SE: Ertz, Reed Shine in K-State's 55-19 Win over Central Arkansas
Sep 03, 2017 | Football, Sports Extra
Jesse Ertz broke a school record and D.J. Reed matched a feat last accomplished by a man whose name sits in K-State's "Ring of Honor" at Bill Snyder Family Stadium in the No. 19 Wildcats' 55-19 win over Central Arkansas on Saturday night.
Ertz, K-State's senior quarterback, went 10-of-16 through the air for a career-high 333 yards, four touchdowns and zero interceptions. His performance calculated out to an efficiency rating of 319.8, which bested Allen Webb's school-record mark of 300.9 set in 2005.
"Outstanding," running back Dalvin Warmack said of Ertz's performance. "It really didn't surprise me, though. If you would have seen how hard he worked all spring, all summer, it was just another day for Jesse."
"Jesse was great all camp, all summer, all spring, and hopefully we'll see some more of Jesse playing like that," added Byron Pringle, who reeled in three passes for 121 yards that included a touchdown. "I'm proud of Jesse."
Reed, a junior defensive back, impacted K-State's season-opening victory from the onset. The 5-foot-9 speedster took the game's opening kickoff 96 yards to set up an easy score.
"That guy's an athlete. He does it all," Warmack said. "You line him up anywhere and he'll get the job done. He had a really good one."
Before the first half was over, Reed joined elite company by adding a 62-yard punt return touchdown and an interception to his night. The last K-State player to return a punt for a touchdown and record an interception in one game? Former All-American and 15-year NFL veteran Terence Newman in 2002.
"That's a blessing to be with him because he's a legend in the NFL and he's a legend at K-State," Reed said. "It was really fun just to be back home with the best fans in the nation. Just to be able to make plays in front of them, it felt very natural. I wasn't trying to do too much. I've been working hard and everything just happened naturally."
Ertz and Reed each shared the credit for their stellar starts with the teammates who helped make it happen.
For Ertz, it was his deeply talented pool of receivers who made short passes into medium gains and medium connections into long plays.
"Everything I threw, they ran the same distance after that," Ertz said of his receivers, as four different Wildcats — Pringle, Isaiah Harris, Isaiah Zuber and Dalton Schoen — reeled in a touchdown pass. "We knew we had the talent and we've been talking about that for a while, that once we all get on the same page, once everyone comes along and develops, we were going to be deep, we were going to have a lot of people make plays, especially after the catch. We have a special group and hopefully we can be consistent with it.
Reed complimented the blocking of K-State's kickoff and punt return units for opening up plenty of space for him to work.
"Our special teams unit, everyone on it did a great job blocking," he said. "Once I hit the wall, it was just right there in front of me, just green grass to run and score. It was very easy and it felt natural."
While quick to share credit, Ertz and Reed certainly helped spark K-State's decisive victory over the Bears, who entered the weekend ranked No. 15 in the FCS.
Up only 17-16 late in the second quarter, Ertz rifled a first down pass to Pringle, who shook one defender with a juke move before bolting by everyone else for a 55-yard touchdown.
About two minutes later, Reed pulled in his first punt of the season and took it to the house. The very next series, Reed, in his second season at K-State, jumped a deep pass for his fourth career interception with the Wildcats.
"I thought, for sure, this camp he took even another step," Ertz said of Reed, referencing his work against Pringle this fall camp. "Usually (Pringle) is the type of guy that I can count on that he's going to win on his route almost every time. He's just strong, fast, all of those things, and there's a few times where D.J. gets him (in practice) and it kind of opens your eyes, like, 'That man's going to make some plays this year.' He got a pick tonight, made plays on special teams and he'll be there all season long."
Ertz followed Reed's interception by finding a wide-open Schoen down the middle for a 70-yard touchdown, capping a 21-point explosion from K-State in the final 5:38 of the second quarter that put K-State in the driver's seat.
"Jesse's developed a great feel for our offense, with the quarterback run game and with the passing game," Schoen said. "He's doing a great job of getting us in the right plays and commanding the offense as a whole. He definitely did a great job tonight of airing the ball out and putting the ball in spots to give us a chance to go make plays."
Ertz, K-State's senior quarterback, went 10-of-16 through the air for a career-high 333 yards, four touchdowns and zero interceptions. His performance calculated out to an efficiency rating of 319.8, which bested Allen Webb's school-record mark of 300.9 set in 2005.
"Outstanding," running back Dalvin Warmack said of Ertz's performance. "It really didn't surprise me, though. If you would have seen how hard he worked all spring, all summer, it was just another day for Jesse."
"Jesse was great all camp, all summer, all spring, and hopefully we'll see some more of Jesse playing like that," added Byron Pringle, who reeled in three passes for 121 yards that included a touchdown. "I'm proud of Jesse."
Reed, a junior defensive back, impacted K-State's season-opening victory from the onset. The 5-foot-9 speedster took the game's opening kickoff 96 yards to set up an easy score.
"That guy's an athlete. He does it all," Warmack said. "You line him up anywhere and he'll get the job done. He had a really good one."
Before the first half was over, Reed joined elite company by adding a 62-yard punt return touchdown and an interception to his night. The last K-State player to return a punt for a touchdown and record an interception in one game? Former All-American and 15-year NFL veteran Terence Newman in 2002.
"That's a blessing to be with him because he's a legend in the NFL and he's a legend at K-State," Reed said. "It was really fun just to be back home with the best fans in the nation. Just to be able to make plays in front of them, it felt very natural. I wasn't trying to do too much. I've been working hard and everything just happened naturally."
Ertz and Reed each shared the credit for their stellar starts with the teammates who helped make it happen.
For Ertz, it was his deeply talented pool of receivers who made short passes into medium gains and medium connections into long plays.
"Everything I threw, they ran the same distance after that," Ertz said of his receivers, as four different Wildcats — Pringle, Isaiah Harris, Isaiah Zuber and Dalton Schoen — reeled in a touchdown pass. "We knew we had the talent and we've been talking about that for a while, that once we all get on the same page, once everyone comes along and develops, we were going to be deep, we were going to have a lot of people make plays, especially after the catch. We have a special group and hopefully we can be consistent with it.
Reed complimented the blocking of K-State's kickoff and punt return units for opening up plenty of space for him to work.
"Our special teams unit, everyone on it did a great job blocking," he said. "Once I hit the wall, it was just right there in front of me, just green grass to run and score. It was very easy and it felt natural."
While quick to share credit, Ertz and Reed certainly helped spark K-State's decisive victory over the Bears, who entered the weekend ranked No. 15 in the FCS.
Up only 17-16 late in the second quarter, Ertz rifled a first down pass to Pringle, who shook one defender with a juke move before bolting by everyone else for a 55-yard touchdown.
About two minutes later, Reed pulled in his first punt of the season and took it to the house. The very next series, Reed, in his second season at K-State, jumped a deep pass for his fourth career interception with the Wildcats.
"I thought, for sure, this camp he took even another step," Ertz said of Reed, referencing his work against Pringle this fall camp. "Usually (Pringle) is the type of guy that I can count on that he's going to win on his route almost every time. He's just strong, fast, all of those things, and there's a few times where D.J. gets him (in practice) and it kind of opens your eyes, like, 'That man's going to make some plays this year.' He got a pick tonight, made plays on special teams and he'll be there all season long."
Ertz followed Reed's interception by finding a wide-open Schoen down the middle for a 70-yard touchdown, capping a 21-point explosion from K-State in the final 5:38 of the second quarter that put K-State in the driver's seat.
"Jesse's developed a great feel for our offense, with the quarterback run game and with the passing game," Schoen said. "He's doing a great job of getting us in the right plays and commanding the offense as a whole. He definitely did a great job tonight of airing the ball out and putting the ball in spots to give us a chance to go make plays."
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