MANHATTAN, Kan. – After recording a school-record 440 all-purpose yards Saturday against No. 18 Oklahoma, Kansas State wide receiver/kick returner Tyler Lockett was named the Big 12 Special Teams Player of the Week, the conference office announced Monday.

The honor was Lockett’s first of the year and the fifth of his career, while K-State has a Big 12-best 24 conference weekly honors since 2011.

Lockett, who reset his own school record with 278 receiving yards, also added 162 yards on five kickoff returns to tally the fifth-best all-purpose output in FBS history and the second best in Big 12 history. His 440 all-purpose yards were nearly 100 more than the previous school record of 351 held by Darren Sproles vs. Louisiana in 2004 and Brandon Banks against Oklahoma in 2009.

During the contest, Lockett also broke the school record for career kickoff-return yards, a mark that now stands at 1,760, while he had three touchdown receptions to tie the school record for a second time this year.

Thanks to his performance, the Tulsa, Okla., product ranks in the school’s top 10 for single-season receptions (6th; 68), receiving yards (4th; 1,103), receiving touchdowns (t9th; 8), all-purpose yards (10th; 1,622), all-purpose yards per game (5th; 162.2) and kickoff return yards (10th; 509).

K-State concludes the regular season Saturday with the Dillons Sunflower Showdown against Kansas at Memorial Stadium in Lawrence. The game, which kicks off at 11 a.m., will be televised nationally by FOX Sports 1, while coverage from the K-State Sports Network begins at 9 a.m.

Information from Kstatesports.com

SAN JUAN, Puerto Rico (AP) – Thomas Gipson had 18 points and 10 rebounds as Kansas State cruised to a 52-38 win over Long Beach State in the seventh-place game at the Puerto Rico Tip-Off on Sunday.

Marcus Foster added 10 points.

The game was close early before Wildcats (3-3) pulled away in the second half as the 49ers’ shooting percentage fell below 15 percent. They went more than 20 minutes without a field goal, missing 28 consecutive shots at one point.

Long Beach State (1-6) got no closer than 15 points in the second half. Mike Caffey led the 49ers with 13 points.

It was Kansas State’s second win this season over Long Beach State. The Wildcats posted a 13-point win on Nov. 17.

The 38 points is a season-low for the 49ers, which lost their sixth straight.

 

The Kansas State Wildcats four game win streak came to an end Saturday with a 41-31 loss to Oklahoma. K-State is now 6-5 and 4-4 in Big XII play.

K-State got the ball to start the game but after picking up a first down Oklahoma held the Wildcats and KSU punted it. Oklahoma took over and put together their first scoring drive of the game. Sooner Quarterback Trevor Knight connected with Sterling Shephard on a 12 yard touchdown pass. Michael Hunnicutt’s extra point was good making the score 7-0.

Oklahoma held K-State to another three and out and took back over on their own 42 yard line. Three plays later Knight’s pass to Clay Brennan was picked off by K-States Randall Evans. K-State took over on their own 31 yard line.

After Evans’ pick the Wildcat offense wasn’t able to capitalize on their eight play drive, only picking up 29 yards forcing Mark Krause to punt the ball back to OU with 2:54 to play in the first quarter.

Oklahoma’s next drive spilled over into the second quarter. Just over four minutes into that period the Sooners finished up a 14 play 98 yard drive to go up 14-0 with 10:58 to play in the first half.

K-State wasted no time finding the end zone, just 53 seconds after the Sooners took the lead 14-0. Jake Waters found Tyler Lockett wide open for a 48 yard touchdown pass. The extra point by Ian Patterson, who kicked in place of Jack Cantelle, was good to get the Wildcats within a touchdown 14-7.

The Wildcat defense held OU to a three and out on the next possession and K-State took over on their own 16 yard line. Going back to the air Waters connected with Tremaine Thompson on a 43 yard pass to make it 1st and 10 on the OU 41 yard line. Two plays later Waters found Lockett open again this time in the end zone. K-State tied it up 14-14 on Pattersons extra point with 5:26 to play in the half.

Oklahoma came right back though scoring on a 64 yard run by Clay with 4:06 to play in the half. Extra point by Hunnicutt was good to give the Sooners the lead back 21-14.

Waters did it again on the next possession after getting pinned on the K-State 10 yard line Waters looked up field and found Lockett open for a 90 yard touchdown pass. Patterson’s extra point was good tying it back up 21-21 with 3:40 to play in the half. After the game Waters commented,”I just kind of threw it up to Tyler and he ran under it.”

Oklahoma wasn’t done though putting together a drive that took them inside the K-State 10 yard line, however the Wildcat defense held them and forced the Sooners to kick the field goal with two seconds left to re-take the lead 24-21 going into halftime.

To start the second half Oklahoma got the ball and after an eight play 66 yard drive the Sooners connected on a 37 yard field goal by Hunnicutt to go up 27-21.

The Wildcats also had to settle with a field goal on their next drive. Patterson put it through the uprights from 28 yards out to get back within three 27-24 with 5:12 to play in the third quarter.

K-State forced the Sooners to punt on their next possession and KSU was pinned took over on their own three yard line. The Wildcats were unable to move the ball and Mark Krause punted it out of their own end zone. Krause’s 30 yard punt was then returned 30 yards to the K-State 3 yard line by Jalen Sanders. Oklahoma scored on the next play on of a three yard run by Clay. Hunnicutt’s extra point kick was good to extend OU’s lead 34-24 with 12:55 to play in the game.

Thompson returned the kick on the ensuing kick off 46 yards and an OU penalty moved the ball up another 15 yards to the OU 38 yard line. On the 3rd play from scrimmage a Waters pass intended for Cury Sexton was picked off by Oklahomas cornerback Zack Sanchez and returned 74 yards for a touchdown. Hunnicutt’s kick was good to put OU up 41-24 with 11:47 to play in the game.

K-State took their next drive 55 yards and scored off of a one yard run by Waters. Patterson’s kick was good to move the Wildcats within ten 41-31 with 6:10 to play in the game.

The Wildcat defense forced Oklahoma to punt on the next possession with 2:41 to play in the game. K-State took over first and ten from their own 20 yard line. Waters was the sacked and then picked off, giving Oklahoma the ball back with 1:59 to play. Oklahoma ran three plays to run out the clock.

With the win Oklahoma Head Coach Bob Stoops became the winningest head coach at in OU football history, passing Barry Switzer with 158 wins. After the game KSU Head Coach Bill Snyder called Stoops a tremendously talented football coach. Snyder said that hes sure it means something for Stoops but, “It was not a good win because it came here, and I told him that before the game. I wished him well, with the exception of today.”

Stoops was the co-defensive coordinator under Snyder at K-State from 1991-1995.

Senior Safety, Ty Zimmerman, was on the sidelines today on crutches and with a boot on his right foot. Snyder was asked if not having Zimmerman on the field hurt the defense,”Wherever they ran it, it impacted our defense.”

Dylan Schellenberg, junior safety, started in place of Zimmerman. “Dylan didn’t play poorly, he has been a good player for us. It wasn’t that position that did the damage; it was equally shared across the board.”

Tyler Lockett finished the game with 278 yards receiving yards, breaking the school’s single-game record and topping his own personal mark of 237 at Texas earlier this year.

Waters commented on what makes Lockett such a great receiver,”His routes and just how he gets open. The other team knows we want to get the ball to him because he is our big time playmaker, but somehow he still continues to get open.”

It was a tough loss to swallow for K-State since it was senior night. Senior wide receiver, Tramaine Thompson said after the game that he couldn’t imagine playing anywhere else. “I love the K-State fans. I love this family here. It seems like I’ve seen so many classes come and go and I always felt like my time would never come, but it is finally here.”

K-State now has the week to prepare for it’s regular season finale against in-state rival, Kansas.

 

MANHATTAN, Kan. (AP) – Oklahoma’s Bob Stoops remains almost reverential when he speaks of Bill Snyder, the longtime Kansas State maestro who gave Stoops one of his first big breaks in coaching.

Stoops hasn’t necessarily been kind to him, though.

He left a sour taste in Snyder’s mouth when he poached several assistants upon taking over the Sooners some 15 years ago, and then has delivered a series of whippings on the field. Stoops is 7-2 against Snyder, the lone losses in the 2003 Big 12 title game and again last season.

When they meet on Saturday, Stoops will be chasing history against his mentor. He needs just one more victory to break a tie with Barry Switzer for the most among Oklahoma coaches.

“Winning there would be great for our season and this season. Outside of that, Coach Snyder and I aren’t going to play,” Stoops said. “We have teams and staff and a bunch of people working with us. It’ll be one team against the other.”

Snyder spoke glowingly of Stoops this week, despite their somewhat shaky history. After all, he remembers a time before Stoops’ arrival when Oklahoma was struggling to win games.

“To go there and do what they have done,” Snyder said, “to establish the program to the level of what it has been and is, is a pretty special achievement.”

The No. 22 Sooners (8-2, 5-2 Big 12) will be starting Trevor Knight at quarterback due to lingering effects from a concussion that Blake Bell sustained last week against Iowa state.

Knight could also be without two of his top offensive playmakers, running back Damien Williams and wide receiver Lacolton Bester, who reportedly have been suspended for Saturday’s game.

“It’s the same offense,” Sooners running back Brennan Clay insisted this week.

The Wildcats (6-4, 4-3), meanwhile, likely will be chasing their fifth straight win without safety Ty Zimmerman, one of their top tacklers. He was hurt in last week’s win over TCU, and while Snyder is coy about injuries, teammates indicated Zimmerman may be done for the season.

The ability of Oklahoma and Kansas State to absorb the loss of key players will be crucial on Saturday. Here are five other things to keep in mind:

KNIGHT VS THOMPSON: Knight will start for the Sooners, but Kendal Thompson could see some action. The son of former Oklahoma quarterback Charles Thompson, he got into a game for the first time last week and led his team on a 90-yard touchdown drive. “I was so excited to see Kendal out there,” Clay said. “He did a great job stepping in.”

WALK-ON, WALK-ON: Kansas State defensive end Ryan Mueller, a former walk-on is fifth in the nation with 10 1/2 sacks. He’s also among the leaders in the FBS with 16 tackles for loss. ”It just speaks to our great coaching and the system that we have here,” said linebacker Jonathan Truman, also a former walk-on. “If you have the right attitude, work hard, go through the system and listen to coaching, then you have the chance to be successful.”

TULSA PRIDE: Oklahoma linebacker Dominique Alexander and Kansas State wide receiver Tyler Lockett were teammates at Booker T. Washington High School. On Saturday, they’ll be lined up on the opposite side of the ball from each other. “I’m looking forward to it. I’ve never played against him,” Alexander said. “One of my best friends. It’s going to be fun.”

WATERS AND SAMS: While it’s possible that Oklahoma will shuffle quarterbacks a bit, it’s a certainty that Kansas State will play more than one. Jake Waters and Daniel Sams have been trading off and on for weeks, often within the same series. “You got to know what formations both of them ran and you’ve got to know what both quarterbacks are capable of doing,” Oklahoma linebacker Eric Striker said, “and that’ll be the key and preparing for that through practice.”

BOWL BOUND: The Sooners and Wildcats are already bound for bowl games. Now it’s a matter of improving their status. Oklahoma is fourth in the Big 12 behind Baylor, Oklahoma State and Texas, while the Wildcats are a game back in fifth. That means their game Saturday could have a big impact on where they spend the holidays. “Even though we did not have a chance to win the Big 12,” Sams said, “it feels good to see all of your teammates giving their all just to win the rest of the season. When you still see the guys giving their all, it feels good to know that everybody still cares about finishing.”

 

SAN JUAN, Puerto Rico (AP) – D’Vauntes Smith-Rivera had 25 points to lead four Georgetown starters in double-figures as the Hoyas overwhelmed Kansas State in a 90-63 victory on Friday at the Puerto Rico Tip-Off.

Jabril Trawick added 16 points for the Hoyas (2-2).

Georgetown coach John Thompson III didn’t hold his tongue in critiquing his team’s dismal second-half performance in its opening-game loss to Northeastern on Thursday.

The Hoyas responded by playing much more fluidly in their offensive sets and by limiting their mistakes. They led by as many as 29 and shot 63 percent from the field for the game with 19 assists.

Kansas State (2-3) fell in a 10-0 hole early and never could sting together a meaningful run. Thomas Gipson led the Wildcats with 18 points. In his third game back after from injury Gipson got more involved, but again was stunted early because of foul trouble.

 

SAN JUAN, Puerto Rico (AP) – Mike Thorne had 16 points and 11 rebounds, and Denzel Ingram added 12 as UNC Charlotte held off a late second half charge and beat Kansas State 68-61 in the opening game of the Puerto Rico Tip-Off in San Juan on Thursday.

Charlotte led by as many as 13 points in the second half and won their second straight despite being held under 80 points for the first time this season.

Nigel Johnson led the Wildcats with 14 points.

K-State’s loss ends a two-game win streak. The Wildcats led only once in the game, and struggled in the paint where they were outrebounded 46-34. It was the third time this season they have been beaten on the boards.

The 49ers will play the winner of Northeastern and Georgetown Friday.

 

KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) – It had to be a painful experience for Chiefs coach Andy Reid to relive the first quarter of last Sunday’s game in Denver.

The first 19 plays included a false start penalty, a fumble in the red zone, another fumble on a snap, a dropped pass, a sack and a three-and-out.

Reid acknowledged the Chiefs need to get out of the gates faster on Sunday against San Diego. They’ve scored just one offensive touchdown in their last two games, and have failed to score an offensive TD in the first half three times.

Their last touchdown on their first series? Against the Cowboys on Sept. 15, more than two months ago.

KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) – After getting his weight under control, defensive tackle Kyle Love turned his attention to getting his diabetes in check. Now, he’s ready to focus on playing football again.

The Chiefs signed the former Patriots lineman after a workout this week, and he could be pressed into service as early as Sunday against San Diego. Defensive tackle Mike DeVito did not practice Wednesday because of a sprained knee and might miss the game.

That could create an opportunity for Love, who’s been working out at home in Atlanta and waiting for a call all season. He was released by New England when his weight ballooned, and then waived by the Jaguars before the season started.

The Chiefs released Anthony Toribio to make room for him on the roster.

Ty Zimmerman, Senior Safety, is not expected to be on the field any time soon for Kansas State.

The Junction City product left the TCU game with a leg injury, and returned to the sidelines in the second half with his leg in a boot and on crutches. When he left the field he could not put weight on the leg.

Tuesday at the Vanier Complex his teammates sounded pessimistic about his return. Daniel Sams, Sophomore Quarterback, looked ahead to the senior day game with Oklahoma Saturday. “I dedicate my performance to all of the seniors, especially Ty. It’s bad about how it ended for him. At the end of the day its going to be last time for all of them playing in that stadium.”

Zimmerman was injured in the TCU game a year ago and recovered in time to play in the Bowl Game. We’ll wait and see this season.

Three 2013 Junction City High School graduates are headed to Nationals with their respective junior college volleyball teams.

Erika Goodwin is a member of the Western Nebraska Community College team that will compete in the Division One NJCAA nationals in Casper, Wyoming.   This is the 15th consecutive season that program has competed at that level.

The Cougars are ranked third going into the opening round match vs. Hutchinson Community College on Thursday ( 9 a.m. MST ).  A year ago the Cougars finished second at Nationals.

You can watch all those matches online live @njcaatv.com.

Two other former Lady Jays will also be competing this week. Shanna Witt is a member of the Cowly County Community College Tigers squad heading to Toledo, Ohio for Division 2 NJCAA nationals. They are ranked number one in that division.

Daijana Wallace is a member of the Johnson County Community College squad that has also qualified for the Division Two nationals in Toledo, Ohio. That squad is ranked third in Division Two.

All three of the former Lady Jays helped Junction City to a berth in the Class 6A State Tournament a year ago. It was the first time the Lady Jays had ever qualified for a berth in the state tournament.