No. 17 Oklahoma State overcame a slow start to beat host Kansas State in a hard-fought 24-14 win Saturday in Manhattan, Kan.

With the win, OSU (7-1, 3-1 Big 12) stays in contention for the Big 12 South Division championship, while K-State (5-3, 2-3) dropped its second straight.

Senior quarterback Brandon Weeden threw for 298 yards and a pair of touchdowns, as the Cowboys won without having the nation’s leading receiver Justin Blackmon, who was suspended for the game after a DUI arrest earlier this week.

OSU standout tailback Kendall Hunter notched his seventh 100-yard rushing day of the year with 143 yards on 28 carries.

The much-maligned OSU defense, which came into the game ranked 98th in the nation in points allowed per game, stood tall by holding K-State to 14 points and 289 total yards. The Cowboys also had three interceptions in the second half, including Johnny Thomas’ 26-yard return for a touchdown.

Trailing 7-0 late in the second quarter, OSU drove 67 yards in six plays, capped by Weeden’s 15-yard touchdown pass to Michael Harrison, who made a leaping catch in the corner of the end zone, with just 56 seconds remaining to tie the game 7-7 heading to halftime. K-State came out and drove to the OSU 7 early in the third quarter, however, kicker Josh Cherry missed his first field goal of the year, a 24-yarder, and from there the Cowboys took control.

On the ensuing possession, Weeden engineered an 11-play, 80-yard drive, finishing it with a 16-yard touchdown pass to Josh Cooper to put OSU ahead to stay 14-7. After a punt, the Cowboys drove 65 yards to the KSU 17 before the drive stalled and kicker Dan Bailey booted a 34-yard field goal with 1:30 remaining in the third to extend the lead to 17-7.

Thomas put the game out of reach midway through the fourth quarter when he stepped in front of a Carson Coffman pass and returned it 26 yards for a score to make it 24-7. Daniel Thomas, who gained 101 yards on 29 carries, added a 1-yard touchdown run with 4:17 left for the Wildcats, who still need one more win to become bowl eligible for the first time since 2006.

Oklahoma State returns home next week to host No. 25 Baylor in a Big 12 South Division showdown, while Kansas State welcomes Texas to Manhattan next Saturday.