Kansas State University Athletics
Saturday, November 4
Lubbock, Texas
11 a.m.
Kansas State University
at
Texas Tech
K-State Travels to Lubbock for Morning Big 12 Battle
Oct 30, 2017 | Football
Kansas State looks for its second Big 12 road win in as many weeks on Saturday as the Wildcats head to Lubbock, Texas, to battle the Texas Tech Red Raiders. Saturday's game at Jones AT&T Stadium, which kicks at 11 a.m., will be shown nationally on FS1 with Kevin Fitzgerald (play-by-play) and Evan Moore (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 SiriusXM channels 132 and 199 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
• Guided by Hall of Famer Bill Snyder, who is in his 26th year at the helm, the Wildcats are looking to inch one step closer to bowl eligibility Saturday in Lubbock.
• The K-State offense has rushed for 470 yards and six touchdowns on the ground over the last two weeks against No. 9 Oklahoma and Kansas.
• The Wildcats, who have reached 200 rushing yards five times this season, enter the week second in the Big 12 in rushing at 199.5 yards per game, second in yards per carry (5.1) and third in rushing touchdowns (18).
• Running back Alex Barnes has topped 100 yards in each of the last two games, going for 108 yards and a touchdown against the Sooners, while he rushed for 128 yards and two scores against the Jayhawks.
• It marks the second time in his career Barnes has recorded consecutive 100-yard rushing games.
• Six different Cats have scored on the ground this year, while four different receivers have carded a touchdown catch, led by Dalton Schoen and Isaiah Zuber's three.
• The K-State defense is led by a pair of linebackers in Trent Tanking (65 tackles) and Jayd Kirby (60 tackles), both of whom rank in the top 10 in the Big 12 in tackles.
• Kirby had five tackles, 4.0 TFLs, a sack, three forced fumbles, a fumble recovery and a pass breakup at Kansas.
• Kendall Adams and D.J. Reed have been ballhawks with a combined five interceptions, including three by Reed.
• Cornerback Duke Shelley is second in the Big 12 with eight passes defended, while Reed has 28 career passes defending in just his second season.
• Reed is the reigning Big 12 Special Teams Player of the Week after combining for 189 return yards against KU.
• His day was featured by a 99-yard kickoff-return touchdown, extending K-State's kick-return score streak to a nation-best 13 straight years.
A LOOK AT THE SERIES
• Texas Tech leads the all-time series 8-9.
• The Wildcats have won five of the last six meetings, which includes a 41-34 win in Lubbock in 2011 and a 49-26 road triumph in 2013, the first time in the series the Wildcats won consecutive games in Lubbock.
• K-State is 3-7 all-time in games played in Lubbock.
• Bill Snyder is 8-5 all-time against Texas Tech, while he is 1-3 against Red Raider teams coached by Kliff Kingsbury.
TEXAS CATS
• The Wildcats boast 23 players from the state of Texas on their current roster, nearly 20-percent of the roster.
• Of the 56 players on K-State's two-deep, nine are from the Lone Star State, including starters Abdul Beecham (OL; Judson), Jayd Kirby (LB; Blooming Grove) and Matthew McCrane (PK; Brownwood).
CONFERENCE CALL
• K-State is one of only three teams in the Big 12 to notch at least 100 league wins.
• Oklahoma tops the list with 133 Big 12 wins over the last 22 years, while the Wildcats are third with 107.
• Additionally, K-State ranks third in the conference in winning percentage since the start of 2011 at .644 (38-21), trailing only Oklahoma (.797; 47-12) and Oklahoma State (.712; 42-17).
• During that stretch, the Wildcats are 21-9 (.700) at home in Big 12 play and 17-12 (.586) on the road.
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 a 206-108-1 (.656) record in 26 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 167 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 120 conference wins to stand as one of four coaches with 100 Big 8/12 victories (Tom Osborne [153], Bob Stoops [121], 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 the year prior.
• K-State enters this week tied for 14th nationally in turnover margin at plus-7.
• The Wildcats have gained 15 turnovers – eight fumbles and seven interceptions – while only committing eight – four interceptions and four fumbles.
• K-State's four interceptions thrown are tied for 18th in the nation.
DRAWING FIRST BLOOD
• Since 1990, K-State is 163-33 (.832) when scoring first.
• K-State finished the 2016 season with a 5-2 mark when scoring first and is 18-4 in that department over the last four seasons.
• Under Bill Snyder, K-State is 150-26 (.852) when scoring first, including a 3-2 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.
• Through eight games in 2017, K-State has outscored opponents 154-83 in the first half, including an 92-33 margin in the second quarter alone.
LEADING AT THE HALF
• K-State earned an 8-1 record in 2016 when taking a lead into halftime with its only blemish being a loss at West Virginia.
• Under Bill Snyder, the Wildcats are 176-11 (.947) when leading at halftime, including a 57-4 (.941) mark in Snyder's second tenure, which began in 2009.
• The Wildcats are 4-1 this season when leading at halftime and had a nine-game winning streak when leading at the half snapped against Oklahoma.
CATS TOPS IN NON-OFFENSIVE TDs
• K-State is the nation's best in non-offensive touchdowns over the last 19 seasons as it has 110 since 1999, including D.J. Reed's punt return and kick return scores and two by Kendall Adams against Charlotte via a 30-yard interception return and a 46-yard fumble return.
• K-State's two defensive touchdowns are tied for 24th in the nation.
• Since 1990, the Wildcats are 61-17 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.
NON-OFFENSIVE TD RECORDS
• Under head coach Bill Snyder, K-State is 73-21 (.777) when scoring a non-offensive touchdown, while the Cats are 54-14 (.794) since 1999 in that department.
• Since Snyder returned to the sideline in 2009, K-State is 29-7 (.806) in this same category.
OFFENSIVE NOTES
GROUND ATTACK
• K-State leaned heavily on its running game throughout 2016, 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).
• Dating back to last season, K-State has hit the 200-yard mark on the ground in 13 of its last 17 games, including each of the final seven contests of 2016.
• K-State also had four 300-yard games in 2016, the most by the Wildcats since 2003.
• This year, K-State has recorded five games with at least 200 rushing yards, the latest being a 268-yard output against No. 9 Oklahoma and 202 in a win over Kansas.
• The Wildcats also combined for six rushing touchdowns over the last two contests.
• K-State enters the weekend ranked second in the conference in rushing offense at 199.5 yards per game, while they are second in yards per carry (5.1) and third in rushing touchdowns (18).
AERIAL ASSAULT
• While the Cats are known to have a powerful rushing attack, the 2017 squad has 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.
• K-State enters this week ranked seventh nationally in yards per completion (15.72).
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).
• The Wildcats have lost eight turnovers this year, one of which came on a punt return, which is tied for 21st nationally and ranks second in the Big 12.
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, including 19 of 10 or more plays, while 19 scoring drives a year ago lasted at least five minutes.
• The Wildcats have been more of a quick-strike offense this year as 12 of their 26 touchdown drives have been four plays or less.
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 finish in the top-15 nationally in red zone offense in 2014, 2015 and 2016.
• The Cats finished the 2016 campaign 10th in the nation by converting on 91.9-percent (57-of-62) of red zone trips.
• Since the beginning of 2014, K-State has converted on 193-of-212 red zone attempts (.921) with 140 touchdowns. Included in that stretch was a nation-leading scoring streak of 56-straight trips that was snapped in 2016.
• In their last 57 wins since 2011, the Cats are 262-for-287 (.915) in red zone chances with 192 touchdowns, while four of their non-scoring trips have come via kneel downs to close out victories.
IN ELITE COMPANY
• Quarterback Jesse Ertz is one of four signal callers in school history to throw for 2,000 yards and rush for 1,000 yards in a career, joining Michael Bishop (1997-98), Ell Roberson (2000-03) and Collin Klein (2009-12).
• Ertz, who has 1,399 career rushing yards, ranks third in school history in rushing yards among quarterbacks. He is also tied for third in career 100-yard rushing games by quarterbacks behind Klein (10) and Roberson (8).
• Ertz ranks third in school history among all players in career rushing yards per attempt at 5.46, only trailing running backs Darren Sproles (6.11; 2001-04) and James Johnson (5.55; 2006-07).
SEEING DOUBLE
• In his start against Oklahoma, Alex Delton carded 142 rushing yards, the 11th-most ever by a quarterback in school history and the third most among underclassmen (Fr. and So.) signal callers.
• Delton was backed by 108 yards from running back Alex Barnes, the third 100-yard game of his career.
• Barnes' total was aided by a 75-yard touchdown run on the second play of the game, which was the 10th-longest rush in school history.
• It was the 15th double 100-yard game in school history.
• Barnes came back with another 128 yards and two touchdowns at Kansas, the second time in his career he has recorded consecutive 100-yard rushing games.
1,000 ON THE GROUND
• A pair of Wildcats are approaching 1,000 career rushing yards as running backs Alex Barnes (984) and Justin Silmon (905) are closing in on the mark that 28 other Wildcats have hit.
• Barnes is only 16 yards shy of becoming to be the fourth player in school history to become a 1,000-yard career rusher as a sophomore.
1,000 THROUGH THE AIR
• Byron Pringle became the 31st player in K-State history to eclipse the 1,000-yard receiving mark in a career, a bar he reached during the Kansas game.
• He joins a list of six other former community-college receivers to hit the 1,000-yard mark for a career at K-State. The last to accomplish the feat was Brandon Banks, who had 1,754 yards between 2008 and 2009.
• A product of Tampa, Florida, Pringle has made the most of his catches this year as his 27.7-yard average ranks second in the nation.
• Junior Dominique Heath is not far from the mark as he has 832 career yards in his three years of action.
HE'S SCHOEN WHAT HE CAN DO
• A third-year member of the program who came to K-State as a walk-on, sophomore Dalton Schoen has been the Wildcats' most consistent receiver this year.
• The Overland Park, Kansas, native is second on the team with 337 yards and is tied for the team lead with three touchdowns.
• Of his 15 receptions, five have gone for at least 23 yards, including touchdown catches of 70 and 82 yards.
• His 70-yard touchdown came on his first-career catch against Central Arkansas, the longest by a Wildcat on their first-career catch since 2001.
• His best game thus far was at Texas when he caught five passes for 128 yards and two scores, featured by the 82-yard strike, which was the ninth-longest pass play in school history.
• His 128 yards were the fourth-most by a Wildcat underclassman in school history.
• He also needs just one more touchdown to tie for third in school history among sophomores.
YOUNG TALENT
• Left tackle Scott Frantz has started all 21 career games beginning with his redshirt freshman season of 2016.
• Frantz's 21 starts are the most by a Wildcat underclassman (Fr. or So.) left tackle since 1989, eight more than Barrett Brooks (1992-93).
• Of the 353 total starts at left tackle since 1989, only 59 have been made by underclassmen (16.7-percent), but 35.9-percent of those are represented by Frantz.
DEFENSIVE NOTES
STOUT SCORING DEFENSE
• Kansas State enters the week allowing only 23.5 points per game thanks to the fact the Wildcats held each of their first four opponents under 21 points.
• It was the first time K-State accomplished the feat in 15 years and just the sixth time since 1990.
• The other five times the Wildcats allowed 21 or less points in each of the first four games were 1994, 1996, 1998, 2000 and 2002.
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 Cats finished in the top 15 in the country in run defense, doing so by limiting opponents to less than 125 yards on eight occasions, including five times in Big 12 play.
• The Wildcats have surrendered less than 125 rushing yards in five games this season, including 98 yards to a TCU team that was averaging 200-plus rushing yards per game entering the contest.
• The 98 yards by TCU were the fewest the Wildcats surrendered to a ranked opponent since No. 20 Oklahoma State could only muster 49 yards in 2015.
• K-State has held four opponents to less than 100 yards on the ground as they also limited Vanderbilt to just 65 rushing yards, Baylor to 84 yards and Kansas to 64 yards.
PICKING THEM APART
• 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 have notched at least one interception in 34 of the last 45 games and have totaled seven this year.
• K-State also had three pick-sixes last year, including ones by current Wildcats D.J. Reed (Texas Tech) and Duke Shelley (Oklahoma State), and another this year by Kendall Adams (Charlotte).
• Reed snagged the team's first interception of 2017 against Central Arkansas and had one on the first play at Texas and one on the final play at KU. He became the first Wildcat with an interception on the first play of the game since Ty Zimmerman did so against Missouri in 2011.
LBs STEPPING UP
• Although it is a group that is deep with players that shined on special teams in their careers, K-State did not return any starts at linebacker in 2016.
• The Wildcats were 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 year. The next closest among Power 5 schools was Florida, which returned 12 total starts.
• Although lacking experience, great leadership resides in the unit and is paced by Trent Tanking, who leads the Wildcats with 65 tackles to tie for eighth in the Big 12.
• The former walk-on from Holton, Kansas, is also averaging 6.0 solo stops per game to rank 12th in the nation.
KIRBY CAME TO PLAY
• Fellow linebacker Jayd Kirby, who ranks second on the team and is tied for 10th in the Big 12 in tackles, had a game to remember against Kansas.
• All the Blooming Grove, Texas, native did was record five tackles, including 4.0 for loss, a sack, three forced fumbles, a fumble recovery and a pass breakup.
• Kirby's 4.0 TFLs were the most by a Wildcat since Charmeachealle Moore also had 4.0 against West Virginia in 2015.
• His three forced fumbles were the most by Wildcat since Darren Howard also had three against Nebraska in 1999, are tied for the most in the nation this year and are the most by a Big 12 player since at least 2009.
BATTING IT AWAY
• D.J. Reed is tied for third in the Big 12 with nine pass breakups, which includes three interceptions.
• A product of Fresno, California, Reed has totaled 28 career passes defended, tied for the 16th most in school history and six away from entering the top 10.
• Reed has three picks in each of the last two seasons, the first Wildcat to do so since Dante Barnett in 2013 and 2014.
GEARY LEADS THE LINE
• A former in-state walk-on, Will Geary has recorded a team-best 38 career starts, which includes 33 of the last 34 games.
• The Topeka, Kansas, native held a streak of four-straight games with at least one tackle for loss, including a season-best 3.0 TFLs against Baylor.
• Geary, who ranks second on the team in career tackles with 144, ranks 14th in program history in career tackles among interior defensive linemen.
• Additionally, Geary has 22.5 career tackles for loss, which ranks sixth in school history among interior defensive linemen.
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.
• The Wildcats have a combined 44 kickoff- and punt-return touchdowns since 2005, 16 more than any other FBS school over the last 13 seasons.
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 58 games as the last was against Louisiana on Sept. 7, 2013. During that stretch, K-State has defended against 233 kickoff returns.
• The Wildcats have also not allowed a punt-return score in the last 45 games, the last being at Iowa State on Sept. 6, 2014. The Wildcats have successfully defended against 57 punt returns during that stretch.
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 13 seasons – the longest streak in the nation by five years.
• D.J. Reed extended the streak last week against Kansas when he returned a first-quarter kickoff 99 yards to paydirt.
• Since head coach Bill Snyder's return in 2009, K-State has returned 18 kickoffs for touchdowns as opposed to only four in his first tenure, which lasted 17 years.
• Reed is trying to become an All-Big 12 kick returner, which would mark the 12th-straight year a Wildcats received all-conference honors for the discipline.
REED RANKS HIGH
• Junior D.J. Reed is making his case for being the next great K-State returner as he ranks in the top 10 nationally in kickoff-return average (2nd; 36.4), punt-return touchdowns (8th; 1), combined return yards (9th; 588) and kickoff-return touchdowns (10th; 1).
• He had 189 combined return yards at Kansas and 181 against Central Arkansas, the top two marks in the Big 12 this season, while the former is tied for the ninth most in the nation.
• The first Wildcat with a kickoff-return touchdown and a non-blocked punt-return touchdown in the same season since Terence Newman in 2002, Reed is trying to etch his name into the K-State record book.
• The Bakersfield, California, product ranks first in K-State history for career kickoff-return average, while he is currently second for a career.
ALL-PURPOSE PLAY
• An impressive returner in his own right who became the school's 31st career 1,000-yard receiver during the Kansas game, Byron Pringle is closing in on a second career milestone this season.
• Pringle currently has 1,940 career all-purpose yards as he needs just 60 yards to become the 29th player in school history to hit the 2,000-yard mark.
• The Tampa, Florida, native is trying to become just the seventh former community-college player to reach the 2,000-yard barrier and the first since Daniel Thomas had 3,303 all-purpose yards from 2009-10.
McCRANE IN THE RECORD BOOK
• Matthew McCrane will finish his career highly on many of K-State's career kicking lists.
• McCrane current ranks first in school history and sixth nationally by making 86.4-percent (51-of-59) of his career field goals.
• The two-time All-Big 12 place kicker ranks first in school history in career extra-point percentage (99.1-percent) and is in K-State's top-10 in career field goals made (2nd; 51) and extra points made (5th; 114).
• He is closing in on Martin Gramatica's career record of 54 field goals made as they are the only two kickers in school history with at least 50 field goals.
• McCrane also ranks fifth overall in school history but third among kickers with 267 career points scored.
• In terms of just his senior season, McCrane has made 15 field goals to rank 10th in school history.
CONNECTING FROM DEEP
• A product of Brownwood, Texas, Matthew McCrane has been one of the best in K-State history in long-distance field goals.
• By connecting from 51 yards against TCU, McCrane made his fifth-career field goal of 50 or more yards to tie with Jeff Snodgrass (2005-06) and Martin Gramatica (1994-95, 1997-98) for the school record.
• Additionally, it was McCrane's third 50-yard field goal this season to tie both Snodgrass (2006) and Gramatica (1997) for first in K-State history.
• Against Texas, McCrane drilled a career-long 54-yarder, which was tied for the eighth-longest field goal in school history, was the longest in the Big 12 this year and tied for the seventh-longest in the nation this season.
WALSH A DEPENDABLE PUNTER
• The Wildcats also have an experienced punter in Nick Walsh, as the 2015 All-Big 12 punter and two-time member of the Ray Guy Award watch list ranks fifth in school history in average (42.1), while he ranks sixth in yards (8,043) and attempts (191).
• His current season average of 43.3 ranks sixth in K-State history and third in the Big 12.
• Walsh's average is aided by a career-long 64-yarder against TCU, the longest by a Wildcat since Mark Krause booted a 67-yarder against Iowa State in 2013.
• A product of Lyndon, Kansas, Walsh has also had 60 career punts land inside the opponent's 20-yard line, the second most by a Wildcat since 1997.
A LOOK AT K-STATE
• Guided by Hall of Famer Bill Snyder, who is in his 26th year at the helm, the Wildcats are looking to inch one step closer to bowl eligibility Saturday in Lubbock.
• The K-State offense has rushed for 470 yards and six touchdowns on the ground over the last two weeks against No. 9 Oklahoma and Kansas.
• The Wildcats, who have reached 200 rushing yards five times this season, enter the week second in the Big 12 in rushing at 199.5 yards per game, second in yards per carry (5.1) and third in rushing touchdowns (18).
• Running back Alex Barnes has topped 100 yards in each of the last two games, going for 108 yards and a touchdown against the Sooners, while he rushed for 128 yards and two scores against the Jayhawks.
• It marks the second time in his career Barnes has recorded consecutive 100-yard rushing games.
• Six different Cats have scored on the ground this year, while four different receivers have carded a touchdown catch, led by Dalton Schoen and Isaiah Zuber's three.
• The K-State defense is led by a pair of linebackers in Trent Tanking (65 tackles) and Jayd Kirby (60 tackles), both of whom rank in the top 10 in the Big 12 in tackles.
• Kirby had five tackles, 4.0 TFLs, a sack, three forced fumbles, a fumble recovery and a pass breakup at Kansas.
• Kendall Adams and D.J. Reed have been ballhawks with a combined five interceptions, including three by Reed.
• Cornerback Duke Shelley is second in the Big 12 with eight passes defended, while Reed has 28 career passes defending in just his second season.
• Reed is the reigning Big 12 Special Teams Player of the Week after combining for 189 return yards against KU.
• His day was featured by a 99-yard kickoff-return touchdown, extending K-State's kick-return score streak to a nation-best 13 straight years.
A LOOK AT THE SERIES
• Texas Tech leads the all-time series 8-9.
• The Wildcats have won five of the last six meetings, which includes a 41-34 win in Lubbock in 2011 and a 49-26 road triumph in 2013, the first time in the series the Wildcats won consecutive games in Lubbock.
• K-State is 3-7 all-time in games played in Lubbock.
• Bill Snyder is 8-5 all-time against Texas Tech, while he is 1-3 against Red Raider teams coached by Kliff Kingsbury.
TEXAS CATS
• The Wildcats boast 23 players from the state of Texas on their current roster, nearly 20-percent of the roster.
• Of the 56 players on K-State's two-deep, nine are from the Lone Star State, including starters Abdul Beecham (OL; Judson), Jayd Kirby (LB; Blooming Grove) and Matthew McCrane (PK; Brownwood).
CONFERENCE CALL
• K-State is one of only three teams in the Big 12 to notch at least 100 league wins.
• Oklahoma tops the list with 133 Big 12 wins over the last 22 years, while the Wildcats are third with 107.
• Additionally, K-State ranks third in the conference in winning percentage since the start of 2011 at .644 (38-21), trailing only Oklahoma (.797; 47-12) and Oklahoma State (.712; 42-17).
• During that stretch, the Wildcats are 21-9 (.700) at home in Big 12 play and 17-12 (.586) on the road.
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 a 206-108-1 (.656) record in 26 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 167 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 120 conference wins to stand as one of four coaches with 100 Big 8/12 victories (Tom Osborne [153], Bob Stoops [121], 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 the year prior.
• K-State enters this week tied for 14th nationally in turnover margin at plus-7.
• The Wildcats have gained 15 turnovers – eight fumbles and seven interceptions – while only committing eight – four interceptions and four fumbles.
• K-State's four interceptions thrown are tied for 18th in the nation.
DRAWING FIRST BLOOD
• Since 1990, K-State is 163-33 (.832) when scoring first.
• K-State finished the 2016 season with a 5-2 mark when scoring first and is 18-4 in that department over the last four seasons.
• Under Bill Snyder, K-State is 150-26 (.852) when scoring first, including a 3-2 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.
• Through eight games in 2017, K-State has outscored opponents 154-83 in the first half, including an 92-33 margin in the second quarter alone.
LEADING AT THE HALF
• K-State earned an 8-1 record in 2016 when taking a lead into halftime with its only blemish being a loss at West Virginia.
• Under Bill Snyder, the Wildcats are 176-11 (.947) when leading at halftime, including a 57-4 (.941) mark in Snyder's second tenure, which began in 2009.
• The Wildcats are 4-1 this season when leading at halftime and had a nine-game winning streak when leading at the half snapped against Oklahoma.
CATS TOPS IN NON-OFFENSIVE TDs
• K-State is the nation's best in non-offensive touchdowns over the last 19 seasons as it has 110 since 1999, including D.J. Reed's punt return and kick return scores and two by Kendall Adams against Charlotte via a 30-yard interception return and a 46-yard fumble return.
• K-State's two defensive touchdowns are tied for 24th in the nation.
• Since 1990, the Wildcats are 61-17 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.
NON-OFFENSIVE TD RECORDS
• Under head coach Bill Snyder, K-State is 73-21 (.777) when scoring a non-offensive touchdown, while the Cats are 54-14 (.794) since 1999 in that department.
• Since Snyder returned to the sideline in 2009, K-State is 29-7 (.806) in this same category.
OFFENSIVE NOTES
GROUND ATTACK
• K-State leaned heavily on its running game throughout 2016, 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).
• Dating back to last season, K-State has hit the 200-yard mark on the ground in 13 of its last 17 games, including each of the final seven contests of 2016.
• K-State also had four 300-yard games in 2016, the most by the Wildcats since 2003.
• This year, K-State has recorded five games with at least 200 rushing yards, the latest being a 268-yard output against No. 9 Oklahoma and 202 in a win over Kansas.
• The Wildcats also combined for six rushing touchdowns over the last two contests.
• K-State enters the weekend ranked second in the conference in rushing offense at 199.5 yards per game, while they are second in yards per carry (5.1) and third in rushing touchdowns (18).
AERIAL ASSAULT
• While the Cats are known to have a powerful rushing attack, the 2017 squad has 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.
• K-State enters this week ranked seventh nationally in yards per completion (15.72).
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).
• The Wildcats have lost eight turnovers this year, one of which came on a punt return, which is tied for 21st nationally and ranks second in the Big 12.
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, including 19 of 10 or more plays, while 19 scoring drives a year ago lasted at least five minutes.
• The Wildcats have been more of a quick-strike offense this year as 12 of their 26 touchdown drives have been four plays or less.
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 finish in the top-15 nationally in red zone offense in 2014, 2015 and 2016.
• The Cats finished the 2016 campaign 10th in the nation by converting on 91.9-percent (57-of-62) of red zone trips.
• Since the beginning of 2014, K-State has converted on 193-of-212 red zone attempts (.921) with 140 touchdowns. Included in that stretch was a nation-leading scoring streak of 56-straight trips that was snapped in 2016.
• In their last 57 wins since 2011, the Cats are 262-for-287 (.915) in red zone chances with 192 touchdowns, while four of their non-scoring trips have come via kneel downs to close out victories.
IN ELITE COMPANY
• Quarterback Jesse Ertz is one of four signal callers in school history to throw for 2,000 yards and rush for 1,000 yards in a career, joining Michael Bishop (1997-98), Ell Roberson (2000-03) and Collin Klein (2009-12).
• Ertz, who has 1,399 career rushing yards, ranks third in school history in rushing yards among quarterbacks. He is also tied for third in career 100-yard rushing games by quarterbacks behind Klein (10) and Roberson (8).
• Ertz ranks third in school history among all players in career rushing yards per attempt at 5.46, only trailing running backs Darren Sproles (6.11; 2001-04) and James Johnson (5.55; 2006-07).
SEEING DOUBLE
• In his start against Oklahoma, Alex Delton carded 142 rushing yards, the 11th-most ever by a quarterback in school history and the third most among underclassmen (Fr. and So.) signal callers.
• Delton was backed by 108 yards from running back Alex Barnes, the third 100-yard game of his career.
• Barnes' total was aided by a 75-yard touchdown run on the second play of the game, which was the 10th-longest rush in school history.
• It was the 15th double 100-yard game in school history.
• Barnes came back with another 128 yards and two touchdowns at Kansas, the second time in his career he has recorded consecutive 100-yard rushing games.
1,000 ON THE GROUND
• A pair of Wildcats are approaching 1,000 career rushing yards as running backs Alex Barnes (984) and Justin Silmon (905) are closing in on the mark that 28 other Wildcats have hit.
• Barnes is only 16 yards shy of becoming to be the fourth player in school history to become a 1,000-yard career rusher as a sophomore.
1,000 THROUGH THE AIR
• Byron Pringle became the 31st player in K-State history to eclipse the 1,000-yard receiving mark in a career, a bar he reached during the Kansas game.
• He joins a list of six other former community-college receivers to hit the 1,000-yard mark for a career at K-State. The last to accomplish the feat was Brandon Banks, who had 1,754 yards between 2008 and 2009.
• A product of Tampa, Florida, Pringle has made the most of his catches this year as his 27.7-yard average ranks second in the nation.
• Junior Dominique Heath is not far from the mark as he has 832 career yards in his three years of action.
HE'S SCHOEN WHAT HE CAN DO
• A third-year member of the program who came to K-State as a walk-on, sophomore Dalton Schoen has been the Wildcats' most consistent receiver this year.
• The Overland Park, Kansas, native is second on the team with 337 yards and is tied for the team lead with three touchdowns.
• Of his 15 receptions, five have gone for at least 23 yards, including touchdown catches of 70 and 82 yards.
• His 70-yard touchdown came on his first-career catch against Central Arkansas, the longest by a Wildcat on their first-career catch since 2001.
• His best game thus far was at Texas when he caught five passes for 128 yards and two scores, featured by the 82-yard strike, which was the ninth-longest pass play in school history.
• His 128 yards were the fourth-most by a Wildcat underclassman in school history.
• He also needs just one more touchdown to tie for third in school history among sophomores.
YOUNG TALENT
• Left tackle Scott Frantz has started all 21 career games beginning with his redshirt freshman season of 2016.
• Frantz's 21 starts are the most by a Wildcat underclassman (Fr. or So.) left tackle since 1989, eight more than Barrett Brooks (1992-93).
• Of the 353 total starts at left tackle since 1989, only 59 have been made by underclassmen (16.7-percent), but 35.9-percent of those are represented by Frantz.
DEFENSIVE NOTES
STOUT SCORING DEFENSE
• Kansas State enters the week allowing only 23.5 points per game thanks to the fact the Wildcats held each of their first four opponents under 21 points.
• It was the first time K-State accomplished the feat in 15 years and just the sixth time since 1990.
• The other five times the Wildcats allowed 21 or less points in each of the first four games were 1994, 1996, 1998, 2000 and 2002.
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 Cats finished in the top 15 in the country in run defense, doing so by limiting opponents to less than 125 yards on eight occasions, including five times in Big 12 play.
• The Wildcats have surrendered less than 125 rushing yards in five games this season, including 98 yards to a TCU team that was averaging 200-plus rushing yards per game entering the contest.
• The 98 yards by TCU were the fewest the Wildcats surrendered to a ranked opponent since No. 20 Oklahoma State could only muster 49 yards in 2015.
• K-State has held four opponents to less than 100 yards on the ground as they also limited Vanderbilt to just 65 rushing yards, Baylor to 84 yards and Kansas to 64 yards.
PICKING THEM APART
• 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 have notched at least one interception in 34 of the last 45 games and have totaled seven this year.
• K-State also had three pick-sixes last year, including ones by current Wildcats D.J. Reed (Texas Tech) and Duke Shelley (Oklahoma State), and another this year by Kendall Adams (Charlotte).
• Reed snagged the team's first interception of 2017 against Central Arkansas and had one on the first play at Texas and one on the final play at KU. He became the first Wildcat with an interception on the first play of the game since Ty Zimmerman did so against Missouri in 2011.
LBs STEPPING UP
• Although it is a group that is deep with players that shined on special teams in their careers, K-State did not return any starts at linebacker in 2016.
• The Wildcats were 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 year. The next closest among Power 5 schools was Florida, which returned 12 total starts.
• Although lacking experience, great leadership resides in the unit and is paced by Trent Tanking, who leads the Wildcats with 65 tackles to tie for eighth in the Big 12.
• The former walk-on from Holton, Kansas, is also averaging 6.0 solo stops per game to rank 12th in the nation.
KIRBY CAME TO PLAY
• Fellow linebacker Jayd Kirby, who ranks second on the team and is tied for 10th in the Big 12 in tackles, had a game to remember against Kansas.
• All the Blooming Grove, Texas, native did was record five tackles, including 4.0 for loss, a sack, three forced fumbles, a fumble recovery and a pass breakup.
• Kirby's 4.0 TFLs were the most by a Wildcat since Charmeachealle Moore also had 4.0 against West Virginia in 2015.
• His three forced fumbles were the most by Wildcat since Darren Howard also had three against Nebraska in 1999, are tied for the most in the nation this year and are the most by a Big 12 player since at least 2009.
BATTING IT AWAY
• D.J. Reed is tied for third in the Big 12 with nine pass breakups, which includes three interceptions.
• A product of Fresno, California, Reed has totaled 28 career passes defended, tied for the 16th most in school history and six away from entering the top 10.
• Reed has three picks in each of the last two seasons, the first Wildcat to do so since Dante Barnett in 2013 and 2014.
GEARY LEADS THE LINE
• A former in-state walk-on, Will Geary has recorded a team-best 38 career starts, which includes 33 of the last 34 games.
• The Topeka, Kansas, native held a streak of four-straight games with at least one tackle for loss, including a season-best 3.0 TFLs against Baylor.
• Geary, who ranks second on the team in career tackles with 144, ranks 14th in program history in career tackles among interior defensive linemen.
• Additionally, Geary has 22.5 career tackles for loss, which ranks sixth in school history among interior defensive linemen.
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.
• The Wildcats have a combined 44 kickoff- and punt-return touchdowns since 2005, 16 more than any other FBS school over the last 13 seasons.
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 58 games as the last was against Louisiana on Sept. 7, 2013. During that stretch, K-State has defended against 233 kickoff returns.
• The Wildcats have also not allowed a punt-return score in the last 45 games, the last being at Iowa State on Sept. 6, 2014. The Wildcats have successfully defended against 57 punt returns during that stretch.
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 13 seasons – the longest streak in the nation by five years.
• D.J. Reed extended the streak last week against Kansas when he returned a first-quarter kickoff 99 yards to paydirt.
• Since head coach Bill Snyder's return in 2009, K-State has returned 18 kickoffs for touchdowns as opposed to only four in his first tenure, which lasted 17 years.
• Reed is trying to become an All-Big 12 kick returner, which would mark the 12th-straight year a Wildcats received all-conference honors for the discipline.
REED RANKS HIGH
• Junior D.J. Reed is making his case for being the next great K-State returner as he ranks in the top 10 nationally in kickoff-return average (2nd; 36.4), punt-return touchdowns (8th; 1), combined return yards (9th; 588) and kickoff-return touchdowns (10th; 1).
• He had 189 combined return yards at Kansas and 181 against Central Arkansas, the top two marks in the Big 12 this season, while the former is tied for the ninth most in the nation.
• The first Wildcat with a kickoff-return touchdown and a non-blocked punt-return touchdown in the same season since Terence Newman in 2002, Reed is trying to etch his name into the K-State record book.
• The Bakersfield, California, product ranks first in K-State history for career kickoff-return average, while he is currently second for a career.
ALL-PURPOSE PLAY
• An impressive returner in his own right who became the school's 31st career 1,000-yard receiver during the Kansas game, Byron Pringle is closing in on a second career milestone this season.
• Pringle currently has 1,940 career all-purpose yards as he needs just 60 yards to become the 29th player in school history to hit the 2,000-yard mark.
• The Tampa, Florida, native is trying to become just the seventh former community-college player to reach the 2,000-yard barrier and the first since Daniel Thomas had 3,303 all-purpose yards from 2009-10.
McCRANE IN THE RECORD BOOK
• Matthew McCrane will finish his career highly on many of K-State's career kicking lists.
• McCrane current ranks first in school history and sixth nationally by making 86.4-percent (51-of-59) of his career field goals.
• The two-time All-Big 12 place kicker ranks first in school history in career extra-point percentage (99.1-percent) and is in K-State's top-10 in career field goals made (2nd; 51) and extra points made (5th; 114).
• He is closing in on Martin Gramatica's career record of 54 field goals made as they are the only two kickers in school history with at least 50 field goals.
• McCrane also ranks fifth overall in school history but third among kickers with 267 career points scored.
• In terms of just his senior season, McCrane has made 15 field goals to rank 10th in school history.
CONNECTING FROM DEEP
• A product of Brownwood, Texas, Matthew McCrane has been one of the best in K-State history in long-distance field goals.
• By connecting from 51 yards against TCU, McCrane made his fifth-career field goal of 50 or more yards to tie with Jeff Snodgrass (2005-06) and Martin Gramatica (1994-95, 1997-98) for the school record.
• Additionally, it was McCrane's third 50-yard field goal this season to tie both Snodgrass (2006) and Gramatica (1997) for first in K-State history.
• Against Texas, McCrane drilled a career-long 54-yarder, which was tied for the eighth-longest field goal in school history, was the longest in the Big 12 this year and tied for the seventh-longest in the nation this season.
WALSH A DEPENDABLE PUNTER
• The Wildcats also have an experienced punter in Nick Walsh, as the 2015 All-Big 12 punter and two-time member of the Ray Guy Award watch list ranks fifth in school history in average (42.1), while he ranks sixth in yards (8,043) and attempts (191).
• His current season average of 43.3 ranks sixth in K-State history and third in the Big 12.
• Walsh's average is aided by a career-long 64-yarder against TCU, the longest by a Wildcat since Mark Krause booted a 67-yarder against Iowa State in 2013.
• A product of Lyndon, Kansas, Walsh has also had 60 career punts land inside the opponent's 20-yard line, the second most by a Wildcat since 1997.
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/ FootballGAME REPLAY | FB vs Texas Tech
Tuesday, November 04
K-State FB | Klieman Postgame Presser vs Texas Tech
Saturday, November 01
K-State Football | Postgame Highlights vs Texas Tech
Saturday, November 01
K-State FB | Pregame Hype vs Texas Tech
Friday, October 31