K-State Heads to Lawrence for Sunflower Showdown

Kansas State looks to rebound from a heartbreaking 42-35 loss to No. 9 Oklahoma on Saturday as the Wildcats head east to Lawrence for the 109th edition of the Dillons’ Sunflower Showdown. Saturday’s game at Memorial Stadium, which kicks at 2 p.m., will be shown nationally on FS1 with Tim Brando (play-by-play), Spencer Tillman (analyst) and Holly Sonders (sideline) on the call. The game can also be heard across the 40-station K-State Sports Network with Wyatt Thompson (play-by-play), former K-State quarterback Stan Weber (analyst) and Matt Walters (sidelines) calling the action. Coverage will also be available on SiriusXM channels 108 and 200 in addition to the TuneIn app. Live stats are available atkstatesports.com, while Twitter updates (@ kstate_gameday, @KStateFB) will all be a part of the coverage.

A LOOK AT K-STATE

Guided by Hall of Famer Bill Snyder, who is in his 26th year at the helm, the Wildcats are looking to defeat in-state rival Kansas for the ninth-straight season.
The K-State offense took a step in the right direction against No. 9 Oklahoma last Saturday, totaling 412 total yards, including 268 yards on the ground.
In just his second career start, QB Alex Delton accounted for 286 total yards, including a career-high 142 rushing yards and three touchdowns. He teamed with Alex Barnes (108 yards) to give the Wildcats two 100-yard rushers in the same game for the 15th time in school history.
The Wildcats, who reached 200 rushing yards for the fourth time this season, enter the week second in the Big 12 in rushing at 199.1 yards per game, just 0.3 yards per game behind Oklahoma.
Six different Cats have scored on the ground this year, while four different receivers have carded a touchdown catch, led by Dalton Schoen and Isaiah Zuber’s three.
Schoen, who had 128 yards and touchdowns of 82 and 12 yards at Texas, leads the Wildcats with 325 yards through the air.
K-State’s defense held its first four opponents to under 21 points for the sixth time under Snyder, joining the 1994, 1996, 1998, 2000 and 2002 teams.
The Wildcats are led by a pair of linebackers in Trent Tanking (60 tackles) and Jayd Kirby (55 tackles), both of whom rank in the top eight in the Big 12 in tackles.
Will Geary has a team-best 3.0 sacks and 6.5 TFLs to tie for eighth and ninth in the Big 12, respectively.
Kendall Adams has been a ballhawk with two interceptions – including a pick-six – and a fumble-return touchdown this season. Adams also ranks fourth on the team with 40 tackles.
Cornerback Duke Shelley is tied for fifth in the Big 12 with six passes defended, while fellow corner D.J. Reed has 25 career passes defending in just his second season.

A LOOK AT THE SERIES

Kansas leads the all-time series, 64-45-5, but Kansas State has won each of the last eight meetings and 21 of the last 26 dating back to 1991.
The Wildcats’ average margin of victory over the last eight years is 30.25, while they have hit the 45-point mark in five of those contests.
Head coach Bill Snyder is 21-4 all-time against the Jayhawks – including a 9-3 mark in Lawrence – as his 21 victories over the Jayhawks are tied for the most by an active head coach over any one opponent (Snyder vs. Iowa State).
The series is one of six in the nation that has currently been played continuously for at least 100 years and the longest among Big 12 opponents.
SUNFLOWER STATEMENT
Saturday’sgame has extra meaning for the 49 players on K-State’s roster from the state of Kansas (40.5-percent of roster). Of the 49 Kansans on the roster, 11 have made starts this season.
Six of the starters are on offense in the form of QB Alex Delton, FB Winston Dimel, RB Alex Barnes, TE Dayton Valentine, WR Dalton Schoen and OL Scott Frantz.
On the defensive side, DT Will Geary and Trey Dishon, DE Tanner Wood, LB Trent Tanking and DB Denzel Goolsby all hail from the Sunflower State.