Kansas State vs. Iowa State: Fumbles, Beer Snakes, and a Bad Beat

College football is back and it hurts so good. Kansas State and Iowa State kicked off the 2025 college football season in the middle of an Irish downpour that created chaos.

The first punt of the season was muffed. To make matters worse, Kansas State star Dylan Edwards was injured on the play. It didn’t cost them on the scoreboard, because Iowa State fumbled the ball right back to the Wildcats from Manhattan.

In 2024, the two teams combined for five fumbles lost. They fumbled it four times in the first half of the Aer Lingus Classic.

The rain didn’t just cause chaos in the turnover department. It made it difficult to watch the game. The rain was so heavy, it erased the lines off the playing surface. At halftime, the coaches requested an additional coat of paint so their players could see the end zone.

To call it a slog would be an understatement. Then the fourth quarter happened.

Kansas State went 75 yards in only five plays, thanks to an Avery Johnson 37-yard touchdown pass, to even the score at 14. The Cyclones responded with a field goal, forcing K-State into desperation mode. The Wildcats went for it on fourth and one from their own 30-yard line. They got stuffed, and it quickly turned into an Iowa State touchdown.

We thought a Rocco Becht touchdown run was the dagger, but as Lee Corso says, not so fast, my friend.

On the very next play, Johnson connected with Jerand Bradley for a 65-yard Kansas State touchdown. It was a 3-point game with just a few minutes on the clock. Kansas State could completely flip the script with a stop and a score.

The Wildcats had their chance. Iowa State was three yards short of a first down. They could kick the field goal and make it a 6-point game, all while putting the ball back into Johnson’s hands, or try to get the three yards and secure the win. The risk worked, almost too well.

The Iowa State touchdown secured a win for Over (50.5) bettors, who looked dead in the water after three quarters. Then they went to the replay booth. Upon further review, the runner’s forearm hit at the 6-inch line. The touchdown was overturned, points were taken off the board, and Becht kneeled out the clock for a win.

Bad beats and beer snakes. College football is back and it hurts so good.