Kansas State redshirt freshman kicker Matthew McCrane has been named the Big 12 Special Teams Player of the Week following the Wildcats’ 51-13 victory over Kansas, the conference office announced Monday.
The honor is the first in McCrane’s career.
A product of Brownwood, Texas, McCrane converted both of his field goal attempts from distances of 41 and 52 yards against the Jayhawks. His 52-yarder is tied for the 14th longest in school history, while he is the first Wildcat kicker since Jeff Snodgrass in 2006 to hit two 50-yarders in a season. He was also true on all five of his extra-point attempts to finish with 11 points in the contest.
The 2014 All League selections for Centennial League football have been released.
For the Junction City Blue Jays three players received first team All-Conference recognition….defensive lineman Trevor Dailey, linebacker Tyrik Nas-Carmickle, and defensive back Christian Ozores.
Second team recognition for the Blue Jays went to running back Downey Wood, and tight end Xavier DeGuzman.
Blue Jays receiving Honorable Mention included running back Jovon Baldwin, defensive lineman Darius Hicks, linebacker Trae McDaniel, and defensive back Raye Wilson.
The 2014 Offensive player of the year for the Centennial League was Topeka High quarterback Alec Beatty. The Defensive player of the year was Derrick McGreevy, linebacker, Hayden, and the Coach of the year was Jason Swift, Shawnee Heights.
Kansas State and Big 12 officials were notified Saturday evening that the Wildcats’ Dec. 6 game at Baylor will kickoff at 6:45 p.m. It will be shown nationally on ESPN, and can be heard on the The Talk of JC, KJCK AM.
Both teams enter the game with a 7-1 Big 12 record, with the winner of the contest earning at least a share of the 2014 Big 12 Championship.
Kansas State jumped out to a 14-0 lead over Kansas Saturday in the Sunflower Showdown at Bill Snyder Family Stadium in Manhattan, and rolled on to a 51-13 victory over the Jayhawks.
( Photo courtesy of Rick Dykstra )
KU Interim Coach Clint Bowen noted the Jayhawks didn’t need that early deficit. ” We’re coming into a road game. Everyone knows about the story of our road woes. Looking for something good to happen early. It didn’t. I believe our kids continued to fight throughout the game. The bottom line, Kansas State was better than us today.”
Bowen said his message to his football team after the game was to thank them for what they’ve done for the University of Kansas. “And let them know that we appreciate them, that they’re Jayhawks for life, and that they’re always welcome back at our place.” And to the underclassmen Bowen said the message was to remember the feeling they have now. “To remember where we’re at, and keep that feeling for everything we do from this time forward….to do things right in the weight room, work a little bit harder every step of the way in everything we do.”
The Jayhawks finished the season 3-9. Kansas State, who plays at Baylor next Saturday, improved to 9-2.
Kansas State increased it’s win streak against in state rival Kansas Saturday at Bill Snyder Family Stadium to five with a 51-13 victory.
( Photo courtesy of Rick Dykstra )
The Wildcats racked up 505 total yards offense including 194 yards rushing, which was 193 more yards rushing then they had last week against West Virginia.
Coach Bill Snyder said after the game that he was concerned about the execution of the run game and not the total yards.
“The execution was vastly improved I think, and we had some balance in our offense that I think gave our running game a little more of a chance. The best thing I can say is we ran it better. The execution with our offensive line and our running backs, our running backs I said before ran hard, that wasn’t the case a week ago,” said Snyder.
Jake Waters threw for 294 yards and completed 21 of 27 passes, including nine to Tyler Lockett who finished with 119 yards and two touchdown catches.
Lockett broke the school career record for receptions at 222, passing his father, Kevin, who had 217 catches from 1993-96. His two touchdown catches gave him 26 for his career, which tied the school record, which was also held by his father. He also extended his own school record for career receiving yards, a mark that now stands at 3,388.
Governor Sam Brownback with the Governors Cup
“I’ve got to give God all of the glory, putting me in this position to even be the leader in all time receptions, as well as yards and even tying the touchdown, it just says a lot and I give God all the glory,” said Lockett. “I have a great quarterback, Jake Waters. Coach Coleman puts me in great situations, he taught me a lot. My dad and uncle taught me a lot. I just try and go out there and preform to the best of my abilities.”
The win ensures that the Governors Cup will stay in Manhattan for another year. Governor Sam Brownback was on hand to present the Governors Cup to Kansas State in the locker room following the game.
Kansas State will now turn their attention to Baylor next Saturday as they will be playing for at least a share of the Big 12 Championship with TCU. That game will be played in Waco, Texas. Game time has yet to be announced. A win would give the Wildcats a share of the Big 12 title, a win and a TCU loss would give the title to Kansas State outright.
When Kansas State takes off for Baylor next week crews will move into the Vanier Football Complex and beginning moving everything out and it will be demolished beginning December 8th.
Prior to the Purple White Spring game in April the University announced the next phase of the Bill Snyder Family Stadium master plan, reshaping the north end zone with a new Vanier Football Complex.
The $69 million project will feature a new academic learning center, double the size of the current facility, a new 18,000 square foot Olympic-quality Strength and Conditioning Center which will include multi-story ceilings with natural light, and a nutrition center or “fueling station” for all student athletes. A new sports medicine and recovery facility will house new state of the art hydrotherapy and recovery pools along with the latest examination, recovery and physical therapy space and tools.
“This structure, when it’s complete in August of 2015, will represent $194 million of construction at K-State completed in about 48 months,” said John Currie, Athletic Director. “Just in football you’re talking about $155 million on this quadrant, so to speak. Even though, I hesitate to say just in football because it’s not just for football. Our training table is for all of our student athletes, the academic learning center in this new building will be for all of our student athletes.”
View of the Projected North Endzone
The academic learning center and coaches offices will be temporarily moved to the West Stadium Center while the new Vanier Football Complex is under construction.
Additional plans call for a new structure on the north east side of the new facility by either the 2016 or 2017 season. That new structure would house the visiting team locker room, training and officials areas, plus additional office space. A new video board would also be placed on the northeast end of the stadium and will mirror a new board that is expected to immediately go up on the northwest side of the stadium.
LAKE BUENA VISTA, Fla. (AP) – Perry Ellis scored 24 points, Cliff Alexander added 16 and No. 11 Kansas beat Tennessee 82-67 Friday in an Orlando Classic semifinal.
Frank Mason III had 11 points and seven assists for Kansas (4-1).
Tennessee (2-2) got 16 points from Josh Richardson, while Kevin Punter finished with 14.
After Tennessee’s Armani Moore tied it with two free throws, Alexander’s 3-point play keyed a 7-0 stretch as Kansas went ahead 69-62 with five minutes left.
Ellis’ 3-point play made it 74-64 with two minutes to go.
KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) – Former first-round draft pick Aaron Crow has been traded from the Kansas City Royals to the Miami Marlins for left-hander Brian Flynn and right-hander Reid Redman.
In another move Friday, Jason Frasor and the Royals agreed to a one-year contract with a 2016 mutual option that guarantees the reliever $1.8 million.
Crow, a 28-year-old right-hander taken with the 12th overall pick in 2009, was 6-1 with a 4.12 ERA and three saves in 67 relief appearances this year. The Topeka, Kansas, native did not pitch in the postseason.
Flynn, 24, was 8-10 record with a 4.06 ERA ERA in 25 starts at Triple-A New Orleans and also had one start and one relief appearance for the Marlins, a year after making four starts for Miami in his first big league season. He played at Wichita State in 2009 and ’11.
KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) – Jason Frasor and the Kansas City Royals have agreed to a one-year contract with a 2016 mutual option that guarantees the reliever $1.8 million.
Frasor gets $1.25 million next season under Friday’s deal, down from $1.75 million this year. The 2016 option is for $2 million with a $550,000 buyout.
The 37-year-old right-hander was acquired from Texas in July and went 3-0 with a 1.53 ERA in 23 games for Kansas City. He was also a veteran presence for a young clubhouse as the Royals made the postseason for the first time since 1985 and lost to San Francisco in a seven-game World Series.
Frasor was 2-0 with a 1.69 ERA in the playoffs, earning victories in the Royals’ wild-card win over the A’s and in Game 3 of the AL Championship Series against Baltimore.
Player of the Week following the Wildcats’ 51-13 victory over Kansas, the conference office announced Monday.
