MANHATTAN, Kan. (AP) -- After gaining just 18 yards on eight carries in the first half, Frank Murphy hardly seemed en route to a second straight 100-yard game.

Yet the senior running back wound up with 156 yards as No. 16 Kansas State finally ignited its offense and beat outmanned Texas-El Paso 40-7.

	Kansas State's Frank Murphy returned the opening kickoff 76 yards for a touchdown and then rushed for 156 more yards.

"I came in in the second half and ran hard. That's the difference from the first half," he said. "I ran hard."

Murphy, a heralded junior college transfer who was mostly a disappointment last season, became the first Wildcat with back-to-back 100-yard rushing games in three years.

Also helping awaken the offense was wide receiver Quincy Morgan, who totaled two touchdowns and 141 yards on four catches.

"I blame it on myself. I should have ran harder than I did," Murphy said. "But what I did in the second half, I'm going to try to continue to do that now."

Kansas State (2-0) scored touchdowns off big plays by the defense and special teams while taking a 21-7 halftime lead over the Miners (1-2). Murphy and Morgan got rolling in the third quarter as the Wildcats beat an unranked team at home for the 47th consecutive time.

The crowd of 50,923 in renovated KSU Stadium broke the week-old stadium record of 50,624.

"I think I played very well," said Morgan, a 6-foot-3 sophomore. "But I can't get high on myself yet."

Murphy, who rushed for 149 yards on 13 carries in a 40-0 victory over Temple the week before, also had a 76-yard return of the opening kickoff, putting the Wildcats in business on the UTEP 26.

David Allen got nine yards on a pitch and six plays later scored on a 1-yard run.

"Their offense gained momentum in the second half," UTEP coach Charlie Bailey said. "We hung in there. They are a little bit stronger than us."

The Kansas State offense was stymied after Allen's touchdown before Morgan got open and caught Jon Beasley's 58-yard scoring pass. Morgan took the ball on the 25 with no defender near him and scored untouched.

With the Wildcats leading 26-7 in the fourth quarter, Morgan outjumped a defender and scored on a 41-yard pass play from Beasley.

"On that second touchdown, he made a great play," Beasley said. "I underthrew the ball and he came back and got it."

Jay Stuckey replaced Rocky Perez at quarterback on the fifth possession and immediately got the Miners' only touchdown with the help of a long interception return and a trick play.

Trey Merkens intercepted Beasley's pass and sped 46 yards to the Kansas State 26. On second and 10, Stuckey handed off to Paul Smith, then slipped across the line and hauled in Smith's pass, catching the aggressive Kansas State defense off balance and going to the 3 before being pushed out of bounds. On the next play, Stuckey hit tight end Brian Natkin, who was by himself in the end zone.

The Wildcats took a 21-7 lead with 3:20 left in the first half when Lamar Chapman stepped in front of the receiver and sped 69 yards untouched with an interception.

In the third period, Murphy reeled off gains of 16, 11 and 18 yards on successive plays to set up Travis Brown's 36-yard field goal.

With 3:14 left in the third, the Wildcats scored a safety when Smith fumbled at the goal line and Natkin fell on the ball in the end zone for the Miners, putting Kansas State ahead 26-7.

A few minutes after Morgan's second touchdown, Murphy dashed through a big hole on the left side and ran 12 yards, making it 40-7.

At one point in the third period, after a penalty and big losses on back-to-back plays, the Wildcats punted on fourth-and-42.

In the fourth period, Aaron Lockett caught back-to-back passes for 22- and 21-yard gains but Beasley, hit as he released the ball, threw an interception to defensive tackle Bobby King on the 11 that ended the threat.