2004 Kansas State Football
Game No. 11
Iowa State (5-4/3-3) at Kansas State (4-6/2-5)
Saturday, Nov. 20, 2004
11:10 a.m (CT)/Fox Sports Net
KSU Stadium (50,000)
Manhattan, Kan.
Kickoff: 11:10 a.m.
Television: Live split-nationally with the Oklahoma at Baylor game on Fox Sports Net. Kevin Eschenfelder will call the action with Dave Lapham providing the color analysis. Jim Knox will serve as the broadcast's sideline reporter.
Radio: Live across the 29-station Mid America Sports Network. Wyatt Thompson (play-by-play), Stan Weber (color) and Chris Allison (sideline) serve as the on-air talent.
On the Web: A live audio stream of all Kansas State football games is available via the Internet at K-State's official site, www.k-statesports.com. Click the “Live Audio” link on the left side of the home page.
Records: Kansas State dropped to 4-6 (2-5 Big 12) with its 38-31 loss at Colorado. Iowa State was idle last week after defeating Nebraska, 35-27. The Cyclones are 5-4 (3-3 Big 12) and have won three straight.
Rankings: Neither team is ranked in this week’s polls.
Series: Iowa State leads the all-time series by a 46-37 margin. There have been four ties. Kansas State has won 10 in a row over the Cyclones and has not lost to ISU since the 1993 season.
Coaches: Kansas State's Bill Snyder is 131-61-1 (.681) in 16 seasons with the Wildcats. Iowa State’s Dan McCarney is 43-71 with the Cyclones in 10 years.
K-State closes out 2004 season vs. Iowa State
Kansas State takes to the field for the final time Saturday morning, when the Wildcats welcome Iowa State to KSU Stadium for their 2004 season finale.
The game is scheduled to kick off at 11:10 a.m. and will be telecast by Fox Sports Net to a split-national audience. Coverage maps for the broadcast are expected to be available early in the week with Kevin Eschenfelder (play-by-play) and Dave Lapham (color) calling the action and Jim Knox providing sideline reports.
Kansas State (4-6, 2-5 Big 12) is coming of yet another heart-breaking loss and will be looking to regroup one final time to send its seniors out on a winning note. The Wildcats, who have now dropped four Big 12 games by 10 points or less, suffered perhaps their most difficult setback of the season at Colorado last week as the Buffaloes tallied the game winner with just five seconds to play.
The loss eliminated K-State from bowl contention for the first time in 12 seasons and snapped one of the nation’s longest consecutive postseason streaks. The Wildcats entered 2004 as one of just seven programs in the nation to play in a bowl game in each of the last 11 seasons.
Iowa State (5-4, 3-3 Big 12), idle last week, will put a three-game winning streak on the line. The Cyclones, who have not lost in over a month, will be out to become bowl eligible Saturday and remain in contention for at least a share of their first ever Big 12 North Division title.
The two teams have played four common opponents this season: Texas A&M, Kansas, Nebraska and Colorado. Kansas State, which has faced three of the four on the road, is 1-3 vs. the quartet, with the lone victory coming over Nebraska at home. Iowa State has posted a 2-2 mark against the common foes, while playing three of the four in Ames.
Senior salute
Saturday's game will mark the final home appearance in a Wildcat uniform for 22 Kansas State seniors. Collectively, the class has helped Kansas State produce a combined record of 32-18 (.640) over the last four seasons and earn three bowl berths.
NO NAME POS HT WT YR-EX HOMETOWN (LAST SCHOOL)
90 Ron Barry DT 6-2 290 Sr.-SQ Lansing, Kan. (Immaculata)
91 Jermaine Berry DT 6-0 295 Sr.-1L Wichita, Kan. (Butler County CC)
96 Andrew Bulman DT 6-3 285 Sr.-1L Milton, Mass. (L.A. Valley College)
86 Brian Casey TE 6-7 270 Sr.-2L Gladstone, Mo. (North Kansas City)
38 Blaine Clark DB 6-2 190 Sr.-1L Valley Center, Kan. (Butler County CC)
84 Lorne Clark TE 6-3 270 Sr.-SQ San Francisco, Calif. (City Coll. of SF)
79 Jon Doty OL 6-8 300 Sr.-2L West Des Moines, Iowa (Dowling)
52 Kevin Huntley DE 6-8 265 Sr.-1L Washington D.C. (Valley Forge)
39 Braden Irvin DB 6-2 200 Sr.-SQ St. John, Kan. (St. John)
60 Mike Johnson OL 6-4 290 Sr.-2L Boulder, Colo. (Fairview)
2 Louis Lavender DB 6-0 190 Sr.-1L Los Angeles, Calif. (West L.A. College)
82 Joe Lawson WR 6-0 190 Sr.-1L Rohnert Park, Calif. (Santa Rosa JC)
7 Tony Madison WR 6-3 205 Sr.-SQ Florissant, Mo. (Highland CC)
31 Marcus Patton DB 6-1 205 Sr.-2L St. Louis, Mo. (Southeast Missouri St.)
2 Antoine Polite WR 6-2 200 Sr.-1L Indianola, Iowa (Indianola)
15 Joe Rheem PK 6-2 195 Sr.-3L Wichita, Kan. (Collegiate)
28 David Rose DB 5-10 180 Sr.-2L Richmond, Calif. (Contra Costa College)
43 Darren Sproles RB 5-7 180 Sr.-3L Olathe, Kan. (Olathe North)
57 Maurice Thurmond LB 6-2 220 Sr.-2L Fort Worth, Texas (Dunbar
52 Russ Vanover LS 6-1 210 Sr.-2L Newton, Kan. (Newton)
71 Michael Weiner OL 6-5 275 Sr.-SQ Boca Raton, Fla. (Highland CC)
4 Cedrick Williams DB 5-10 170 Sr.-1L W. Riviera Beach, Fla. (Garden City CC)
64 Malcolm Wooldridge OL 6-2 330 Sr.-SQ Boca Raton, Fla. (Harper JC)
Back on the tube
Kansas State returns to television for the sixth time this season and the fourth time at home, when the Wildcats face Iowa State Saturday on Fox Sports Net. The 2004 campaign marks the ninth straight seasons that at least half of K-State’s games have been telecast either regionally or nationally. It is also the third time in the last four weeks that the Cats will play on the tube. Overall this season, Kansas State is 1-4 in televised games, including a 1-2 mark on Fox Sports Net. K-State’s lone victory on television this year came on FSN at Missouri on Nov. 6.
K-State looks to run winning streak vs. Cyclones to 11 games
Like many of its all-time series, Kansas State trails its series with Iowa State 46-37 with four ties... Saturday's meeting between K-State and Iowa State will be the 88th in a series that dates to 1917... The two schools have met on the gridiron every season since... Kansas State leads the series in games played at Manhattan, 22-20-1... Kansas State has held the upper hand in recent years, winning 10 in a row, with five of those wins coming at KSU Stadium... The Wildcats have also come away victorious in 13 of the last 14 meetings between the two sides, including seven straight at home... Iowa State has not defeated K-State since posting a 27-23 win in Ames during the 1993 season... The Cyclones last win in Manhattan dates to the 1988 season... During K-State's 10-game winning steak, the Wildcats have outscored the Cyclones 438-105, for an average margin of victory of over 33 points... Over the last four meetings alone, Kansas State has outscored Iowa State 191-20 (42.8 ppg), including last year's 45-0 win in Ames... The Wildcats have scored over 30 points in 10 of the last 11 encounters between the two schools... K-State's thrilling 35-28 comeback-win in 1999 is the only game in the last decade decided by single digits... Kansas State head coach Bill Snyder is 13-2 all-time vs. Iowa State.
K-State/Iowa State connections
Kansas State head coach Bill Snyder and Iowa State head coach Dan McCarney both served under Hayden Fry at Iowa from 1979-88.
K-State defensive coordinator Bob Elliott served two stints on the coaching staff at ISU, including 2000-2001 as associate head coach under McCarney.
Co-offensive coordinator Del Miller coached with McCarney at Iowa from 1979-88.
Iowa State defensive line coach Mike Nelson coached at Kansas State in 1989.
Iowa State Director of Athletics Bruce Van de Velde once served as K-State's director of football operations.
League ledger
Though Kansas State’s 2-5 conference ledger this season is nothing to crow about, the Wildcats still own one of the best records in league play since the inception of the Big 12 Conference. K-State recorded its 51st Big 12 Conference victory at Missouri and stands 51-20 all time in league games since 1996. Only Texas with 53 Big 12 wins and Nebraska with 52 have won more Big 12 tilts than the Wildcats.
On the home front
Kansas State will try to take advantage of what has been one of the most dominant home-field advantages in all of college football in its season finale vs. Iowa State. In all games since the start of the 1990 season (Snyder's second in Manhattan), Kansas State is an amazing 84-13-1 (.862) when playing on Wagner Field, including a 42-11-1 (.787) mark in league games (combined Big 8/Big 12). During that stretch, the Wildcats have never had a losing record at home. K-State is 3-3 at KSU Stadium in 2004 heading into Saturday’s finale.
Season finale fun
Under head coach Bill Snyder, Kansas State is 12-3 in regular-season finales, including eight straight wins. K-State has not dropped a regular-season ender since falling to Colorado in 1995. In fact, all three of its losses in the final regular-season game of the year have come against Colorado.
Always entertaining
Kansas State may not be having the type of season it envisioned at the start of the year, but Wildcat games have certainly been entertaining, nonetheless. Six times since the start of Big 12 play, K-State games have still been in doubt during the fourth quarter. Here’s a rundown of the Kansas State’s frantic, down-to-the-wire finishes, five of which ended up as Wildcat losses...
At Texas A&M: K-State scores two fourth-quarter touchdowns and trails 35-30 with the ball on the Texas A&M 36-yard line but cannot convert on 4th and 8 with 1:34 to play.
At Kansas: The Jayhawks score two fourth-quarter touchdowns, the last with 3:16 to go, and take a 31-21 lead. The Wildcats cut the deficit to 31-28 at the 2:06 mark but are unable to get the ball back as KU runs out the clock.
Vs. Oklahoma: K-State leads 21-17 until the 6-minute mark of the third quarter, when the Sooners go on top 24-21. Oklahoma finally puts the game on ice with just over 7 minutes to go after taking a 31-21 lead.
Vs. Texas Tech: Trailing by 28-19 with five minutes to play, K-State is driving to pull within a field goal when Dylan Meier is intercepted at the Tech 33-yard line. The Red Raiders score on the next play to go up 35-19. K-State rallies on its ensuing possession to make it 35-25 with 2:27 to go, but cannot come up the on-sides kick.
At Missouri: Kansas State rallies from a 21-point deficit to take a 28-24 lead with 9:39 to play in the game. The Wildcats then return an interception for another score to put the game out of reach on the following MU possession.
At Colorado: The mother of all finishes occurred last week at Colorado, as the Wildcats start a run of five fourth-quarter touchdowns with two early in the period to tie the game at 24. CU then goes back on top by a touchdown with 3:58 to play only to see the Wildcats knot the game at 31 with just 36 seconds remaining. But instead of heading for overtime, the Buffs connect on a 64-yard touchdown pass with 5 seconds showing on the clock for a 38-31 victory.
Points not the problem
Kansas State’s offense has not been blowing the doors off opponents like they have in recent years, but the Wildcats have been respectable nonetheless this season. K-State is averaging 30.3 points per game to rank sixth in the Big 12 and 33rd nationally. The Cats, who average a slightly-better 30.7 ppg in Big 12 play, have also not been held below 21 points through nine games in 2004 and are averaging 34.0 ppg in their last four games. By comparison, Iowa State is averaging 19.8 points per game (16.2 ppg in Big 12 play) to rank 103rd nationally and last in the Big 12 Conference.
Balanced Attack
If one views the 2004 season as a whole, Kansas State’s offense has hardly been one-dimensional. Rather, Kansas State has shown an ability to adapt on the fly and take advantage of whatever the opposing defense has presented. During non-conference play, K-State came out of the gates as one of the nation’s top rushing teams, twice going over the 300-yard mark on the ground and averaging over 250 yards per game. But once Big 12 play started and defenses began stacking against the run, the Wildcats successfully went to the air in their first three games and averaged 266 yards per game passing. Against Nebraska, it was back to the ground as K-State ran wild with 294 yards rushing.
Kansas State’s ability to take what opposing defenses are giving them couldn’t have been more perfectly exemplified than in the Wildcats’ last three games. Versus Texas Tech, K-State totaled 415 yards with 167 on the ground and 248 through the air. One week later, those numbers were almost exactly flipped at Missouri, as the Wildcats gained 373 total yards behind 225 on the ground and 148 via the pass. At Colorado, K-State flipped back to the air, throwing for 212 yards and rushing for 160 en route to 372 yards of total offense vs. the Buffaloes.
As a result, Kansas State owns one of the most balanced stat sheets in the Big 12. With 178.7 yards per game rushing and 189.9 yards per game passing, the Wildcats are one of just four teams in the league currently topping over 176 yards in both categories on average. The three others are Oklahoma, Texas A&M and Missouri.
Wildcat offense finishing strong
Kansas State’s offense may have been directed by different quarterbacks at times during each of the last four games, but one would hardly know it from looking at the stat sheets. The Wildcats have averaged just under 400 yards of total offense and 34.0 points in the last four weeks for their best four-game total offense mark (1,578 yards) of the season. K-State rolled up 418 yards against Nebraska with Allen Webb at the controls, as the sophomore gouged the Huskers for 271 yards of total offense. Against Texas Tech, it was Dylan Meier’s turn under center and he responded with a career best 332 yards of total offense - the most by a K-State quarterback since Ell Roberson totaled 403 yards at Nebraska last season. At Missouri, the duo split the game (Meier in the first half and Webb in the second) as K-State amassed 373 total yards in its come-from-behind win at Missouri. Webb was once again at the controls at Colorado, but Meier came off the bench to throw for 72 yards and lead the Cats to a game-tying touchdown in the final minute as K-State totaled 372 yards.
Churn and burn
After not being able to top 150 yards on the ground in three straight games to open Big 12 play, the Wildcats have averaged 211.5 yards rushing over the last four contests. Against Nebraska, two Wildcats topped the century mark and K-State came within six yards of hitting the 300-yard plateau on the ground for the third time this season, ripping a Blackshirt defense that previously ranked No. 2 nationally against the run for 294 yards. Quarterback Allen Webb led the way with a career-best 147 yards on a K-State quarterback record 34 carries, while Darren Sproles added 135 yards on 22 attempts. Against Texas Tech it was Dylan Meier and Sproles who teamed up, combining for 167 yards on 34 carries. At Missouri, Sproles shouldered the brunt of the load, galloping for 160 yards on 20 carries, while Webb (52 yards) and Meier (15 yards) combined for another 67 for a total of 225 yards vs. a defensive unit that had yielded just 146.2 yards per game. Webb topped the 100-yard mark for the second time this season at Colorado as the Wildcats ground out 160 yards rushing.
Rushing to victory
Outgaining an opponent on the ground has been crucial to the Wildcats’ fortunes in 2004. Kansas State outrushed Western Kentucky, Louisiana-Lafayette, Nebraska, Texas Tech and Colorado en route to victories in three of the five games. However, in four K-State’s six losses this season the Cats have been outdistanced on the ground.
That trend carries back even further if you delve into Kansas State’s recent history. Over the last 37 games, the Wildcats have outgained their opponents on the ground in 30 contests. In those 29 games, K-State is a sparkling 25-5. But in the eight games the Cats were outrushed, K-State is a combined 1-7, with the lone win coming on Nov. 6 at Missouri as the Tigers outgained the Wildcats, 239-226.
Thus far in 2004, K-State, which ranks No. 36 nationally in rushing on this week’s NCAA chart with 178.7 yards per game, has outgained the opposition 1,787 to 1,470 on the ground for an average of 32 yards per game.
Fourth quarter is ours
Teams will often put four fingers in the air at the end of the third quarter to signify that the fourth quarter is theirs. But for Kansas State it truly has been. The Wildcats have outscored their opponents by a whopping 113-72 margin in the fourth quarter this season, including a 62-24 edge in the last four games.
Drive engineering
Kansas State has shown a keen ability to string together long drives this season. Through 10 games, the Wildcats have engineered 16 scoring drives of 75 or more yards this season, including 11 in the last six weeks. K-State has also chewed up five minutes or more on the clock on 11 separate scoring drives, while taking double-digit snaps on 19 others.
Ball hogs
Kansas State, which leads the Big 12 in time of possession, has held the possession edge in six of its last eight games and 7-of-10 this season. In fact, K-State has held the ball over 35 minutes in 4-of-10 games this year and is averaging a TOP of just under 34 minutes for the season (33:51). K-State held the ball for over 33 minutes and ran 66 plays at Kansas on the heels of posting a TOP of 40:28 on 90 plays at Texas A&M. Against Nebraska, the Wildcats amassed a time of possession of 37:53 minutes on 84 plays. And talk about keeping your defense off the field, Kansas State has run 75 plays or more in six separate games this season, with three plus 80-play outings.
In the zone
Kansas State continues to be one of the Big 12’s best red zone teams, especially since the start of conference play. Through 10 games, K-State has converted 35-of-41 (.854) red-zone opportunities into points. However, the Wildcats have been even better in Big 12 games, scoring on 24-of-27 (.889) chances to rank third in the league.
Cat QBs taking care of the ball
Kansas State’s quarterback duo of Dylan Meier and Allen Webb have done a solid job of taking care of the ball this season. In fact, the Wildcats’ interception totals in 2004 are one of the most improved areas on the team over last season. Through 10 games, K-State’s QBs have tossed just seven interceptions (fourth fewest in the Big 12) on 296 attempts, including three in the last six games on 197 passes. Through 10 games last year, Kansas State’s signal-callers had nearly double that figure on fewer passes, throwing 12 picks on just 241 attempts.
Fate no friend of K-State’s scoring defense
The Kansas State defense may be yielding 30.0 points per game this season to rank 86th nationally, but a quick look inside the numbers reveals that the unit has been put in a number of tough spots. Of the 46 scoring drives the Wildcats have given up this season, 14 have opened inside K-State’s 45-yard line with six of those starting in the red zone and two -- Nebraska’s return of a botched punt snap and Texas Tech’s punt return -- requiring no drive at all. On the flip side, the K-State defense has been solid when it has had some room to work with. Of the 74 drives opponents have started inside their own 30, Kansas State has yielded points on just 19.
Kansas State’s defense has also been the victim of turnovers. Through 10 games, K-State’s foes have scored 82 of their 300 points (27.3 percent) following Wildcat turnovers. On the flip side, K-State has tallied just 48 of its 303 points (15.8 percent) following turnovers.
Punt unit making amends
After struggling on both sides of the punt game all season, Kansas State’s special teams units had a break-through game last week at Missouri. Behind freshman Tim Reyer and junior Jesse Martinez, the Wildcats averaged a season-best 44.8 yards on eight punts at Missouri and netted 44.2 yards on each boot. K-State produced similar results at Colorado, averaging 43.5 yards per punt and netting 42.8. It is a significant improvement from where the Wildcats were just two weeks ago, when K-State ranked 105th in the nation in net punting (31.6).
Sproles overhauls K-State record book
Though running back Darren Sproles will be playing his final game as a Wildcat Saturday, his legacy will likely live on for many seasons to come. Sproles, who will be making his 39th career start vs. the Cyclones, has literally re-writen Kansas State’s record book during his career and will depart with no less that 23 school records, including virtually every rushing record. Here’s a look at the legacy of Olathe’s Darren Sproles...
Rushing Attempts
Game: 43 vs. Missouri (2003)
Season: 306 (2003)
Career: 794 (2001-present)
Rushing Yards
Game: 292 vs. Louisiana-Lafayette (2004)
Season: 1,986 (2003)
Career: 4,812 (2001-present)
By a sophomore: 1,465 (2002)
By a junior: 1,986 (2003)
By a senior: needs 113 to break record
Average per carry
Season: 6.5 (2003)
Career: 6.1 (2001-present)
Average per game
Season: 132.4 (2003)
Career: 109.4 (2001-present)
100-yard games
Season: 10 (2002)
Career: 23 (2001-present)
Consecutive games: 10 (2002)
Consecutive 1,000-yard seasons
Career: 3 (2002-present)
All-purpose yards
Game: 351 vs. Louisiana-Lafayette (2004)
Season: 2,735 (2003)
Career: 6,552 (2001-present)
All-purpose yards per game
Season: 187.3 (2003)
Scoring
Career touchdowns: 47
Career rushing touchdowns: 44
Points by a junior: 114 (2003)
Sproles gets back on a roll
After facing a bevy of stacked defensive fronts that held him below 100 yards rushing three times since the start of Big 12 play, running back Darren Sproles has returned to form in the last four games, averaging 108.2 yards per game against Nebraska, Texas Tech and Missouri and Colorado.
The senior lit up the Blackshirts for the third straight year with 135 yards on 22 carries and a pair of touchdowns for his 22nd career 100-yard rushing performance. Sproles then added 83 yards on the ground and two rushing scores against Texas Tech before topping the century mark for the third straight season against Missouri with 160 yards on 20 attempts and netting 55 yards on 15 carries at CU.
Sproles, who ranks 14th on this week’s NCAA rushing chart with a 115.1-yard rushing average, has twice topped 200 yards on the ground in a game this season, including a staggering 292-yard performance vs. Louisiana-Lafayette that re-set Kansas State’s single-game rushing record.
The 292 yards, which topped the previous school mark of 273 yards set by Sproles vs. Missouri on Nov. 22, 2003, are the seventh-most in Big 12 history and the most by a Big 12 player since Colorado's Chris Brown rushed for 309 yards against Kansas on Oct. 12, 2002. It also marked the fifth time in an eight-game stretch that the senior rushed for more than 200 yards, including a 221-yard performance in the season opener vs. Western Kentucky.
Little Tank also eyeing NCAA Top 10
For his career, which includes just three seasons as K-State’s feature back, Darren Sproles has totaled an impressive 4,812 yards on the ground to rank third all-time on the Big 12’s career rushing list. On the NCAA’s career chart, Sproles ranks 16th all-time and is just 154 yards away from vaulting past Indiana’s Anthony Thompson (4,965) into the top 10.
Big 12 All-Purpose record belongs to Sproles, NCAA top 5 in sight
Kansas State’s Darren Sproles, who ranks No. 2 in the country in all-purpose yardage (180.7 per game), became the Big 12’s career all-purpose yardage leader against Nebraska with 193 yards and continues to add to his record. He enters the Iowa State game with a staggering 6,552 career all-purpose yards to rank 9th in NCAA history. He needs just 150 more yards vault past Wisconsin’s Ron Dayne (6,701) and into the NCAA’s top 5.
Sproles tops 1,000 yards... again
Senior running back Darren Sproles became the first Wildcat to rush for over 1,000 yards in three straight season at Missouri and has now totaled 1,151 yards on the season. Sproles, who rushed for 1,465 yards as a sophomore in 2002 and a nation-leading 1,986 yards as a junior in 2003, already owns Kansas State’s top two single-season rushing marks. He needs just 113 total yards Saturday vs. Iowa State to pass Josh Scobey’s 2001 total of 1,263 and take possession of K-State’s top three single-season spots. If he passes Scobey, it would also be a K-State rushing record for an 11-game season. Sproles’ 2002 and 2003 totals were amassed in 13- and 15-game seasons, respectively.
Sproles pockets third 1,800-yard season
Darren Sproles became the first player in Kansas State history to top 1,500 all-purpose yards in three consecutive seasons with 249 yards against Texas Tech. Through 10 games, the senior has amassed 1,807 yards -- a K-State 11-game single-season record -- and now owns the top three single-season all-purpose marks in school history. Sproles set the current school record with a nation-best 2,735 yards during 2003. He also owns K-State’s No. 3 mark after gaining 1,800 yards during the 2002 campaign.
All-purpose, all the time
Darren Sproles, the nation’s all-purpose yardage leader, not only set the Big 12 Conference record for all-purpose yardage this season, he also re-set the Kansas single-game all-purpose record vs. Louisiana-Lafayette with 351 yards. In addition to his 292 rushing yards, he had a 25-yard punt return, a 35-yard kickoff return and six receiving yards, topping his previous best of 345 yards vs. Oklahoma in the 2003 Big 12 Championship game on Dec. 6, 2003. The senior has now produced over 100 all-purpose yards in 33 of the last 38 games with three plus 300-yard performances.
Hot in the home stretch
Since becoming Kansas State’s starting running back, Darren Sproles has been nearly unstoppable over the final five games of the season. During 2002, Sproles topped 100 yards in all five games, averaging 121.6 yards per game on 104 carries with nine touchdowns. He was even better during 2004, going over 200 yards twice and totaling 867 yards on the ground on 125 attempts for an average of 173.4 yards per game with seven TDs. Sproles has kept that streak of averaging over 100 yards per game alive this season, opening K-State’s five-game stretch run by averaging 108 yards against Nebraska, Texas Tech, Missouri and Colorado.
Little man, big impact
Darren Sproles may stand only 5-foot-7, but his impact on Kansas State’s fortunes on the field are difficult to overstate. In his 23 100-yard rushing games, the Wildcats have posted a stunning overall record of 20-3. However, in the 14 games he has started but failed to hit the 100-yard rushing mark the Wildcats are just 6-9.
Webb casts safety net at QB
After struggling in his first two starts as Kansas State’s starting quarterback against Fresno State and Kansas, sophomore Allen Webb has made huge strides in the last four games. Starting in place of Dylan Meier against Nebraska, Webb led K-State to one of its best offensive performances of the year as the Wildcats rolled up 418 yards of total offense and broke into the win column in Big 12 play with a 45-21 win over the Cornhuskers. Facing a rushing defense that ranked No. 2 nationally and had allowed just 66.8 yards per game this season, Webb gashed the Huskers for a career-best 147 yards on a K-State quarterback record 34 carries. He also accounted for 24 of K-State's 45 points, scoring on touchdown runs of 13, 9, 8 and 1 yards. Through the air, Webb hit career highs across the board with 14 completions on 23 attempts with no interceptions for 124 yards. Webb's double 100-yard effort marked just the 10th time in K-State's 1,002-game history that a quarterback has both rushed and passed for over 100 yards in the same game. Against Missouri, Webb came off the bench to engineer one of the biggest comebacks in school history, helping the Wildcats overcome a 21-7 second-half deficit. Against the Big 12’s No. 1 defense, Webb connected on 6-of-8 passes for 111 yards and a pair of scores. He also rushed for 57 yards on 12 attempts to finish the game with 168 yards of total offense in just over two quarters of work. Last week at Colorado, Webb notched his second 100-yard rushing game with 102 yards, including an 11-yard touchdown. He also completed 14-of-22 passes for 140 yards and accounted for 242 of K-State’s 372 yards of total offense.
Meier not a bad option, either
Sophomore Dylan Meier has emerged as one of a number of bright spots for the Wildcats since the start of Big 12 action. Despite playing in just 17 of a possible 28 quarters, Meier has passed for just under 1,100 yards in Big 12 play for an average of 182.3 yards per game. He opened Big 12 competition with 246 yards passing and three touchdowns at Texas A&M before passing for a career-high 249 yards and two scores in just one half of action at Kansas. Against No. 2 Oklahoma, the Pittsburg, Kan., product was nearly as good, completing 20-of-38 attempts for 242 yards and a touchdown. Versus Texas Tech, Meier hit a new career-high in total offense with 332 yards, including 248 yards on 26-of-41 passing. Last week at Colorado, Meier came off the bench late in the fourth quarter to complete 7-of-11 passes for 61 yards and lead K-State to a game-tying touchdown drive.
Pick your poison
Unlike last season, when Kansas State relied heavily on the talents of James Terry in the passing game, the Wildcats have employed a group effort in 2004. And with defenses stacked to stop K-State's high-powered running game, K-State's young receiving corps has to emerge as one of the Big 12’s best units. In 10 games, no less than seven Wildcats have rung up double-figures in receptions for the year. Sophomore Jermaine Moreira is leading the way with 38 receptions and ranks fourth in the Big 12 in catches during conference games. Classmate Yamon Figurs, who has 31 receptions on the season, with 26 in the last seven games, ranks 11 on this week’s Big 12 receiving yards chart for league games. Figurs is also second on the team in yards per catch (15.6), which ranks third in the conference since the start of Big 12 action.
On the straight and narrow
Though many programs have struggled in the kicking game in 2004, Kansas State has not been one of them thanks to the steady performance of senior place-kicker Joe Rheem. Rheem, a Lou Groza Award semifinalist, has connected on 12-of-14 field goal attempts (both misses were blocked), including a 49-yarder at Kansas and a career-long 52-yarder at Colorado. He has also been true on each of his 35 PATs. As a result, Rheem has jumped into Kansas State’s top three in both career scoring and field goals made. With eight points at KU, the senior moved passed his brother, Jamie, and into second place on K-State’s total points chart. He added seven points at Colorado now has 286 for his career. He also third all-time at Kansas State in field goals made with 37 and can move into the No. 2 spot with three more makes. Rheem, who ranks second in the Big 12 in kick scoring, is 34th on this week’s NCAA field goal chart (1.20 per game). He also owns one of the longest consecutive PAT strings in the nation with 72 in a row and has gone over a year since his last missed PAT (10/18/03 vs. CU).
