Kansas State University Athletics
Cats Face Aggies in Big 12/SEC Showdown
Dec 21, 2016 | Football
GAME PREVIEW
DEC 28, 8:00 PM CT
NRG Stadium
Houston, TX
RV/NR
K-STATE
WILDCATS
8-4 (6-3 Big 12)
RV/RV
TEXAS A&M
AGGIES
8-4 (3-3 SEC)
- ? GAMECENTER
- ? STADIUM INFO
- ? LIVE AUDIO
- ? AFFILIATES
- ? WEATHER
- ? GAMEDAY APP
- ? @KSTATEFB
• Following its fourth eight-win regular season in the last six years that was highlighted by a 5-1 mark in the second half of the 2016 campaign, Kansas State received its 20th bowl berth all-time and 18th under head coach Bill Snyder as the Wildcats will face former Big 12 rival Texas A&M in the 2016 AdvoCare V100 Texas Bowl at NRG Stadium in Houston, Texas.
• Of K-State’s 20 total bowl appearances all-time, 18 of those have come in the last 23 seasons.
• The Wildcats are looking to better their 7-12 record in bowl games, including a 7-10 mark under Snyder.
• All told, K-State has traveled to bowl games in seven different states with Texas (3-Cotton, 2-Alamo, 2-Texas) and Arizona (3-Fiesta, 3-Copper/Insight/Buffalo Wild Wings) being the most frequent destinations.
A LOOK AT K-STATE
• K-State heads into bowl season as one of the hottest teams in college football, winning five of its last six games, including the final three.
• A young Wildcat offense in 2016 was tested right out of the gate with a road game at Stanford but the unit continued to get better each week, and by the end of the regular season the offensive production – and the run game in particular – was firing on all cylinders.
• Quarterback Jesse Ertz heads into the bowl season as the fifth-leading rusher among FBS quarterbacks, while three different running backs (Charles Jones, Alex Barnes and Justin Silmon) hit the 100-yard mark in a game this season.
• A young offensive line, anchored by sophomore and All-Big 12 pick Dalton Risner, paved the way for a second-half of the season that saw K-State rush for 200 or more yards in each of the final six games, including three games with 300 or more yards while also averaging a school-record 5.6 yards per rush on the season.
• On defense, turnovers and stopping the run were the emphasis, and the Cats excelled at both as they enter the bowl game ranked 12th nationally in rush defense (112.6 ypg) and sixth nationally in turnover margin at plus-11. Individually, Big 12 Defensive Player of the Year Jordan Willis has led the charge up front, leading the conference in sacks, while All-Big 12 linebacker Elijah Lee has led the team in tackles and could hit the century mark against the Aggies.
• The Wildcats have steadily been one of the top special teams units in all of college football under Snyder, and 2016 has been no different. Dominique Heath and Byron Pringle each have recorded touchdowns on returns this year as K-State continues to lead the nation in non-offensive touchdowns since 1999 (106) and combined kick/punt return scores since 2005 (42).
A LOOK AT TEXAS A&M
• Texas A&M heads into the game with an identical 8-4 record and got off to a hot 6-0 start in 2016 with wins over ranked opponents UCLA, Auburn, Arkansas and Tennessee.
• A familiar face in Trevor Knight, the former Oklahoma quarterback, will be under center for the Aggies as the senior has thrown for 2,122 yards and 16 scores this season while rushing for 594 more yards and 10 scores.
• Dynamic playmakers are littered throughout the offense for Texas A&M, including running back Trayveon Williams and receiver/returner Christian Kirk. Williams has run for 1,024 yards and eight touchdowns, while Kirk has 77 catches for 842 yards and also averages 24.5 yards per punt return on the season.
• On defense, the Aggies are led by All-American defensive end Myles Garrett, who has 8.5 sacks and 15.0 tackles for loss, while Shaan Washington has collected a team-best 93 tackles this season.
K-STATE IN TEXAS
• This year’s Texas Bowl marks the seventh time K-State will play a bowl game in the state of Texas as the Cats are 1-5 all-time in their previous six bowl games in the state.
• The Wildcats’ lone bowl win in the Lone Star State was a 35-21 triumph over Tennessee in the 2001 Cotton Bowl.
CATS AND AGGIES
• The matchup in this year’s Texas Bowl is unique as the Wildcats will face a former conference foe in Texas A&M, which resided in the Big 12 from 1996 to 2011.
• K-State holds a 7-8 record all-time against the Aggies, while the teams split the 10 meetings during Texas A&M’s time in the Big 12.
• The last meeting between the teams as Big 12 members was a classic as 14th-ranked K-State earned a 53-50 victory in four overtimes on November 12, 2011, in Manhattan.
• The Wildcats connected on a 44-yard field goal with two minutes left in regulation to send the game into overtime.
• K-State won on a one-yard touchdown run in the fourth overtime by quarterback Collin Klein, who tied the school record with five rushing touchdowns in the contest.
K-STATE AND THE SEC
• K-State will be playing its 137th game all-time against current members of the SEC, but 107 of those meetings were against either Texas A&M or Missouri as Big Eight/12 foes.
• The AdvoCare V100 Texas Bowl marks the fourth time K-State will face an SEC team in a bowl game – including the second-straight year – as the Wildcats defeated Tennessee in the 2001 Cotton Bowl, 35-21, and fell to Arkansas in the 2012 Cotton Bowl and 2016 Liberty Bowl.
• Additionally, K-State has a pair of SEC teams lined up for non-conference home-and-home series with Vanderbilt (2017, 2020) and Mississippi State (2018-19).
RIDING THE PURPLE WAVE
• The Wildcat faithful continues to be one of the nation’s top traveling groups of supporters when it comes to bowl season.
• In addition to a crowd of 40,000 at the 2013 Fiesta Bowl, an estimated 37,000 Wildcat fans swarmed to Tempe, Arizona, to watch Kansas State take on Ohio State in the 2004 Fiesta Bowl.
• The Wildcats had an estimated 40,000 fans travel to Dallas for the 1997 Cotton Bowl, a figure nearly matched for the 2001 Cotton Bowl.
• The largest crowd ever to cross state lines to watch a college football game went with the Wildcats to Tempe for the 1997 Fiesta Bowl as nearly 45,000 fans joined K-State for its victory over Syracuse.
• As a result, K-State has averaged an announced attendance of more than 25,000 fans at seven of its bowl games played in the Continental U.S. since 1993.
BOWLING AGAIN
• In an era of college football where more than 80 teams play in bowl games each year, K-State is one of just 21 FBS schools nationally to ride of streak of at least seven-consecutive bowl berths.
• Of the 21 teams, four are from the Big 12 as Oklahoma (18), Oklahoma State (11) and Baylor (7) join the Wildcats on the list.
FROM 3 TO 8
• K-State was sitting at 3-3 following its sixth game of the year, a 38-17 loss at No. 19 Oklahoma. However, the Wildcats were able to right the ship over the second half – going 5-1 in their final six games – to earn an 8-4 record in the regular season.
• The Wildcats are one of only three Power 5 teams this year to reach at least eight regular-season wins despite starting the year 3-3, joining Georgia Tech and USC.
BIG 12 FINISH
• After starting the year predicted to finish eighth in the Big 12, all K-State did was win six conference games – including three road contests – to finish in sole possession of fourth place in the conference.
• The Wildcats have finished fourth or better in the Big 12 in four of the six years since the round robin schedule was created in 2011.
NARROW MISSES
• Despite the four-spot jump from the Big 12 preseason poll to the final standings, K-State was a few plays away from earning an 8-1 conference record as two of their three league defeats were by a combined seven points.
• The Wildcats opened the conference slate at West Virginia and took a 16-3 lead into the fourth quarter until the Mountaineers scored a pair of fourth-quarter touchdowns for a 17-16 win.
• In K-State’s lone blemish during the second half of the season, the Cats led 18th-ranked Oklahoma State, 37-28, early in the fourth quarter before the Cowboys scored two touchdowns, including one with 1:46 left, to take a 43-37 lead. K-State marched down the field to try to tie the game but threw an interception in the end zone on the final play.
SUSTAINABLE SUCCESS
• Kansas State is in rare company in college football as the Wildcats rank in the top 20 in wins among FBS programs over the last 21-plus seasons.
• Since 1995, K-State has picked up 182 victories, which is tied for 19th in the nation.
• Among current Big 12 teams, only Oklahoma (t4th; 206), Texas (13th; 196) and TCU (15th; 185) rank higher.
SNYDER: HALL OF FAMER
• The architect of the “greatest turnaround in the history of college football,” Bill Snyder was inducted into the National Football Foundation’s College Football Hall of Fame last December.
• Snyder is just the fourth person in the history of college football to be inducted as an active coach.
• Snyder has compiled an amazing 201-105-1 (.656) record in the midst of his 25th season at the helm of the Cats.
• Holding 162 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]).
THE 200 CLUB
• With K-State’s 34-19 win over Kansas, head coach Bill Snyder became the 26th FBS coach all-time with 200 career victories, including the second to hit the mark this season (Nick Saban).
• However, Snyder is only the sixth coach to reach the 200-win mark and coach at only one school in his career.
THE CENTURY MARK
• Earlier this year, K-State became the third Big 12 program to reach 100 league wins since the conference began in 1996.
• The Wildcats, who have 105 wins, are joined by Oklahoma (129) and Texas (118) in the century club.
TURNOVER TURNAROUND
• A year after finishing minus-3 in the turnover battle, K-State enters the bowl season tied for sixth nationally and ranks first in the Big 12 with a plus-11 turnover margin.
• The Wildcats have given up only 12 turnovers to tie for eighth nationally and lead the conference.
• More significantly, K-State has allowed just 17 points of its turnovers, 27 less than the next best Big 12 team.
YOUTH IS SERVED
• The 2016 team has been the youngest during Bill Snyder’s 25 years in Manhattan as Kansas State has a combined 125 starts from freshmen or sophomores. The previous high was 101 in 1989, Snyder’s first season at the helm.
• A majority of the starts this year are by sophomores (87), while 38 starts have come from redshirt freshmen.
• K-State started 11 underclassmen – including four redshirt freshmen – in the opener at Stanford. It was the most for either category since at least 1997 as K-State had no more than two freshmen starters in a season opener in any of the previous 18 years.
DRAWING FIRST BLOOD
• Since 1990, K-State is 160-31 (.838) when scoring first.
• K-State finished the regular season with a 5-2 mark when scoring first and is 8-4 in that department over the last two seasons.
• In 2014, the Wildcats held a perfect 7-0 record when scoring the game’s first points.
QUICK OUT OF THE GATE
• Kansas State has started games on the right side of the scoreboard this season, outscoring opponents 88-47 in the opening 15 minutes.
• That mark improves to 225-123 through the first half and 310-163 after three quarters, but opponents have gotten the best of K-State in the final quarter to the tune of 99-76.
LEADING AT THE HALF
• Kansas State had a 49-game game winning streak when leading a halftime snapped in 2015 at Oklahoma State, a streak that was the nation’s longest at the time.
• This year, K-State is 7-1 when taking a lead into the locker room with its only blemish being a loss at West Virginia.
THESE CATS ARE SMART
• For a third-consecutive season, Kansas State led the conference in Academic All-Big 12 players with a school-record tying 29 honorees, including a conference-high 18 on the first team.
• K-State also paced the Big 12 with two players that accomplished 4.0 GPAs in Matt Seiwert (agribusiness) and Zach Reuter (biochemistry).
• Seiwert, who earned first-team honors last year, was one of six Wildcats repeating as first-team honorees, joining linebacker Will Davis, place kicker Ian Patterson, linebacker Trent Tanking, tight end Dayton Valentine and defensive end Tanner Wood.
• K-State will have 21 players on its Texas Bowl roster who will already have their undergraduate degree in hand, which ranks third in the nation among bowl teams.
OFFENSIVE NOTES
GROUND ATTACK
• K-State leaned heavily on its running game during the regular season to move the football, especially in the last five contests.
• The Cats, who currently rank first in school history in yards per carry (5.26) and third in rushing yards per game (232.9), hit the 200-yard barrier in the final six regular-season contests, including three 300-yard efforts in the final four contests.
• The six-game stretch with at least 200 rushing yards is the most since the 2003 squad did so in six-straight games, culminating with 292 rushing yards in a 35-7 victory over No. 1 Oklahoma in the Big 12 Championship.
• K-State’s three 300-yard games this season are also the most since 2003, while it is the first time the Wildcats hit 300 yards in a four-game stretch since 2001 (vs. Kansas, Iowa State and Louisiana Tech).
• K-State also currently sits fourth in school history in season rushing yards and seventh with 36 rushing touchdowns.
GROWTH EVIDENT ON THE LINE
• Despite boasting only 17 combined starts entering the season, K-State’s offensive line has grown throughout the season to rank as one of the best in the Big 12, evidenced by the 290-yard rushing average over the last six games.
• The unit, which featured the fewest combined starts entering a season since 1990, has been consistent over the last six games with four first-time starters – left tackle Scott Frantz, left guards Abdul Beecham and Tyler Mitchell, and center Reid Najvar – learning alongside veteran right guard Terrale Johnson (16 career starts) and right tackle Dalton Risner (25 career/consecutive starts).
• Of the group, Risner (coaches) and Johnson (Associated Press) picked up First Team All-Big 12 accolades, while Najvar was an honorable mention pick by the league’s coaches.
RED ZONE ALERT
• K-State has been one of the best red zone teams over the past few years as they were one of only four teams – joined by Nevada, Oklahoma State and UCLA – to rank in the top-15 nationally in red zone offense in both 2014 and 2015 but the only one of that group to remain in the top 15 this season.
• The Cats rank 12th nationally and second in the Big 12 by converting on 91.5-percent (54-of-59) of red zone trips.
• Since the beginning of 2014, K-State has converted on 162-of-176 red zone attempts (.920) with 119 touchdowns. Included in that stretch was a nation-leading scoring streak of 56-straight trips that was snapped earlier this year.
• In their 51 wins over the last six seasons, the Cats are 239-for-262 (.912) in red zone chances with 178 touchdowns, while four of their non-scoring trips have come via kneel downs to close out victories.
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 58 scoring drives this season, 35 have been seven plays or longer including 18 of 10-plus plays.
• Eighteen scoring drives have lasted at least five minutes with a 17-play, 8:32 drive at Oklahoma being the longest.
PROTECTING THE FOOTBALL
• Kansas State finished the regular season ranked eighth in the country in turnovers lost (12), while the Wildcats only threw five interceptions to tie for fifth nationally.
• A year after tossing 13 picks, K-State’s minus-8 interception differential from last year to this year ranks third nationally among Power 5 teams behind Maryland (minus-21) and Nebraska (minus-12).
ERTZ ON THE RUN
• Quarterback Jesse Ertz was injured and out for the year following a five-yard rush on the first offensive play of 2015, but he has not let that deter him in 2016.
• Ertz leads the team, ranks eighth in the Big 12 and sixth nationally among quarterbacks by averaging 78.8 rushing yards per game.
• Additionally, Ertz’s 5.94-yard per rush average ranks fifth in the nation among signal callers and fourth in K-State history among players with at least 100 attempts.
• Ertz’s total was given a boost at Iowa State (106 yards) and against Oklahoma State (153 yards) when he became the first Wildcat with consecutive 100-yard games since John Hubert in 2013.
• He carded his third 100-yard game of the season – a mark that ties for third in school history among quarterbacks – at TCU when he rushed for a career-high 170 yards. His yardage total was the fifth-most in school history among QBs, and he teamed with Justin Silmon (133 yards) to give K-State its first double 100-yard rushing game since 2012.
• The 303 combined yards by Ertz and Silmon was tied for the third most in a double 100-yard game in school history.
FRESHMAN ADDS NAME TO MIX
• Coming into season with three running backs that have seen game action, redshirt freshman Alex Barnes has added yet another dimension to the running game.
• Barnes has 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 leads the Big 12 among players with at least 50 attempts, while he is the only player in the league with at least 50 attempts to not have a negative rush. The other 21 non-quarterbacks to rush at least 50 times have averaged 17.9 lost yardage.
BARNES HAS BREAKOUT GAMES
• Totaling 210 yards in the first nine contests, Alex Barnes ran for 129 yards and four touchdowns at Baylor before adding another 103 yards and a leaping 31-yard score against Kansas.
• His four rushing scores against the Bears are the most by a freshman in school history, tied for third overall in K-State history and tied for most nationally by a freshman in a game this year.
• His 129 yards also ranked third in K-State history for single-game yards by a freshman.
• With his efforts against the Bears and Jayhawks, he became the first freshman in school history with two straight 100-yard games.
HEATH MAKING HEADWAY
• Dominique Heath has become K-State’s go-to receiver, leading the team with 41 catches, including a team-leading 11 that have gone for third-down conversions.
• He has hauled in at least seven receptions on three occasions, including career-high nine at Iowa State. He also set a new career high with 101 yards at Oklahoma, which featured a 54-yard touchdown.
• Heath’s nine catches at ISU were the most by a Wildcat since the Alamo Bowl following the 2014 season (Tyler Lockett [13] and Curry Sexton [10]). He is also tied for fifth in school history in catches among sophomores.
• His 41 receptions this year are tied for fifth in school history among sophomores.
PRINGLE'S SOLID FINISH
• Another sophomore receiver, Byron Pringle, came on strong toward over the last three contests of the regular season by averaging 5.3 catches and 83.0 yards per game.
• Over the first nine games of his career, Pringle averaged just 2.2 catches and 30.6 yards per game.
• Pringle, a product of Tampa, Florida, ended the regular season with a six-catch, 126-yard effort at TCU, the most yards by a Wildcat this year. He also teamed with Jesse Ertz (170 yards) and Justin Silmon (133 yards) to give K-State its first game with two 100-yard rushers and a 100-yard receiver since the 2003 season opener against California.
DEFENSIVE NOTES
NOT YOUR AVERAGE JOES
• Although it plays in a high-powered offensive league, K-State has been outstanding in terms of keeping opposing teams off the scoreboard as the Wildcats rank second in the Big 12 in scoring defense.
• The Wildcats held all 12 of their regular-season opponents to a total average difference of 16.7 points per game below their season averages at the time.
• K-State held eight of its opponents to at least 17 points below its average at the time. Some of the most impressive performances have been against: Texas Tech, which was averaging 59.5 points prior to scoring only 38; West Virginia, which scored 17 points despite its 33.0-point average going in; Baylor, which scored 17 points fewer than its average; and TCU, which scored six points despite its 34.0-point mark.
• The only two opponents to score more against the Wildcats than its scoring average were Iowa State and Oklahoma State, which were only 2.3 and 2.4 points better, respectively.
TOUGH AGAINST THE RUN
• Kansas State has been stout on rushing defense this year, ranking 12th nationally and leading the Big 12 by allowing only 112.6 yards per game.
• The Wildcats are looking to finish in the top 15 in run defense for the first time since ending the 2002 season ranked second in the nation by allowing 69.5 yards per game.
• K-State has limited opponents to less than 125 yards on eight occasions, including five times in Big 12 play.
• The 112.6-yard average entering the Texas Bowl currently ranks seventh in school history.
PICKING THEM APART
• A year after recording only five interceptions, Kansas State has picked off 15 passes to tie for 14 nationally and lead the Big 12.
• K-State’s plus-10 uptick in interceptions from 2015 to 2016 is the highest turnaround among Power 5 teams.
• The Wildcats, who have notched at least one interception in 27 of the last 37 games, have made the turnaround despite starting three sophomores in the secondary for a majority of the season.
• Additionally, 10 of K-State’s 15 picks this year have come from defensive backs after only one in 2015.
• Among the 15 picks this year, three have been 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 this year are tops in the Big 12 and tied for ninth nationally.
LEE LEADS THE CHARGE
• Junior linebacker Elijah Lee, a two-time All-Big 12 pick, leads the team and ranks fifth in the Big 12 with 98 tackles despite being a converted high school defensive end.
• Lee got to that point by being a model of consistency as he has at least seven tackles in 13 of the last 19 games – including all but one Big 12 contest this year – while he has reached double figures on four occasions.
• Of his 98 tackles, 67 have been solo stops to tie for 21st nationally and sit five away from entering the school’s single season top-10 list.
• A product of Blue Springs, Missouri, Lee posted a career-high 14 tackles at West Virginia to earn Big 12 Defensive Player of the Week honors.
• Lee also has two interceptions this year to give him five in his career, the most by a Wildcat linebacker under Bill Snyder.
WILLIS GETS AFTER THE PASSER
• A force from his defensive end positions, Jordan Willis was honored for his stellar play as the senior was named the Big 12 Defensive Player of the Year by both the league’s coaches and Associated Press.
• Named an All-American by multiple outlets, Willis’ accolades have mostly come from accumulating a school-record tying 11.5 sacks this year to rank ninth in the nation and tops in the Big 12.
• Willis, who has sacks in 11 of the last 16 games, now has 26.0 sacks in his career to rank third in school history and seventh in Big 12 history.
• On the Midseason Watch List for the Hendricks Award, the Kansas City, Missouri, product has also forced seven fumbles in his career – primarily by knocking the ball out of the quarterback’s hand – to tie for fifth in school history and 10th nationally among active players.
WILLIS LIVES BEHIND THE LINE
• Although his pass-rushing abilities have given him his notoriety, Jordan Willis has also excelled against the run.
• Willis ranks second in the Big 12 and is tied for 20th nationally with his 16.5 tackles for loss.
• He is 1.5 TFLs shy of entering K-State’s single season top-10 list, while he has 39.5 TFLs in his career to rank ninth.
• He is the first Wildcat to enter the school’s career TFL list since former linebacker and 10-year NFL veteran Ben Leber did so in 2001.
WALKER A GOOD UNDERSTUDY
• Learning from the best in the Big 12, redshirt freshman Reggie Walker has made an impact during his first season on the field as the Big 12 Defensive Freshman of the Year and Freshman All-American has 6.5 sacks and 11.0 TFLs entering the Texas Bowl.
• Walker’s sack total is tied for second in school history among freshmen, 1.5 sacks shy of Dwayne Castille’s 8.0 in 1984. He is also tied for second in school history in TFLs among freshmen, just one behind the 12.0 that Theopilis Bryant totaled in 1973.
REED PASSING FIRST-YEAR TEST
• Sophomore defensive back D.J. Reed has been 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 enters the bowl season tops in the Big 12 and tied for fifth nationally with 18 passes defended.
• Totaling three interceptions and 15 breakups, Reed is 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 had 19 in 2002.
• Reed has one of K-State’s three interception-return touchdowns this year. He took an interception 35 yards for a score against Texas Tech en route to Big 12 Newcomer of the Week honors.
BARNETT SERVES AS VETERAN PRESENCE
• A year after seeing his season end with an injury in the first half of the 2015 season opener, safety Dante Barnett has been his usual self during his second senior season.
• Barnett, who received a medical hardship for the 2015 season, leads all K-State defenders with 242 career tackles, sitting eight stops shy of becoming the 27th player in school history with 250 career tackles.
• The Tulsa, Oklahoma, who ranks sixth among active Big 12 players in career tackles, also has 180 career unassisted tackles to rank seventh in school history.
SPECIAL TEAMS NOTES
CATS TOP IN NON-OFFENSIVE TDs
• K-State is the nation’s best in non-offensive touchdowns over the last 15-plus seasons as it has 106 since 1999.
• Since 1990, the Wildcats are 58-17 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.
• The Wildcats’ fifth non-offensive score this year was a 39-yard pick-six by Donnie Starks against Kansas, while the Cats also have interception returns by D.J. Reed (Texas Tech) and Duke Shelley (Oklahoma State). Dominique Heath gave K-State its first non-offensive score of 2016 on a 75-yard a punt return against Florida Atlantic, while Byron Pringle returned a kickoff 99 yards against Texas Tech.
• Reed’s pick-six and Pringle’s KOR score marked the first time the Wildcats had two non-offensive scores in a Big 12 game since doing so against Oklahoma State in 2012.
NON-OFFENSIVE TDs PART II
• Under head coach Bill Snyder, K-State is 70-21 (.769) when scoring a non-offensive touchdown, while the Cats are 51-14 (.785) since 1999 in that department.
• Since Snyder returned to the sidelines in 2009 K-State is 26-7 (.788) in this same category.
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.
• The Wildcats have a combined 42 kickoff- and punt-return touchdowns since 2005, 14 more than any other FBS school over the last 11-plus seasons.
• K-State has been fairly consistent between kickoff and punt returns with 22 and 20 touchdowns, respectively, during the current stretch.
DEFENSE IN THE THIRD PHASE
• On the flip side, K-State has been just as consistent in terms of kickoff and punt coverage.
• The Cats have not allowed a kickoff-return touchdown in the last 49 games as the last time an opponent took a kickoff back for a score was Louisiana on Sept. 7, 2013.
• Similarly, the Wildcats haven’t allowed a punt-return score since the second game of 2014 – Sept. 6 at Iowa State – which is a span of 36 games.
• Kansas State enters the bowl season ranked 15th nationally by allowing just 3.95 yards per punt return, while the Cats are 25th nationally by allowing an 18.5-yard average on kickoff returns.
KICK RETURN STREAK
• Kansas State has returned a kickoff for a touchdown in each of the last 12 seasons, which is the longest streak in the nation.
• Byron Pringle extended the streak this year when he returned a kickoff 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.
RETURNERS RANK HIGH
• K-State returners have routinely enjoyed success under head coach Bill Snyder, and it appears that 2016 will be no different as both Byron Pringle and Dominique Heath rank highly in the nation in the return categories.
• Pringle, a First Team All-Big 12 kick returner, is ranked eighth in the nation with a 28.7-yard kickoff-return average – a mark that currently ranks ninth in school history – while his 659 yards this season rank fifth in school history. Heath, an Honorable Mention All-Big 12 returner, enters the bowl season tied for seventh nationally in punt-return scores.
KICKERS IN THE RECORD BOOK
• Juniors Matthew McCrane and Nick Walsh have performed to historic marks as both are etching their names into the K-State record book.
• McCrane, a two-time All-Big 12 place kicker, made his first two field goals at Stanford to extend a streak to a career record 16-straight makes.
• Additionally, he is ranks seventh in school history in both career field goals made (36) and career extra-points made (85), while he has 193 career points scored to sit three shy of entering the school’s top-10 list.
• A 2015 All-Big 12 punter and two-time member of the Ray Guy Award watch list, Walsh has booted to a career 42.8-yard average to rank sixth in K-State history, while he is seventh in career yards (6,350) and eighth in attempts (156).
• Walsh’s career averaged has been aided by two big games this year when he recorded a 48.7-yard average in the season opener at Stanford prior to a career best 50.3-yard mark against Texas Tech.
