Lockett's 3 TDs propel Kansas State to bowl win

TEMPE, Ariz. -- Buffalo Wild Wings Bowl MVP Tyler Lockett apparently plans on keeping the Kansas State receiving records all in the family.

Lockett, a junior wide receiver, tied a Kansas State bowl record with three touchdowns and set a school bowl record with 10 receptions while passing his father, former NFL receiver Kevin Lockett, in season receptions in the Wildcats' decisive 31-14 victory over Michigan on Saturday night at Sun Devil Stadium.

"I just have great family bloodlines," Lockett said. "Right now, I'm just excited about winning a bowl game. Coach (Bill) Snyder always said this is a pleasure trip, but it is also a business trip. I think everyone was ready to play. You have to make the best of every opportunity."

Lockett scored on 6-, 29- and 8-yard touchdown passes from quarterback Jake Waters in the first half, and Kansas State (8-5) held Michigan without a touchdown until the final 75 seconds to break a five-game bowl losing streak after last winning in the 2002 Holiday Bowl against Arizona State.

Lockett had 116 yards receiving and finished the season with 81 receptions for 1,262 yards and 11 touchdowns. He passed his father, who had 72 receptions in 1996, for second in school season history. Tyler also passed his uncle, Aaron, Kevin's brother, with 143 career receptions, which ranks fourth in school history.

Waters completed 21-of-27 passes for 271 yards and three touchdowns, setting a school bowl record for completion percentage at .778 in the first meeting between the schools, which have been playing football since 1896.

"You want to start off fast. That was a big emphasis all week," Waters said. "We didn't want to play from behind. Once we got going on that first drive, I didn't see anything our coaches didn't prepare us for.

"You have a guy like Tyler who can catch anything. He makes me look better that I am."

Michigan freshman Shane Morris completed 24-of-38 passes for 196 yards and an interception in his first career start, becoming the first quarterback in school history to make his first start in a bowl game.

Morris replaced quarterback Devin Gardner, who suffered a leg injury in the final regular-season game against Ohio State and watched the game from the sideline on crutches. Gardner accounted for 3,443 yards of total offense and 32 touchdowns this season.

Michigan running back Fitzgerald Toussaint scored on a 3-yard run with 1:15 left, the Wolverines' first touchdown of the game, and they completed a two-point conversion pass.

Michigan (7-6) lost five of its final six games. Its only victory came in triple overtime against Northwestern. The Wolverines had 65 yards rushing on 15 carries against Kansas State's defense, with 40 yards coming on Morris' scramble in the final two minutes.

"Running the football has got to be a premium for us, and we didn't do that well enough," Michigan coach Brady Hoke said. "Then once we got down 21-6, we had to throw it a little more. I don't know how many times he ended up throwing it, but more than we'd like."

Kansas State running back John Hubert scored on a 1-yard run with 2:25 remaining. He had 80 yards rushing to boost his season total to 1,048, the 10th player in school history to reach 1,000. Darren Sproles did it three times.

Wildcatd safety Dante Barnett set up Hubert's scoring run with a 51-yard interception return.

"Coach always preaches who can be the toughest the longest, and that's what we wanted to do," Barnett said.

Waters completed 6- and 29-yard passes to Lockett to give the Wildcats a 14-3 lead after the first quarter. Lockett was open in the left corner of the end zone both times, the second after Waters pump-faked a safety out of position on the play.

Kicker Matt Wile booted 22- and 26-yard field goals on the first two drives for Michigan, which moved to the Kansas State 5- and 8-yard lines before stalling behind Morris, who played in three regular-season games and had thrown nine passes all season.

"Obviously, we have to convert on third downs," Morris said. "We were in the red zone twice early, in which we didn't score a touchdown, which hurts us offensively."

Waters' third touchdown pass to Lockett, an 8-yarder into the right corner of the end zone, made it 21-6 with 4:30 left in the first half.

The Wildcats scored on 75-, 60- and 59-yard drives on their first three possessions before running out the final 55 seconds of the first half.

NOTES: With his first-quarter reception, Michigan WR Jeremy Gallon set a school record with a catch in 39 straight games, breaking a tie with Braylon Edwards. ... Members of No. 5 Baylor, which will play Central Florida in the Tostitos Fiesta Bowl 20 miles west in Glendale, Ariz., on Wednesday night, attended the game. Baylor beat Kansas State 35-25 on Oct. 12 to drop the Wildcats to 2-4. They became the fourth team in Big 12 history to recover from a 2-4 start to make a bowl game. Kansas State led Baylor 25-21 after three quarters. ... The Big 12 is now 6-3 against the Big Ten in the Buffalo Wild Wings Bowl. ... Kansas State has played at all three venues used by the Buffalo Wild Wings Bowl -- Tucson, Chase Field in downtown Phoenix and Sun Devil Stadium.