MORGANTOWN, W.Va. — On a cold Thursday night at Milan Puskar Stadium, style points lost all meaning.

Kansas State ran for one yard, West Virginia turned the ball over more often than it reached the end zone and penalty flags flew like confetti at a parade.

The Wildcats walked away from the clutter as victors, beating the Mountaineers 26-20 for an important victory that keeps them even with Baylor and TCU atop the Big 12 standings. But you won’t hear them bragging about much else that happened during their trip east in the days ahead.

The most exciting play — a tipped pass that bounced off multiple players and ended up in the hands of West Virginia receiver Kevin White for an apparent touchdown — didn’t even hold up after review.

Instead, the highlights included a 43-yard punt return near the end of the first half by senior K-State receiver Tyler Lockett, a clutch late field goal from Matthew McCrane, interceptions by Dante Barnett and Randall Evans and a career-high 400 passing yards from Jake Waters.