MANHATTAN, Kan. (AP) — Jonathan Adams Jr. caught a career-high three touchdown passes, including the game-winner with 38 seconds remaining, and Arkansas State defeated Kansas State 35-31 on Saturday for the Red Wolves’ first win over a Power 5 opponent in a dozen years.
Just down I-70 later in the day, Coastal Carolina picked up its second win over Kansas in as many years, 38-23.
In the early game, Layne Hatcher threw a 17-yard pass to Adams for the winning score after the Wildcats (0-1) had taken a 31-28 lead on a Blake Lynch 35-yard field goal with 2:30 remaining.
Arkansas State (1-1) scored 21 unanswered points after trailing 21-7 midway through the second quarter.
Most of the offense flowed through the 6-foot-3 Adams.
Arkansas State held Kansas State to 91 yards rushing. The Wildcats averaged 178 rushing yards per game in 2019.
Kansas State (0-1) had not dropped its home opener since 2013.
IN LAWRENCE, Grayson McCall threw three touchdown passes and ran for two more scores, the Chanticleers forced the Jayhawks into three early turnovers
There were no fans on hand for the Jayhawks’ opener because of the coronavirus pandemic. Then again, considering they trailed 28-3 at halftime, there probably wouldn’t have been many left under normal circumstances — and combined with the 9 p.m. kickoff due to television, it meant few people probably saw it.
Miles Kendrick threw a touchdown pass in relief of Thomas MacVittie, who appeared to leave with a shoulder injury, and Velton Gardner had a 61-yard TD run as the Jayhawks tried to rally in the second half. But the Chanticleers answered the back-to-back touchdowns with McCall’s second on the ground to put the game away.
