MANHATTAN, Kan. – Kansas State’s game with Georgia as part of the fifth annual Big 12/SEC Challenge Presented by Sonic will be broadcast nationally on ESPNU at 1 p.m., CT on Saturday, January 27, 2018 at Bramlage Coliseum, the two conferences announced Wednesday.

 

The game will be one of 10 contested between the two leagues for the fifth consecutive season with ESPN providing coverage of all games on ESPN, ESPN2 or ESPNU. All the contests will occur on January 27.

 

The Big 12, which collected its most non-conference wins (116) in five seasons in 2016-17 on a .784 winning percentage, has won three of the four Challenge series, posting a 25-15 (.625) record. The leagues split their 10 Challenge games last season. Overall, the Big 12 is 53-35 (.602) in its last four challenge series (vs. Pac-10 and SEC) dating back to 2007.

 

The Big 12 has been No. 1 in RPI in four of the last seven seasons, including second-best league in 2016-17.

 

The matchup will mark the third meeting in the past four seasons for the two schools, but the first in the Challenge event. The teams split a home-and-home series during the 2014-15 and 2015-16 seasons with the Bulldogs earning a 50-46 win at Bramlage Coliseum on December 31, 2014 and the Wildcats getting a last-second shot from then freshman Dean Wade to post a 68-66 victory at Stegeman Coliseum on December 4, 2015.

 

Overall, K-State is 161-149 all-time against teams from the SEC, which includes a 2-2 mark in the Big 12/SEC Challenge series with wins over Ole Miss at home in 2013 (61-58) and 2016 (69-64) and losses at Tennessee in 2014 (64-65) and 2017 (58-70). The Wildcats have met at least one SEC opponent in each of the last nine seasons.

 

The contest will also serve as another homecoming for ninth-year Georgia head coach Mark Fox, who is a native of Garden City, Kansas, and a former assistant coach at K-State from 1994-2000. During his six-year stint on the coaching staff of head coach Tom Asbury, Fox helped the Wildcats post an 85-88 overall record with three postseason appearances, including a trip to the 1996 NCAA Tournament. Fox’s wife, Cindy, also spent time in the K-State Athletics Department, serving five years as Assistant AD for Marketing and Senior Woman Administrator.

 

The Bulldogs are set to return 11 players, including 10 with starting experience, from a team that posted a 19-15 overall record and advanced to the NIT in 2016-17. The team, which knocked off Texas last season in the Challenge series, returns one of the country’s top big men in senior forward Yante Maten. A two-time All-SEC pick, Maten averaged 18.2 points on 51.9 percent shooting with 6.8 rebounds and 1.5 blocks per game as a junior.

 

The Wildcats will return eight lettermen, including three players – Barry Brown, Kamau Stokes and Dean Wade – who started all 35 games for a Wildcat squad that won 21 games and advanced to the NCAA Tournament. Brown and Stokes are the team’s top returning scorers with identical 11.7 points per game averages, while Stokes was the team leader in 3-point field goals (64), assists (4.1 apg.) and minutes (33.3 mpg.) in 2016-17. Brown set a single-season school record for steals with 82, while Wade averaged 9.3 points on nearly 50 percent shooting and is the team’s top returner in both rebounding (4.5 rpg.) and blocked shots (0.7 bpg.).

 

In addition, K-State will welcome seven newcomers (graduate transfer Mawdo Sallah, juniors Makol Mawien, Patrick Muldoon and Amaad Wainright and freshmen Mike McGuirl, Nigel Shadd and Levi Stockard III) as well as redshirt freshmen Cartier Diarra and James Love III, who both missed the 2016-17 season due to injury.

 

Season tickets for the 2017-18 season are currently on sale with a variety of pricing options available, including the return of the Big Game and Pick 5 Mini-Plans. Fans can purchase season tickets in a variety of ways, including toll free at (800) 221.CATS (2287), online at www.kstatesports.com/tickets and in-person at the Athletics Ticket Office located in Bramlage Coliseum.

 

The remaining game times as well as the third-tier television slate will be released in the coming weeks.

 

Big 12 / SEC Challenge Presented by Sonic

Baylor at Florida, ESPN, 11 a.m. CT

Texas Tech at South Carolina, ESPN2, 11 a.m. CT

Georgia at Kansas State, ESPNU, 1 p.m. CT

Mississippi at Texas, ESPN2, 1 p.m. CT

Oklahoma at Alabama, ESPN, 1:15 p.m. CT

Tennessee at Iowa State, ESPNU, 3 p.m. CT

TCU at Vanderbilt, ESPN2, 3 p.m. CT

Texas A&M at Kansas, ESPN, 3:30/6 p.m. CT

Kentucky at West Virginia, ESPN, 3:30/6 p.m. CT

Oklahoma State at Arkansas, ESPN2, 5 p.m. CT

 

– www.k-statesports.com —
TOM GILBERT
Associate Director for Athletics Communications | K-State Athletics

 

MANHATTAN, Kan. – Backed by a combined 181 yards in returns last week against Central Arkansas, which featured a 62-yard punt return touchdown, Kansas State junior D.J. Reed was named the Big 12 Special Teams Player of the Week, the conference office announced Tuesday.

 

It was Reed’s second career player of the week honor but the first of the special teams variety as he was the Big 12 Newcomer of the Week following last year’s Texas Tech victory. K-State now has 44 player of the week accolades since 2011, the second most in the Big 12, while 24 have been special teams honors.

 

Reed took the opening kickoff 96 yards to the Bear 4-yard line to set up K-State’s first touchdown of the season, which bettered his previous long kickoff return of 76 yards last season at Baylor.

 

It was just the first of two long returns as Reed took a second-quarter punt 62 yards for a touchdown to give the Wildcats a 31-16 advantage. The score came on the first punt-return attempt of his career as he became the first Wildcat to take their first-career punt return for a touchdown since Thomas Randolph against New Mexico State in 1993.

 

The next Central Arkansas possession, Reed carded his fourth-career interception to set up another Wildcat touchdown as the Wildcats took a 22-point lead into the locker room en route to a 55-19 victory. With the pick, Reed became the first Wildcat to have an interception and a punt-return touchdown (non-blocked) in the same game since Terence Newman against Missouri in 2002.

 

– k-statesports.com –

 

RYAN LACKEY

Asst. Director/Athletics Communications | K-State Athletics

 

MANHATTAN, Kan. – With the 2017 NFL season set to kick off this Thursday night, 12 former Kansas State players made NFL rosters as organizations set their active rosters and practice squads following the mandatory cut down from 90 training camp players on Saturday.
The longest-tenured former Wildcats include cornerback Terence Newman, running back Darren Sproles and wide receiver Jordy Nelson.

 

Newman is entering his 15th NFL season as the former first-round draft pick is set to start his third season as a member of the Minnesota Vikings. Sproles, a Pro Bowler in 2015, is going into his 13th professional season, including his fourth with the Philadelphia Eagles. Nelson, the 2016 NFL Comeback Player of the Year, is set for his 10th season with the Green Bay Packers, the team that drafted him in the second round of the 2008 NFL Draft.

Third-year wide receiver Tyler Lockett is back for the Seattle Seahawks after suffering a season-ending injury late in 2016, while offensive linemen B.J. Finney (Pittsburgh) and Cody Whitehair (Chicago) are beginning their second seasons on NFL rosters.

Jordan Willis is one of four rookies on rosters in 2017. Willis, a third-round pick by Cincinnati in 2017, extended K-State’s Big 12-leading draft streak to 24 years. Rookie wide receiver Deante Burton was signed to the Atlanta Falcons’ practice squad, while rookie linebacker Charmeachealle Moore landed on injured reserve for the Los Angeles Chargers. Additionally, Randall Evans was signed to the Chargers’ practice squad.

Another rookie draft pick, seventh-rounder Elijah Lee, was signed to the Minnesota Vikings’ practice squad, while he and Newman are joined on the Vikings by linebacker Emmanuel Lamur, who is in his second season with the organization and sixth overall.

 

Former Wildcats on NFL Rosters

Name                                    Position               Team

Deante Burton*                WR                         Atlanta

Randall Evans*                  CB                           LA Chargers

B.J. Finney                           OL                           Pittsburgh

Emmanuel Lamur             LB                           Minnesota

Elijah Lee*                          LB                           Minnesota

Tyler Lockett                      WR                         Seattle

Charmeachealle Moore^   LB                           LA Chargers

Jordy Nelson                      WR                         Green Bay

Terence Newman            CB                           Minnesota

Darren Sproles                  RB                           Philadelphia

Cody Whitehair                 OL                           Chicago

Jordan Willis                       DE                           Cincinnati

 

* Practice Squad

^ Injured Reserve

– k-statesports.com –

 

Kansas State University, the nation’s first operational land-grant institution and a Carnegie Foundation Tier One university, is recognized as one of the nation’s best colleges with world-class research and academic excellence located in America’s No. 1 College Town (Manhattan, KS).

 

 

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

Game 2
Charlotte at 20/19 Kansas State
Date: Saturday, September 9, 2017

Kickoff: 11 a.m.

Stadium: Bill Snyder Family Stadium (50,000)

Series: First Meeting

 

1. 19 K-STATE CONTINUES HOMESTAND WITH CHARLOTTE
   Fresh off a dominating 55-19 season-opening win over Central Arkansas, 19th-ranked K-State welcomes former Wildcat defensive back Brad Lambert and his Charlotte 49ers to Manhattan Saturday morning at 11 a.m., inside Bill Snyder Family Stadium.

A LOOK AT K-STATE

• In his 26th season at the helm of the Wildcats, College Football Hall of Famer Bill Snyder brings back 44 letterwinners – including 18 starters – from last year’s squad that earned a 9-4 record.
• Eight of the returning starters picked up All-Big 12 accolades in 2016, including Big 12 Defensive Newcomer of the Year D.J. Reed (DB) and Big 12 Defensive Freshman of the Year Reggie Walker (DE).
• Senior Jesse Ertz got off to a hot start by setting a new single-game school record for passer rating (319.8) after connecting on 10-of-16 pass attempts for 333 yards and tying a school record with four touchdowns against UCA.
• Ertz, the NCAA’s most efficient passer in week one, connected on three touchdown passes of 55 or more yards, marking the first time in the Snyder era that the Cats had three or more TD catches of 50-plus yards in a game.
• The Cats have solid depth at running back and wide receiver as four different players recorded touchdown catches, led by Byron Pringle’s 121 yards and Isaiah Harris’ 118 yards last week. Four different running backs also saw time last week against Central Arkansas.
• D.J. Reed had a night against the Bears, recording a 96-yard return on the opening kickoff, a 62-yard punt return for a score and also and interception on defense.

A LOOK AT CHARLOTTE

• Charlotte entersSaturday’sgame with an 0-1 record on the season following a 24-7 setback to Eastern Michigan.
• The 49ers are led by head coach Brad Lambert, who played defensive back for the Wildcats from 1984-1987. Also on his staff is defensive coordinator Matt Wallerstedt, who played linebacker for K-State during the same four-year period and also later was an assistant coach.
• Quarterback Hasaan Klugh paced the 49ers in week one with 101 yards rushing and 114 yards through the air, while Jeff Gemmell starred on defense with 14 tackles.

A LOOK AT THE SERIES

• Saturdayis the first meeting between the two schools.
• The Wildcats hold an all-time record of 16-3 against current members of Conference USA.
• Saturdaymarks the fifth time in four seasons K-State will meet C-USA foe. The Wildcats defeated Florida Atlantic (63-7) last season, won at UTSA (30-3) and against Louisiana Tech (39-33) in 2015, and topped UTEP (58-28) in 2014.

  NON-CONFERENCE NOTABLES

• Since 1990, K-State has won 75 of its 85 (.882) regular-season non-conference games under Bill Snyder, including 65-of-69 (.942) at home.
• K-State has had perfect regular season non-conference ledgers in 15 of the last 24 years.

  SNYDER IN SEPTEMBER

• Fast starts have propelled the Wildcats to winning seasons under Bill Snyder. Since 1992 under Snyder, K-State is a combined 65-8 (.890) in September.
• Of the losses, five came on the road, as the Cats are 50-3 (.943) in September home games during that stretch.
• Since Snyder’s return to the sidelines in 2009, K-State is 23-5 (.821) in the month of September.

  CHARLOTTE CONNECTIONS

• K-State receiver Dominique Heath attended Hopewell HS and is from Huntersville, N.C. – just outside of Charlotte – while kickoff specialist and holder Mitch Lochbihler attended Charlotte Catholic HS.

  PRESEASON EXPECTATIONS

• K-State is ranked in both the Preseason Associated Press Top 25 and Preseason Amway Coaches’ Poll for the second time in the last four years.
• The Wildcats are 20th in the AP Poll, while they are 19th in the Coaches’.
• K-State opened the 2014 season ranked 20th in the AP and 21st in the coaches.
• This year marks the third time in Bill Snyder’s second tenure K-State earned a preseason ranking as the Wildcats were also 22nd in the AP and 21st in the Coaches’ en route to a Big 12 Championship in 2012.

 

HOME SWEET HOME

• Since 1990, K-State holds a 145-35-1 (.804) record when playing at Bill Snyder Family Stadium, including a 71-5 (.934) mark in non-conference games.
• The Cats finished 2016 with a 5-1 home record, their sixth year with five or more home victories since head coach Bill Snyder returned to the sidelines in 2009.

 

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 203-105-1 (.658) 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 164 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 118 conference wins to stand as one of four coaches with 100 Big 8/12 victories (Tom Osborne [153], Bob Stoops [117], 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.
• Last week, the Cats forced three turnovers against UCA while committing none of their own.

 

DRAWING FIRST BLOOD

• Since 1990, K-State is 161-31 (.839) when scoring first.
• K-State finished the 2016 season with a 5-2 mark when scoring first and is 16-4 in that department over the last three-plus seasons.
• In 2014, the Wildcats held a perfect 7-0 record when scoring the game’s first points.
• Under Bill Snyder, K-State is 148-24 (.861) when scoring first.

 

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.
• K-State kicked off the 2017 season with a 28-point second quarter against UCA to enter the locker room ahead, 38-16.

 

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 173-10 (.946) when leading at halftime, including a 54-3 (.948) mark in Snyder’s second tenure, which began in 2009.

 

FILLING THE BILL

• Attendance at K-State games has been at an all-time high over the last five years as K-State has recorded 34-straight sellouts.
• K-State, which finished second in the nation in percentage of capacity filled in 2013, 2014 and 2015, finished the 2016 season ranked fourth at 103.84-percent (more on page 8).
• Twenty-one of the largest 25 crowds in stadium history have come since 2013.

 

RETURNING EXPERIENCE

• The reason there is so much optimism around K-State for 2017 is the amount of returning experience from a 9-4 squad.
• The Wildcats return 179 total starts from last year, which ranks fourth all-time under Bill Snyder. It is the most returning starts by a Snyder-led team since the 2000 squad at 184.
• Of the 179 returning starts, 103 reside on the offensive side of the ball, the most ever by a Snyder-led unit. It eclipsed the 2000 team that had 99.
• The Wildcats have so many returning starts due to the fact that 135 starts a year ago were made by freshmen and sophomores, the most ever under Snyder and 34 more than the previous high of 101 in 1989.

 

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 107 since 1999, including D.J. Reed’s punt return score in the 2017 season opener.
• Since 1990, the Wildcats are 59-17 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.
• The Wildcats’ fifth non-offensive score in 2016 was a 39-yard pick-six by Donnie Starks against Kansas, while the Cats also had interception returns by D.J. Reed (Texas Tech) and Duke Shelley (Oklahoma State). Dominique Heath gave K-State its first non-offensive score of 2016 on a 75-yard a punt return against Florida Atlantic, while Byron Pringle returned a kickoff 99 yards against Texas Tech.
• Reed’s pick-six and Pringle’s KOR score marked the first time the Wildcats had two non-offensive scores in a Big 12 game since doing so against Oklahoma State in 2012.

OFFENSIVE NOTES

GROUND ATTACK

• K-State leaned heavily on its running game throughout the 2016 season, 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).

 

AERIAL ASSAULT

• While the Cats are known to have a powerful rushing attack, the 2017 squad will have 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).
• K-State’s three turnovers forced (minus-3) in week one tied for the best mark in the country so far.

  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.
• Contrary, in week one, K-State tallied three touchdown drives of three plays or less against UCA.

  CATS HIGH IN T.O.P.
  • Kansas State ranked 20th nationally and tops in the Big 12 by averaging 32:35 in time of possession in 2016.

• It was the third-straight season the Wildcats ranked in the top 25 and led the Big 12 in time of possession.
• Over the previous five years, K-State has held the ball 74-percent of the time to rank third nationally behind Michigan State (79%) and Stanford (78%).

  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 rank in the top-15 nationally in red zone offense each of the last three seasons.

• 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.
• Additionally, Kansas State was one of four teams – along with Texas Tech, Navy and Western Michigan – to finish in the top 15 in both average trips to the red zone per game and average points per red zone attempt.
• Since the beginning of 2014, K-State has converted on 169-of-184 red zone attempts (.923) with 124 touchdowns. Included in that stretch was a nation-leading scoring streak of 56-straight trips that was snapped in 2016.
• In their 54 wins over the last six-plus seasons, the Cats are 246-for-270 (.912) in red zone chances with 183 touchdowns, while four of their non-scoring trips have come via kneel downs to close out victories.

  DUAL-THREAT QUARTERBACK
  • Jesse Ertz was the true definition of a dual-threat quarterback in 2016 as he threw for 1,755 yards and nine touchdowns while rushing for 1,012 yards and 12 scores.

• The Mediapolis, Iowa, native was one of three quarterbacks in school history to rush for 1,000 yards and pass for 1,500 yards, while he was one of only four in the nation to accomplish the feat in 2016, joining Heisman Trophy winner Lamar Jackson (Louisville), Quinton Flowers (USF) and Nick Fitzgerald (Mississippi State).
• Ertz recorded the school’s 15th 1,000-yard rushing season and finished third among quarterbacks in single-season rushing yards, while his 5.53 yards per rush ranked fifth in school history and was tops among quarterbacks.
• Additionally, Ertz tallied 2,767 total offensive yards to rank 10th in school history.

  AIRING IT OUT
  • Although he used his feet for a majority of 2016, Jesse Ertz was out to prove that he can sling it around the field in the 2017 season opener against Central Arkansas.

• 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 – which was accomplished 15 other times – while it was the second time a Wildcat had four passing scores in a season opener. Michael Bishop also had four against Northern Illinois in the 1997 opener.
• The senior signal caller also threw for 333 yards, the most by a Wildcat in a season opener in school history. Three of his touchdown passes went for 50 or more yards, the most ever by a quarterback under Bill Snyder in a single game.

  ALSO A BIG 12 RECORD
  • In addition to his various school records against Central Arkansas, Jesse Ertz also helped K-State set a team Big 12 record.

• The Wildcats averaged 20.8 passing yards per attempt against the Bears, topping the previous Big 12 record of 19.1 also set by K-State against Miami in 2012.
  
  DYNAMIC DUO
  • Although there are only two career starts among the K-State running backs, the Wildcats have at least two capable players returning in junior Justin Silmon and sophomore Alex Barnes, both of whom had great finishes to the 2016 season.
• Thanks to their play late in the year, 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.
• Silmon finished the year with 210 yards and two touchdowns in the final two games, while Barnes had 262 yards and five scores in his final two games against Baylor and Kansas prior to an injury.
• According to Pro Football Focus, Barnes ranks first and Silmon ranks third among returning Big 12 running backs in elusive rating, which uses missed tackle rate and yards gained after contact to measure a runner’s success beyond the point of being helped by his blockers.

  ROOKIE BREAKOUT
  • Alex Barnes had one of the best seasons by a freshman running back in school history last season.

• Barnes rushed for 442 yards on 56 attempts and six scores, ranking second in school history in both rushing yards and rushing touchdowns among freshmen.
• Barnes’ 7.9-yard per carry average led the Big 12 among players with at least 50 attempts, while he was the only player in the league with at least 50 attempts to not have a negative rush.
• Additionally, he is tops among returning Big 12 running backs by averaging 3.86 yards after contact, according to Pro Football Focus.

  PRINGLE PICKS UP TEMPO
  • In addition to the two running backs, wide receiver Byron Pringle was also key down the stretch in 2016, and he has carried over his play to start the 2017 season.

• The Tampa, Florida, product ended 2016 with consecutive 100-yard games, going for 126 yards with an 83-yard touchdown at TCU before carding 107 yards with a 79-yard touchdown in the Texas Bowl against Texas A&M.
• Pringle, who came to K-State from Butler CC, had 121 yards, including a 55-yard score, last week against Central Arkansas for his third-straight 100-yard game.
• His three-straight games topping 100 yards are tied for the third-longest streak in school history and is the longest by a Wildcat since Tyler Lockett ended his career in 2014 with five-straight such games.
• Additionally, Pringle and sophomore Isaiah Harris (118 yards) teamed up for the 14th double 100-yard receiving game in school history.
• It was the Wildcats’ first double 100-yard game since Lockett (164) and Curry Sexton (104) did so in the 2015 Alamo Bowl following the 2014 season.

  DEFENSIVE NOTES

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 115.0-yard average ranked ninth in school history.

  PICKING THEM APART
  • A year 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 29 of the last 39 games, made the turnaround despite starting three sophomores in the secondary for a majority of the season.
• Additionally, 11 of K-State’s 16 picks in 2016 came from defensive backs after only one in 2015.
• Among the 16 picks, three were returned for touchdowns as D.J. Reed had a 35-yard return against Texas Tech, Duke Shelley went 29 yards to paydirt against Oklahoma State and Donnie Starks had a 39-yarder against Kansas.
• 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.

  LBs LOOKING TO STEP UP
  • Although it is a group that is deep with playmakers that have shined on special teams in their careers, K-State does not return any starts at linebacker in 2016.

• The Wildcats are 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 season. The next closest among Power 5 schools is Florida, which returns 12 total starts at the position.
• Team captain Trent Tanking is the leader of the group and has the most experience as the senior has 44 career tackles after picking up nine against UCA in his first career start following a five-tackle performance last year at TCU.
• That TCU game also included an interception on the final play of the game and a pass breakup.

  REED READY FOR MORE
  • Defensive back D.J. Reed was solid in his first year playing Division I football as the community-college transfer picked up Big 12 Defensive Newcomer of the Year honors from the league’s coaches in addition to First Team All-Big 12 accolades.

• The Bakersfield, California, product tied for first in the Big 12 and fourth nationally with 19 passes defended.
• Totaling three interceptions and 16 breakups, Reed tied for fifth in school history in single-season passes defended and became the first player to enter the list since current Minnesota Viking Terence Newman also had 19 in 2002.
• Thanks to his solid opening campaign, Reed entered the 2017 season on the watch lists for the Bednarik, Bronko Nagurski and Jim Thorpe awards.

  ALL-AROUND PLAYER
  • D.J. Reed had one of the best all-around games in recent K-State history against Central Arkansas, totaling 181 return yards and recording his fourth-career interception.

• Reed returned the opening kickoff 96 yards to set up K-State’s first touchdown, while he took the first punt-return attempt of his career 62 yards for a score and picked off a pass on the ensuing Bear possession.
• He became the first Wildcat to take his first-career punt-return attempt for a score since Thomas Randolph did so against New Mexico State in 1993.
• Additionally, he was the first K-State player with a punt-return touchdown (non-blocked) and an interception in the same game since Terence Newman against Missouri in 2002.

  GEARY LEADS THE LINE
  • A former in-state walk-on, Will Geary has recorded a team-best 31 career starts, which includes 26 of the last 27 games.

• Geary also has the most career tackles among active Wildcats with 124, a mark that ranks 23rd in program history among interior defensive linemen.
• According to Pro Football Focus, Geary ranks second among returning Big 12 interior defenders in run stop percentage at 9.2-percent.

  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 12-plus 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 51 games (LAST: vs. Louisiana, 9/7/13) or a punt-return score in 37 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).

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 efforts 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.

RETURNERS RANK HIGH
• K-State returners have routinely enjoyed success under head coach Bill Snyder, and 2016 was no different as both Byron Pringle and Dominique Heath ranked highly in the nation in the return categories.
• Pringle ranked seventh nationally with a 28.7-yard kickoff-return average – a mark that was ninth in school history – while his 659 yards in 2016 ranked fifth in school history.
• Heath, an Honorable Mention All-Big 12 returner, finished the year tied for seventh nationally in punt-return scores.
• Each player earned Big 12 Special Teams Player of the Week honors in 2016. Heath picked up the award thanks to his 75-yard punt return touchdown against Florida Atlantic.
• D.J. Reed is making his case for being the next great K-State returner as he raced 96 yards on the season-opening kickoff against UCA before also going 62 yards for a score on a punt return later in the contest.

McCRANE MAKES KICKS
• K-State is fortunate to have a veteran senior place kicker in Matthew McCrane, who is looking to end his career on a high note.
• McCrane current ranks first in school history and tied for fourth nationally among active players by making 88.4-percent (38-of-43) of his career field goals.
• The two-time All-Big 12 place kicker is also in K-State’s top-10 in career field goals made (t3rd; 38), extra points made (7th; 92), extra points attempted (7th; 93) and field goals attempted (8th; 43).
• McCrane entered K-State’s top-10 list for career points last week against Central Arkansas he now has 206 to rank ninth overall and fifth among kickers.

WALSH A DEPENDABLE PUNTER
• Just as important as a veteran place kicker, the Wildcats also have an experienced punter returning 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 41.88-yard average to rank sixth in K-State history, while he is seventh in career yards (6,700) and attempts (160).
• Walsh’s career average was given a boost in 2016 as he had a career-best 42.78-yard mark, which ranked sixth in K-State history.

RYAN LACKEY
Assistant Director | Athletics Communications