2014

No. 21 Kansas State 55, Stephen F. Austin 16: Jake Waters tossed two touchdown passes and ran for two more scores as the Wildcats rolled to a season-opening home rout of the FCS Lumberjacks.

Waters, a second-year senior starter, was 19-of-28 for 223 yards and the two scores and ran for 55 yards on 17 carries before being pulled early in the fourth quarter. Charles Jones also rushed for 55 yards and a pair of TDs for the Wildcats (1-0).

Stephen F. Austin (0-1) fell behind 21-0 and was never really in the game, spoiling the debut of new coach Clint Conque. Starting quarterback Zach Conque, a transfer from Texas-San Antonio and the son of the head coach, was 17-of-30 for the Lumberjacks while backup Joe Minden led the team’s two touchdown drives and finished 7-of-9 for 107 yards.

Kansas State's offense started fast and hardly was slowed in the opening half, scoring touchdowns on its first four drives. The Wildcats’ fifth possession ended with a missed field goal, but they rolled up 284 total yards - including 218 from Waters, who threw for a TD in the first quarter and ran for two short scores in the second for a 28-10 halftime lead.

After the Wildcats expanded their lead to 42-10 in the third quarter, Stephen F. Austin capitalized on a rare Waters miscue – an interception. Gus Johnson sprinted 30 yards for a touchdown five plays later, but the extra-point attempt sailed off target, and the Lumberjacks never threatened again.

GAME NOTEBOOK: Kansas State has won 24 of its last 25 home openers, with last season’s 24-21 loss to eventual FCS champion North Dakota State the only defeat. … It wasn’t all good news for the Wildcats, as senior WR and 2013 All-American Tyler Lockett departed the game with an unspecified injury shortly after catching a 9-yard TD pass on the team’s opening drive and didn’t return. … Johnson, a two-time All-Southland Conference selection, sat out the first half while serving a suspension for an unspecified violation of team rules.



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