By Miguel Mike Medina
Photo: USA Today
On Thursday, Kansas State Wildcats came from behind to defeat Rutgers Scarlet Knights 44-41 and win the Capital One Bowl Mania at Chase Field in Phoenix, Arizona.
Wildcats running back Dylan Edwards was the player of the game. He rushed for 196 yards (Wildcats bowl record) with three total touchdowns.
The Wildcats trailed 34-17 halfway through the third quarter. That’s when the comeback began for the Wildcats. The rally sparked after Edwards ran for 65 yards for a touchdown to cut the lead to 11 (34-23) since the kicker missed the extra point.
The Wildcats got the ball back on defense after Daniel Cobbs’s interception. Wildcats tight end Garrett Oakley scored on a touchdown pass, cutting the deficit to 5 (34 to 29).
Rutgers would score one more touchdown to make it 41-29 after a well-executed play in the red zone.
Joe Jackson answered by scoring a touchdown after a long 14-play drive to bring the Wildcats closer to 41-36. After making a stop on defense, Edwards struck once again and gave the Wildcats the lead by running 36 yards for a touchdown with 4:15 remaining in the fourth quarter.
The Wildcats’ wide receivers did a phenomenal job blocking, allowing Edwards to find a grand opening.
The Wildcats quarterback finished the game making 15 of 30 completions, throwing for 195 passing yards, three touchdowns, one interception, and being sacked twice.
Scarlett Knights quarterback Athan Kaliakmanis went 14 of 32 with one touchdown and interception. He threw for 237 yards.
Antwan Raymond ran back for 113 yards on 18 carries with three touchdowns. His longest run was for 65 yards.
The Wildcats finish the season 8-4. The Scarlet Knights fall to 7-5.
Miguel Mike Medina is the publisher of The MMM Journal. He can be reached at medinamiguelmike@gmail.com and themmmjournal@gmail.com
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