By the Associated Press:
Skylar Thompson set the tone for Kansas State when the quarterback put his left shoulder down and bulled into the end zone for the first of his two touchdown runs as the Wildcats opened the season with a 24-7 win over Stanford on Saturday.
Thompson, who later had a 13-yard TD run, opened the scoring when he knocked cornerback Kyu Blu Kelly to the ground on a 6-yard touchdown run in the first quarter.
“There’s a lot that went into that touchdown, a lot that people didn’t see, and a lot of time spent on my own,” Thompson said. “In the midst of a situation that once seemed very dark and stormy, to see the fruit fall from the tree, to see the sun shine a little bit and to take a deep breath … It all worked out and everything happened for a reason.”
Thompson missed most of last season after he injured his throwing (right) shoulder in the third game. But he returned for his sixth year in the K-State program because of his love of the game and the desire for a better finish, taking advantage of the extra season of eligibility received amid the pandemic.
Deuce Vaughn sprinted 59 yards for a touchdown on and a third-and-13 play. He finished with 124 yards rushing on 13 carries for the Wildcats, who finished last season with a five-game losing streak, and is glad to have back Thompson, who he described as fantastic and smart player.
The Wildcats will be back in Kansas to play at home against FCS team Southern Illinois next Saturday.
Wins have been so rare at Kansas over the last decade-plus that it wasn’t too surprising when students spilled from the stands and rushed the field to celebrate Lance Leipold’s first victory as head coach of the Jayhawks.
Who cares if it came against lower-level South Dakota?
It wasn’t easy, either. Jason Bean connected with Lawrence Arnold for their second touchdown of the game, giving the Jayhawks the lead back with 1:12 remaining Friday night, and their rebuilt defense held the Coyotes on downs to preserve a nervy 17-14 victory that brought an end to a 13-game skid dating to Oct. 26, 2019.
“Right now we’re not going to get concerned about style points and things like that. We needed to get a win,” Leipold said. “Getting a victory was first and foremost right now and as I said, then we go to the film and work to get better.”
Kansas visits No. 22 Coastal Carolina next week for another Friday night game.
