MANHATTAN, Kan. – For the second time in as many weeks, Kansas State redshirt freshman quarterback Skylar Thompson has been named the Big 12 Newcomer of the Week after leading the Wildcats to a 20-19 comeback victory over Iowa State, the conference office announced Monday.

 

Thompson, who was also honored following the Wildcats’ 45-40 upset win at No. 10 Oklahoma State, picked up K-State’s eighth player of the week accolade this year and the 51^st since 2011, which is tied for the most in the Big 12 over the last six years.

For the second time this season, Thompson led the Wildcats to a fourth-quarter comeback win after trailing by double digits in the final quarter. The Independence, Missouri, product tossed a one-yard touchdown pass to Isaiah Zuber as time expired to help K-State turn a 19-7 deficit midway through the fourth quarter into a one-point victory.

Down 19-14 with 1:55 to go in the game, Thompson engineered a 10-play, 87-yard game-winning drive in which he completed 7-of-9 passes for 78 yards and the game-winner. For the game, Thompson was 15-of-21 for 152 yards and a touchdown with no interceptions. He also ran for 12 yards and a touchdown.

K-State finished the regular season with a 7-5 record, including a 5-4 mark in Big 12 play to tie for fourth place, as the Wildcats won four of their final five games of the season.

Kansas State will learn of its bowl destination and opponent this coming Sunday, and that will be announced on Twitter (@KStateFB) as well as www.k-statesports.com. Fans can preorder bowl tickets by visiting the K-State Bowl Information page by clicking here.

– k-statesports.com –

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

KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) — Tyrod Taylor threw for 183 yards and a touchdown in his return to the starting lineup, Tre’Davious White intercepted Alex Smith with just over a minute remaining, and the Buffalo Bills held off Kansas City Chiefs 16-10 on Sunday.

Zay Jones had the touchdown reception and Stephen Hauschka kicked three field goals for the Bills (6-5), but the story was their defense — or the Chiefs’ complete lack of offense.

Kansas City (6-5) managed only 236 yards while losing for the fifth time in six games.

Smith threw for 199 yards and a touchdown, but even the Chiefs’ lone score came on a catch-and-run by Albert Wilson. They were unable to complete much downfield, and with a ground game going nowhere, the offense was soundly booed most of the game.

Especially when White stepped in front of Smith’s pass with 1:11 remaining and the Chiefs at the Buffalo 35. White nearly returned it for a clinching touchdown before Smith finally tracked him down.

It was an especially gratifying win for Bills coach Sean McDermott, who spent 10-plus seasons working for Chiefs counterpart Andy Reid in Philadelphia. And it was even more so considering the heat McDermott had been under after his questionable quarterback change last week.

The Chiefs’ offense was dismal in the first half against a defense that had surrendered more than 210 yards per game rushing the past three outings. Kansas City went three-and-out on its first five possessions and, taking away 14 yards of quarterback scrambling, gained 43 yards by the break.

 

Final Stats  |  Postgame Notes  | Highlights

MANHATTAN, Kan. –  Skylar Thompson rolled left and saw primary target Byron Pringle covered, then avoided a defender and rolled back to the right before connecting with Isaiah Zuber in the back of the end-zone with no time remaining to will K-State past Iowa State, 20-19, in walk-off fashion at Bill Snyder Family Stadium Saturday.

Thompson’s connection to Zuber capped a 10-play, 87-yard drive over the final 1:55 as the Wildcats rallied from two scores down, wrapped around a crucial defensive stop, to give the Wildcats their seventh win of the season, and their 10th consecutive victory over the Cyclones.

HOW IT HAPPENED

Iowa State got the scoring started by using a methodical 15-play, 56-yard drive that resulted in a Garrett Owens 36-yard field goal on their opening drive. The Cyclones converted on a fourth-and-one near midfield to continue the drive before the K-State defense forced the drive to stall.

On the following K-State defensive possession, the Wildcats were able to force a Cyclone punt, as junior punt returner Dominique Heath fielded the punt and evaded several Iowa State defenders to return the punt for 43-yards. The return set up the Wildcats at the Iowa State 31-yard line, leading to the first touchdown of the game.

With the ball in Cyclone territory, the Wildcats put together an 8-play, 31-yard drive that resulted in a three-yard touchdown carry by Thompson, the third rushing touchdown of his career to bring the score to 7-3.

Just before halftime the Cyclones answered with another field goal from 22-yards, on a nine-play, 55-yard drive that was propelled by a 32-yard completion to Allen Lazard to bring the ball into the red-zone. With their backs against the wall, the Wildcats held the Cyclones within the 10-yard line to force the field goal.

The Wildcats held a lead going into halftime, holding the Cyclones to 191 yards on offense and only 41 yards on the ground. Offensively, K-State rushed for 41 yards of their own, led by sophomore running back Alex Barnes who rushed for 23 yards on seven attempts. The Wildcats went into the break with a 7-6 advantage.

In the third quarter Iowa State took over the lead on their first offensive possession, on a 9-yard touchdown pass from quarterback Kyle Kempt to Marchie Murdock. The Cyclones went for the two-point conversion and came up unsuccessful to bring the score to 12-7, Iowa State.

On the following K-State possession, the Wildcats got their longest play from scrimmage on a 29-yard run from junior running back Justin Silmon. The rush helped set up the Wildcats in Iowa State territory, though the drive would later stall on a failed conversion on 4th-and-2.

Into the fourth quarter, Iowa State marched down the field on a 10-play, 62-yard scoring drive that was finished off with a 3-yard touchdown pass to Hakeem Butler, marking Kempt’s second touchdown pass in the game, expanding Iowa State’s lead to 19-7.

Trailing in the fourth, the Wildcats brought out the trickery to cut into the Cyclones lead, by running numerous plays from the Wildcat formation, including 23 rushing yards from junior running back Dalvin Warmack. With 6:07 on the clock and within the 5-yard line, K-State called on Barnes to receive a pitch out of the backfield and throw the ball over the offensive line to junior fullback Winston Dimel, who was wide open in the back of the end-zone to bring the score to 19-14.

Following a defensive stop, K-State take over possession at their own 13-yard line, trailing by 5-points and 1:55 left on the clock. With the clock against them, the Wildcats completed two passes to junior wide receiver Zach Reuter and a 17-yard pass to Zuber to move the ball into scoring position. With eight seconds left on the clock, Thompson rolled out of the pocket and found Zuber in the back of the end zone to give K-State the walk-off victory, 20-19.

The Wildcats accounted for 264 yards of total offense, including 155 through the air. Throughout the span of the game neither team committed a turnover.

OFFENSIVE PLAYERS OF THE GAME

Thompson connected with Zuber on a one-yard pass for the decisive game winner with time expiring in the fourth quarter to give the Wildcats the victory. Thompson completed 15-of-21 passing for 152 yards and a touchdown, while Zuber grabbed seven receptions for a total of 56 yards in the game.

Entering Saturday’s contest with 999 career rushing yards, Silmon surpassed the 1,000 yard-mark on a 2-yard rush in the second quarter. Silmon carried a total of five times for 32 yards in the game, to up his career-yardage to 1,031.

The trio of Silmon, Barnes and Warmack rushed for a total of 97 yards in the game, and a late touchdown pass from Barnes to Dimel, the first touchdown pass by a non-quarterback since fullback Glenn Gronkowski threw for a touchdown against Iowa State on November 21, 2015.

DEFENSIVE PLAYERS OF THE GAME

Senior linebacker Jayd Kirby started the defensive pressure for the Wildcats, bringing down Iowa State quarterback Kyle Kempt in the second quarter for a loss of 8 yards. Only two plays later, sophomore defensive tackle Joe Davies disrupted the Cyclones’ passing attack by bringing Kempt down for another sack, this time a loss of 6 yards.

The senior duo of Kirby and linebacker Trent Tanking partnered for a total of 14 tackles in the game to help lead the K-State defense. Sophomore defensive back Denzel Gooslby led the team in tackles with eight in the game.

 

SPECIAL TEAMS STARS OF THE GAME

In the first quarter, Heath was able to propel the Wildcats to their first score of the game, as he returned a season-long 43-yard punt return to the Iowa State 31-yard line. The return by Heath was a season-long and set up the Wildcats with good field possession that led to a 3-yard touchdown run by Thompson.

On the punt team, senior Cre Moore recorded a return-stopping tackle, stuffing Iowa State return-man Trever Ryen for -2 yards on the return. Redshirt freshman Tyler Burns also came up with a stop on special teams coverage, bringing down Ryen for a loss of 7 yards on a return in the third quarter. Senior punter Nick Walsh had a busy senior day, punting four times for 193 yards and a long of 52 yards.

STATS OF THE GAME

9/25/2010 – The Wildcats walk-off win marks the first game-winning touchdown with less than a minute on the clock since Carson Coffman had a 7-yard touchdown rush against UCF on September 25, 2010.

IN THEIR OWN WORDS

K-State Head Coach Bill Snyder

On the last play…

“That’s one of the things we spent some time on this week. Defensively they play a scheme. They weren’t in it on the goal line down there but normally they play a scheme that covers well. Rush three, drop eight; (it’s) hard to find open areas. The pass rush is less, so the quarterback has a little bit more time and people have to find open areas to go. But that’s what Isaiah did. It wasn’t what we had been working on out on the field, but it helps us down there. He kept it alive, and Thompson kept it alive, and Isaiah and the rest of the receivers – (Zuber) wasn’t the only one that continued to work. We just don’t sit down and let yourself be covered. They continued to work the in-line so we were fortunate.”

On being surprised of Skylar Thompson’s poise in the fourth quarter…

“Not really. I won’t say surprised, but I was concerned that might be difficult because Skylar hardly practiced this week. He didn’t practice Monday, didn’t practice Tuesday, threw a little bit on Wednesday, and got a full practice in on Thursday. So he had about one-and-a-half practices. I was a little bit more worried about him making the decisions he needed to make in the heat of the valley.”

On play calling in the last 10 seconds of the game…

“If the pass that we threw was incomplete, then he would’ve downed the next throw to give us a little bit of time. Not if it was incomplete, excuse me, if the clock was still running. So, if we ran a play and didn’t get a touchdown, and it was still running, then we would down it on the next one and it all rest on that last play.”

On level of fight of the team…

“I don’t think giving up is in their vocabulary. I think they always fight. There was some enthusiasm and excitement for them because they were successful early in the drive. They converted a third down, got some plays, saw that they were really moving the ball, and really got into it.”

On missing three key players in the secondary on defense…

“I was very proud of them. One of our nemeses was third downs. They converted a substantial amount of third downs on us, but I was pleased with the two youngsters that filled in: Eli Walker and Johnathan Durham. They tested Durham. When they saw that DJ (Reed) wasn’t going, they went after him early and I really thought he held his own. He gave up a couple of plays but throughout the entirety of the game I thought he did awfully well.”

K-State Redshirt Freshman Quarterback Skylar Thompson
On the final play…

“I do not remember much to be honest, because it happened so quick. It was an incredible moment. I had a good idea of what coverage they were running. Pre-snap I was determined to go to Isaiah Zuber and they kind of jammed him up, so I came off it and scrambled, just trying to keep the play alive. I was literally just thinking about tucking and running it. As soon as I do that I see number seven wide open and gave him a ball to catch.”

On ever experiencing this type of ending before…

“I had a moment like that in the Texas Tech game and I had a couple games in high school that came down to the wire. I have never experienced throwing a touchdown with no time on the clock in my entire life. I was not afraid of the moment and was ready to attack it our guys were as well. Our offensive line gave me plenty of time and our receivers made plays. That is what it is all about. I am so proud of our team.”

On the difficulties offensively in the first three quarters…

“We just had a tough time getting stuff going for whatever reason. We will look at the film and kind of see what we need to get better at. What I am so proud of this team for, though, is that we stuck with it. Things were not clicking and we had about 100 yards of total offense going into the fourth quarter. We stuck with it and kept grinding. The opportunity presents itself and we were ready to go. I am just so proud of our guys because we worked so hard and put so much time into the preparation of this game. It is so nice to have something go our way and see all the hard work pay off. My teammates, our coaches and this football fan base deserve it because they stuck with us through everything.”

K-State Sophomore Wide Receiver Isaiah Zuber
On the final play…

“I always knew that we were going to get into the end zone because Skylar [Thompson] is a great quarterback. Skylar is going to keep the play alive and he is going to win no matter what. He is a winner.”

On the success of their final drive…

“We just wanted it more. That is all I can say. We just knew that we had to get this drive and win the ball game. The defense got a big stop for us. We all talked right before we got onto the field that we were going to make a play.”

On his thought process while catching the winning touchdown…

“Look it in and do not do anything else. Just look the ball in no matter what and no matter who is behind you or next to you.”

Iowa State Head Coach Matt Campbell
Opening Statement…
“I will give credit to Kansas State. Their kids kept playing in the football game and I thought our kids did too. But it comes down to detail and unfortunately when we had the opportunity to pull away, we did not do it. And we need to give their kids credit, they did a great job.”

On referees…

“They said in their conversation that it was not conclusive. It is hard to tell. I said this after our game against Oklahoma State, officiating is hard. It is a tough business, a tough profession. My biggest issue is on the second to last play of the game, the right guard moved and they did not call it and you get an issue with inconsistency. But they did the best job they could just like our kids did.”

On throwing on the last possession…

“We still had enough time on the clock. We had what we wanted toward winning the game, but unfortunately we did not get that. We just need more discipline with detail. Hindsight is 20/20, but it is what it is.”

On defense…

“Coach Hancock has done a great job and the kids have played great football all year long. A lot of it has to do with our personnel and how they have helped us. We have grown a lot on the defensive line, which is a great help and gives our guys opportunities to be successful. It is a growth process. If you look at our history, we have been a great football team. Today we had a lot of time with possession of the ball and did great things with it. It is about playing team football. We played a lot of team football, but put ourselves in a lot of tough situations with pivotal mistakes which cost us the game.”

SEASON RECORD UPDATE

K-State 7-5 (5-4 Big 12)

Iowa State 7-5 (5-4 Big 12)

WHAT’S NEXT

K-State will learn of its bowl designation and opponent next Sunday, December 3.

–www.kstatesports.com–

TOM GILBERT
Associate Director for Athletics Communications | K-State Athletics

LAS VEGAS (AP) — Monique Billings had 17 points and 12 rebounds to lead No. 5 UCLA over Kansas State 64-55 on Friday at the South Point Shootout.

Kennedy Burke and Kelli Hayes each added 12 points for the Bruins (4-1). UCLA leading scorer Jordin Canada got into early foul trouble and finished with just six points, five rebounds and five steals.

Kayla Goth led Kansas State (4-1) with a season-high 19 points. Goth was 9 of 15 from the field.

After only leading 31-28 early second half, the Bruins outscored the Wildcats the rest of the way in the third quarter, 17-9.

Kansas State struggled shooting from everywhere, including 19 of 54 (35 percent) from the field. The Bruins were 21 of 56 for 38 percent.

LAS VEGAS (AP) — Kamau Stokes led a balanced attack with 19 points as Kansas Stateheld off George Washington 67-59 in a consolation game of the Las Vegas Invitational on Friday night.

The Wildcats (5-1) led by 15 points midway through the second half and appeared to have the game in control but eventually saw their lead cut to 56-54 with 5:03 remaining after a pick-and-roll layup by George Washington’s Arnaldo Toro.

Kansas State closed the game on an 11-5 run, using its man-to-man defense and clutch free-throw shooting, to secure the win.

Dean Wade added 17 points, and Barry Brown Jr. chipped in 15 for Kansas State, which led 38-29 at halftime. The Wildcats shot 46.9 percent from the field, and finished 16 of 18 from the line.

George Washington (2-4) outrebounded Kansas State 37-26 but shot just 38.5 percent in the second half.

Toro had 21 points and nine rebounds to pace George Washington. Patrick Steeves had 11 points, and Jair Bolden scored nine for the Colonials.

LAS VEGAS (AP) — Don’t label Arizona State guard Kodi Justice a long-range threat, only.

He’ll prove you wrong, and make you pay.

Displaying his offensive skills from every angle, Justice scored 19 of his 28 points in the second half to lead Arizona State to a 92-90 victory over Kansas State on Thursday in the Las Vegas Invitational.

“I’m a basketball player, I’m not just a shooter,” Justice said. “If people want to pigeonhole me as one thing, like I said, I’m a basketball player. I can do anything you ask me to do. If I need to guard somebody, if I need to dive on the ball, attack the basket. I was just trying to do anything in my power to help our team win.”

That he did, as he led a second-half rally to keep the Sun Devils (5-0) undefeated and launch them into the championship game, where they’ll face No. 15 Xavier (5-0) on Friday.

Clinging to a two-point lead, the Wildcats (4-1) opened the second half on a 7-0 run to extend their lead to nine, 51-42. But Arizona State quickly clawed its way back into the game, using a 12-2 run to take a 54-53 lead with 13:51 left in the contest.

From that point there were six lead changes and five ties, before Arizona State went on a 13-5 run to distance itself.

For awhile.

Trailing 77-69, Kansas State used a barrage of 3-pointers to get within one, 83-82, with less than four minutes to play. Justice hit a 3-pointer and 1 of 2 from the free-throw line to extend ASU’s lead back to five.

“I didn’t want to lose this game, it was a big one for us,” Justice said. “I know it’s early, and you say, ‘if you lose this it’s not that big of a deal,’ but we’re trying to build a resume for the future, to build this program up, to just be a winning program.”

But so are the Wildcats, who wouldn’t go away. They got within one after Barry Brown converted a 3-point play. And after Arizona State’s Remy Martin sank 1 of 2 free throws with 4.1 seconds left, Kansas State had a chance to tie the game at the buzzer, but Brown’s layup clanged off the rim.

“We just kept telling ourselves it wasn’t over, so credit to our guys,” Brown said. “It’s a new group so I wanted to see how we deal with adversity. So I’m glad to see with one minute left down (seven), we could still fight our way back.”

Romello White had 19 points and six rebounds for the Sun Devils, while Shannon Evans added 14.

“We kind of just battled,” Arizona State coach Bobby Hurley said. “We showed a lot of determination with how we played and just pushing through different adversities at all different times of the game.”

The Wildcats were led by Brown, who had 27 points, while Kamau Stokes scored 23.

One glaring discrepancy in the game was Arizona State taking 44 free-throw attempts — 31 in the second half — while the Wildcats took just nine. In the process, Kansas State lost 6-foot-9 forward Makol Mawien and 6-foot-5 forward Xavier Sneed, as they both fouled out.

“Obviously the fouls became a factor, because now you don’t have your guys in there,” Kansas State coach Bruce Weber said. “But we gotta get better, we gotta learn from it. There were some calls I questioned, there’s no doubt about it. But we gotta take care of the ball.”

Kansas State hit 17 of 27 (63 percent) from the field in the first half, including 50 percent (8 of 16) from 3-point range, but led just 44-42 at halftime, as the Sun Devils kept things close with their hot shooting.

Arizona State hit 13 of 25 (52 percent) from the floor, including 5 of 10 (50 percent) from long range in the first half. They also drained 11 of 13 from the free-throw line in the first 20 minutes.

BIG PICTURE

Arizona State: Tra Holder was looking to bring his hot hand to Las Vegas, as he entered the game after earning Pac-12 Player of the Week honors after averaging 35.7 minutes, 23.7 points, 6.3 rebounds and 5.7 assists. On Nov. 19, against UC Irvine, the 6-foot-1 senior guard dropped a career-high 35 points on 13-of-15 shooting from the floor. But after scoring 11 points in the first half, Holder was shut out over the final 20 minutes.

Kansas State: The Wildcats opened the season with seven consecutive home games (three exhibition and four regular season), and are using their trip to Las Vegas as a litmus test against quality opponents. They’re also in the midst of playing six games in a 15-day span.

UP NEXT

Arizona State: Will play Xavier on Friday

Kansas State: Faces George Washington on Friday

MANHATTAN, Kan. (AP) — Kansas State quarterback Jesse Ertz will need surgery on his ailing knee and miss the remainder of the season, while backup Alex Delton remains sidelined after sustaining two concussions.

Wildcats coach Bill Snyder said it’s possible Delton could return for a bowl game.

That means the Wildcats, who are 6-5 after last week’s upset of Oklahoma State, will lean on freshman Skylar Thompson against Iowa State on Saturday. He was the Big 12’s newcomer of the week after throwing for 204 yards and three TDs and running for 93 yards and another score against the Cowboys.

Thompson was also banged-up during the game, briefly leaving with a knee injury. But he returned to the field and said afterward that he would be ready for the Cyclones.

MANHATTAN, Kan. – Kansas State head coach Bill Snyder and select players met with members of the media Tuesday at the Vanier Family Football Complex prior to K-State’s Senior Day game against Iowa State on Saturday. The contest inside Bill Snyder Family Stadium is set for a 2:30 p.m., kickoff and will be shown nationally on ESPN2. Selected comments from Snyder’s press conference (archived here) are posted below, along with a collection of comments from players.

Tickets for the game against the Cyclones begin at less than $40 apiece when selecting a Wildcat 4-Pack, and those can be purchased by clicking here. Additionally, fans can buy tickets for the all-inclusive Wabash Landing for $125 apiece, which can be purchased by clicking here.

Tickets can always be purchased by calling 1-800-221-CATS or visiting the main ticket office inside Bramlage Coliseum. Fans can also preorder bowl tickets by visiting the K-State Bowl Information page here.

K-State Football Weekly Press Conference Quotes
Head Coach Bill Snyder
On depth of the quarterback position…

“What he (Skylar Thompson) has done is evident and that is the nature of the game. You hope you can have enough depth to overcome some of the issues created by injuries. We are thankful to have depth in the quarterback spot. I would like to have that kind of depth everywhere.”

On Skylar Thompson…

“He has come along quite fine. He is a bright young fellow and very conscientious. He wants to succeed and help his team. He is willing to do all that he can. He engages the information well. He is able to process well and quickly. He is a young guy that seems to have a great deal of poise and does not get rattled. Poise is probably his number one asset.”

On Iowa State…

“I thought they were a very fine football team last year and the year before that. The staff has done a wonderful job of coaching them. They have the right approach to develop another program. It is not something that just happened. It has been in development for a period of time. They are doing it the right way. They have young guys that have that Midwestern work ethic and they are disciplined. I have seen the progress over the years because of the kind of the youngsters they have and how good of a job they are doing coaching them.”

On defending ISU wide receiver Allen Lazard…

“It is a challenge for everybody. He is a good athlete who can jump. There are not many people that can play on the defensive side of the ball in the secondary that can have the ability to reach heights. The receiver has the advantage because the defender cannot touch him until he touches the ball. If they put it up in exactly the right spot it is a real challenge. You hope your guys can get up and get a hand on it. He is a good, talented young guy.”

On defensive back Duke Shelley…

“The interception that he made was an excellent play. The coverage that got underneath the post forced the quarterback to throw a little higher than he wanted. Duke did a wonderful job being in the right position on the defender. That was something he had not done in a couple other snaps in the ballgame, and they got completions out of it. Overall, considering how much they threw the ball deep and underneath, we played well enough to win.”

On finishing the season strong…

“Each and every game that we have had has had a tremendous amount of significance. Even though we have won six ballgames, there is no guarantee you get a bowl offer. The outcome of this ballgame would have an impact on that. The idea that it is going to be Senior Day becomes highly significant to the seniors in our program and their families. All those things are significant. Outside of that, the next one is the next one and it becomes the most important because of that. If you do go to a bowl game, it is good to have that feeling of winning a ballgame that three or four weeks you have until you play. It is a good time to reflect back on.”

On running back Alex Barnes…

“He has done well during the course of the year and done well against some quality opponents. I do not have any negative thoughts about his performance level. He has done very good.”

On Iowa State’s defense…

“They have always been good, and they have just gotten better and better. They are a team that plays hard from snap to whistle. They are sound in what they do. Everybody is where they are supposed to be when they are supposed to be there. The do not have an inordinate amount of defensive schemes. They just execute what they do well, and they are going to play hard until the very end. They are a physical football team. You do not see defensive linemen getting back off the ball. They run well from the front to the second level linebackers and third level backs.

“The second thing is their coverage schemes are a little different than what we have seen or any team presents that we have played against. That part of it takes a great deal of recognition. Some of that recognition has to come after the snap in order to find exactly what their schematic approach is. Above all, they are very sound in what they do and they play so aggressive.”

Junior Wide Receiver Byron Pringle

On the Oklahoma State game being a relief…

“It was a little bit of a relief, but you have to build consistency. It cannot just be one game out of the year. You have to do it week in and week out.”

On adjusting to a different quarterback…

“There is really no difference because they are being taught a certain way, and we as receivers are being taught a certain way. We all understand that the ball is going to come, and we know it is going to come when we get to a certain yard marker.”

On finishing the regular season strong…

“It would be a really good thing to finish strong and everyone wants to. We are not a team that quits and we feel that we are going to finish strong. We have the ability to do it. Every player is putting in the work and buying into it.”

Redshirt Freshman Quarterback Skylar Thompson

On assessing the way he played…

“I thought I played well, but there were a lot of things I left out there and did not do well. It was a lot better watching that game film compared to West Virginia. I had a shaky start and underthrew a couple throws.  In the first drive, we just ran it. I think I ran for 60 yards and a score. That took some nerves out of me a bit and gave me a better feeling in my gut.”

On the Oklahoma State win rebuilding some confidence…

“It definitely helps. A win over the 13th-ranked team in the country on the road, which is a top team in our conference, gives us a lot of confidence. Moving forward, this is a big game. We have another game left versus Iowa State, which is a great, great football team. It is going to be another tough ballgame. Going into every game this year, we knew we were capable of winning.”

On going into Senior Day…

“It is all about the seniors and how much they invested in this football program. I cannot say enough about Jesse (Ertz), Trent (Tanking), Brogan (Barry), and all those seniors. They helped me so much since I have been on campus with adjusting to college and this football program. It is going to be a big day and we need to go get a win for those guys.”

On if he had any nerves at Oklahoma State…

“Yes, whenever I am not nervous, I should not be playing football anymore. They were good nerves though. I was just trying to wrap my mind around playing in Boone Pickens Stadium versus the 13th-ranked team in the country as a freshman. I am very fortunate to be given that opportunity. I really wanted to go get a win, and after we had that really good drive to kick off the game, I knew we had a shot to win the game. Byron (Pringle) had a great day, and our offensive line did a great job. I do not think I got touched on some of those balls. The receivers, coaches, special teams and defense all deserve a ton of credit. Everyone played exceptionally well. We had some guys banged up and some guys stepped up.  AJ (Parker) at corner stepped up, he got beat a couple times, but he never hung his head and he kept battling and that is what you want.”

Senior Linebacker Trent Tanking

If Iowa State reminds him of K-State…

“They always have. Every game we have played is a tight, grind-it-out type of game. Both games there (in Ames) I have played in my career, we have won in the last minute or two minutes. The game two years ago here we won in miraculous fashion with Will (Geary) stripping the ball out. I know this game will be a grind. I compare them to us and how similar they run their program. They are very tough and hardnosed.  It is going to be a dog fight.”

On more being on the line with both teams playing for the postseason…

“Iowa State has had a great year and they have deserved every bit of it. They played great teams to the wire and beat two great teams in TCU and Oklahoma. I have always said they have a great team and just now they are starting to reap some rewards from it. I am thrilled for them and thrilled for us that we got our sixth win. It is going to be a lot coming in to try to get our seventh win.”

On his final game at home. . .

“It is pretty special. This will be game 64 in my career. Just thinking of it in that perspective, it is crazy I have been here that long, but at the same time looking back, it has flown by. Just to be able to go out with some of the best friends I have ever met on this team, it will be pretty special.”

Sophomore Defensive Back Denzel Goolsby

On getting the sixth win to become bowl eligible…

“It takes a lot of pressure off of us, but it does not mean that we can let up or relax. We have another big challenge this week with Iowa State. It definitely is allowing us to focus on Iowa State and not whether we are going to make a bowl game this year or not. To be able to keep that tradition alive and go to another bowl game is huge for us, but right now we just want to focus on this game and worry about a bowl game after that.”

On defending Iowa State receiver Allen Lazard…

“In this conference there are so many good receivers, you can expect to face someone really good every week. I think this is what you dream of, playing for a school like this in this type of conference going up against big-time receivers and quarterbacks. If you are a competitor, then you love those matchups, and I know our defense is excited to go up against Allen (Lazard) and their string of receivers.”

Sophomore Running Back Alex Barnes

On his touchdown run at Oklahoma State…

“We had perfect blocking up front. They jumped the snap, so I was a little hesitant at first because their linebackers were in the backfield, but Adam (Holtorf) was able to see it and kick him out. I was able to see it and cut up underneath him and after that, there was really no one else there. Isaiah (Zuber) had a really good block downfield and that is really all it took.”

On how important a sixth win was for the seniors…

“It was huge. I know in the locker room there were a lot of guys who came out and expressed their appreciation for us. It was really special to hear that.”

 

KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) — Kansas State coach Bill Snyder says he offered Jim Leavitt a spot on his staff last offseason but the former South Florida coach took the defensive coordinator job at Oregon.

A report surfaced last week claiming Snyder had “nixed” a plan for Leavitt to take a coach-in-waiting role with the Wildcats. The school stayed mum following the report, but Snyder shed a bit more light on the situation during the Big 12’s weekly teleconference Monday.

Snyder had an opening after linebackers coach Mike Cox left, so Snyder reached out to Leavitt to gauge his interest. Leavitt was an assistant for him at Kansas State in the early 1990s.

Snyder said he didn’t have a coordinator spot open, so Leavitt turned down the offer.

MANHATTAN, Kan. – Kansas State tied a school-record with 19 steals, as the Wildcats finished their season-opening homestand unbeaten with an 80-58 win over Northern Arizona at Bramlage Coliseum on Monday night.

The 19-steal performance tied the previous record set on January 10, 1976 set against Tulane at Ahearn Field House. Junior guard Barry Brown led the Wildcats with a career-high six steals, coupled with junior forward Dean Wade, who recorded a career-high 5 steals.

Brown led the four Wildcats in double figures with fifth career 20-point game, while fellow juniors Kamau Stokes and Wade added 16 and 15 points, respectively.

HOW IT HAPPENED

K-State came firing early, as the first three Wildcat baskets came from beyond the arc. Junior Kamau Stokes got the scoring started with an opening 3-pointer, and Wade and sophomore forward Xavier Sneed followed suit, adding treys of their own to jump out to a 9-4 lead.

Defensively, the Wildcats suffocated the Lumberjacks into turnovers, forcing 19 turnovers in the first half. Among the defensive pressure, Brown swiped 3 of the team’s 10 steals, resulting in easy points on the other end.

With the pressure on the defensive end, K-State was able to total 28 points off turnovers in the first half, including 14 fast-break points, as Brown and Stokes each reached double digits with 12 points and 10 points, respectively at halftime. K-State led 43-27 at half behind the points off turnovers and 53.3 percent (16-of-30) from the field, while holding Northern Arizona to 8-of-17 shooting in the half.

Out of the break, the Wildcats continued where they left off, spouting off a 6-0 run to open the half, including multiple forced turnovers on defense.

Throughout the game, the defensive pressure from K-State was too much to handle, as the Wildcats forced a total of 31 turnovers as a team, including 6 steals from Brown and 5 steals from Wade, which helped lead the Wildcats to their historic effort.

Brown continued his hot hand from the first half, as he shot 9-of-13 from the field in the game to lead to his 20 points, tied for fourth-best in his career. Brown led four Wildcat scorers who hit double-digits, as Stokes tallied 16, Wade scored 15 and Sneed added 12 points. Brown also added 2 assists and 6 steals to his impressive stat line.

The Wildcats connected on 50 percent (31-of-62) from the field in the game. The defensive pressure held the Lumberjacks to 39 percent shooting (16-of-41) from the field, including 25 percent (5-of-19) from beyond the arc.

PLAYER OF THE GAME

Barry Brown – scored a new season-high 20 points and swiped away 6 steals from the Lumberjacks, as Brown helped lead a defensive-charged attack. Brown shot 9-of-13 from the field in the game to earn his third double-digit scoring effort of the season.

STAT OF THE GAME

19 – K-State recorded 19 steals on Monday night, tying a program-best 19 steals recorded against Tulane on January 10, 1976. The historic effort was led by several career-highs in steals, as Brown and Wade recorded 6 and 5 steals, respectively. Stokes also added 3 steals.

SEASON RECORD UPDATE

• K-State 4-0 (0-0 Big 12)
• Northern Arizona 0-4 (0-0 Big Sky)

IN THEIR WORDS

K-State Head Coach Bruce Weber

On the game…

“They were 0-and-3. We won it 80-58. We missed some layups and some free throws. I think we can be better than that. We just have to move forward and get ready for Arizona State. The problem is we do not have much practice time. We had 19 steals and we turned them over 31 times. Both of those are close to school records. Barry [Brown] had 6 steals and Dean [Wade] had a good stat line with 15 points, five rebounds, four assists and five steals. But we were not as sharp as I would like us to be. I think more than anything, the older guys were consistent. The younger guys were not as good as we need them to be. That is going to be a key for our team.”

 

TOM GILBERT
Associate Director for Athletics Communications | K-State Athletics