Instant Analysis: Needed beginning

Kansas State knew it had to take care of business and get off to a fast start in its opener Saturday night with some important games looming in the near future and that's exactly what happened. The offense looked sharp, the defense held its own for the most part and the No. 20 Wildcats cruised to a comfortable 55-16 victory over Stephen F. Austin at Bill Snyder Family Stadium.

Senior quarterback Jake Waters threw for 223 yards and had four total touchdowns to help K-State, 1-0, rack up 478 yards of total offense and set the tone for the 2014 campaign with a convincing win. The Wildcats scored touchdowns on its first four possessions of the game to build a 28-10 halftime lead and never let up.

In addition to Waters completing 19 of 28 passes for the contest, the running game, which was a big question mark heading into season, was rather solid as well. Senior DeMarcus Robinson got the start and picked up 49 yards on 11 carries, while sophomore Charles Jones scored two touchdowns of his own. Jones and Waters both had a game-high 55 yards on the ground. Senior receiver Tyler Lockett caught a touchdown pass from Waters in the first quarter, but saw limited playing time the rest of the way.

On the other side of the ball, K-State, which travels to Ames, Iowa next weekend to face Big 12 foe Iowa State, did its part in containing the Lumberjacks, 0-1, but had some miscues along the way. SFA quarterbacks Zach Conque and Joe Minden threw for 118 and 107 yards, respectively, and running back Gus Johnson scored on a 30-yard run in the third quarter.