AP: North Texas gives #15 K-State trouble in loss

[Harry]

MANHATTAN, Kan. (AP) - North Texas almost beat No. 15 Kansas State at its own game Saturday night.

Using a ball-control offense devised by former Iowa State coach Dan McCarney - no stranger to matching wits with Kansas State's Bill Snyder - the Mean Green managed to keep Collin Klein, John Hubert and the rest of the Wildcats' potent offense standing on the sideline most of the night.

It wasn't until Klein and Hubert scored on late touchdown runs that Kansas State finally squeezed out a 35-21 victory Saturday night.

"It goes right back to your offensive line,'' McCarney said. "If you can sustain blocks and sustain some drives, you've got a chance to do that against a really outstanding Kansas State team, but in the end we just did not make enough plays.

"You get into a game with Kansas State, and you don't want many three-and-outs,'' McCarney said. "We had a couple, three of those in the second half, gave that offense another chance to put a drive together and go score points.''

The Mean Green nevertheless held their Big 12 opponent to 143 yards rushing - Kansas State entered the game sixth nationally at better than 300 yards per game - while holding the ball an astonishing 37 minutes, 4 seconds, which prevented the Wildcats from getting into a rhythm.

"They made more plays,'' McCarney said. "They made more big plays in the second half. That was the difference in the game.''

Read more: http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/2012/football/ncaa/wires/09/15/2010.ap.fbc.t25.n.texas.0852/index.html#ixzz26eJSBMdv