Welcome to the 2003 regular season finale and Senior Night at KSU Stadium!
Kansas State will be celebrating the careers of 30 seniors this evening. Collectively, the class has helped K-State produce a combined 37-14 (.725) record over the last four seasons and earn four bowl berths.
The Kansas State Department of Athletics would also like to thank those who donated canned food or made monetary donations for this year's Cats for Cans food drive on behalf of the Flint Hills Breadbasket.
Today's Game
There hasn't been this much on the line for a Kansas State vs. Missouri game in decades, if ever.
Fresh off an historic 38-9 victory at Nebraska - its first in Lincoln since 1968 - and riding a five-game winning streak, Kansas State (9-3, 5-2 Big 12) sits alone atop the Big 12 North Division and can secure its third trip to the Big 12 Championship game and its first outright Big 12 North Division crown since 1998 with a win tonight over Missouri.
However, the Tigers also have plenty to play for. In the midst of its best start since posting a 7-3 record in 1998, Missouri (7-3, 3-3 Big 12) can earn its first berth in the Big 12's title game with a win over the Wildcats and a victory at home next week vs. Iowa State.
Both teams have been playing solid football of late, but the Wildcats just may be the nation's hottest team. During its current five-game sizz, K-State has outscored its opponents by an average of 33 points per game while putting up over 42 point per contest on the scoreboard. The offensive explosion, coupled with a stifling defense that has allowed just one touchdown in the last 16 quarters, has thrust the Wildcats into the top 25 nationally in total offense and total defense as well as scoring offense and scoring defense.
Missouri, led by heralded sophomore quarterback Brad Smith, possess one of college football's most potent ground attacks and ranks sixth in the nation in rushing. The Tigers, who have won three of their last five but are still searching for their first Big 12 road win, are averaging a healthy 32.6 yards per game and are coming off an impressive 45-22 win over Texas A&M.
The Series
Missouri leads the all-time series 55-28 with five ties. However, it has been Kansas State that has dominated the rivalry of late. The Wildcats have won 11 straight over the Tigers, including last season's 38-0 shutout in Columbia, and have reeled off six consecutive wins at KSU Stadium. In fact, K-State has recorded shutouts three times during its 11-game winning streak vs. Mizzou.
In the Rankings
Kansas State's decisive win at Nebraska boosted the Wildcats position seven spots in both polls. Ranked No. 25 in the ESPN/USA Today Coaches' Poll after defeating Iowa State, K-State's 29-point victory over the Cornhuskers pushed the Cats up to No. 18. In the Associated Press Top 25 also made a seven-place leap, moving from just outside the poll with enough votes to rank No. 26 all the way to No. 19.
The seven-spot jump in the AP Top 25 is the third biggest move up in a single week in K-State history. Last year, the Wildcats vaulted a school-record 10 spots from No. 25 to No. 15 following its 27-20 victory over USC on Sept. 21, 2002. K-State also had an eight-spot jump in the AP poll in 1994, moving from No. 23 to No. 15 following a 37-20 win at Oklahoma.
Though not ranked, Missouri is receiving votes in both polls. The Tigers, who have been ranked for a total of four weeks this season, climbed as high as No. 22 in the AP Top 25 prior to suffering a 21-16 setback at Colorado.
On a Roll
Kansas State, one of just 14 teams in the country currently riding at least a five-game winning streak has put up some incredible numbers over the last five weeks. Since suffering a four-point loss at Oklahoma State, the Wildcats has yet to be held under 38 points are averaging 42.4 points per game. K-State, which has averaged 464 yards of total offense and converted 55 percent of third downs during its winning streak, has also topped 200 yards rushing in each of the last four games and over 450 yards of total offense in three straight. In fact, Kansas State's 561 yards of offense at Nebraska was the most given up the Huskers since 1998 and the fifth most ever in Memorial Stadium.
Not to be outdone, K-State's defense, which has given up just one touchdown in the last 16 quarters, has held each of its last four opponents less than 300 yards, with only Nebraska topping the 100-yard rushing mark. The Wildcat defense has also forced 12 turnovers in the last five games, including four by the Huskers.
Ell Tops 7,000
Quarterback Ell Roberson's career-high 403 yards of total offense at Nebraska last week improved the senior's career total to 7,137. His is just the fifth player in Big 12 history to top 7,000 yards of total offense in a career. Roberson's game total vs. Nebraska is the sixth most in Kansas State history and the most since Michael Bishop's 442 yards vs. Texas A&M in the 1998 Big 12 Championship Game in St. Louis. Roberson's total offense numbers vs. the Huskers were also the fifth most ever allowed in a single game by Nebraska.
Sproles to Add All-Purpose Record
Darren Sproles, Kansas State's first 3,000-yard rusher and just the seventh player in Big 12 history to top that figure, will add yet another record to his list tonight vs. Missouri. With 4,022 career all-purpose yards, the junior needs just two yards to eclipse Aaron Lockett's K-State record of 4,023. Sproles, who already re-set K-State's single-season all purpose mark for the second straight year with 2,012 yards to date, is also just 26 yards shy of topping his own single-season rushing mark of 1,465 yards set last season.
