Rodney Fields Jr. rushed 13 times for 105 yards, including a 75-yard touchdown run, to lead Kansas State’s productive running game in a 34-7 victory Saturday over Washington State at Manhattan, Kan.
Kansas State (2-0) rushed for 295 yards on 40 carries, averaging 7.4 yards per rush.
Washington State (0-2) was limited to 166 yards in total offense and had only 10 first downs compared to 24 for Kansas State.
The game was delayed 56 minutes at halftime due to a lightning delay.
Kansas State quarterback Avery Johnson completed 22 of 34 pass attempts for 192 yards with three touchdowns and two interceptions.
Kansas State led 17-0 after two touchdown passes from Johnson, one to Josh Manning and one to Joe Jackson in the second quarter.
Manning finished with 10 catches for 97 yards.
The scoring passes to Manning, 6 and 21 yards, came on consecutive possessions with the touchdowns coming at 4:17 and 1:51 remaining in the half, respectively.
After the second touchdown pass, Washington State was forced to punt with 44 seconds left.
On a second-and-5 play from the Kansas State 38, Johnson threw an out pattern pass that was intercepted by Jaylen Thomas.
Thomas returned the pick 50 yards for a touchdown as time expired in the half, cutting the lead to 17-7. Thomas had two interceptions in the game.
In the first half, Johnson was 14 of 22 for 134 yards with two touchdowns and two interceptions, and he led the Wildcats with 50 yards rushing on six carries.
Washington State continued to struggle with third-down conversions in the first half, converting 1 of 5 after going 0 of 11 in the 24-10 loss at Washington last week.
The Cougars finished 2 of 12 in third-down conversion attempts.
Kansas State rebounded quickly from the pick-6 that ended the first half with its first offensive play from scrimmage in the second half, a 75-yard touchdown run by Fields that increased the lead to 24-7 with 13:54 left in the third quarter.
After Luis Rodriguez made his second 31-yard field goal of the game, Kansas State went ahead 34-7 with 13:52 left on Johnson’s 9-yard touchdown pass to Brandon White.
