K-State hosts Oklahoma State at 2:30 p.m. Saturday.

Kansas State Head Coach Bill Snyder held his weekly press conference on Tuesday.

Head Coach Bill Snyder
On this year’s team compared to last year’s team…

“It is hard to compare one year with another. After we went through that losing streak, last year’s team really embraced the concept of commitment with a purpose. They did the things that committed people do to achieve what they desire to achieve. I would hope that this team has the same approach. Based on what I see from them right now, I like to think that they do have that same approach.”

On wide receiver Deante Burton…

“First and foremost, he truly works at it. You work at it because you care. You make it important to you and you make a commitment to it. I think he has done each of those things progressively over a period of time. Often times I will look out the window before practice and see Deante (Burton) out there catching off of that machine and trying to enhance his skill. I look out there after practice and see him doing the exact same thing or with one of our quarterbacks, running routes and catching the ball. Early in the season, he put a few balls on the ground. He did not want to be that type of receiver, so he really worked at it and he has been committed to enhancing his performance level.”

On consistency…

“We are not complete. I think that is true in all aspects of our game. We have not put together a complete ball game in the running game, passing game, run defense, pass defense and parts of our kicking game as well. At the end of the day, it goes back to being able to put together complete ball games. There is not an area where we have performed quite well in every segment of the offense, defense and kicking game consistently throughout the ball game.”

On dividing carries between running backs…

“They are all good, young guys and can do what you want them to do. It is about developing a hot hand, so to speak. Sometimes when somebody gets on fire, then they tend to perform higher than what the expectation might be. We need to keep guys that are gaining a hot hand on the field more frequently.”

On Oklahoma State quarterback Mason Rudolph…

“I think the experience has allowed him to do things extremely poised and make quality decisions. The game has slowed down for him, and when that happens, the innate capability that he has comes to the forefront. He has the ability to make good decisions and the poise to go through his reads and progressions and be an accurate thrower.”

Sophomore Running Back Justin Silmon

On the running back competition…

“I feel it is more of a running-back-by-committee situation. That is how we have been doing it the whole season. Everybody has been taking advantage of their opportunities and doing well so far.”

On the performance of the running backs…

“I think we have been doing pretty good. I think we have been getting more confident and better every week, but I think we can still pick it up.”

Sophomore Tight End Dayton Valentine

On K-State quarterback Jesse Ertz…

“Every day we have been able to see how good Jesse is, and he is really coming in to his own becoming a full-time starter. You can really see how much he has grown, and it is exciting to come out every week and see him be able to settle in, take control of the offense and be the leader that we all know he is.”

On the first road victory of the season…

“It was huge. It is always tough to win on the road in the Big 12. I think that really got us over the hump. Hopefully when we have more tough road games, now that we have got one, we can get a couple more.”

On Oklahoma State’s front seven…

“Their whole front seven is big and they play hard, so it is going to be a tough match up between the offensive line and tight end, fullback, all of us blocking and controlling the line of scrimmage.”

Junior Linebacker Trent Tanking

On the play of the special teams units so far this year…

“I think we have done a good job. We have only scored once on punt return and kick return, and on kickoff we made a lot of plays. Our punt coverage has been really good, but obviously there is a lot of room for improvement. We did not play as well as we wanted to last week, so this week is obviously a step toward that direction.”

On K-State’s recent trend of winning in November…

“I think that just shows the dedication and toughness that we exemplify here. We always are preached to finish, and that goes to the whole season. We are reaching the last four games and trying to finish.”

On last year’s Oklahoma State game…

“We played well in the first half, and in the second half we did not finish in the fourth quarter like we needed to. This week, we just need to come out and put the two halves together. We have had great success in the first half in some games and the second half in other games throughout the year. It is time we put one full game together.”

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

MANHATTAN, Kan. – Kansas State junior punter Nick Walsh is one of 52 candidates nationally, including four from the Big 12, to be named a candidate for the 2016 Burlsworth Trophy, the Springdale Rotary Club announced Tuesday.

The Burlsworth Trophy is presented to the most outstanding football player in America who began his career as a walk-on and has shown outstanding performance on the field. Walsh is the Wildcats’ fifth candidate since the award’s inception in 2010, joining William Powell (2010), B.J. Finney (2011-12), Ryan Mueller (2013) and Jonathan Truman (2014). Finney and Truman both advanced to become semifinalists for the award.

A standout running back and punter in high school, Walsh turned down several Division II scholarship offers to join the Wildcats as a walk-on prior to the 2013 season. The Lyndon, Kansas, product worked his way to becoming the primary punter as a redshirt freshman and earned a scholarship following the 2014 season.

In two-plus seasons, Walsh has averaged 41.7 yards on 137 career punt attempts to rank sixth and 10th in school history, respectively. Additionally, his 5,715 career punting yards are just 85 yards shy of tying for 10th in school history.

Walsh, who has seen 35 of his career punts land inside the opponent’s 20-yard line, set a new career-best average of 50.3 yards earlier this season against Texas Tech, which included a season long 58-yard punt.

The Burlsworth Trophy is named in honor of Brandon Burlsworth, who walked on at Arkansas in 1994 before becoming a three-year starter and al All-American in 1998. Burlsworth was selected as the 63rd overall pick in the 1999 NFL Draft by the Indianapolis Colts but was tragically killed in a car accident 11 days later.

The Springdale Rotary Club will host an awards ceremony on December 5, in Springdale, Arkansas, to honor the three finalists and announce the 2016 winner.

Kansas State hosts 22nd-ranked Oklahoma State this Saturday at Bill Snyder Family Stadium. The game, which kicks off at 2:30 p.m., can been seen on ABC in Big 12 markets and on ESPN2 throughout the rest of the country.

Fewer than 30 adjacent seats remain for the game against the Cowboys as tickets start at $49.75 with a Wildcat 4-Pack. To order tickets, fans can contact the K-State Athletics Ticket office online at www.k-statesports.com/tickets, by phone at 1-800-221-CATS or at the main ticket office inside Bramlage Coliseum.

Game 9
22/22 Oklahoma State at Kansas State
Date: Saturday, November 5, 2016

Kickoff: 2:30 p.m.

Location: Manhattan, Kan.

Stadium: Bill Snyder Family Stadium (50,000)

Series: Oklahoma State Leads, 38-24

WILDCATS RETURN HOME, SQUARE OFF AGAINST NO. 22 OKLAHOMA STATE

Following its first road win of the year, Kansas State is back at home on Saturday and hosts a ranked team for the first time this season in No. 22 Oklahoma State. Saturday’s game, which kicks off at 2:30 p.m., from Bill Snyder Family Stadium, will be televised on ABC in Big 12 markets and on ESPN2 throughout the rest of the country with Allen Bestwick (play-by-play), Mike Bellotti (analyst) and Kris Budden (sidelines) calling the action. The contest can also be heard across the K-State Sports Network with Wyatt Thompson (play-by-play), Stan Weber (analyst) and Matt Walters (sidelines) on the call, as well as Sirius channel 136, XM channel 199. Live stats are available at k-statesports.com, while Twitter updates (@ kstate_gameday, @KStateFB) will all be a part of the coverage.
A LOOK AT K-STATE

• K-State continues to rank among the best defenses in the league as it currently leads the Big 12 and ranks fifth nationally in rushing defense (102.9 ypg), while the Wildcats are second in the league in total defense (363.5 ypg).
• Seven players on defense have recorded 30 or more tackles, led by Elijah Lee’s 69 stops. Jordan Willis leads the league in sacks (8.0) and is second in TFLs (11.5).
• K-State has held seven of its first eight opponents below their season average in points.
• Offensively, the Cats ran for 247 yards at Iowa State, their most in a Big 12 game since rushing for 258 yards against No. 2 Baylor last season and most in a Big 12 road game since a 291-yard outburst at Texas Tech in 2013.
• K-State had its nation-leading red zone scoring streak snapped at 56 straight trips after a fumble just inches from the goal line against Texas. The Cats still lead the nation in red zone offense (.974) after a 5-for-5 day at Iowa State.
• K-State has had 26 of its 38 scoring drives this season span seven plays or longer, including 11 that lasted at least 10 plays.

A LOOK AT OKLAHOMA STATE

• The Cowboys are coming off a big 37-20 win over No. 9 West Virginia at home last week.
• Quarterback Mason Rudolph ranks third in the Big 12 in both passing average and efficiency while throwing for 2,532 yards and 17 touchdowns with just two picks.
• The Cowboys have two of the league’s top wide receivers in James Washington and Jalen McCleskey. The duo has combined for 92 catches, 1,459 yards and 11 scores.
• Defensively, Chad Whitener has a team-best 52 tackles, Vincent Taylor has collected 4.5 sacks and the unit has 10 interceptions on the year.
• Kicker Ben Grogan leads the Big 12 in scoring and field goals made with 14.

A LOOK AT THE SERIES

• In a series that has been evenly matched since they first met as Big 12 members in 1998, Oklahoma State owns an all-time record of 24-38 over K-State.
• Since 1998, the series is tied 6-6 as the home team has a 10-2 mark during that span, including each of the last five meetings.
• Last year in Stillwater, K-State took a 34-33 lead with 3:01 left, but OSU kicked a 37-yard field goal with 32 second remaining for a 36-34 victory.
• Two years ago in Manhattan, the Wildcats earned a 48-14 victory, the largest margin of victory in the series by either team since a 44-9 K-State win in 2002.

  SUSTAINABLE SUCCESS

• Kansas State is in rare company in college football as the Wildcats rank in the top 20 in wins among FBS programs over the last 21-plus seasons.
• Since 1995, K-State has picked up 179 victories, which is tied for 17th in the nation.
• The Cats are only four victories away from the top 15.
• Among current Big 12 teams, only Oklahoma (5th; 202), Texas (11th; 195) and TCU (15th; 183) rank higher.

THE CENTURY MARK

• Earlier this year, K-State became just the third Big 12 program to reach 100 league wins since the conference began in 1996.
• The Wildcats, who have 102 Big 12 wins, are joined Texas (117) and Oklahoma (125) in the century club.

300 AT ONE

• K-State’s game against Texas Tech was the 300th game under the direction of head coach Bill Snyder.
• Snyder became just the seventh person all-time to coach 300 games on one FBS school. Among the seven, six – Joe Paterno (Penn State), Bobby Bowden (Florida State), LaVell Edwards (BYU), Chris Ault (Nevada), Tom Osborne (Nebraska) and Snyder – are in the College Football Hall of Fame.