IRVING, Texas (AP) – Big 12 football teams will now be required to play at least one non-conference game against a team from one of the other Power Five leagues.

The Big 12 announced Tuesday that teams will have to annually play against a team from the ACC, Big Ten, Pac-12 or SEC, or Notre Dame.

Commissioner Bob Bowlsby says the move will strengthen the resumes for all 10 of the Big 12 teams. Schedule strength is a key component in College Football Playoff selections.

No. 4 Oklahoma is in the four-team playoff this season. But Baylor and TCU were both left out of the first playoff last year when both went 11-1 and shared the Big 12 title.

The new requirement doesn’t affect existing non-conference game contracts, including next season’s games.

MANHATTAN, Kan. – Kansas State senior Morgan Burns earned his first postseason accolade on Tuesday by being named the USA TODAY Sports First Team All-American kickoff returner, the publication announced.

 

Burns becomes the 23^rd player in school history to receive a First Team All-America nod, while he is the 17^th under Hall of Fame head coach Bill Snyder. A product of Wichita, Kansas, Burns is the second player in school history to earn first-team honors as a kickoff returner, joining Tyler Lockett (2011).

 

The national leader in kickoff-return touchdowns this season with four – including three in the final four games – Burns tied a school and Big 12 record for return touchdowns and has five in his career to tie both the school and conference marks as well. His current 33.8-yard average ranks second nationally and third in K-State history, while he is also first nationally among active players with a 30.9-yard career average.

 

Burns set a school record with 221 kickoff-return yards this season at Texas Tech – a game that featured a 93-yard touchdown – and he also occupies the second spot on the list with 201 yards on only three returns in last week’s victory over West Virginia. He bookended his season with kickoff-return touchdowns as he took the season-opening kickoff 100 yards to paydirt against South Dakota and had a game-winning 97-yard return in the fourth quarter against the Mountaineers’ to help the Wildcats earn bowl eligibility with a 24-23 victory.

 

Kansas State, which won its final three games to become bowl eligible for the 19^th time in school history and 17^th time under Snyder, will play Arkansas in the 2016 AutoZone Liberty Bowl on January 2, at Liberty Bowl Memorial Stadium in Memphis, Tennessee. The game will kick off at 2:20 p.m., and will be shown to a national audience on ESPN. The game can also be heard across the K-State Sports Network and on ESPN Radio.

 

Public tickets for K-State fans who did not place a pre-order are available now at the K-State Online Ticket Office and through the K-StateAthletics Ticket Office in Bramlage Coliseum or via phone at 1-800-221-CATS. Fans are strongly encouraged to order through K-State’s official allotment to ensure that all Wildcat fans are seated in the official K-State sections of the stadium. The location for K-State’s ticket allotment at the Liberty Bowl is among the best of any bowl game with prime sideline seating locations available for $85. Student tickets, priced at $85, will go on sale at 2 p.m., Wednesday to ICAT members, while all remaining students can purchase tickets beginning Thursday at 8:30 a.m.

 

The K-State Alumni Association will also provide official travel packages to the bowl game. Visit the Alumni Association’s official bowl travel page – www.k-statesportstours.com – for travel package information.

 

– k-statesports.com –

 

 

————
RYAN LACKEY
Assistant Director | Athletics Communications

Michigan State is No. 1 in The Associated Press men’s college basketball poll for the first time since early in the 2013-14 season.

The Spartans (9-0) jumped from third to a runaway first following last week’s losses by then-Nos. 1 and 2 Kentucky and Maryland. Michigan State received 62 first-place votes Monday from the 65-member national media panel.

Kansas (6-1), which had one first-place vote, moved from fourth to second, while North Carolina, the preseason No. 1, jumped from ninth to third and received two votes for No. 1.

Iowa State moved up one spot to fourth and was followed by Kentucky, Maryland, Oklahoma, Duke, Villanova and Virginia.

Butler, at No. 18, and Utah, at No. 25, are the week’s newcomers, both having been ranked earlier this season. They replace Syracuse, which was No. 14, and Texas A&M, which was 18th.

MANHATTAN, Kan. – Freshman Dean Wade was selected as the Phillips 66 Big 12 Newcomer of the Week for the first time in his career on Monday after his impressive effort in Kansas State’s win over Georgia.

 

Wade, who is the second player this season to win a Big 12 weekly award, becomes the first Wildcat freshman to win the newcomer accolade sinceMarcus Foster in 2014. Wade is the fifth different player to be selected for the honor since 2007. Overall, it marks the school’s 29th Newcomer of the Week honor since the inception of the Big 12 in 1997, including the third under head coach Bruce Weber.

 

Playing in his first true road game, Wade scored the Wildcats’ last four points, including the game-winning jumper with 4.3 seconds, to lift K-State to a 68-66 win over Georgia on Dec. 4. It was the program’s first non-conference road victory since a 65-62 win over George Washington on Dec. 8, 2012. He scored 16 of his team-high 17 points in the second half on 6-of-8 field goals, including 1-of-2 from long range in just 13 minutes. He gave the Wildcats a 66-65 lead with 53 seconds left before the Bulldogs tied it at 66-all 24 seconds later before the game-winner. For the game, Wade scored a season-tying 17 points on 6-of-13 field goals, including 1-of-4 from 3-point range, with six rebounds, two assists and one block in 30 minutes. He also went 4-of-6 from the free throw line.

 

A 6-foot-10, 225-pound forward from St. John, Kan., Wade ranks second on the team in scoring (12.6 ppg.), double-digit scoring games (five), 3-point field goals (nine) and third in field goals (28), free throws (23), rebounding (5.4 rpg.) and minutes (27.7). He has started all seven games this season.

 

K-State (6-1) makes a brief return home on Wednesday, as the Wildcats host MEAC member Coppin State (2-5, 0-1 MEAC) at 7 p.m. at Bramlage Coliseum. Tickets are available starting at $10, while fans can take advantage of the new Bramlage Bundle for just $20, which includes a general admission/bench ticket, $10 concessions voucher and a souvenir from the K-State Super Store. The contest will be televised on FOX Sports Kansas City (state of Kansas, Kansas City area), K-StateHD.TV and ESPN3 (outside of state of Kansas).

 

– www.k-statesports.com —

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

MANHATTAN, Kan. – For the first time in school history, Kansas State swept the Big 12 weekly honors as wide receiver Deante Burton (offense), linebacker Charmeachealle Moore (defense) and kick returner Morgan Burns (special teams) were each named the Big 12 Player of the Week for their efforts in the Wildcats’ 24-23 win over West Virginia, the conference office announced Monday.   Burns’ honor marked the first time in Big 12 history a player has been honored in four-consecutive weeks. Prior to last week, only Texas Tech quarterback Graham Harrell (2008) and Texas running back Ricky Williams (1998) had won three-straight player of the week honors. It was the first-career honors for both Burton and Moore.   A product of Manhattan, Kansas, Burton had a career game against the Mountaineers as he carded five receptions for a career-high 135 yards and a touchdown. His touchdown went for 77 yards – the Wildcats’ longest play from scrimmage this season – in the third quarter and gave the Cats their first lead of the game at 17-13 while sparking the second-half rally. Burton, who shared the weekly conference honor with West Virginia running back Wendell Smallwood, bettered his previous career high of 65 receiving yards set earlier this year against TCU. He recorded the Wildcats’ second 100-yard receiving game this year.   Moore was all over the field against West Virginia as he set career highs in tackles (17), solo tackles (16), tackles for loss (4.0) and sacks (2.0) against the Big 12’s second-ranked rushing team. His 16 solo tackles are tied for the most nationally this season and the most by a Wildcat since at least 1999. His biggest stop came late in the game when he recorded a fourth-down tackle of WVU quarterback Skyler Howard with just over two minutes remaining and the Wildcats holding on to the one-point lead.   Burns scored the game-winning touchdown with his Big 12 record-tying fourth kickoff return score of the season. Burns returned three kickoffs for 201 yards, which included his 97-yard touchdown return in the fourth quarter. It was his fourth kickoff-return score of the year and the fifth of his career as he tied both the K-State and Big 12 records. The senior’s 201 kickoff-return yards rank second in school history for a game behind his record-setting 221 yards at Texas Tech earlier this season. Burns also blocked a West Virginia punt in the first quarter a week after recovering a blocked punt for a touchdown at Kansas.   Riding a three-game winning streak which included the comeback win over West Virginia in the regular-season finale to become bowl eligible, Kansas State will play Arkansas in the 2016 AutoZone Liberty Bowl on January 2, at Liberty Bowl Memorial Stadium in Memphis, Tennessee. The game, which will kick off at 2:20 p.m., will be shown to a national audience on ESPN. The game can also be heard across the K-State Sports Network and on ESPN Radio.   Public tickets for K-State fans who did not place a pre-order are available now at the K-State Online Ticket Office and through the K-State Athletics Ticket Office in Bramlage Coliseum or via phone at 1-800-221-CATS. Fans are strongly encouraged to order through K-State’s official allotment to ensure that all Wildcat fans are seated in the official K-State sections of the stadium. The location for K-State’s ticket allotment at the Liberty Bowl is among the best of any bowl game with prime sideline seating locations available for $85. Student tickets, priced at $85, will go on sale at 2 p.m., Wednesday to ICAT members, while all remaining students can purchase tickets beginning Thursday at 8:30 a.m.   The K-State Alumni Association will also provide official travel packages to the bowl game. Visit the Alumni Association’s official bowl travel page – www.k-statesportstours.com – for travel package information.   – k-statesports.com –     ———— RYAN LACKEY Assistant Director | Athletics Communications

OAKLAND, Calif. (AP) — Marcus Peters and Tyvon Branch made the Oakland Coliseum feel just like home.

Peters, an Oakland native who grew up attending Raiders games, set up Kansas City’s go-ahead score with an interception and former Oakland safety Tyvon Branch put the game away with an interception return for a touchdown that gave the Chiefs their sixth straight win, 34-20 on Sunday.

“It was a whole lot more than I expected,” said Peters, who gave the ball from his interception to his mother. “It was hard, man, I can’t lie, to come out there and stay focused. My nerves were up and down.

“Early in the game my emotions were everywhere so it took for coach and the other leaders on the team to just bring me back. I made some silly mistakes early, but they reeled me in.”

Peters and Branch helped key a momentum-changing fourth quarter as Kansas City (7-5) turned three interceptions by Derek Carr into three touchdowns to remain in the AFC wild-card lead.

Alex Smith threw two TD passes to Jeremy Maclin after Carr’s first two interceptions to lead the opportunistic Chiefs to another win.

“We knew we dug ourselves in a hole in the beginning of the year, but we’re been battling back every week — just working hard and believing in each other and coming out with victories,” said linebacker Josh Mauga, whose interception started the fourth-quarter barrage.

Carr became the third Raiders quarterback since the team moved back to Oakland in 1995 to throw three fourth-quarter interceptions to send the Raiders to their fourth loss in five games and likely a 13th season without a playoff berth.

“I played a lot of football in my life, won a lot of games, lost a lot of games. But today was probably one of the hardest losses I’ve been a part of in my career,” safety Charles Woodson said. “That was a tough loss.”

The game turned odd late in the third quarter after the Raiders took a 20-14 lead on a 5-yard TD pass from Carr to Lee Smith. But Sebastian Janikowski hit the upright on the extra point, ending a streak of 225 straight makes.

The Raiders then forced a punt and were driving to make it a two-score game when Carr tried to make something out of nothing and it cost him. He tried to throw the ball away to avoid a sack, but was hit on the play and the ball went right to Mauga, who rumbled 65 yards to the 2 on the return.

“The only thing in my mind was try to get as close to the goal line or even score,” Mauga said. “I was hoping I could score, but I ran out of gas.”

Maclin then scored on a 1-yard pass from Smith. But the holder Dustin Colquitt couldn’t get the snap down and the Chiefs missed the extra point, keeping the game tied at 20.

Carr then threw another interception on the next possession after Michael Crabtree tripped and Peters returned it 58 yards to the 13. Maclin then took a short pass and ran 13 yards for the go-ahead score only to have kicker Cairo Santos miss the point after attempt.

The botched kicks proved contagious as Janikowski hit the upright again on Oakland’s ensuing possession on a 49-yard field goal try.

The Raiders got another chance, but Branch scooped up a pass that deflected off Cooper’s hands and ran it back 38 yards for the score.

“I’m pretty ticked off, especially on how some of them happened,” Carr said. “I get pretty upset. Those things will happen. It just (stinks) that it happened all back to back like that.”

The Raiders took a 14-7 lead going into the half after Woodson ripped the ball away from Kelce with the Chiefs in field goal range and returned it 38 yards to the Kansas City 36. It was Woodson’s second fumble recovery of the game and set up Michael Crabtree’s 25-yard TD catch.

The Saint Xavier High School basketball teams competed in the SHEA Tournament at Flint Hills Christian Saturday.

In the girls game Derby Home School defeated Saint Xavier 47-13. In the boys game Reno County Home School defeated Saint Xavier 56-24.

AutoZone Liberty Bowl Executive Director Steve Ehrhart
Opening Statement…
“This is certainly one of the happy days of the college football season – bowl invitation day. As the seventh-oldest bowl game in America, we have had some great coaches and great players participate over the years, so we are very pleased to make these official invitations here tonight. We have a great set of events planned for the participating teams. They come into town on Monday, December 28, and they can get a good work week of practices, culminating with a Saturday afternoon kickoff on ESPN. There is no other football head-to-head against us, either college or pro, so it’s a great time and day to play on Saturday afternoon. We have a lot of great events planned during the week. We have our team welcome party at the wonderful, new world’s-largest Bass Pro Shops and we’ll have some gift cards for the players to do some shopping there, followed by the rodeos, parades and galas, the pregame buffets and all the great events associated with the AutoZone Liberty Bowl. We are very proud to be able to have this game and feature these two universities and St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital.”

K-State Athletics Director John Currie
Opening Statement…
“On behalf of President Kirk Schulz, our 250,000 friends and alumni nation-wide and 46 states represented with season-ticket holders, and of course legendary head coach Bill Snyder – who (on Tuesday) will be induced into the College Football Hall of Fame – we are delighted to accept the invitation and we look forward to coming to Beal Street, Memphis and the AutoZone Liberty Bowl.”

On the Liberty Bowl matchup…
“We obviously have a tremendous amount of respect for the Arkansas football program. We expect it to be an exciting game, and it’s obviously a great matchup. It’s a rematch of the Cotton Bowl a few years ago when K-State played Arkansas. For our fans, one of the great things about this matchup is the relatively close proximity to each school. It’s not too far away for our fans; even though we’re spread across the country, it’s about a nine-hour drive from Manhattan and a seven-hour drive from Kansas City. I know it’s close to Fayetteville as well, so we’re excited. We respect Coach (Bret) Bielema a great deal – he was part of a Big 12 Championship team here a number of years ago. It will be a great, classic college football matchup.”

K-State Head Coach Bill Snyder
Opening Statement…
“We’re just gracious to have the opportunity to compete in the AutoZone Liberty Bowl. I’ve heard nothing but tremendous things, not only about the bowl and the community, but the way the bowl is conducted and the professionalism that exists in providing so much in the way of opportunities for young people to experience new, positive things in their lives. Everybody that I’m aware of, when they’ve played there, they’ve had a good appreciation for it. We are certainly honored to be there.

“As far as Bret (Bielema) and his team, I’m in New York (at the Hall of Fame induction) because of guys like Bret that have given me the opportunity to reap the benefits of what they’ve done. Our team, our players are excited about being there. They’re excited about having the opportunity after having a lull in the middle of our season. But they’ve responded quite well and they’re excited about being there and gracious to have the opportunity.”

 

RYAN LACKEY
Assistant Director | Athletics Communications

 

MANHATTAN, Kan. – Riding a three-game winning streak which included a comeback win over West Virginia to become bowl eligible, K-State Nation is heading to Memphis for the first time in program history as Kansas State Athletics Director John Currie announced today that the Wildcats have accepted an invitation to play in the 2016 AutoZone Liberty Bowl on January 2.

The game, one of the most historical bowl games in all of college football that matches the Big 12 and the SEC, will be played at The Liberty Bowl Memorial Stadium at 2:20 p.m. CT, with a nationwide television audience watching on ESPN. The Wildcats’ opponent from the SEC will be Arkansas.

“I am very proud of our team and coaches for their resiliency in becoming bowl eligible for the sixth-straight year,” said Currie. “With season ticket holders from 46 different states and a national fan base that features more than 250,000 friends and alumni across the country, we are excited to showcase our football program and Kansas State University in the AutoZone Liberty Bowl. I know our fans are excited to again showcase their unprecedented and tremendous support at one of our country’s most iconic destinations, while a week at one of the most tradition-rich bowl games will be a first-class experience for our football student-athletes, coaches and staff.”

The Wildcats (6-6) will be playing in their 19th bowl game in school history and 17th under Bill Snyder as the Cats are 7-9 all-time in bowls under the legendary and hall of fame head coach. Following 11 straight bowls from 1993-2003 under Snyder, the Cats have now gone bowling in each of the last six seasons and will be making the program’s first-ever appearance in the AutoZone Liberty Bowl.

“On behalf of the Kansas State University family, I am very proud of Coach Snyder, our football team, coaches, staff and fans for displaying such tremendous heart and perseverance this season,” said K-State President Kirk Schulz. “We are very excited to be headed to Memphis and represent the Big 12 in the AutoZone Liberty Bowl, one of the most longstanding bowls in college football.”

The Wildcats’ road to bowl eligibility was one of historic proportions. Sitting at 3-6 with three games remaining, K-State became just the sixth Power 5 team in the 12-game schedule era (2006) to stave off bowl elimination in at least three-straight games (2-6 or 3-6 records) to become bowl eligible. K-State also kept the Governor’s Cup trophy in Manhattan for the seventh straight season under Snyder with a 45-14 win over in-state rival Kansas.

 

“It is a great honor to host Kansas State University,” said Steve Ehrhart, Executive Director of the AutoZone Liberty Bowl. “In the 57-year history of the AutoZone Liberty Bowl we have never had the opportunity to host Kansas State, so we are very proud to have Hall of Fame Coach Bill Snyder and his Wildcats here in Memphis. Under the leadership of President Dr. Kirk Schulz and Athletics Director John Currie, Kansas State is one of the most respected universities in the country. We very much look forward to hosting the Wildcats and their outstanding fans.”

In addition to a Big 12-leading 25 selections to the Academic All-Big 12 team and the No. 1 football Academic Progress Rate (APR) in the Big 12, excitement in Wildcat football was also evidenced by seven sellout crowds at Bill Snyder Family Stadium this season which ran K-State’s consecutive sellout streak to 27 games.

“We are proud of the young men in our program for achieving bowl eligibility and very pleased to represent Kansas State University and the Big 12 Conference in the AutoZone Liberty Bowl,” said Snyder. “The AutoZone Liberty Bowl is a first-class bowl organization with a rich history, and we appreciate Steve Ehrhart and the entire bowl staff for their efforts and support of our program.

 

“We have a wonderful fan base, and so many people that save up their nickels and dimes throughout the course of the year, and the only vacation they take is the one after our (regular) season is over. It doesn’t make any difference where it is; they love to go and it’s why we have such great attendance year in and year out at bowl games. They are fully invested in our program and this (becoming bowl eligible) means a great deal to them.”
K-State’s seating allotment for the game includes a total of 8,000 tickets.  All fans who placed a pre-order will receive the number of tickets that were requested. The K-State Athletics Ticket Office will work over the next week to assign specific seats based on the athletic department priority points and mail pre-ordered tickets. Detailed information regarding bowl ticket order fulfillment has been emailed to fans who placed a pre-order.

Public tickets for K-State fans who did not place a pre-order are available now at the K-State Online Ticket Office and through the K-State Athletics Ticket Office in Bramlage Coliseum or via phone at 1-800-221-CATS between 3 p.m. and 5 p.m., on Sunday and beginning again at 8:30 a.m., on Monday. Fans are strongly encouraged to order through K-State’s official allotment to ensure that all Wildcat fans are seated in the official K-State sections of the stadium. The location for K-State’s ticket allotment at the AutoZone Liberty Bowl is among the best of any bowl game with prime sideline seating locations available for $85.

Student tickets, priced at $85, will go on sale at 2 p.m., Wednesday to ICAT members, while all remaining students can purchase tickets beginning Thursday at 8:30 a.m.

The K-State Alumni Association will also provide official travel packages to the bowl game. Visit the Alumni Association’s official bowl travel page – https://k-statesportstours.com – for travel package information.

 

– k-statesports.com –

 

 

————
KENNY LANNOU
Associate A.D. for Communications | K-State Athletics