MANHATTAN, KAN. — Colorado’s stature in the Big 12 North Division took a major hit Saturday night from a determined Kansas State squad that came ready to play and ready to hit.
Still smarting from a home loss to Kansas the previous week, Kansas State forced the issue this time and put CU’s usually stout defense in a back-pedaling mode. The Wildcats never trailed in a 47-20 thrashing before 46,637 fans in Bill Snyder Family Stadium.
Kansas State’s 6-foot-6 sophomore quarterback Josh Freeman passed for 214 yards, and his job was made easier by a rejuvenated running attack. KSU (4-2, 2-1 Big 12) entered the game ranked 99th nationally (109.8 yards per game) and finished with 249 yards on 39 carries.
“K-State did a great job. They outplayed us, outcoached us,” CU coach Dan Hawkins said. “I’ve said I respected how Ron Prince runs his program. They play hard.”
In the first quarter alone, Kansas State rolled up 182 yards in total offense. Three weeks earlier, Colorado limited Oklahoma to 230 yards for the game.
Hawkins said his team appeared tight at the beginning of the game. CU trailed 17-3 after the first quarter.
“Particular on defense, guys looked tight,” Hawkins said. “They were playing not to lose initially.”
Colorado players agreed
“We came in here expecting to win, and you’ve got to claw and scrap,” Buffaloes quarterback Cody Hawkins said. “You have to not be so concerned about what they’re doing and worry about what you’re doing.”
Coming off a 20-point victory at Baylor, Colorado (4-3, 2-1) sought back-to-back conference road victories for the first time since 1991. The Buffs got a career-high 171 yards from senior tailback Hugh Charles. But Cody Hawkins couldn’t find enough open receivers to move the chains consistently.
And Kansas State stayed a step ahead of CU’s defense.
“They do a great job of getting their playmakers the ball, and they do it in a variety of ways,” CU defensive tackle George Hypolite said. “It kind of keeps you on your heels.”
Any chance of a CU comeback ended when Freeman hit Deon Murphy for a 28-yard touchdown that made it 30-13 with 6:19 left in the third quarter. Murphy, a speedster, scored a first-quarter touchdown on a 20-yard reverse.
A blocked punt that was returned for a 6-yard touchdown by Courtney Herndon late in the third quarter made Kansas State the first team to score 40 points on Colorado this season. Arizona State scored 33 points in a 19-point win over the Buffs on Sept. 8.
“They’re solid,” Dan Hawkins said, when asked about KSU’s special teams. “You can tell they work on it.”
Almost 12 minutes of the first quarter had elapsed before Hawkins completed his first pass. He finished with 223 yards on 19-for-41 with three interceptions.
“Our offensive line did an awesome job,” Cody Hawkins said. “We just didn’t execute on (passing) plays. That’s my fault.”
Hawkins flipped a 1-yard touchdown pass to fullback Jake Behrens with 12:12 remaining in the second quarter. But the Buffs had to settle for field goals on two other scoring drives in the first half.
Even a 50-yard field goal by CU’s Kevin Eberhart in the first quarter was trumped by a 52-yarder by Kansas State’s Brooks Rossman as time expired in the first half.
Colorado wasted a brilliant performance by Charles, who reached 100 yards rushing for the fourth straight game. Charles needed only the first half to surpass the century mark, netting 114 yards on 11 carries in the first 30 minutes.
“I know I’m a big part of the offense,” Charles said. “I just have to do whatever I can to help the team win.”
But Colorado couldn’t complement Charles’ runs with consistent passing.
Kansas State struck first, needing just four plays to move 69 yards, thanks to a 43-yard pass from Freeman to Jordy Nelson. With a perfect trajectory, Freeman’s spiral cleared the reach of CU cornerback Benjamin Burney. Only a saving tackle by safety Daniel Dykes at the CU 19 kept the play from going the distance.
Two plays later, running back James Johnson scored from 5 yards out.
CU’s Behrens surprised Kansas State on CU’s first play from scrimmage with his first career carry. Behrens rambled 23 yards. But the Buffs failed to gain another first down and were forced to punt.
Tom Kensler: 303-954-1280 or tkensler@denverpost.com
CU Grades By Tom Kensler
OFFENSE
C It’s too bad quarterback Cody Hawkins had an off-night, because senior tailback Hugh Charles was spectacular.
DEFENSE
D For the first time since the Sept. 8 loss at Arizona State, Colorado’s secondary looked a step slow. That was disappointing, considering that the Buffs’ defense kept up with Oklahoma and Florida State.
SPECIAL TEAMS
D Terrence Wheatley had some nice kickoff returns and Kevin Eberhart booted a 50-yard field goal. But Colorado lost the battle of field position all evening and had a punt blocked for the first time since the 2005 Big 12 championship game against Texas. To make matters worse, the blocked punt was recovered by Kansas State for a third-quarter touchdown.
OVERALL
D Charles’ running was the only bright spot in an otherwise dismal night.
