Kansas State corrals Texas for Big 12 title

MANHATTAN, Kan. — Collin Klein threw a touchdown pass and ran for two scores and No. 7 Kansas State beat No. 23 Texas, 42-24, on Saturday night for its third conference title in 117 years and a trip to the Fiesta Bowl.

The Wildcats had never played for a conference championship in their last game at home, and had never had a player end the regular season in such close contention for the Heisman Trophy as Klein.

Neither of his main competitors, Texas A&M quarterback Johnny Manziel and Notre Dame linebacker Manti Te’o, played this weekend. So Klein, a multitalented senior, had the stage all to himself to burnish his credentials for what would be Kansas State’s first Heisman.

In front of their sixth sellout in seven home games, the Wildcats (11-1, 8-1 Big 12) tied their team record for victories in a season and matched Oklahoma’s Big 12 record.

Kansas State has beaten Texas (8-4, 5-4) five in a row.

The Sooners beat TCU earlier Saturday and donned caps and T-shirts declaring themselves Big 12 champs. But Kansas State’s 24-19 win at Oklahoma on Sept. 22 gives them the tiebreaker and sends them to the Fiesta Bowl.

After a slow start, Klein wound up hitting eight of 14 passes for 184 yards and added 108 yards rushing on 23 carries. John Hubert scored three touchdowns.

Texas, which may be headed for the Cotton Bowl, led 10-7 at halftime. But with Klein hitting a 29-yard pass and Hubert breaking free for 28 yards, Kansas State went 75 yards in seven plays, with Hubert scoring from the two.

Hubert also had a two-yard touchdown run with 47 seconds left in the third quarter and scored on a one-yard run for a 3517 lead with a little more than 3 minutes to go after Drew Liddle recovered Texas’ muffed punt.

A few minutes later, Allen Chapman intercepted Case McCoy’s pass and ran it back 35 yards, setting up Klein’s nineyard touchdown run for a 42-17 lead with 1:53 left.

McCoy completed 26 of 34 passes for 314 yards, with two interceptions. He was sacked four times by a swarming Kansas State defense.

Rodolfo Gonzalez Austin American-statesman TEXAS WIDEOUT Jaxon Shipley is left empty-handed as Kansas State’s Nigel Malone intercepts a pass from Case McCoy in the first half of the Wildcats’ Big 12-clinching victory.