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MANHATTAN, Kansas (Ticker) -- Lamar Chapman returned an interception 69 yards for a score with 3:20 left in the first half and Frank Murphy rushed for a career-high 156 yards as 16th-ranked Kansas State pasted Texas-El Paso, 40-7. Texas El-Paso (1-2) trailed 14-0 after a quarter but halved the deficit on a three-yard pass from Jay Stuckey to Brian Natkin 2:27 into the second. The game remained tight the rest of the quarter, but Chapman gave Kansas State (2-0) some much-needed momentum with his interception return. Murphy carried 24 times and -- following his 149-yard effort last week -- became the first Kansas State back to rush for 100 yards in consecutive games since Marlon Charles accomplished the feat in September 1996. "In the first half at times I couldn't see where I wanted to go," Murphy said. "In the second half, I had more vision and got in the groove. I'm satisfied but not very happy." "He is very physical and quick," UTEP coach Charlie Bailey said. Jonathan Beasley completed 11-of-21 passes for 246 yards and two scores for the Wildcats. Quincy Morgan caught four passes, including both touchdowns, for 141 yards. "Beasley wasn't very accurate with his arm," Kansas State coach Bill Snyder said. "Our receivers made some excellent catches, but that's not always going to be there." Beasley said he has a certain connection with Morgan. "We got to work a lot during the summer and two-a-days. We have a great feel for one another now. The last touchdown I underthrew and he made a great play. I am trying to get the ball to playmakers, and he stepped up." The Wildcats are 2-0 for the 10th consecutive season and improved to 52-5-1 at home this decade. They also have won 45 straight games against non-ranked opponents. David Allen staked Kansas State to a 7-0 lead on the game's opening possession. He capped a five-play, 24-yard drive with a one-yard plunge. Beasley found Morgan with 90 seconds left in the first quarter to push the lead to 14-0. After the teams swapped second-quarter TDs, Kansas State got a 36-yard field goal from Travis Brown midway through the third period for a 24-7 lead. A safety with 3:14 to go in the third quarter pushed the lead to 19 points and Beasley found Morgan with a 41-yard scoring strike just over five minutes into the fourth. Murphy capped the scoring with a 12-yard run with 5:01 left. Stuckey was just 9-of-22 for 86 yards. Texas-El Paso managed 247 total yards but committed 10 penalties and allowed Kansas State an average of 42 yards per kickoff return. "We dug ourselves a couple of holes with penalties," Bailey noted. The Miners have dropped seven straight road games against Big 12 opponents and are 7-21-1 all-time against teams from that conference.
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