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AMES, Iowa (Ticker) -- Kansas State passed its first test but it cannot be happy with the grade. The 15th-ranked Wildcats rallied from a 21-point halftime deficit to defeat Big 12 Conference foe Iowa State, 35-28, on quarterback Adam Helm's one-yard scoring plunge with 2:34 left. Kansas State (3-0, 1-0 Big 12 North) had beaten its first two opponents -- Temple and Texas-El Paso -- by a combined 80-7 but was forced to score two touchdowns in each of the final two quarters to pull out the victory over the Cyclones. "We had a good comeback," Kansas State coach Bill Snyder said. "We knew we had to take it one step at a time, and in the fourth quarter we had to be in the game. We knew we had to be the better team in the second half." The big play was turned in by wide receiver David Allen, whose 94-yard punt return with 1:58 remaining in the third quarter tied the Big 12 and Kansas State records and moved the Wildcats within 28-21. Allen has brought back six punts for touchdowns in his career. He nees one more to tie Nebraska's Johnny Rogers and Oklahoma's Jack Mitchell for the NCAA record. Darren Davis, who entered the game ranked second in the nation with 185 yards per game, carried 26 times for 152 yards. He scored on runs of 26 and nine yards in the first quarter for Iowa State (3-1, 0-1 North), which had allowed only 17 points in its first three games. "Well, it would have been the first time in 19 years that we'd be 4-0 and six or seven years since we've beaten a ranked opponent," Iowa State coach Dan McCarney said. "But, I know a lot of football teams that would like to be 3-1 after a month of football right now." Most of Davis' yards came in the first half. Iowa State was held to a meager 74 yards as a team over the final 30 minutes as the Wildcats stormed back. "I take nothing away from Iowa State, Darren Davis or the offensive line," added Snyder. "We had seen the plays, but we didn't tackle well or execute well." "ISU is a good team, but at halftime we still knew we were better and could come back and win the game," said Kansas State linebacker Travis Litton. Helm, who split time with Jason Beasley, completed 7-of-11 passes for 67 yards and carried 13 times for 48 yards. He cut the deficit to two touchdowns with a one-yard TD run 9 1/2 minutes into the third quarter. "I was ready to go, but I was a little nervous before I entered the game," said Helm. I was trying to warm up on the sidelines in anticipation of coming in. I felt pretty good about our second-half effort." Helm's play steadied the Wildcats and set the stage for Allen to bring the team even closer. "That punt kind of turned the game around," said the junior wide receiver. "I felt due that I was going to break one soon. The punt return put momentum on our side and after that, our defense held and our offense kept moving the ball." Kansas State's defense did hold, but just barely. The Cyclones drove deep into Wildcats territory on their next possession, only to come up empty when Mike McKnight could not connect on a 42-yard field goal. After the team's traded possession, Kansas State took control at its own 38 with just under eight minutes to play and mounted an 11-play drive over the next 5 1/2 minutes. Helm carried on three straight plays for 24 yards and a personal foul penalty on Iowa State gave the Wildcats 1st-and-goal at the 6. Helm went up the middle for four yards, Frank Murphy had a one-yard run and Helm scored with 2:34 to play for the winning margin. Murphy led the Wildcats with 93 yards on 13 carries. Quincy Morgan caught five passes for 52 yards for Kansas State. The Cyclones began the ensuing drive on their own 20 but went nowhere. Davis carried twice for a total of four yards and Sage Rosenfels threw two incompletions to end Iowa State's upset hopes. Rosenfels was 11-of-24 for 156 yards and carried 10 times for 41 yards, including a 10-yard TD run late in the second quarter that provided the Cyclones with a 28-7 advantage. J.J. Moses also scored on a short run run in the first half for Iowa State, while the Wildcats' lone points came courtesy of Joe Hall's 28-yard TD scamper. "Certainly there is a lot of disappointment today as we let them back in the game," said ISU offensive lineman Bill Marsau. "It really hurts to lose, but at the same time, we know what we are capable of doing."
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