K-State Faces First Road Test at Vandy

Following two home wins to open the season, 18th-ranked K-State will hit the road for the first time in 2017 when it visits SEC foe Vanderbilt Saturday night at Vanderbilt Stadium. The contest, which will kick at 6:30 p.m. CT, will be shown nationally on ESPNU with Mike Couzens (play-by-play) and John Congemi (analyst) on the call.

The game can also be heard across the 40-station K-State Sports Network with Wyatt Thompson (play-by-play), former K-State quarterback Stan Weber (analyst) and Matt Walters (sidelines) calling the action. Coverage will also be available on Sirius channel 108, XM Channel 201 in addition to the TuneIn app. Live stats are available at kstatesports.com, while Twitter updates (@ kstate_gameday, @KStateFB) will all be a part of the coverage.

A LOOK AT K-STATE
• In his 26th season at the helm of the Wildcats, College Football Hall of Famer Bill Snyder brings back 44 letterwinners – including 18 starters – from last year's squad.
• Eight of the returning starters picked up All-Big 12 accolades in 2016, including Big 12 Defensive Newcomer of the Year D.J. Reed (DB) and Big 12 Defensive Freshman of the Year Reggie Walker (DE).
• K-State has scored 55 points in each of its first two games, hitting the 50-point mark twice in the first two games for the third time in school history (1998, 2012).
• Senior Jesse Ertz has gotten off to a hot start by setting a new single-game school record for passer rating (319.8) in the opener while completing 70.3-percent of his passes through two games. He enters the week ranked fourth nationally in passing efficiency and yards per completion.
• Ertz, the NCAA's most efficient passer in week one, connected on three touchdown passes of 55 or more yards, marking the first time in the Snyder era that the Cats had three or more TD catches of 50-plus yards in a game.
• K-State has not thrown an interception in its last six games, the longest stretch since the 2012 season.
• The Cats have solid depth at running back and wide receiver as five different runners have scored TDs and five different wide receivers have three or more catches.
• The Wildcats have proven how versatile they can be on offense, throwing for 333 yards and four TDs in the opener and then rushing for 315 yards and five TDs last week against Charlotte.
• D.J. Reed had a night against UCA, recording a 96-yard return on the opening kickoff, a 62-yard punt return for a score and an interception on defense en route to Big 12 Special Teams Player of the Week honors.
• Kendall Adams answered the bell against Charlotte by becoming just the third Big 12 player ever to return an interception for a TD and a fumble for a score in the same game as he went on to earn Big 12 Defensive Player of the Week honors.
• K-State held Charlotte to just 58 yards passing, the fewest in a game since yielding just 39 to Nebraska in 2000.

A LOOK AT THE SERIES
• Saturday is just the second meeting between the two schools as Vanderbilt won the first meeting, 26-14, back in 1984 in a game played in Nashville.
• The Wildcats hold an all-time record of 45-84-5 against current members of the SEC, while they are 7-16 when taking out K-State's games against former Big 8/12 members Missouri and Texas A&M.
• K-State knocked off Texas A&M in last season's Texas Bowl, while the last regular-season matchup with a SEC foe was back in 2014 (20-14 loss to No. 5 Auburn).

NON-CONFERENCE NOTABLES
• Since 1990, K-State has won 76 of its 86 (.884) regular-season non-conference games under Bill Snyder, including 66-of-70 (.943) at home.
• K-State has had perfect regular season non-conference ledgers in 15 of the last 24 years.

NON-CONFERENCE ROAD NOTES
• In non-conference regular season road games under Bill Snyder, the Cats have won 10 of their last 13, dating back to a 30-25 win at Minnesota in 1993.
• Overall, K-State is 10-9 in non-conference road games since 1989 and 10-7 during that span under Snyder.
• Those 10 wins included at Minnesota (1993), UNLV (1994), Cincinnati (1995), Rice (1996), Northern Illinois (1997), Southern California (2001), Marshall (2005), North Texas (2010), Miami [Fla.] (2011) and UTSA (2015).
• The last SEC opponent the Wildcats have faced on the road in the regular season was Auburn back in 2007 (23-13 AU win).

SNYDER IN SEPTEMBER
• Fast starts have propelled the Wildcats to winning seasons under Bill Snyder. Since 1992 under Snyder, K-State is a combined 66-8 (.892) in September.
• Of the losses, five came on the road, as the Cats are 51-3 (.944) in September home games during that stretch.
• Since Snyder's return to the sidelines in 2009, K-State is 24-5 (.828) in the month of September.

THE HALL OF FAMER
• The architect of the "greatest turnaround in the history of college football," Bill Snyder was inducted into the College Football Hall of Fame in 2015.
• Snyder is just the fourth person in the history of college football to be inducted as an active coach.
• Snyder has compiled an amazing 204-105-1 (.659) record in 25-plus seasons at K-State as he is one of just six coaches to reach the 200-win mark and coach at only one school.
• Holding 165 more victories than any other coach in K-State history, Snyder ranks first in the FBS in wins among coaches at their current schools and second in total wins among active coaches.
• Additionally, Snyder has 118 conference wins to stand as one of four coaches with 100 Big 8/12 victories (Tom Osborne [153], Bob Stoops [117], Barry Switzer [100]).

TURNOVER TURNAROUND
• A year after finishing minus-3 in the turnover battle, K-State tied for fourth in the nation with a plus-13 turnover margin in 2016.
• It was the Wildcats' best national finish in turnover margin since ranking third in 2012, while it marked an 84-spot jump from a tie for 88th from the 2015 season.
• The Cats forced three turnovers against UCA while committing none of their own, while adding three more takeaways against Charlotte with no turnovers on offense.
• This week, K-State ranks first nationally in turnover margin at minus-6.

DRAWING FIRST BLOOD
• Since 1990, K-State is 162-31 (.839) when scoring first.
• K-State finished the 2016 season with a 5-2 mark when scoring first and is 17-4 in that department over the last three-plus seasons.
• Under Bill Snyder, K-State is 149-24 (.862) when scoring first, including a 2-0 mark this season.

QUICK OUT OF THE GATE
• Kansas State started games on the right side of the scoreboard in 2016, outscoring opponents 95-54 in the opening 15 minutes.
• That mark improved to 248-137 through the first half and 336-184 after three quarters.
• K-State kicked off the 2017 season with a 28-point second quarter against UCA to enter the locker room ahead, 38-16.
• Through two games, K-State has outscored opponents, 31-17, in the first quarter and 76-23 through two quarters.

LEADING AT THE HALF
• K-State earned an 8-1 record in 2016 when taking a lead into the locker room with its only blemish being a loss at West Virginia.
• Under Bill Snyder, the Wildcats are 174-10 (.947) when leading at halftime, including a 55-3 (.948) mark in Snyder's second tenure, which began in 2009.

FILLING THE BILL
• Attendance at K-State games has been at an all-time high over the last five years as K-State has recorded 35-straight sellouts.
• K-State, which finished second in the nation in percentage of capacity filled in 2013, 2014 and 2015, finished the 2016 season ranked fourth at 103.84-percent.
• Twenty-one of the largest 25 crowds in stadium history have come since 2013.

RETURNING EXPERIENCE
• The reason there is so much optimism around K-State for 2017 is the amount of returning experience from a 9-4 squad.
• The Wildcats return 179 total starts from last year, which ranks fourth all-time under Bill Snyder. It is the most returning starts by a Snyder-led team since the 2000 squad at 184.
• Of the 179 returning starts, 103 reside on the offensive side of the ball, the most ever by a Snyder-led unit. It eclipsed the 2000 team that had 99.
• The Wildcats have so many returning starts due to the fact that 135 starts a year ago were made by freshmen and sophomores, the most ever under Snyder and 34 more than the previous high of 101 in 1989.

CATS TOPS IN NON-OFFENSIVE TDs
• K-State is the nation's best in non-offensive touchdowns over the last 18-plus seasons as it has 109 since 1999, including D.J. Reed's punt return score in the 2017 season opener and Kendall Adams' two scores against Charlotte (INT return and fumble return).
• Since 1990, the Wildcats are 60-17 when scoring on special teams and 20-1 when scoring on special teams and defense, including an 18-0 mark under Bill Snyder.
• The Cats have had at least five non-offensive touchdowns in five of the last six years and in 16 of the 18 seasons since 1999.

OFFENSIVE NOTES
GROUND ATTACK
• K-State leaned heavily on its running game throughout the 2016 season, particularly during the second half of the year.
• The Cats broke the school record in yards per carry (5.27) and ranked third in rushing yards per game (231.8).
• K-State hit those marks due to rushing for at least 200 yards in nine games, including each of the final seven contests. The Wildcats also hit the 300-yard mark four times.
• K-State's four 300-yard games in 2016 were the most by the Wildcats since 2003, while they hit that mark three times in a four-game stretch for the first time since 2001 (vs. Kansas, Iowa State and Louisiana Tech).
• Last week, the Cats ran for 315 yards as seven different Wildcats recorded rushes and five scored touchdowns, which marked the first time five Wildcats had rushing touchdowns since 2000 against Ball State.

AERIAL ASSAULT
• While the Cats are known to have a powerful rushing attack, the 2017 squad will have some weapons through the air as the unit works to achieve balance.
• In the 2017 opener, Jesse Ertz threw for a career-high 333 yards and tied the school record with four passing touchdowns against UCA.
• His passer rating of 319.8 was a new school record and the highest in the nation in week one, while he also became the first player under Bill Snyder to throw three 50-plus yard touchdown passes in the same game.

PROECTING THE FOOTBALL
• Kansas State tied for fifth in the country last season in turnovers lost (12), while the Wildcats only threw five interceptions to rank fifth in the country.
• A year after tossing 13 picks, K-State's minus-8 interception differential from 2015 to 2016 ranked third nationally among Power 5 teams behind Maryland (minus-21) and Nebraska (minus-12).
• K-State is one of nine teams nationally to have played two games in 2017 and not lost a turnover.

LONG DRIVES
• In the era of quick-strike offenses in college football, K-State remains a team that likes to possess the ball.
• Of K-State's 64 scoring drives in 2016, 39 were seven plays or longer (60.9 percent), including 19 (29.7 percent) of 10-plus plays.
• Nineteen scoring drives a year ago lasted at least five minutes with a 17-play, 8:32 drive at Oklahoma being the longest.
• K-State had three scoring drives of 10 plays or more against Charlotte.
• Contrary, in week one, K-State tallied three touchdown drives of three plays or less against UCA.

CATS HIGH IN T.O.P.
• Kansas State ranked 20th nationally and tops in the Big 12 by averaging 32:35 in time of possession in 2016.
• It was the third-straight season the Wildcats ranked in the top 25 and led the Big 12 in time of possession.
• Over the previous five years entering 2017, K-State held the ball 74-percent of the time to rank third nationally behind Michigan State (79%) and Stanford (78%).

RED ZONE EFFICIENCY
• K-State has been one of the best red zone teams over the past few years as the Wildcats are the only team to rank in the top-15 nationally in red zone offense each of the last three seasons.
• The Cats finished the 2016 campaign 10th in the nation and second in the Big 12 by converting on 91.9-percent (57-of-62) of red zone trips.
• Additionally, Kansas State was one of four teams – along with Texas Tech, Navy and Western Michigan – to finish in the top 15 in both average trips to the red zone per game and average points per red zone attempt.
• Since the beginning of 2014, K-State has converted on 175-of-190 red zone attempts (.921) with 128 touchdowns. Included in that stretch was a nation-leading scoring streak of 56-straight trips that was snapped in 2016.
• In their 55 wins over the last six-plus seasons, the Cats are 252-for-276 (.913) in red zone chances with 187 touchdowns, while four of their non-scoring trips have come via kneel downs to close out victories.

DUAL-THREAT QUARTERBACK
• Jesse Ertz was the true definition of a dual-threat quarterback in 2016 as he threw for 1,755 yards and nine touchdowns while rushing for 1,012 yards and 12 scores.
• The Mediapolis, Iowa, native was one of three quarterbacks in school history to rush for 1,000 yards and pass for 1,500 yards, while he was one of only four in the nation to accomplish the feat in 2016, joining Heisman Trophy winner Lamar Jackson (Louisville), Quinton Flowers (USF) and Nick Fitzgerald (Mississippi State).
• Ertz recorded the school's 15th 1,000-yard rushing season and finished third among quarterbacks in single-season rushing yards, while his 5.53 yards per rush ranked fifth in school history and was tops among quarterbacks.
• Additionally, Ertz tallied 2,767 total offensive yards to rank 10th in school history.

AIRING IT OUT
• Although he used his feet for a majority of 2016, Jesse Ertz is out to prove that he can sling it around the field in 2017.
• In the season opener against UCA, Ertz broke the school record for single-game passing efficiency at 319.8, bettering the previous mark of 300.9 by Allen Webb against North Texas in 2005.
• Ertz also tied the single-game school record for passing touchdowns with four – which was accomplished 15 other times – while it was the second time a Wildcat had four passing scores in a season opener. Michael Bishop also had four against Northern Illinois in the 1997 opener.
• The senior signal caller also threw for 333 yards, the most by a Wildcat in a season opener in school history. Three of his touchdown passes went for 50 or more yards, the most ever by a quarterback under Bill Snyder in a single game.
• Ertz currently ranks fourth nationally in pass efficiency (220.0) and yards per completion (19.65), while he is second in the country in yards per attempt (13.81).

ALSO A BIG 12 RECORD
• In addition to his various school records against Central Arkansas, Jesse Ertz also helped K-State set a team Big 12 record.
• The Wildcats averaged 20.8 passing yards per attempt against the Bears, topping the previous Big 12 record of 19.1 also set by K-State against Miami in 2012.

DYNAMIC DUO
• Although there are only three career starts among the K-State running backs, the Wildcats have at least two capable players returning in junior Justin Silmon and sophomore Alex Barnes, both of whom had great finishes to the 2016 season.
• Thanks to their play late in the year, both were named to the 2017 Doak Walker Award watch list as K-State was one of only six teams in the nation with multiple honorees.
• Silmon finished the year with 210 yards and two touchdowns in the final two games, while Barnes had 262 yards and five scores in his final two games against Baylor and Kansas prior to an injury.
• According to Pro Football Focus, Barnes ranked first and Silmon ranked third among returning Big 12 running backs in elusive rating, which uses missed tackle rate and yards gained after contact to measure a runner's success beyond the point of being helped by his blockers.

ROOKIE BREAKOUT
• Alex Barnes had one of the best seasons by a freshman running back in school history last season.
• Barnes rushed for 442 yards on 56 attempts and six scores, ranking second in school history in both rushing yards and rushing touchdowns among freshmen.
• Barnes' 7.9-yard per carry average led the Big 12 among players with at least 50 attempts, while he was the only player in the league with at least 50 attempts to not have a negative rush.
• Additionally, he is tops among returning Big 12 running backs by averaging 3.86 yards after contact, according to Pro Football Focus.

PRINGLE PICKS UP TEMPO
• In addition to the two running backs, wide receiver Byron Pringle was also key down the stretch in 2016, and he has begun to carry over his play to start the 2017 season.
• The Tampa, Florida, product ended 2016 with consecutive 100-yard games, going for 126 yards with an 83-yard touchdown at TCU before carding 107 yards with a 79-yard touchdown in the Texas Bowl against Texas A&M.
• Pringle, who came to K-State from Butler CC, had 121 yards, including a 55-yard score, against Central Arkansas for his third-straight 100-yard game.
• His three-straight games topping 100 yards are tied for the third-longest streak in school history and is the longest by a Wildcat since Tyler Lockett ended his career in 2014 with five-straight such games.
• Additionally, Pringle and sophomore Isaiah Harris (118 yards) teamed up for the 14th double 100-yard receiving game in school history.
• It was the Wildcats' first double 100-yard game since Lockett (164) and Curry Sexton (104) did so in the 2015 Alamo Bowl following the 2014 season.

DIMEL DOES IT ALL
• Although he plays fullback, Winston Dimel has turned into an offensive threat for the Wildcats.
• Dimel has 19 career rushing touchdowns, just four shy of entering K-State's top-10 list. Additionally, he has 21 touchdowns overall in his career to sit five away from the top-10 in that category.
• The Manhattan product has also averaged 22.1 yards on his 15 career receptions, the fourth-highest mark in school history among players with 15 or more catches.

DEFENSIVE NOTES
TOUGH AGAINST THE RUN
• Kansas State was stout in rushing defense in 2016, ranking 11th nationally and leading the Big 12 by allowing only 115.0 yards per game.
• The Wildcats finished in the top 15 in the country in run defense for the first time since 2002. That year, K-State was second by allowing 69.5 yards per game.
• K-State limited opponents to less than 125 yards on eight occasions last year, including five times in Big 12 play.
• The 115.0-yard average ranked ninth in school history. Currently, the Cats have yielded 166.5 yards a game this season.

PICKING THEM APART
• A year after recording only five interceptions in 2015, K-State reversed the trend last year with a Big 12-leading 16 picks, a mark that tied for 14th in the nation.
• K-State's plus-11 up-tick in interceptions from 2015 to 2016 was the highest turnaround among Power 5 teams.
• The Wildcats, who have notched at least one interception in 30 of the last 40 games, made the turnaround despite starting three sophomores in the secondary for a majority of the season.
• Additionally, 11 of K-State's 16 picks in 2016 came from defensive backs after only one in 2015.
• Among the 16 picks, three were returned for touchdowns as D.J. Reed had a 35-yard return against Texas Tech, Duke Shelley went 29 yards to paydirt against Oklahoma State and Donnie Starks had a 39-yarder against Kansas.
• The three interception-return touchdowns by the Wildcats led the Big 12 and tied for 10th nationally.
• Reed picked up where he left off a year ago by snagging the team's first interception of 2017 against UCA, while Kendall Adams added a pick-six against Charlotte.

LBs LOOKING TO STEP UP
• Although it is a group that is deep with playmakers that have shined on special teams in their careers, K-State does not return any starts at linebacker in 2016.
• The Wildcats are one of three teams in the nation – but the only one from a Power 5 school – to not return a single start at linebacker this season. The next closest among Power 5 schools is Florida, which returns 12 total starts at the position.
• Team captain Trent Tanking is the leader of the group and has the most experience as the senior has 46 career tackles after picking up 11 to start the season.
• He ended the 2016 regular season with five tackles at TCU, a game that also included an interception on the final play of the game and a pass breakup.

REED READY FOR MORE
• Defensive back D.J. Reed was solid in his first year playing Division I football as the community-college transfer picked up Big 12 Defensive Newcomer of the Year honors from the league's coaches in addition to First Team All-Big 12 accolades.
• The Bakersfield, California, product tied for first in the Big 12 and fourth nationally with 19 passes defended.
• Totaling three interceptions and 16 breakups, Reed tied for fifth in school history in single-season passes defended and became the first player to enter the list since current Minnesota Viking Terence Newman also had 19 in 2002.
• Thanks to his solid opening campaign, Reed entered the 2017 season on the watch lists for the Bednarik, Bronko Nagurski and Jim Thorpe awards.

ALL-AROUND PLAYER
• D.J. Reed had one of the best all-around games in recent K-State history against Central Arkansas, totaling 181 return yards and recording his fourth-career interception.
• Reed returned the opening kickoff 96 yards to set up K-State's first touchdown, while he took the first punt-return attempt of his career 62 yards for a score and picked off a pass on the ensuing Bear possession.
• He became the first Wildcat to take his first-career punt-return attempt for a score since Thomas Randolph did so against New Mexico State in 1993.
• Additionally, he was the first K-State player with a punt-return touchdown (non-blocked) and an interception in the same game since Terence Newman against Missouri in 2002.

ADAMS WITH A RARE FEAT
• Safety Kendall Adams recorded a 30-yard interception return touchdown and a 46-yard fumble return touchdown against Charlotte, a feat that hadn't been accomplished by a Wildcat in nearly 19 years.
• Adams was the first K-State player with touchdowns of both varieties in the same game since Dyshod Carter did so against Missouri in 1999.
• Additionally, he is just the third player in Big 12 history to accomplish the feat, joining Carter and Texas Tech's Paul McClendon, who did so against North Texas in 2001.
• For his effort, Adams picked up Big 12 Defensive Player of the Week honors.

SPECIAL TEAMS NOTES
SCORING IN THE THIRD PHASE
• Kansas State has been far and away the best team among FBS programs over the last decade when it comes to scoring via a kickoff or punt return, and thus ranked as the top collective special teams unit in the nation entering the 2017 season according to Phil Steele.
• The Wildcats have a combined 43 kickoff- and punt-return touchdowns since 2005, 15 more than any other FBS school over the last 12-plus seasons.

DEFENSE IN THE THIRD PHASE
• On the flip side, K-State has been just as consistent in terms of kickoff and punt coverage as the Cats have not allowed a kickoff-return touchdown in the last 52 games (LAST: vs. Louisiana, 9/7/13) or a punt-return score in 38 games (LAST: at Iowa State, 9/6/14).
• Kansas State finished the 2016 season in the top 25 nationally in both punt-return defense (17th; 4.14) and kickoff-return defense (23rd; 18.4).

KICKOFF-RETURN STREAKS
• Kansas State is currently riding a pair of streaks in terms of kickoff returns as the Wildcats have returned a kick for a touchdown in each of the last 12 seasons – the longest streak in the nation by five years.
• Byron Pringle extended the streak in 2016 when he returned a kickoff to paydirt 99 yards against Texas Tech.
• Since head coach Bill Snyder's return in 2009, K-State has returned 17 kickoffs for touchdowns as opposed to only four in his first tenure, which lasted 17 years.
• For his efforts last season, Pringle earned First Team All-Big 12 honors as a kick returner, marking the 11th-straight year a Wildcat returner has earned all-conference accolades. Additionally, a K-State kick returner has earned first team honors six times in the last eight years.

RETURNERS RANK HIGH
• K-State returners have routinely enjoyed success under head coach Bill Snyder, and 2016 was no different as both Byron Pringle and Dominique Heath ranked highly in the nation in the return categories.
• Pringle ranked seventh nationally with a 28.7-yard kickoff-return average – a mark that was ninth in school history – while his 659 yards in 2016 ranked fifth in school history.
• Heath, an Honorable Mention All-Big 12 returner, finished the year tied for seventh nationally in punt-return scores.
• Each player earned Big 12 Special Teams Player of the Week honors in 2016. Heath picked up the award thanks to his 75-yard punt return touchdown against Florida Atlantic.
• D.J. Reed is making his case for being the next great K-State returner as he raced 96 yards on the season-opening kickoff against UCA before also going 62 yards for a score on a punt return later in the contest.
• Reed was named the Big 12 Special Teams Player of the Week following the Central Arkansas game.

McCRANE MAKES KICKS
• K-State is fortunate to have a veteran senior place kicker in Matthew McCrane, who is looking to end his career on a high note.
• McCrane current ranks first in school history and tied for fourth nationally among active players by making 88.9-percent (40-of-45) of his career field goals.
• The Brownwood, Texas, product has opened the year ranked 10th nationally in field goals per game and 14th in scoring.
• The two-time All-Big 12 place kicker is also in K-State's top-10 in career field goals made (2nd; 40), extra points made (t6th; 98), extra points attempted (7th; 99) and field goals attempted (8th; 45).
• McCrane has also entered K-State's top-10 list for career points scored, a mark that stands at 212 as he passed Tyler Lockett (2011-14) for eighth place.

WALSH A DEPENDABLE PUNTER
• Just as important as a veteran place kicker, the Wildcats also have an experienced punter returning in Nick Walsh.
• A 2015 All-Big 12 punter and two-time member of the Ray Guy Award watch list, Walsh has booted to a career 41.88-yard average to rank sixth in K-State history, while he is seventh in career yards (6,780) and attempts (162).
• Walsh's career average was given a boost in 2016 as he had a career-best 42.78-yard mark, which ranked sixth in K-State history.

Next Event

Players Mentioned

Kendall Adams

Alex Barnes

Winston Dimel

Jesse Ertz

Isaiah Harris

Dominique Heath

Matthew McCrane

Byron Pringle

D.J. Reed

Duke Shelley

Justin Silmon

Donnie Starks

Trent Tanking

Reggie Walker

Nick Walsh

Kansas State University Athletics