MANHATTAN, Kan. (AP) – Nick Marshall threw two touchdown passes, Auburn forced three turnovers and the fifth-ranked Tigers held on to beat mistake-prone No. 20 Kansas State 20-14 on Thursday night.
Marshall finished with 231 yards passing for the Tigers (3-0), who were forced to the air by a Wildcats defense that was bent on stopping the run. The nation’s sixth-ranked rushing attack had only 130 yards on the ground, 200 less than its season average.
Not that it mattered the way Kansas State (2-1) squandered its chances.
Jake Waters threw for 245 yards, but he also tossed two interceptions – one in the Auburn end zone. The Wildcats also fumbled the ball away, and Jack Cantele missed three field-goal attempts.
Kansas State tried to mount a rally in the closing minutes, scoring on a run by Charles Jones out of the wildcat formation with 3:49 left. After the kickoff, Auburn soon faced third-and-9 at its own 37 with 2:06 left. Marshall dropped back and found D’haquille Williams running wide open downfield, and the 39-yard completion resulted in a first down and effectively ended the game.