KANSAS CITY, Mo. -- Kansas State cornerback Dyshod Carter
didn't want to think about it. Jarrod Cooper didn't want to talk
about it. They were not the only Wildcats avoiding the uncomfortable
moments.
For a team that has been close to a Bowl Championship series bid
three years in a row, Kansas State's 27-24 loss to Oklahoma in the
Big 12 championship game Saturday night couldn't have come at a
worse time.
"It's going to be very tough," Carter said. "I don't won't to
dwell on it. I just want to sleep on it. It was just too close."
Kansas State failed in its second chance to win a conference
championship and its second chance to beat Oklahoma.
The Wildcats' defense did everything possible to stop Heisman
Trophy favorite Josh Heupel, but the offense couldn't capitalize
and special teams play put the game and Kansas State's hopes for
revenge out of reach.
"It's disappointing," Chris Johnson said. "Very
disappointing. We came to play on defense and we played a great
game. But we didn't have it working on all cylinders.
"It seems like the only thing that kept us in was the defense.
But that's just the way the cookie crumbles."
The Wildcats intercepted Heupel three times and held him to 220
yards. With the Sooners up by 3 points in the first quarter, Dyshod
Carter stole a Heupel pass from Woolfork.
Kansas State's offense couldn't execute, but Devane Robinson
intercepted Heupel's pass on Oklahoma's next touchdown to set up
Kansas State's first score.
"Josh is a good player obviously," defensive coordinator Phil
Bennett said. "If you hold them to around 300 yards, you should
have a chance to win. But there our other variables. I thought our
kids played good enough to beat any team in the country. And we
can."
Twice more the defense stopped the Sooners, giving the Kansas
State offense a chance to capitalize. Heupel was intercepted by
Jerametrius Butler deep in Kansas State territory with 12:25 to go.
Each time, quarterback Jonathan Beasley and Kansas State's
offense couldn't prevail. After Tim Duncan kicked a 48-yard field
goal to put Oklahoma up by 10, Beasley connected with Quincy Morgan
on a 16-yard touchdown pass with 6 seconds to go. But, it was too
late.
"I thought we played very well on defense," head coach Bill
Snyder said. "The offense had far too many opportunities. And
those 3-and-outs kept the defense off the field."
With a victory, Kansas State would have secured a bid to the
Fiesta Bowl. But for the third straight year, the Wildcats will be
going to a bowl they didn't expect.
In 1998, they were one game away from the national title game,
but were upset by Texas A&M 36-33 in St. Louis and ended up with a
less flattering Alamo Bowl bid.
"We didn't take care of our opportunities," Johnson said. "We
have no excuses. Our destiny was in our hands."
Now the Wildcats could snag a Jan. 1 appearance in the Cotton
Bowl. But Cooper wasn't warming up to the chance of playing in
Dallas.
"I'm not sure how the bowl thing is going to go," he said. "I
guess that we'll be OK. Whatever."
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