The grim outcome fans feared has come to fruition.

Kansas State lost to Army Saturday night, dropping to 1-2 on the season. A brewing fourth-quarter comeback was halted by more sloppy play down the stretch. It shouldn't have even come down to that point, but it did. Here’s how the Wildcats came up short:

1. Kansas State lost the possession battle, especially on fourth down

Army quarterback Cale Hellums had a field day against the K-State defense, rushing 41 times for 124 yards and two touchdowns. This allowed Army to crush them in the possession battle, illustrated by its 38-4 snap advantage in the second half until Kansas State’s final drive. The Black Knights played into their “slow-burn” style of offense, churning the ball for long drives to halt the other team getting possession. For the second consecutive week, the defense misses reads and fails to step up to the plate.

2. The offense desperately needs running back Dylan Edwards back

Kansas State’s bread-and-butter the last few seasons have been through the run. Losing its premier rusher in the opening matchup has barred it from running the offense through Edwards, which was likely the game plan going into this year. DeVon Rice and Joe Jackson have been solid in his absence, but the rushing attack is nowhere near what it needs to be. Quarterback Avery Johnson is left creating his own plays on nearly every possession, instead of having a consistent ground game or speedy pass-catcher out of the backfield on play action.

3. Avery Johnson was the only offensive highlight for Kansas State

Kansas State notched 38 points in its Week 1 victory over North Dakota, but there was still much to be desired. And much will continue to be desired after tonight. A 13-point display where the offense looked stagnant outside of a few major plays. There wasn’t another comeback effort this time, as sloppy play and inactive hands continued to be the Wildcats’ downfall. Kansas State escaped a Jaron Tibbs game-sealing fumble…only to tip a ball to the defender just a few plays later and seal the matchup on an interception.

The Wildcats’ Big 12 title hopes and postseason aspirations pretty much simmered tonight. The ugly truth is that they’re a last-second victory away from being completely winless right now. Kansas State has a very slim likelihood of bouncing back from such underwhelming play and getting quality wins down the stretch.