MANHATTAN, Kan. – Kansas State senior offensive lineman Cody Whitehair is one of 93 players nationally – including 13 from the Big 12 – that have accepted invitations to play in the 2016 Reese’s Senior Bowl, the most highly regarded collegiate all-star game, at the end of this month.

 

The game, which showcases up to 110 of the top seniors and fourth-year junior graduates in the nation in its annual game at Ladd-Peebles Stadium in Mobile, Alabama, will be played on Saturday, January 30, following a week’s-worth of practice. Kickoff is slated for 1:30 p.m., and the game will be televised nationally on NFL Network.

 

A four-time All-Big 12 performer and two-year team captain, Whitehair played in 52 career games with 51 starts, including the final 26 of his career at left tackle. Whitehair, who was an honorable mention selection for the 2015 Big 12 Offensive Lineman of the Year award, was on the watch lists for the Outland Trophy and Lombardi Awards each of the last two seasons.

 

Whitehair helped K-State earn a 34-18 record over the last two seasons and was a starter on the Wildcats’ 2012 Big 12 Championship team as a redshirt freshman. He excelled in both run and pass blocking throughout his career as he helped paved the way for Collin Klein’s school-record 56 career rushing touchdowns and protect Jake Waters, who set the school’s single-single marks for passing yards (3,501) and total offensive yards (3,985) in 2014.

 

– k-statesports.com –

 

 

————
RYAN LACKEY
Assistant Director | Athletics Communications

GAME 14

KANSAS STATE (10-3, 0-1 Big 12)

AT TEXAS (8-5, 0-1 Big 12)

Tuesday, January 5, 2016 >> 7 p.m. CT >> Frank Erwin Center (16,540) >> Austin, Texas

 

COACHES

Kansas State: Bruce Weber (Wis.-Milwaukee ’78)

Overall: 385-196/18^th season

At K-State: 72-41/4^th season

1. Texas: 4-4

 

Texas: Shaka Smart (Kenyon ’99)

Overall: 171-61/7^th season

At Texas: 8-5/1^st season

1. Kansas State: 0-0

 

PROJECTED STARTING LINEUP

Kansas State (10-3, 0-1 Big 12)

G: #3 Kamau Stokes (9.7 ppg., 3.2 rpg.)

G: #14 Justin Edwards (12.5 ppg., 5.5 rpg.)

G: #25 Wesley Iwundu (13.5 ppg., 4.5 rpg.)

F: #32 Dean Wade (10.9 ppg., 5.9 rpg.)

F: #41 Stephen Hurt (6.8 ppg, 5.2 rpg.)

 

Texas (8-5, 0-1 Big 12)

G: #1 Isaiah Taylor (16.6 ppg., 2.5 rpg.)

G: #3 Javan Felix (10.3 ppg., 1.7 rpg.)

G: #5 Kendal Yancy (2.1 ppg., 0.8 rpg.)

F: #21 Connor Lammert (5.9 ppg., 5.4 rpg.)

C: #44 Prince Ibeh (1.3 ppg., 3.7 rpg.)

 

INSIDE THE SERIES

Overall: K-State leads 17-13 (series began in 1971)

In Big 12 era: Texas leads 13-11 (8-4 at home)

In Austin: Texas leads 8-6 (last meeting – 3/7/2015)

Current Streak: Texas, 2

Last Meeting: Texas, 62-49, in Austin, Texas, on 3/7/2015

Weber vs. Texas: Tied 4-4 (1-2 on the road)

Weber vs. Smart: First meeting

 

QUICK HITTERS

• Kansas State (10-3, 0-1 Big 12) begins a 2-game road swing Tuesday as the Wildcats travel to Austin, Texas to face Texas (8-5, 0-2 Big 12) at the Frank Erwin Center at 7 p.m. CT.
• K-State will be looking to rebound from its double-overtime setback vs. No. 19/17 West Virginia, 87-83, in the Big 12 opener Saturday. The teams battled through 29 lead changes, including 11 in the second half, to go with 19 ties, before the Mountaineers scored the game’s final 4 points.
• The double-overtime loss was the first in a Big 12 home opener since a 61-53 defeat at the hands of No. 6 Oklahoma on Jan. 10, 2009. The team fell to 50-53 in conference openers, including 7-13 in the Big 12 era.
• K-State also saw its 11-game homecourt winning streak halted in the loss to West Virginia, including an 8-0 mark at home venues this season.
• Saturday’s loss also dropped the Wildcats to 0-3 vs. Top 25 opponents (No. 9/8 North Carolina, and No. 25 Texas A&M).
• Tuesday’s game will be the 31st meeting between K-State and Texas in a series that dates back to 1971. The Wildcats lead the all-time series, 17-13, but the Longhorns own a 13-11 edge in the Big 12 era. Texas swept the season series a year ago, including a 62-49 win at home on March 7.
• K-State has already equaled its win total away from home from 2014-15, posting a 2-2 record, including a 1-1 mark in true road tilts. The Wildcats knocked off Georgia, 68-66, on a last-second shot on Dec. 4 before losing at No. 25 Texas A&M, 78-68, on Dec. 12. The team went 2-13 away from home a season ago, including 1-10 in true road games.
• K-State claimed its 10th non-conference win in the victory over Saint Louis Dec. 29, marking the 9th time in the last 10 seasons that the Wildcats have accomplished that feat, including the first time since 2013-14.
• The key to K-State’s successful start has been its balanced scoring, as 5 different players have led the team in scoring and 6 players have at least 4 double-figure scoring games. The Wildcats started the season with five different leading scorers for the first time since 1998-99.
• A trio of freshmen (Barry Brown, Kamau Stokes and Dean Wade) starred in the West Virginia loss, combining for 48 points on 14-of-29 field goals. Brown collected his 1st career 20-point game to lead the team.
• K-State has used the same lineup in all 13 games and those starters are responsible for 72 percent (694) of the team’s scoring, 63 percent (318) of rebounding, 78 percent (143) of assists and 63 percent (59) of steals.

The rosters for the 2016 Kansas Shrine Bowl have been released and Junction City will be represented on  the West Squad.

Junction City’s Raye Wilson will get the chance to play under two of his high school coaches one last time as the Senior on this years 10-1 Blue Jay squad has been selected to play on the West squad.

Randall Zimmerman was previously named the head coach of the West squad.

The 2016 Kansas Shrine Bowl will be held July 30th in Emporia.

The Geary County Girls Softball Academy will not open Monday night.

Jeff Childs confirmed that because of the fire that occurred in a storage area Monday morning in the east end of the building that houses the Softball Academy, they will not open Monday night. There was no damage reported to the academy.

Kansas and Oklahoma moved to the top two spots in The Associated Press’ college basketball poll and the Big 12 schools will meet Monday night.

Kansas (12-1) received 44 first-place votes from the 65-member national media panel on Monday while Oklahoma (12-0) got the other 21.

It will be the 40th time the top two teams in the poll have faced each other.

Maryland and Virginia both moved up one spot to third and fourth while Michigan State, which was No. 1 for the last four weeks, fell to fifth. North Carolina, Arizona, Providence, Kentucky and Xavier completed the Top Ten.

Kansas is the fourth school to be ranked No. 1 this season, joining North Carolina, Kentucky and Michigan State.

Iowa, Connecticut, Pittsburgh and Dayton are the four newcomers this week, replacing Utah, Cincinnati, Baylor and UCLA.

KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) – Alex Smith threw two touchdown passes, Kansas City sacked Oakland Raiders quarterback Derek Carr six times, and the Chiefs held on for a 23-17 victory Sunday to give them a franchise-best 10 straight wins entering the postseason.

The Chiefs were awaiting the result of the Denver-San Diego game to learn their playoff fate. If the Broncos win, they’ll head to Houston as the fifth seed. If the Chargers win, the Chiefs win the AFC West for the first time since 2010 and will host Pittsburgh in the first round.

Regardless, the Chiefs (11-5) are somehow in the dance after a 1-5 start.

The Raiders (7-9), who accounted for two of those victories, had the ball with 1:34 left. But Carr was sacked one last time, and the clock expired before they came close to a go-ahead touchdown.

MICHAEL MAROT, AP Sports Writer

INDIANAPOLIS (AP) — Recently signed Josh Freeman, the former Kansas State University quarterback, and Ryan Lindley each threw one touchdown pass in the first half Sunday, and Jerrell Freeman scored on a 23-yard interception in the second half to lead Indianapolis past Tennessee 30-24.

But not into the playoffs.

The Colts (8-8) won their last two games to avoid the first losing season since 2011, but didn’t get the help they needed — a Houston loss and seven other games to go the right way — to make the postseason.

Freeman was 15 of 28 for 149 yards and one interception while running Indy’s regular offense including a 57 yard strike to Coby Fleener. It was Freeman’s first TD pass since Sept. 15, 2013

 

Lindley ran the 2-minute offense and gave Indy a 20-14 halftime lead with an 18-yard TD pass.

Tennessee (3-13) clinched the No. 1 draft pick by losing its fourth straight. Quarterback Zach Mettenberger fell to 0-10 as a starter.

PEORIA, Ill. (AP) – Markis McDuffie scored 14 points, Fred Van Vleet added 13 and Wichita State used a balanced attack to roll over Bradley 85-58 on Sunday.

Wichita State (8-5, 2-0 Missouri Valley) had seven players score between six and 14 points and the Shockers shot over 55 percent (27 of 49) as a team.

Bradley (2-13, 0-2) was led by Dwayne Lautier-Ogunleye with nine points. The Braves committed 23 turnovers and made 6 of 22 beyond the arc.

The Shockers made a 12-0 run over 5:04 in the first half to build a 48-24 lead at intermission.

Bradley didn’t score for nearly four minutes to start the second half, turning it over four times in the span, and Wichita State’s lead hit the 30-point mark with 9:47 left on a layup by Eric Hamilton.

MEMPHIS, Tenn. (AP) – Arkansas wide receiver Dominique Reed was carted off the field on a stretcher Saturday after getting hurt in the second quarter of the Liberty Bowl.

Reed lay on the ground for several minutes after making a 15-yard reception for his first catch of the day against Kansas State. Replays appeared to show the junior from Camden, Arkansas, taking a blow to the side of the head.

Arkansas coach Bret Bielema said after the Razorbacks’ 45-23 victory that Reed was taken to the hospital for observation but rejoined his teammates in the locker room after the game.

“He’s got a heck of a headache probably, but he’s alive and well, walking, talking,” Bielema said.

Reed, a junior from Camden, Arkansas, ended the season with 28 catches for 535 yards and six touchdowns.