Gus Malzahn has left his footprint on the college football landscape with a blistering, nation-leading rush attack.
But with that rushing attack struggling Thursday night in windy Bill Snyder Family Stadium, it was the oft maligned Tiger defense who rose to the occasion, limiting Kansas State to 40 rushing yards and forcing 3 turnovers.
It wasn't always pretty, but Malzahn and the No. 5 Auburn Tigers (3-0) will fly home from Manhattan, Kansas undefeated, with a tough 20-14 win over the No. 20 Kansas State Wildcats (2-1) under their belts.
It was tense affair throughout, but Malzahn said it's the kind of game he prefers once the Tigers have come out on top.
"I told (the players) after the game that this is going to be one of those games that can help us in the future," Malzahn said. "We faced some major adversity tonight, and our guys responded well."
Kansas State head coach Bill Snyder and the Wildcats will likely rue a number of missed opportunities, the majority of which came from normally steady placekicker Jack Cantele. The junior placekicker missed all three of his attempts, the last of which came from just 22-yards out.
Auburn quarterback Nick Marshall lacked sharpness at times, and went just 17 for 31 with 231 passing yards.
But with Auburn facing a third down late in the fourth quarter on its own 37, the senior quarterback delivered, hitting D'haquille Williams on a 39-yard strike to close out the game.
"We just felt strong that we give our guys a chance to win the game here," Malzahn said. "We caught them in a defense we liked and it worked out."
Auburn struggled to get much of anything moving in the first quarter. The Tigers were limited to 49 yards, including just 27 on the ground, and were held without an offensive touchdown in the quarter for the first time since the third quarter of the 2014 BCS National Championship Game.
The score could've been significantly worse early for the Tigers too, without catching a couple breaks. Jonathon Jones, who was called for pass interference twice in a drive while covering Lockett, picked off a Waters pass in the end zone after it deflected off Lockett's hands.
Marshall's struggles continued, however, into the second quarter.
The senior was picked off after defensive lineman Travis Britz tipped his pass at the line, allowing Wildcat linebacker Dakorey Johnson to come down with it.
"They did a good job getting their hands up and knocking a few balls down," Malzahn said. "Give those guys credit."
As the Tigers' offense continued to struggle, Kansas State finally took advantage of an opportunity in the second quarter when Demarcus Robinson rumbled in from three yards out for the game's first touchdown.
Trailing for the first time since the BCS National Championship Game, Marshall drove Auburn down the field late in the second quarter, converting the team's first two third downs of the game.
Marshall then hung in the pocket to find Ricardo Louis, who evaded several defenders to score from 40 yards out. Louis has scored a touchdown in two consecutive games.
"That was a setting off point for us," Louis said. "We needed something to get the defense and offense going and that first touchdown helped boost us up."
The missed opportunities continued to pile up for Kansas State at the end of the half, when Jack Cantele missed his second field goal of the half as time expired.
Despite holding a lead, Auburn managed just 55 yards on the ground in the half, its worst output in a half this season.
Kansas State moved the ball with ease on their second drive of the half, but Cantele's struggles continued, as he missed a 22-yard field goal, his third miss of the night.
Marshall and the Auburn offense then responded with a 15-play, 80-yard drive that culminated in a 9-yard touchdown pass to Williams in the corner of the end zone.
"Nick made a great throw and Duke made a great play on the ball," offensive coordinator Rhett Lashlee said. "With our wide outs, we've got to be able to do that when we've got one-on-one coverage."
Auburn finished with just 128 rushing yards and averaged only 2.8 yards per attempt in what was the lowest scoring output of the Malzahn era.
That will likely be an after thought for the Tigers, who remain undefeated after a stiff test from the Wildcats.
"They gave us a little bit of a tough time, but we just came and made adjustments to come out with this victory," Marshall said. "Coach said it wasn't going to be easy. He told us it was going to be a dog fight."
Auburn will return home next week for a matchup with the Louisiana Tech Bulldogs (2-1). Kick off is scheduled 3 p.m. CT.
FINAL: No. 5 Auburn 20, No. 20 Kansas State 14. Defense leads Tigers to tough road victory over the ranked Wildcats. #AUBvsKSU
-- The Auburn Plainsman (@TheAUPlainsman) September 19, 2014
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