No. 1 Oklahoma Trounced; BCS Picture In Disarray

KANSAS CITY, Mo. -- Ell Roberson threw for 227 yards and four touchdowns, as 13th-ranked Kansas State dismantled No. 1 Oklahoma, 35-7, in the Big 12 championship at Arrowhead Stadium.

Oklahoma's loss could wreak havoc with the final BCS standings, which determine which teams play in the national championship game.

Both the second-ranked USC Trojans and third-ranked LSU Tigers won Saturday, and while previously-undefeated Oklahoma seemed like a lock for the BCS title game, the humbling loss to the Wildcats could make things interesting.

Darren Sproles played an instrumental role for Kansas State (11-3) with 235 rushing yards on 22 carries. Sproles also caught three passes for 88 yards and a touchdown as the Wildcats extended their winning streak to seven games.

"Our players kept playing," Kansas State coach Bill Snyder said. "You got to play four quarters against a team like this."

Roberson collected 62 yards on 17 carries, while Ted Sims returned an interception 27 yards for a score in the triumph. Kansas State secured the automatic BCS bowl-bid as conference champion.

"We just knew that we had a chance," Roberson added. "Everybody doubted us, they didn't think we can do it, and that just motivated us."

The 2003 Big 12 championship marked the second time Kansas State and Oklahoma have met in the conference title game. The Sooners downed the Wildcats, 27-24, in the 2000 championship game.

Jason White completed 27 of his 50 passes for 298 yards in the loss. White was picked off twice, while Kejuan Jones recorded 79 yards and a score on 13 rushes for Oklahoma (12-1). The Sooners had been the last team in the nation with an unblemished record.

"They outplayed us in every part of the game," Oklahoma coach Bob Stoops said. "They took it to us in every part of the game."

Mark Clayton caught eight passes for 104 yards as Oklahoma saw its three-game win streak against the Wildcats come to an end.

Oklahoma was trying to become the first team in league history to win back- to-back conference championships. The Sooners defeated Colorado, 19-7, in last year's contest at Reliant Stadium in Houston.

After the Sooners grabbed a quick 7-0 lead, Kansas State scored 35 unanswered points for the win.

After Oklahoma kicker Trey DiCarlo was wide left on a 44-yard field goal try, the Wildcats evened the score on Roberson's 19-yard TD pass to Brian Casey at 13:57 of the second. Sproles' 55-yard run keyed the drive.

Kansas State then shut down the Sooners again and grabbed a 14-7 lead when James Terry hauled in a 63-yard touchdown pass in traffic at the 11:34 mark.

With less than six minutes to play in the first half, James McGill stopped an Oklahoma threat when he picked off White in the end zone. Kansas State then took over at the 20-yard line.

On 3rd-and-5 from the 25-yard line, Roberson fired a nine-yard pass to Tomas Hill and followed with a six-yard scramble. He then connected with Sproles on the next play for a 60-yard touchdown and the 21-7 lead with 3:18 left in the first half.

"My team rallied behind me and we got it done," Roberson said.

DiCarlo missed his second field-goal attempt when he was wide right from 28 yards out with eight minutes remaining in the third quarter.

Sproles and Roberson then orchestrated a 10-play, 80-yard drive that resulted in a 10-yard touchdown catch by Antoine Polite for a 28-7 margin with 3:02 left in the third quarter. Sproles ran five times for 42 yards in the march.

"Ell threw the ball nice," Stoops said. "They made plays when they had to and we came up short on a number of them."

Kansas State shut the door when Sims picked off a White pass and rumbled 29 yards for a touchdown, giving Kansas State a commanding 35-7 lead at the 10:16 mark of the fourth quarter.

Oklahoma stopped the Wildcats on the opening drive of the game and took a 7-0 lead on its initial possession.

The Sooners started from their own 35 and White completed an 11-yard pass to Lance Donley on second down. Clayton then caught a 12-yard pass and Jones followed with a 42-yard TD run down the left sideline at 12:11 of the quarter.