MANHATTAN, Kan. – Following two dramatic wins to close out the regular season in a tie for the fourth place in the Big 12 standings, K-State Nation is heading to Phoenix as Kansas State officials announced today that the Wildcats have accepted an invitation to play UCLA in the 2017 Cactus Bowl on Tuesday, December 26.

The game, which will be K-State’s fourth appearance in the bowl formerly known as the Copper, Insight.com and Buffalo Wild Wings bowls, pits the Big 12 and the Pac-12 and will be played at Chase Field at 8 p.m. CT, with a nationwide television audience watching on ESPN.

“I am very proud of our team and coaches for ending the season with four wins in the final five games and earning a bowl invitation for the eighth straight season,” said Athletics Director Gene Taylor. “We look forward to showcasing our football program and Kansas State University in the Cactus Bowl, and I know our fans are excited to show their outstanding support in Phoenix while our football student-athletes, coaches and staff are provided a first-class experience.”

The Wildcats (7-5) will be playing in their 21st bowl game in school history and 19th under Bill Snyder as the Cats are 8-10 all-time in bowls under the legendary and hall of fame head coach. Following 11-straight bowls from 1993-2003 under Snyder, the Cats have now gone bowling in each of the last eight seasons.

K-State heads into bowl season as one of the hottest teams in the Big 12, winning its final two games over No. 10 Oklahoma State and Iowa State. The Wildcats’ road to the Cactus Bowl began with three wins in their first four games. Three straight close losses dropped the Cats to 3-4 on the year before a Sunflower Showdown win over KU and a thrilling road win at Texas Tech moved the team to 5-4. Following a heartbreaking loss to West Virginia, K-State went on the road to No. 10 Oklahoma State and became the first unranked Snyder team to defeat a Top 10 team on the road before closing the season with a walk-off win over Iowa State to move to 7-5.

“We are proud of the young men in our program for the way they improved throughout the season and very pleased to represent Kansas State University and the Big 12 Conference in the Cactus Bowl,” said head coach Bill Snyder. “The Cactus Bowl is a first-class bowl organization with a rich history, and we appreciate the entire bowl staff for their efforts and support of our program.

“We have a wonderful fan base, and so many people that save throughout the course of the year, and the only vacation they take is the one after our (regular) season is over. They love to attend bowls and it’s why we have such great attendance year in and year out at bowl games. They are fully invested in our program and this means a great deal to them.”

UCLA, K-State’s 2015 Valero Alamo Bowl opponent, enters the game with a 6-6 record. The Bruins hold a 2-1 advantage all-time in the series with the two teams splitting home games in 2009 and 2010 before UCLA edging out a 40-35 win in the 2015 Alamo Bowl.

K-State’s seating allotment for the Cactus Bowl includes a total of 6,000 tickets, and after accommodating pre-orders, student tickets and team needs, approximately 3,000 tickets remain for the general public. All fans who placed a pre-order will receive the number of tickets that were requested. The K-State Athletics Ticket Office will work over the next week to assign specific seats based on the athletic department priority points and mail pre-ordered tickets. Detailed information regarding bowl ticket order fulfillment has been emailed to fans who placed a pre-order.

Public tickets for K-State fans who did not place a pre-order are available now at the K-State Online Ticket Office at www.kstatesports.com/bowlgame and through the K-State Athletics Ticket Office in Bramlage Coliseum or via phone at 1-800-221-CATS between 4 p.m. and 6 p.m., on Sunday and beginning again at 8:30 a.m., on Monday. Fans are strongly encouraged to order through K-State’s official allotment to ensure that all Wildcat fans are seated in the official K-State sections of the stadium. The location for K-State’s ticket allotment at the Cactus Bowl is among the best of any bowl game with prime lower level endzone locations available for $65.

Student tickets, priced at $65, will go on sale at 8:30 a.m., Wednesday to ICAT members, while all remaining students can purchase tickets beginning Thursday at 8:30 a.m.

The K-State Alumni Association will also provide official travel packages to the bowl game. Visit the Alumni Association’s official bowl travel page – https://k-statesportstours.com – for travel package information.

– k-statesports.com –

KENNY LANNOU
Sr. Associate A.D. for Communications and Public Relations | K-State Athletics

Kansas Prep Scores
Friday’s Scores
The Associated Press

Abilene 85, Smoky Valley 67

KNOXVILLE, Tenn. (AP) — Tennessee has scheduled an afternoon conference and is expected to provide an update on its tumultuous, embarrassing search for a football coach.

The news conference will be led by Chancellor Beverly Davenport, not athletic director John Currie, who has been forced out according to multiple reports.

Currie served as Athletic Director at Kansas State from 2009 until taking over as Vice Chancellor, Director of Athletics in Knoxville in February.

Currie fired Butch Jones last month and was close to hiring Ohio State defensive coordinator Greg Schiano on Sunday. That deal fell through amid a public backlash. Currie met Thursday with Washington State coach Mike Leach in Los Angeles.

Reports this week linked Oklahoma State’s Mike Gundy and Purdue’s Jeff Brohm to Tennessee’s vacancy, but both stayed put. North Carolina State’s Dave Doeren agreed to a new contract Thursday after speaking with Tennessee officials.

The St. Xavier Rams were 42-34 winners over Plaza Heights, Missouri in the SHEA Tournament hosted by Flint Hills Christian Thursday night.

The Rams are scheduled to play Flint Hills Christian in the tournament Friday night.

MANHATTAN, Kan. – With four Wildcats landing on the first team, a total of 12 Kansas State football players picked up accolades from the Big 12 as the conference announced the coaches’ All-Big 12 selections on Thursday.

Junior D.J. Reed was named to the first team as both a defensive back and kickoff/punt returner, and he was joined on the list by offensive lineman Dalton Risner, place kicker Matthew McCrane and defensive tackle Will Geary.

K-State’s second-team selections include fullback Winston Dimel, defensive end Reggie Walker and punter Nick Walsh. Five other Wildcats earned Honorable Mention All-Big 12 accolades in linebackers Jayd Kirby and Trent Tanking, defensive tackle Trey Dishon, kickoff/punt returner Byron Pringle and defensive back Duke Shelley. The Wildcats’ eight first- and second-team honors tied for fourth in the league.

Additionally, Geary earned votes for Big 12 Defensive Lineman of the Year, Reed obtained votes for Big 12 Special Teams Player of the Year, while quarterback Skylar Thompson picked up votes for Big 12 Offensive Freshman of the Year honors.

A product of Bakersfield, California, Reed earned his second-straight First Team All-Big 12 honor as a defensive back after ranking second in the Big 12 in both passes defended (13) and interceptions (4). He also ranked 21^st and 20^th nationally in both categories, respectively. He was playing his best defensively toward the end of the year with seven total passes defended and two interceptions in his final three games before being sidelined the final two contests.

Reed’s inclusion on the list as a kick returner marked the 12^th-straight season a Wildcat has been honored for the discipline, including the seventh time in the last nine years a K-State player has earned first-team honors as a returner. Reed ranks in the top 10 nationally in kickoff-return average (2^nd; 35.3), punt-return average (2^nd; 17.1), and punt-return touchdowns (10^th; 1). He currently ranks first in school history in single-season kickoff return average and sixth in punt return average.

Risner, a product of Wiggins, Colorado, was honored by the league’s coaches for a second-straight season after helping the Wildcats finish the regular season ranking second in the Big 12 in rushing at 186.7 yards per game. K-State has recorded six games with at least 200 rushing yards this year, including a 268-yard output against Oklahoma and 217 yards in a win at No. 10 Oklahoma State.

McCrane, a native of Brownwood, Texas, leads the Big 12 and ranks seventh nationally by making 21 of his 26 field goal attempts in addition to all 43 of his extra points. Earlier this year, Lou Groza Award semifinalist broke the school record in career field goals made – a mark that now stands at 57 – while he has five career field goals of 50 or more yards and three this year, both of which are tied for the school record.

A four-year kicker, McCrane is first in school history in career field goal percentage (86.4), while his current mark also ranks second in Big 12 history and sixth in NCAA history. He is also tops the K-State record book in career extra-point percentage (99.2) and ranks third in school history in career points (299).

An honorable mention selection by the coaches each of the last two seasons, Geary produced his best season as a senior with 43 tackles, 9.0 tackles for loss and 4.5 sacks, the latter two setting career highs. His best game of the year came against Baylor when he carded 3.0 TFLs and 2.0 sacks, one of six games this season with at least one TFL. Geary’s 25.0 TFLs and 163 career tackles rank fourth and 12^th, respectively, in school history among interior defensive linemen.

Winners of four of its last five, K-State is riding momentum into bowl season as the Wildcats will learn of their bowl destination and opponent this Sunday. Kansas State’s official bowl announcement will be made on Twitter (@KStateFB) and the official athletics website, www.k-statesports.com. Fans can preorder bowl tickets by visiting the K-State Bowl Information page by clicking here.

Coaches’ All-Big 12 Teams (Kansas State)

First Team: Dalton Risner (OL), Matthew McCrane (PK), D.J. Reed (KR/PR), Will Geary (DL) and D.J. Reed (DB).

Second Team: Winston Dimel (FB), Reggie Walker (DL) and Nick Walsh (P).

Honorable Mention: Trey Dishon (DL), Will Geary (Big 12 Defensive Lineman of the Year), Jayd Kirby (LB), Byron Pringle (KR/PR), D.J. Reed (Big 12 Special Teams Player of the Year), Duke Shelley (DB), Trent Tanking (LB) and Skylar Thompson (Big 12 Offensive Freshman of the Year).

– k-statesports.com –

RYAN LACKEY
Asst. Director/Athletics Communications | K-State Athletics

MANHATTAN, Kansas (AP) — Dean Wade scores 25 points and grabs 11 rebounds as Kansas State defeated Oral Roberts 77-68 at Bramlage Coliseum on Wednesday night.

This was the first game for the Wildcats (6-1) since returning from the Las Vegas Invitational and they came out of the gate rather sluggishly after going on an early 13-2 run.

Although they led for a majority of the game, the contest was closer than expected given the turnovers, missed shots and second opportunities allowed by Bruce Weber’s club. Wade was the only consistent player on an inconsistent night as he shot 9 of 14 from the field and converted six of eight at the foul line.

The next highest scorer was Kamau Stokes who scored 12 points on the night but did not find favor with the rim as he shot 3 of 11 in the contest.

Oral Roberts (1-7) rebounded from a lackluster start in the first half to get within five points midway through the second half but could not overcome their own struggles shooting the basketball.

Things did change midway through the first half when the Golden Eagles went to various zone defenses to slow down the Wildcats offense and they found great success with it.

Sam Kearns led Oral Roberts with 21 points on 6 of 12 shooting while Javen White and Albert Owens added 14 and 13, respectively, in the losing effort.