Kansas State Wildcats vs Stanford Cardinal Box Score on Sep 02, 2016

The Sports Xchange
Sep 3, 2016

STANFORD, Calif. - No. 8 Stanford looked very much like a top-10 team in first half of its season opener against Kansas State Friday, but the Cardinal's play in the second half raised questions about their readiness for their next five games, four of which are against ranked teams.

The Cardinal scored on their first three possessions to take an early 17-0 lead, but then had to hang on to post a 26-13 victory over Kansas State at Stanford Stadium.

Stanford running back Christian McCaffrey, the Heisman Trophy runnerup last season, had 126 rushing yards, 210 all-purposes yards and two touchdowns, and Cardinal quarterback Ryan Burns completed his first 10 passes in his first collegiate start. But the Wildcats controlled much of the second half.

"We were really good in the first half," Stanford coach David Shaw said, "Not as clean in the second. We've just set the bar where we, and have to set it that much higher for USC."

The Cardinal avoided a repeat of last season, when they lost to Northwestern in their season opener, but now have the daunting task of facing No. 20 USC, No. 16 UCLA, No. 14 Washington, Washington State and No. 10 Notre Dame in their next five games

Despite being dominated in the early going, Kansas State ended up with more first downs (18-13) and more total yards (335-272) than the Cardinal.

The Wildcats closed the gap to 19-13 on Jesse Ertz's 15-yard touchdown pass to Isaiah Zuber with 2:20 left in the game. The Wildcats were unable to regain possession on the ensuing onside kick, and McCaffrey then broke off a 41-yard touchdown run with 2:12 left to make it 26-13 and close the door.

Seventy-six of McCaffrey's yards came on that touchdown run and a 35-yard scoring scamper in the second quarter.

"We thought they would run the daylights out of the running game," said Kansas State coach Bill Snyder, "but take away those two runs ...."

Kansas State limited Stanford to 105 rushing yards, but could not have predicted the success Burns had in his first collegiate start. He finished 14 of 18 for 156 yards, a touchdown and no interceptions.

"He was awesome," McCaffrey said.

But even Burns was not as sharp in the second half.

"I think we got a little comfortable," Burns said.

The two long scoring runs by McCaffrey and Burns' 40-yard touchdown pass to Michael Rector on the first play of the second quarter accounted for all three of Stanford's touchdowns.

"I didn't expect to give up the big plays that we did," Snyder said. "Three good plays which really was the nature of the game as far as the scoring was concerned."

Otherwise, Kansas State's defense controlled the Cardinal attack.

"For the most part I thought we had an OK game, something to build off," Wildcats defensive end Jordan Willis said.

Snyder was displeased nonetheless.

"We were inconsistent consistently over the whole game," he said.

Ertz, who suffered a season-ending knee injury in the first quarter of last season's opener, was 16 of 34 for 207 yards, one touchdown and one interception. Quarterback Joe Hubener also played briefly, and he was 3 of 7 for 36 yards and a pick.

Stanford opened the scoring on Conrad Ukropina's 50-yard field with 9:22 left in the first quarter.

A block-in-the-back penalty against Stanford negated a spectacular 97-yard punt return by McCaffrey, who broke through several Stanford turned it into tackles as soon as he fielded the punt, then sprinted down the left sideline for an apparent touchdown. Instead, Stanford got the ball at its own 2-yard line.

"It was the best punt return that didn't count that I've ever seen," Shaw said.

Stanford turned it into a 10-play, 98-yard scoring drive that ended on Burns' perfectly thrown 40-yard touchdown pass to Rector. Stanford made it 17-0 on McCaffrey's 35-yard touchdown run with 7:47 remaining before halftime. And that was about it for the Cardinal offense until McCaffrey's final scoring run.

NOTES: Stanford cornerbacks Quenton Meeks and Alameen Murphy left the game late in the fourth quarter with undetermined injuries. ... Stanford RB/WR Bryce Love, who averaged 10.8 yards per touch last season, did not play Friday because of an undisclosed injury. ... Stanford starting QB Ryan Burns had attempted just one collegiate pass before Friday, and that was in 2014. He completed it for 13 yards. ... Kansas State QB Jesse Ertz tore his ACL on his first snap last season. He stayed in the game for one more play before being helped off the field, ending his 2015 season. ... Wildcats fifth-year senior S Dante Barnett, a 2016 preseason all-Big 12 selection, suffered a shoulder injury in the 2015 opener that ended his season. ... Kansas State began each of its last five seasons at home against an FCS opponent. ... Kansas State head coach Bill Snyder will turn 77 on Oct. 7.