The Friday night high school football schedule in the region includes:

–Junction City at Manhattan ( 6 p.m. start time )

–Highland Park at Topeka West

–Shawnee Heights at Hayden

–Seaman visits Emporia

–Topeka High at Washburn Rural

–Council Grove hosts Central Heights

–Riley County hosts Silver Lake

–Marysville hosts Chapman

–Centre goes to Onaga

–Herington visits Valley Falls

–Solomon hosts Lincoln

–Blue Valley Randolph goes to Hanover

–Wakefield hosts Frankfort

–Rural Vista at Hill City ( 3 p.m. Saturday )

Game 5
Kansas State at Texas
Date: Saturday, October 7, 2017

Kickoff: 6 p.m.

Location: Austin, Texas

Stadium: Texas Memorial Stadium (100,119)

Series: K-State Leads, 10-7

 

 

CATS HIT THE ROAD FOR BIG 12 PRIMETIME TILT WITH TEXAS
Kansas State opened up Big 12 play with a win over Baylor and will now head back on the road to face the Texas Longhorns on Saturday at Texas Memorial Stadium. The contest, which kicks at 6 p.m., will be shown nationally on FS1 with Justin Kutcher (play-by-play), Mark Helfrich (analyst) and Petros Papadakis (analyst) 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 Sirius channel 132, XM Channel 199 in addition to the TuneIn app. Live stats are available at kstatesports.com, while Twitter updates (@ kstate_gameday, @KStateFB) will all be a part of the coverage.

A LOOK AT K-STATE

• Guided by College Football Hall of Famer Bill Snyder, who is in his 26th year at the helm, the Wildcats are looking to start 2-0 in Big 12 play for the first time since 2014.
• Senior Jesse Ertz set a new school record for passer rating (319.8) in the season opener and has rushed for 221 yards and two touchdowns in his last two games.
• Ertz carded his fourth-career 100-yard rushing game at VU and added 95 yards against Baylor. He now has 1,395 career rushing yards as he passed Michael Bishop (1997-98) for third place in school history in career rushing yards by signal callers.
• Ertz leads five different Wildcats with at least one rushing touchdown this year, while four different receivers have carded at least five catches and scored one touchdown.
• K-State’s defense continues to put in solid work as the Wildcats held Baylor to 84 net yards rushing and head into the weekend with the league’s top-rated unit in total defense, pass defense and pass efficiency defense.
• K-State has held its first four opponents to under 21 points for the sixth time under Snyder, joining the 1994, 1996, 1998, 2000 and 2002 teams.
• K-State also enters the Texas game ranked ninth nationally in turnover margin (+6), 15th in scoring defense (15.0 points per game) and 21st in total defense (308.5).
• The Wildcats are led by linebacker Trent Tanking, who is tied for 15th in the Big 12 with 26 tackles, while defensive tackle Will Geary has a team-best 4.5 TFLs and three sacks, which ranks third in the Big 12.
• Reed recorded a 96-yard return on the opening kickoff vs. UCA, a 62-yard punt return for a score and an interception to earn Big 12 Special Teams Player of the Week honors.
• Kendall Adams answered the bell against Charlotte by becoming just the third Big 12 player ever to return an interception for a TD and a fumble for a score in the same game as he earned Big 12 Defensive Player of the Week honors.
• Adams had another solid outing against Baylor with eight tackles, one for a loss, a pass breakup and an interception, giving him three picks over his last five games.

A LOOK AT THE SERIES

• The Wildcats lead the all-time series against Texas, 10-7 – including a 9-4 mark in Big 12 play – but are 3-6 in Austin.
• The home team has won each of the last five contests.
• The last visiting team to win the series was K-State, a 17-13 triumph in 2011.
• The longest winning streak in the series belongs to the Wildcats, who won five-straight (2006, 2007, 2010, 2011, 2012).CATS VS THE LONE STAR STATE
• K-State is riding a recent streak of success against teams from the state of Texas.
• The Cats have won their last six games against teams from Texas, including all five major FBS programs in the state last season (Texas, Texas A&M, TCU, Texas Tech, Baylor).TEXAS CATS
• The Wildcats boast 23 players from the state of Texas on their current roster, nearly 20-percent of the roster.
• Of the 56 players on K-State’s two-deep, nine are from the Lone Star State, including starters Abdul Beecham (OL; Judson), Jayd Kirby (LB; Blooming Grove) and Matthew McCrane (PK; Brownwood).CONFERENCE CALL
• With the conference play now underway for the 22nd season, Kansas State is one of just three Big 12 teams with 100 league wins as the Wildcats picked up their 106th Big 12 league win last week against Baylor.
• K-State has won 42 Big 12 road games since the league was formed, which ranks third among all Big 12 institutions.
• Since 2011, K-State is 16-11 in Big 12 play on the road.THE HALL OF FAMER
• The architect of the “greatest turnaround in the history of college football,” Bill Snyder was inducted into the College Football Hall of Fame in 2015.
• Snyder is just the fourth person in the history of college football to be inducted as an active coach.
• Snyder has compiled an amazing 205-106-1 (.659) record in 25-plus seasons at K-State as he is one of just six coaches to reach the 200-win mark and coach at only one school.
• Holding 166 more victories than any other coach in K-State history, Snyder ranks first in the FBS in wins among coaches at their current schools and second in total wins among active coaches.
• Additionally, Snyder has 119 conference wins to stand as one of four coaches with 100 Big 8/12 victories (Tom Osborne [153], Bob Stoops [121], Barry Switzer [100]).

 

TURNOVER TURNAROUND

• A year after finishing minus-3 in the turnover battle, K-State tied for fourth in the nation with a plus-13 turnover margin in 2016.
• It was the Wildcats’ best national finish in turnover margin since ranking third in 2012, while it marked an 84-spot jump from a tie for 88th from the 2015 season.
• K-State enters this week ranked ninth nationally in turnover margin at plus-6.
• The Wildcats have gained nine turnovers, including five fumbles to tie for 11th in the nation, while only committing three of their own.

 

DRAWING FIRST BLOOD

• Since 1990, K-State is 163-31 (.840) when scoring first.
• K-State finished the 2016 season with a 5-2 mark when scoring first and is 18-4 in that department over the last four seasons.
• Under Bill Snyder, K-State is 150-24 (.863) when scoring first, including a 3-0 mark this season.

 

QUICK OUT OF THE GATE

• Kansas State started games on the right side of the scoreboard in 2016, outscoring opponents 95-54 in the opening 15 minutes.
• That mark improved to 248-137 through the first half and 336-184 after three quarters.
• Through four games in 2017, K-State has outscored opponents 103-33 in the first half, including a 65-6 margin in the second quarter alone.

 

LEADING AT THE HALF

• K-State earned an 8-1 record in 2016 when taking a lead into the locker room with its only blemish being a loss at West Virginia.
• Under Bill Snyder, the Wildcats are 175-10 (.948) when leading at halftime, including a 56-3 (.950) mark in Snyder’s second tenure, which began in 2009.
• The Wildcats are 3-0 this season when leading at halftime and are riding a nine-game winning streak when leading at the break.

 

CATS TOPS IN NON-OFFENSIVE TDs

• K-State is the nation’s best in non-offensive touchdowns over the last 18-plus seasons as it has 109 since 1999, including D.J. Reed’s punt return score in the 2017 season opener and two by Kendall Adams against Charlotte via a 30-yard interception return and a 46-yard fumble return.
• K-State two defensive touchdowns are currently tied for ninth in the nation.
• Since 1990, the Wildcats are 60-17 when scoring on special teams and 20-1 when scoring on special teams and defense, including an 18-0 mark under Bill Snyder.
• The Cats have had at least five non-offensive touchdowns in five of the last six years and in 16 of the 18 seasons since 1999.NON-OFFENSIVE TD RECORDS
• Under head coach Bill Snyder, K-State is 72-21 (.774) when scoring a non-offensive touchdown, while the Cats are 53-14 (.789) since 1999 in that department.
• Since Snyder returned to the sideline in 2009, K-State is 28-7 (.800) in this same category.

OFFENSIVE NOTES

GROUND ATTACK

• K-State leaned heavily on its running game throughout 2016, particularly during the second half of the year.
• The Cats broke the school record in yards per carry (5.27) and ranked third in rushing yards per game (231.8).
• K-State hit those marks due to rushing for at least 200 yards in nine games, including each of the final seven contests. The Wildcats also hit the 300-yard mark four times.
• K-State’s four 300-yard games in 2016 were the most by the Wildcats since 2003, while they hit that mark three times in a four-game stretch for the first time since 2001 (vs. Kansas, Iowa State and Louisiana Tech).
• After rushing for 304 yards against Charlotte, another 201 yards at Vanderbilt and 225 yards against Baylor, the Wildcats have now reached the 200-yard rushing mark 11 times in the last 13 games.
• It marks the most 200-yard rushing games in a 13-game stretch since also doing so in 11 contests between Oct. 27, 2001 (vs. Kansas) and Oct. 22, 2002 (vs. Oklahoma State).
• K-State enters the weekend third in the conference and 27th nationally in rushing offense.

 

AERIAL ASSAULT

• While the Cats are known to have a powerful rushing attack, the 2017 squad has some weapons through the air as the unit works to achieve balance.
• In the 2017 opener, Jesse Ertz threw for a career-high 333 yards and tied the school record with four passing touchdowns against UCA.
• His passer rating of 319.8 was a new school record and the highest in the nation in week one, while he also became the first player under Bill Snyder to throw three 50-plus yard touchdown passes in the same game.PROECTING THE FOOTBALL
  • Kansas State tied for fifth in the country last season in turnovers lost (12), while the Wildcats only threw five interceptions to rank fifth in the country.
• A year after tossing 13 picks, K-State’s minus-8 interception differential from 2015 to 2016 ranked third nationally among Power 5 teams behind Maryland (minus-21) and Nebraska (minus-12).
• The Wildcats have only lost three turnovers this year,  one of which came on a punt return, which is tied for sixth nationally entering play this week.LONG DRIVES
  • In the era of quick-strike offenses in college football, K-State remains a team that likes to possess the ball.
• Of K-State’s 64 scoring drives in 2016, 39 were seven plays or longer (60.9 percent), including 19 (29.7 percent) of 10-plus plays.
• Nineteen scoring drives a year ago lasted at least five minutes with a 17-play,8:32drive at Oklahoma being the longest.
• K-State had three scoring drives of 10 plays or more against Charlotte.
• Contrary, in week one, K-State tallied three touchdown drives of three plays or less against UCA.RED ZONE EFFICIENCY
  • K-State has been one of the best red zone teams over the past few years as the Wildcats are the only team to finish in the top-15 nationally in red zone offense in 2014, 2015 and 2016.
• The Cats finished the 2016 campaign 10th in the nation and second in the Big 12 by converting on 91.9-percent (57-of-62) of red zone trips.
• Since the beginning of 2014, K-State has converted on 182-of-197 red zone attempts (.924) with 132 touchdowns. Included in that stretch was a nation-leading scoring streak of 56-straight trips that was snapped in 2016.
• In their last 56 wins since 2011, the Cats are 258-for-282 (.915) in red zone chances with 190 touchdowns, while four of their non-scoring trips have come via kneel downs to close out victories.IN ELITE COMPANY
  • Quarterback Jesse Ertz is one of four quarterbacks in school history to throw for 2,000 yards and rush for 1,000 yards in a career, joining Michael Bishop (1997-98), Ell Roberson (2000-03) and Collin Klein (2009-12).
• Ertz, who has 1,395 career rushing yards, ranks third in school history in rushing yards among quarterbacks. He is also tied for third in career 100-yard rushing games by quarterbacks behind Klein (10) and Roberson (8).
• Ertz ranks second in school history among all players in career rushing yards per attempt at 5.65, only trailing legendary running back Darren Sproles (6.11; 2001-04).AIRING IT OUT
  • Although he used his feet for a majority of 2016, Jesse Ertz is out to prove that he can sling it around the field in 2017.
• In the season opener against UCA, Ertz broke the school record for single-game passing efficiency at 319.8, bettering the previous mark of 300.9 by Allen Webb against North Texas in 2005.
• Ertz also tied the single-game school record for passing touchdowns with four, while his 333 yards were the most by a Wildcat in a season opener in school history.
• The Mediapolis, Iowa, native is 15th in school history in career passing yards and only 45 away from ranking 14th.
• Additionally, Ertz is tied for 10th in K-State history in career passing efficiency (125.99).
• Ertz enters play this week ranked third nationally in pass yards per completion (16.42) and 26th in yards per attempt (24.33).LOADED BACKFIELD
  • Although there are only five career starts among the K-State running backs, the Wildcats have a pair of players who can shoulder the load in the backfield in junior Justin Silmon and sophomore Alex Barnes.
• Thanks to their play late in 2016, both were named to the 2017 Doak Walker Award watch list as K-State was one of only six teams in the nation with multiple honorees.
• Add in Dalvin Warmack, who rushed has for 84 yards and a pair of touchdowns this year, and two redshirt freshmen in Tyler Burns and Mike McCoy – the latter who scored a touchdown against Charlotte – the Wildcats have one of their deepest backfields in recent history.CLOSE TO 1,000
  • A trio of Wildcats are closing in on hitting 1,000 career yards.
• Running back Justin Silmon has 876 career rushing yards as he is 124 yards shy of becoming the 29th player in school history to reach the 1,000-yard mark for a career.
• Wide receivers Byron Pringle and Dominique Heath have 777 and 775 career receiving yards, respectively. They are looking to join a list of 30 other 1,000-yard career receivers.
• Pringle is trying to join a list of six other former community-college receivers to hit the 1,000-yard mark for a career at K-State. The last to accomplish the feat was Brandon Banks, who had 1,754 yards between 2008 and 2009.DIMEL DOES IT ALL
  • Although he plays fullback, Winston Dimel has turned into an offensive threat for the Wildcats.
• Dimel has 20 career rushing touchdowns, just three shy of entering K-State’s top-10 list. He is one of only 15 players in school history with at least 20 rushing touchdowns.
• Additionally, he has 22 touchdowns overall in his career to sit four away from the top-10 in that category.
• The Manhattan product has also averaged 20.9 yards on his 17 career receptions, the fourth-highest mark in school history among players with 17 or more catches.DEFENSIVE NOTES

STOUT SCORING DEFENSE
• Kansas State enters the week allowing only 15.0 points per game, which is tops in the Big 12 and ranks 15th in the nation.

• The Wildcats have held each of their first four opponents under 21 points, marking the first time they have accomplished the featin 15 yearsand just the sixth time since 1990.
• The other five times the Wildcats allowed 21 or less points in each of the first four games were 1994, 1996, 1998, 2000 and 2002.
• This year’s team is trying to join the 1994, 1998 and 2000 squads that held its first five foes at 21 points or less.LIMITING THE PASSING GAME
  • The Wildcats enter the Texas game leading the conference and ranking 34th nationally in passing defense (188.0 ypg).
• Additionally, K-State is tops in the league and 30th nationally in pass efficiency defense (111.9).
• Kansas State surrendered only 58 passing yards against Charlotte, the fewest since Nebraska could only muster 39 yards on Nov. 18, 2000.TOUGH AGAINST THE RUN
  • Kansas State was stout in rushing defense in 2016, ranking 11th nationally and leading the Big 12 by allowing only 115.0 yards per game.
• The Wildcats finished in the top 15 in the country in run defense for the first time since 2002. That year, K-State was second by allowing 69.5 yards per game.
• K-State limited opponents to less than 125 yards on eight occasions last year, including five times in Big 12 play.
• The Wildcats have surrendered less than 125 rushing yards in each of the last three games, including 65 yards to a Vanderbilt team that was averaging 122.5 rushing yards per game entering the contest.PICKING THEM APART
  • After recording only five interceptions in 2015, K-State reversed the trend last year with a Big 12-leading 16 picks, a mark that tied for 14th in the nation.
• K-State’s plus-11 up-tick in interceptions from 2015 to 2016 was the highest turnaround among Power 5 teams.
• The Wildcats, who have notched at least one interception in 31 of the last 42 games, made the turnaround despite starting three sophomores in the secondary for a majority of last season.
• Additionally, 11 of K-State’s 16 picks in 2016 came from defensive backs after only one in 2015.
• Among the 16 picks last year, three were returned for touchdowns, including pick-sixes from current Wildcats D.J. Reed (TTU) and Duke Shelley (OSU).
• The three interception-return touchdowns by the Wildcats led the Big 12 and tied for 10th nationally.
• Reed picked up where he left off a year ago by snagging the team’s first interception of 2017 against UCA, while Kendall Adams added a pick-six against Charlotte and also had an interception to close out the Baylor.LBs STEPPING UP
  • Although it is a group that is deep with playmakers that shined on special teams in their careers, K-State did not return any starts at linebacker in 2016.
• The Wildcats were one of three teams in the nation – but the only one from a Power 5 school – to not return a single start at linebacker this year. The next closest among Power 5 schools was Florida, which returned 12 total starts.
• Although lacking experience, the linebackers have risen to the occasion as Trent Tanking leads the Wildcats and is tied for 15th in the Big 12 with 26 tackles, while Jayd Kirby is tied for second on the team with 25.
• Tanking, a team captain and former in-state walk-on, entered the year with the most experience as he ended the 2016 regular season with five tackles at TCU, a game that also included an interception on the final play of the game.BECOMING A LEADER
  • Safety Kendall Adams has helped lead the stout Wildcat defense early this season as he is tied for second on the team in tackles (25), ranks first in interceptions (2) and is tied for first in passes defended (3).
• A product of Fort Worth, Texas, Adams’ two interceptions are tied for second in the Big 12 and 22nd nationally, while he already equaled his total from last year in just four games.ADAMS WITH A RARE FEAT
  • Kendall Adams recorded a 30-yard interception return touchdown and a 46-yard fumble return touchdown against Charlotte, a feat that hadn’t been accomplished by a Wildcat in nearly 18 years.
• Adams was the first K-State player with touchdowns of both varieties in the same game since Dyshod Carter did so against Missouri in 1999.
• Additionally, he is just the third player in Big 12 history to accomplish the feat, joining Carter and Texas Tech’s Paul McClendon, who did so against North Texas in 2001.
• For his effort against the 49ers, Adams picked up Big 12 Defensive Player of the Week honors.GEARY LEADS THE LINE
  • A former in-state walk-on, Will Geary has recorded a team-best 34 career starts, which includes 29 of the last 30 games.
• Geary also has the most career tackles among active Wildcats with 132, a mark that ranks 17th in program history among interior defensive linemen.
• A native of Topeka, Kansas, Geary has recorded 4.5 tackles for loss and 3.0 sacks over the last two games.SPECIAL TEAMS NOTES

SCORING IN THE THIRD PHASE
• Kansas State has been far and away the best team among FBS programs over the last decade when it comes to scoring via a kickoff or punt return, and thus ranked as the top collective special teams unit in the nation entering the 2017 season according to Phil Steele.
• The Wildcats have a combined 43 kickoff- and punt-return touchdowns since 2005, 15 more than any other FBS school over the last 13 seasons.

DEFENSE IN THE THIRD PHASE
• On the flip side, K-State has been just as consistent in terms of kickoff and punt coverage as the Cats have not allowed a kickoff-return touchdown in the last 54 games (LAST: vs. Louisiana, 9/7/13) or a punt-return score in 41 games (LAST: at Iowa State, 9/6/14).
• Kansas State finished the 2016 season in the top 25 nationally in both punt-return defense (17th; 4.14) and kickoff-return defense (23rd; 18.4).
• The Wildcats have yielded just one punt-return attempt this season and are tied for 27th nationally after Baylor had one return for three yards.

KICKOFF-RETURN STREAKS
• Kansas State is currently riding a pair of streaks in terms of kickoff returns as the Wildcats have returned a kick for a touchdown in each of the last 12 seasons – the longest streak in the nation by five years.
• Byron Pringle extended the streak in 2016 when he returned a kickoff to paydirt 99 yards against Texas Tech.
• Since head coach Bill Snyder’s return in 2009, K-State has returned 17 kickoffs for touchdowns as opposed to only four in his first tenure, which lasted 17 years.
• For his effort last season, Pringle earned First Team All-Big 12 honors as a kick returner, marking the 11th-straight year a Wildcat returner has earned all-conference accolades. Additionally, a K-State kick returner has earned first team honors six times in the last eight years.

A CAREER DAY
• Place kicker Matthew McCrane had one of the best games of his career against Baylor, connecting on all four field-goal attempts.
• McCrane’s four field goals tied a career high, were the second most in school history and tied for the third most nationally this season. It was also the second-best perfect kicking day in school history.
• The senior collected 15 points in the game, one shy of the single-game school record by a kicker.
• McCrane’s effort against the Bears earned him Big 12 Special Teams Player of the Week accolades in addition to being named a Lou Groza Award “Star of the Week.”

McCRANE IN THE RECORD BOOK
• Matthew McCrane will finish his career highly on many of K-State’s career kicking lists.
• McCrane current ranks first in school history and third nationally by making 88.0-percent (44-of-50) of his career field goals.
•The two-time All-Big 12 place kicker also ranks first in school history in career field-goal percentage (99.1-percent) and is in K-State’s top-10 in career field goals made (2nd; 44), extra points made (6th; 102), extra points attempted (6th; 103) and field goals attempted (t5th; 50).
• McCrane also entered K-State’s top-10 list for career points scored this year, a mark that stands at 234 to rank eighth but fourth among kickers.

WALSH A DEPENDABLE PUNTER
• Just as important as a veteran place kicker, the Wildcats also have an experienced punter in Nick Walsh.
• A 2015 All-Big 12 punter and two-time member of the Ray Guy Award watch list, Walsh has booted to a career 41.72-yard average to rank sixth in K-State history, while he is also sixth in career attempts (171) and seventh in yards (7,134).

————
RYAN LACKEY
Assistant Director | Athletics Communications

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 6 p.m., road contest at Texas this Saturday at Texas Memorial Stadium, a game that will be shown nationally on FS1. Selected comments from Snyder’s press conference (archived here) are posted below, along with a collection of comments from players.

 

The Wildcats return to Bill Snyder Family Stadium on Saturday, October 14, when they face TCU in an11 a.m., contest that will also be shown on FS1. Scattered singles for the game are on sale for $45 and can be purchased by clicking here. Standing-room only tickets can be purchased for $75 by clicking here, and a $199 standing-room only Wildcat 4 Pack is available here.

K-State Football Weekly Press Conference Quotes
Head Coach Bill Snyder
On sophomore wide receiver Isaiah Zuber …

“He made some nice plays last week. He is a fine athlete and very talented. It is a matter of consistency, and when he reaches that level of consistency that we are after, he will be a very prominent figure.”

 

On junior safety Kendall Adams…

“He has always been somebody who has invested in himself. His experience has been beneficial to him as it should be to most people who want to make the effort. He processes information faster and he gets himself in the right position. He has made plays that were a matter of being in the right place at the right time. You have to be able to process that information well to be able to get to the right place at the right time. He has done that a good portion of the time.”

 

On senior defensive end Tanner Wood…

“Getting up and knocking two passes down was prominent in the ballgame. He is one of those guys who is trying to do what you ask him to do. He is always going to do it full speed ahead and as hard as he can. He works diligently to get better, and I see him getting better and better. It does not hurt anything that he has had the experience of being more than a part time player last year.”

 

On the defense…

“We have done some very good things defensively. We have some things we are still working on and have to correct. We are making progress, and you can see we have gotten better and better but not without our faults. We had two major plays against us last week which would have made a dynamic difference in the vast amount of improvement made with our defense. It was a big play in the passing game and the big play in the running game, and you do not get them back. It happens, so we have to do something about getting it fixed.”

 

On the offensive line…

“It has been solid. We have not given up (many) sacks and we have been pretty good in that area. The biggest concern right now is the penalty element. We have been penalized more frequently than we need to. You go back to last week’s ballgame and we had some penalties that have a dynamic impact on the ballgame itself. That is still a concern that we are working on diligently.”

 

On the Texas defense…

“They are awfully good. They do quite a few things and have good people doing it. They are the best defensive football team that we will face up to this point. At the end of the season you look back and determine whether they were the best defensive group that we have seen. They are up front and very physical. They have good size and they also have good range. You look across the entire defense and you do not see small guys. They have those physical capabilities and the specifics of the size. They are athletic to go along with it.”

 

On facing Texas and its new coaching staff…

“We have seen all of the Houston film for a period of time. What they did in the spring and these four ballgames gives you a pretty good idea. There are still some things that have not shown up that are on the table when we were in Houston. For the most part, we have seen a good deal.”

 

On Jesse Ertz…

“He handles things extremely well. He knows that there are some things that he needs to get better at. He works at it and is dedicated to it. You do not see much of a difference in Jesse game to game. He understands what he needs to do, and I do not have to tell him. He understands how to go about it and normally does it that way.”

Sophomore Wide Receiver Dalton Schoen
On added motivation playing Texas…

“We have a lot of players from Texas; I think it might mean a little something extra to them. At the end of the day, it is a Big 12 game and all of those are important to us. We are really focused on going and getting a win for that reason.”

 

On the receivers blocking out the dropped passes…

“It is definitely hard to get it out of your head once you have a drop and it just keeps building up. I think what we need to do is just forget about it and focus on looking the ball all the way in.”

 

On the expected atmosphere at Texas on Saturday…

“We know they are going to have a lot of fans and pack the house. Big 12 road games are tough, but it’s a hurdle we have to clear.”

 

On his impressions of the Texas defense…

“I know they have some big defensive backs and run a variety of coverages. They switch it up and run some zone and man. It will be really important for us to identify that and get in the right spots.”

 

Junior Defensive Back D.J. Reed

On what this week is about heading into Saturday…

“Everybody is practicing hard. I heard they seat 100,000 (fans), so it is going to be a fun experience and everybody is looking forward to it.”

 

On what has surprised him about the defensive unit…

“I would not say anything has surprised me, but I feel that our front guys are playing amazing. Will (Geary), Reggie (Walker), all of those guys are playing really well and our linebackers as well.”

 

On the differences of Texas’ offense from last year to this year…

“From watching film from the USC and Iowa State games, I would not say it is a big difference. Last year I think they were airing the ball out more and this year is more conservative, but they still have the ability throw the ball deep.”

 

On the defensive unit playing with confidence…

“We feel good about how hard we work. We run to the ball and we are really fast. It is a blessing to be able to play with guys who have that same mindset and want to keep teams out of the end zone.”

The Lady Jay tennis team competed in the Centennial League Tennis Tournament on Monday.

Codi Post and Jordan Dombrowski earned the highest place of the day going 4-0 in pool play and ultimately finishing 4^th place. Anne Kim and Brianna Talley won their final three matches to finish 13^th. In singles play, Morgan Carroll finished 12^th place and June Smith finished 14^th place.  All places were out of 20 entries.

Overall, Washburn Rural was the Centennial League team champion and the Lady Jays finished 6^th. The Lady Jays next compete in their regional tournament this Saturday, October 7^th. Matches will take place at the Topeka Kossover Center and will start place at 10 am.

Coach Matthew Micheel

 

MANHATTAN, Kan. – With a career-high tying four field goals to help Kansas State earn a 33-20 win over Baylor on Saturday, Wildcat senior place kicker Matthew McCrane has been named the Big 12 Special Teams Player of the Week, the conference office announced Monday.

 

It is the second weekly conference accolade for McCrane, who also received the honor following the Kansas game in his freshman season of 2014. The Wildcats now have 46 player of the week honors since 2011, the second most in the Big 12, while 25 of those have been of the special teams variety, the most in the Big 12.

 

A product of Brownwood, Texas, McCrane connected on field goals of 37, 21, 49 and 23 yards on the afternoon, including two in the fourth quarter that secured the win. His 4-for-4 mark was the best perfect game of his career, tied for the second best in school history and tied for the third best in the nation this season. Additionally, his 15 points scored in the game was one shy of setting the single-game school record among kickers.

 

McCrane improved his career mark to 44-of-50 as his 88.0-percent success rate ranks first in school history and third in the nation. He also ranks first in school history in career extra-point percentage (99.1), second in career field goals made, fourth in career scoring among kickers (234) and eighth overall in scoring.

 

K-State travels to take on Texas this Saturday at 6 p.m., inside Texas Memorial Stadium. The contest will be shown nationally on FS1.

 

Scattered singles for the TCU game are on sale for $45 and can be purchased by clicking here. Standing-room only tickets can be purchased for $75 by clicking here, and a $199 standing-room only Wildcat 4 Pack is available here.

 

Limited ticket options for all remaining home football games can also be purchased online by clicking here, by phone at 1-800-221-CATS or at the main ticket office inside Bramlage Coliseum.

– k-statesports.com –

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

MANHATTAN, Kan. – The Big 12 Conference and FOX Sports announced Monday that Kansas State’s October 14 home game against TCU – a game that serves as Harley Day – will kick off at 11 a.m., and be televised nationally by FS1.

The all-time series between the Wildcats and Horned Frogs is tied, 5-5, but K-State is 3-2 since TCU joined the Big 12 prior to the 2012 season. A year after winning at TCU, 30-6, the Wildcats will be looking to avenge a 52-45 home loss to the second-ranked Horned Frogs in 2015.

 

Kansas State travels to Austin, Texas, this Saturday for a 6 p.m., contest against the Longhorns. The game will be shown nationally on FS1.

 

Scattered singles for the TCU game are on sale for $45 and can be purchased by clicking here. Standing-room only tickets can be purchased for $75 by clicking here, and a $199 standing-room only Wildcat 4 Pack is available here.