NORMAN, Okla. — Bill Snyder hadn’t had much success against his protege, Bob Stoops, in the decade-plus since Stoops arrived at Oklahoma.
On Saturday night, though, Snyder broke through for his second win over Stoops, as 15th-ranked Kansas State beat the sixth-ranked Sooners 24-19 in front of 85,276 at Owen Field.
Snyder is now 2-6 against Stoops, who was an assistant coach under Snyder for five years in the early 1990s.
The only other win for Snyder over the Sooners since Stoops took over came in the 2003 Big 12 title game.
The Wildcats did it in large part due to its defense, keeping Oklahoma’s running game in check, forcing three turnovers and making Landry Jones work for his passing yards.
Kansas State (4-0, 1-0 Big 12) took the lead for good early in the fourth quarter on quarterback Collin Klein’s 5-yard touchdown run that was set up by Ty Zimmerman’s interception.
The Wildcats then added another score, on a 9-yard run by John Hubert, after holding the Sooners to a three-and-out.
Hubert ran for 130 yards on 23 carries.
The Sooners (2-1, 0-1) scored with just more than four minutes left to make it a one-possession game, but the Wildcats held the ball until the end to remain undefeated.
Kansas State controlled the game in the first half with its defense, forcing big turnovers out of both Oklahoma quarterbacks on either end of the field.
Early in the second quarter, Kansas State linebacker Justin Tuggle hit Jones at the Oklahoma 1-yard line, jarring the ball free for Jarell Childs to scoop it up and roll into the end zone to put Kansas State up 7-3.
The Sooners responded by driving to the Kansas State 1 on seven plays, with Jones hitting three quick passes, including a 24-yarder to freshman Sterling Shepard.
After Oklahoma went to Blake Bell at quarterback in the second quarter, Bell couldn’t control a snap at the Kansas State 1-yard line. Zimmerman recovered for the Wildcats, who drove 88 yards for a field goal to go up 10-3.
Jones completed four of five passes on the next drive to get the Sooners in striking distance in the final minute of the half. The drive stalled, and Oklahoma had to settle for a field goal to go into halftime down 10-6.
A 28-yard Michael Hunnicutt field goal had accounted for the only points of the first quarter.
NOTES: Before Saturday, the last team to hold Oklahoma without a touchdown in the first half in Norman was TCU in 2005. … Jones moved into the top 10 in NCAA career passing yards, passing Central Michigan’s Dan LeFevour and Houston’s Kevin Kolb to move into ninth all-time. … Defensive tackle Casey Walker returned to the lineup after missing Oklahoma’s first two games for personal reasons.