Fitz bringing the hammer over at GoPowercat.com
KEY NO. 1: SCHEME FOR PRESSURE
Trying to keep Oklahoma State quarterback Mason Rudolph uncomfortable in the pocket was the key and the results are clearly stated in the postgame statistics. K-State had just one sack of Rudolph, who completed 29 of 38 passes for 457 yards and five touchdowns. The idea of sitting back in zone is not only failing miserably, but doing so in epic fashion.
POSTGAME GRADE: F
KEY NO. 2: POUND THE ROCK
K-State averaged 6.2 yards per carry on 56 rushes. It totaled 345 rushing yards, which should be good enough to win the game, but it wasn't. Why? Because on a fourth down in the fourth quarter, LHC Bill Snyder lacked the faith that his running game could pick up a single yard. The message was clear to everyone involved: K-State can run the ball — freshman Alex Barnes is a dominant force in the backfield when he's allowed to play — but the coaches don't have enough belief in the running game to trust it.
POSTGAME GRADE: C
KEY NO. 3: FIX SPECIAL TEAMS
K-State's special teams remain a shadow of their former self. Sure, the return game was solid, but an injury to kicker Matthew McCrane put Ian Patterson in a position to kick extra points and field goals. Patterson missed his first PAT, leaving K-State a point behind on the scoreboard all day. He did line drive a 43-yard field goal through the uprights, but it didn't build any trust in Patterson's ability. So, facing a fourth-and-4 at the OSU 10 early in the third quarter, instead of trying a 27-yard field goal, the K-State coaches called for a fake field goal. Holder Mitch Lochbihler, a punter, took the snap and was tackled for no gain. It was a baffling call because it fooled no one and put the ball in the hands of a punter to run the ball.
POSTGAME GRADE: D
KEY NO. 4: STAY THE COURSE, COACHES
K-State didn't attack on defense, instead it sat back in soft coverage and was ravaged.
Offensively, the coaches appeared to get bored with running the ball, even after a game-opening 11-play drive of all runs covered 75 yards for a touchdown.
And then there was that memorable fourth-and-1 punt that decided the game.
K-State's coaching advantage is clearly gone.
POSTGAME GRADE: F
FINAL ANALYSIS
This isn't a great K-State team, but this was a game it should have won. But the players didn't fail. The coaches failed them.
FITZ'S PREDICTION: KANSAS STATE 31, OKLAHOMA STATE 30
ACTUAL FINAL SCORE: OKLAHOMA STATE 43, KANSAS STATE 37
FITZ'S POSTGAME GRADE: D