HOLIDAY BOWL : Kansas State Gives Colorado State a Lesson

The Western Athletic Conference expands to 16 teams next season and could have as many as four guaranteed spots in bowl games.

But the nation’s biggest football conference will have a long way to go before it’s considered among the more elite.

That was made clear Friday night when 10th-ranked Kansas State routed WAC champion Colorado State, 54-21, in the Holiday Bowl at San Diego Jack Murphy Stadium before 51,051.

Kansas State, which finished third in the Big Eight Conference, overcame the loss of its starting quarterback and 124 yards in penalties to win its second bowl game in the past three years.

It was the second consecutive Holiday Bowl loss for Colorado State, which was defeated by Michigan, 24-14, in last year’s game. The WAC representative has won only once here in the last 10 years--Hawaii over Illinois in 1992.

The WAC’s only other postseason representative, Air Force, lost to Texas Tech, 55-41, in the Copper Bowl Wednesday night.

“There weren’t any bright spots for us tonight,” Colorado State Coach Sonny Lubick said.

Except for a few minutes in the first quarter when Colorado State managed a sustained drive to tie the score, 7-7, the Rams (8-4) were clearly overmatched. They committed four turnovers, had a punt blocked that led to a touchdown and were penalized 11 times for 95 yards.

Colorado State quarterback Moses Moreno had his worst outing of the season. The sophomore from nearby Chula Vista completed five of 24 passes for 91 yards and two interceptions. He was flagged for intentional grounding in the first half and overthrew several receivers.

Kansas State (10-2), which gave up a nation-low 250.8 yards per game in the regular season, was its stingy self Friday. It yielded 301 yards and 14 first downs. Most of Colorado State’s points were scored against the Wildcats’ second-team defense with the game out of reach in the second half.

Not even the loss of quarterback Matt Miller stopped Kansas State’s momentum. With the score tied, 7-7, early in the second quarter, Miller was trying to escape the grasp of defensive end Brady Smith when linebacker Nate Kvamme delivered a punishing blow at midfield.

Miller, a senior from San Diego who threw for a conference record 22 touchdowns this season, didn’t get up from the tackle. He was taken away on a stretcher with a neck injury. X-rays taken at the stadium were negative, but Miller was believed to have suffered a sprained neck and concussion and was taken to a local hospital for further observation.

His backup, junior Brian Kavanagh, did not play much during the season but performed like a veteran. He came off the bench to complete seven of eight passes for 76 yards, including a 13-yard touchdown pass to Brian Loika, in the second quarter alone. The Wildcats led, 26-7, at halftime.

Kavanagh, who was selected the game’s most valuable offensive player, finished with 242 yards and four touchdowns, tying a bowl record set by Jim McMahon of BYU in 1980.

“I’m honored for the award, but it’s never the way I wanted to get into the game,” Kavanagh said. “I just pray that Matt is OK.”