K-State honored 21 seniors on Saturday afternoon, a group that has led the Wildcats to more than a few memorable wins in Manhattan. Senior Day was not one of them, as K-State, 4-6, 4-5 in the Big 12, fell 69-31 to Texas in its regular season finale at Bill Snyder Family Stadium.
The Wildcats struggled to keep pace with Texas on defense, as the Longhorns racked up 334 yards on the ground and 274 yards throwing the football. The 69 points are the most K-State has ever given up to Texas.
Deuce Vaughn continued to rewrite the K-State record books on Saturday with two touchdowns and 221 all-purpose yards against the Longhorns. With his performance on Saturday, Vaughn now holds the K-State freshman record for yards from scrimmage, all-purpose yards and rushing yards.
On K-State's first scoring drive of the game, Vaughn broke off a 19-yard rushing touchdown, putting moves on the Texas defense on his way to the end zone. It would be a theme throughout the afternoon. On all five scoring drives for the Wildcats, Vaughn had a catch or reception of at least ten yards.
When he wasn't setting the Wildcats up with scoring opportunities, Vaughn was more than happy to do it himself. His second touchdown of the day came after a 12-play, 80-yard drive for the Wildcats, as Vaughn added an exclamation point by hurdling a man into the end zone.
With nine touchdowns in 2020, Vaughn now leads all true freshmen in the country. He wasn't the only player to step up when the Wildcats had the football, as Malik Knowles turned in his best game of the season with 95 receiving yards and a pair of touchdowns against the Longhorns.
Howard broke the K-State freshman record for touchdowns with his third quarter strike to Knowles, his eighth touchdown pass of the season. Howard finished with the day with 174 yards and a pair of touchdowns through the air, along with 79 yards on the ground.
The Wildcats can finish no worse than seventh in the Big 12 after Saturday's loss.