MANHATTAN, Kan. (KStateSports.com) – Senior quarterback Will Howard accounted for five touchdowns to help No. 15/15 Kansas State post a 42-13 win over Troy before a sold-out crowd of 51,940 at Bill Snyder Family Stadium on Saturday afternoon.
Howard threw for three touchdowns – all to different receivers – on 21-of-32 attempts for 250 yards, while he added two more scores on the ground on 8 carries on 33 yards.
Howard gave K-State (2-0) a 7-0 lead in the first quarter with a 9-yard touchdown pass to senior wide receiver Jadon Jackson, but it was senior Phillip Brooks who made pivotal plays in the second quarter that allowed the Wildcats to create the separation they needed to defeat the pesky Trojans (1-1), who entered the game with the nation’s second-longest winning streak at 12 games.
Brooks had a pair of touchdowns in the pivotal quarter, including one on a 2-yard rush that gave the Wildcats a 14-0 lead just moments into the frame. The Trojans looked as though they had the momentum heading into halftime with 10 straight points, including their only touchdown on a 21-yard pass from quarterback Gunnar Watson to wideout Chris Lewis with 52 seconds left.
However, the fifth-year senior Brooks hauled in a pass from Howard and raced 39 yards to the end zone with 10 seconds left that swung the momentum back K-State’s way entering the locker rooms. He finished the game with a team-high 94 yards receiving on 7 catches.
