Kansas State Uses Defense, Special Teams to Defeat Iowa State in Regular Season Finale

Kansas State's defense and special teams proved to be overwhelming against the Cyclones as the Wildcats defeated Iowa State 27-17 in the regular season finale.

From the opening kickoff, literally, Kansas State made it clear who had the better team on the field at Bill Snyder Family Stadium on Saturday Night. And the team continued that special teams dominance throughout the contest. 

From the moment true freshman Joshua Youngblood returned the opening kickoff for his third kickoff return touchdown of the season (a Kansas State freshman record), it was evident that the Wildcats were simply out-coaching the Cyclones. 

And the dominance continued on the defensive side of the ball. With the exception of a couple of big plays, the Wildcats defense suffocated Cyclone standout quarterback  Brock Purdey and the rest of the Iowa State offense. 

The result, of course, was a 27-17 win, which cemented an 8-4 regular season record for Kansas State in the first year of head coach Chris Klieman's tenure with the team, and in Division 1.