the Red Raiders well below their season average for total offense (600.3 ypg to rank second in the nation). Texas Tech got just total

KANSAS CITY, Mo. -- The stoutness of the Kansas State defense was on display Saturday in West Virginia.So was the impotence of the Wildcat offense.Kansas State could only manage a touchdown and three field goals against the Mountaineers, and all those times settling for three points proved costly. When kicker Matt McCrane failed to hit his fourth in the final minutes, it allowed West Virginia to escape with a come-from-behind 17-16 win in their Big 12 opener.I thought we played well defensively, Kansas State coach Bill Snyder said. I thought we struggled offensively in the second half, when we had to have some movement. Couldnt get first downs. We did get the ball downfield but once we got across midfield we just hit a stone wall.The execution was not as good as it needs to be, and a variety of other things, he said. Most of it I have to see on tape. At the end of the day, we probably didnt move the ball like we should.Those are painful admissions from an offensive-minded coach.When he briefly retired more than a decade ago, Snyder had plenty of free time, so he went to school on the new-look offenses that had been putting up huge numbers across the college landscape.When he made his comeback, he implemented what he learned at Kansas State.The result has been offenses that have been able to hold their own in the pass-happy Big 12, regardless of the personnel. Collin Klein proved to be a bulldozer of a quarterback who made the Wildcats unique run-pass system work like a machine. His replacement, Jake Waters, was a pass-first quarterback who teamed with a star wide receiver in Tyler Lockett to light up the scoreboard through the air.So far, nobody is quite sure what the identity of the Kansas State offense is this season.Nobody is quite sure what it was last season, either.Jesse Ertz won the quarterback job last fall but was hurt on the first play of the season, and backup Joe Hubener struggled so mightily that wide receiver Kody Cook eventually played the position. And while it would be easy to point to injuries as the reason behind the poor offensive production, the reality was that with a solid stable of running backs and playmakers, the offense still underachieved.That has been the case this season, too. The Wildcats couldnt move the ball in their season-opener at Stanford -- the same bunch that just gave up 44 points to Washington this weekend -- and their struggles against Florida Atlantic and Missouri State were masked by good field position provided by their defense.Then, the letdown in Morgantown on Saturday.Kansas State built a 16-3 lead in the second half, but its inability to pick up first downs allowed the Mountaineers to get back in the game. And when they took a 17-16 lead with 6:04 remaining, Kansas State still had ample time to march downfield for a potentially winning score.In 10 grinding plays, the Wildcats could only move 33 yards. McCrane was called upon to try a 43-yard field goal attempt that he missed wide left with 2:03 remaining in the game.We were in that game, and I shouldve done it for my team, McCrane said, and I wasnt able to do it.It shouldnt have been entirely on his shoulders.Ertz was just 10 of 30 for 166 yards with an interception, and led the Wildcats to just 108 yards total in the second half. They averaged just 2.86 yards on 42 rushing attempts.All against a West Virginia defense that had been allowing 215 yards a game on the ground.That certainly didnt help offensive coordinator Dana Dimels future at Kansas State.Snyder is famously protective of his assistants, so its unlikely Dimel will be let go. But there had been some rumblings that the former Wyoming head coach would be considered for the head job when the 76-year-old Snyder retires, essentially creating a smooth transition into the next era.There were some communication issues, but I think it was execution as much as anything, Snyder said of the game. You have to take your hats off to West Virginia. I thought they played awfully well defensively. They do some things ... we had some confusion out there. Its a number of things.Bill Mazeroski Jersey . -- Gus Malzahn finally had his day in Fayetteville. Jameson Taillon Pirates Jersey . Gerald Green and Miles Plumlee? Green had bounced around the NBA when he wasnt playing overseas. The Pacers gave up on Plumlee after just one season. Now Green and Plumlee are key cogs in the Suns surprising breakout season. http://www.pittsburghpiratesprostore.us/Corey-Dickerson-pirates-jersey/ . First off, the fans ripped the Cubbies introduction of a fuzzy new kid-friendly mascot named "Clark". Felipe Vazquez Pirates Jersey . Marincin has played in two NHL games so far this season with two penalty minutes. The 21-year-old has three goals, four assists and a plus-5 rating in 24 games with the American Hockey Leagues Oklahoma City Barons this season. Adam Frazier Pirates Jersey . LOUIS -- Rookie Tavon Austin has missed another day of practice, lessening the odds hell be ready for the St.LUBBOCK, Texas -- After three road losses this season, the Longhorns finally got a win away from Austin to keep their bowl hopes aliveTexas coach Charlie Strong gave his offense high marks for its 658 total yards, especially DOnta Foreman, who had career highs with three touchdowns and 341 yards, and Shane Buechele, who threw for two touchdowns to lead the Longhorns over Texas Tech 45-37 on Saturday.This was a big road win for us, he said. Well just build on this one. Weve got a big one next week at home.It was Foremans 10th straight game with more than 100 yards rushing. His 33 carries was also a career high.The offensive line stepped up, which is why Foreman had such a good day, Strong said.You look at how DOnta Foremans done, the yards that he had -- the offensive line blocking as well as they did -- its amazing just how he just continues to get better and better.He almost had a fourth rushing touchdown for Texas (5-4, 3-3 Big 12), but had the ball stripped from him near the goal line, which was returned for a Red Raiders touchdown.Foreman said he understood there was a lot more football ahead.Everyone knows its a long game, he said. I just didnt worry about it. I thank these guys, the whole line, for their encouragement.Texas Tech (4-5, 2-4,) had leads in the first half but played from behind most of the second. They got close on a 9-yard touchdown run by DaLeon Ward to pull within 45-37 with 10:50 to play.Patrick Mahomes completed 36 of 59 passes for three touchdowns and 367 yards. Cameron Batson caught two of those TD passes.Texas Tech never led in the second half after leading by nine points midway through the second quarter.We just hit a lull and never came out of it, Red Raiders coach Kliff Kingsbury said. We werent as sharp as we needed to be.THE TAKEAWAYTexas: The Longhorns did a lot to get in their own way. A wide open Jerrod Heard dropped a pass from Buechele late in the first quuarter on what would have been a 75-yard TD.dddddddddddd Then Foreman had the ball stripped from him by Texas Tech freshman DB Douglas Coleman, who took it 100 yards the other way for a Red Raiders score. Replay footage showed that Coleman stepped out of bounds at the 2 but the refs apparently only reviewed the fumble by Foreman.Texas Tech: The Red Raiders defense, which came into the game allowing about 214 yards rushing, struggled to stop Foreman. They held him to 37 yards in the first quarter but after that there was no stopping the junior RB. He had runs of 55, 38 and 74 yardJOHNSON COMES UP BIGFreshman WR Collin Johnson got the first two touchdowns of the year, pulling in one for 16 yards and the other for 9 yards in the first half. Its the sixth time a freshman at Texas has caught two TDs in one game and the first time since 2008.TEXAS TOUGHThe Longhorns defense held the Red Raiders well below their season average for total offense (600.3 ypg to rank second in the nation). Texas Tech got just total 482 yards. We knew what we were up against, knew that we were going to go against a highly potent offense and we needed to go out and make plays and we were able to make those plays, even just to get the ball back for our offense, Strong said.BIG 12 -- Texas TechKingsbury hasnt had a winning conference season since he took over the program four years ago. The Red Raiders need to win their last three games in order for the team to get to 5-4 in the league. Overall, Kingsbury is 23-24 at Texas Tech.UP NEXT:Texas: The Longhorns return home to play West Virginia.Texas Tech: The Red Raiders travel to Oklahoma State.---More AP college football at www.collegefootball.ap.org and https://twitter.com/AP-Top25 .---Follow Betsy Blaney on Twitter at www.twitter.com/betsyblaney ' ' '