Saturday wasn’t the first time a Mid American Conference team caused heartbreak for a Bret Bielema-coached team early in the season.
The last time it happened, Bielema’s team went on to finish its season on a tear and win its first conference title in 70 years.
In 2003, when Bielema was a co-defensive coordinator at Kansas State, the Thundering Herd of Marshall rolled into Manhattan, Kansas, and stifled the No. 6 Wildcats’ run game for a 27-20 upset. Kansas State was only three yards from the end zone in the closing seconds, but its quarterback’s pass attempt fell incomplete as the buzzer sounded, setting off a raucous celebration for a Marshall team which had just beaten a ranked major college foe for the first time.