Wildcats Honor Seniors in Home Finale Against Tech

Following a 21-17 comeback win over in-state rival Kansas, Kansas State will host Texas Tech on Saturday as the Red Raiders visit Bill Snyder Family Stadium on Senior Day. The game will kick off at 2:30 p.m., and be shown nationally on ESPNU with Jay Alter (play-by-play) and Mike Golic Jr. (analyst) on the call. The game can be heard across the 39-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, in addition to Sirius Channel 135, XM Channel 207 and the TuneIn app.

A LOOK AT K-STATE
• K-State won its 10th-straight game over in-state rival KU last weekend to keep its bowl hopes alive, as the Cats need wins in the final two weeks to become bowl eligible.
• The Wildcats have leaned heavily on their running game over the last five contests, averaging 212.2 yards and totaling 14 touchdowns on the ground.
• The running game is solidified by Alex Barnes, who leads the Big 12 at 103.5 yards per game with a league-high 11 rushing scores. He has averaged 115.3 yards in league play, the best by 13.0 yards per game.
• During the KU game, Barnes produced the 16th 1,000-yard rushing season in school history and the first by a Wildcat RB since 2013.
• He ran for a career-best 250 yards at Baylor – the fifth-most in a game in school history – one of his five 100-yard rushing games this year and one of 10 for his career.
• The Wildcats' rushing attack is anchored by five offensive linemen who were all returning starters from a year ago. The group is led by Midseason All-American Dalton Risner at right tackle.
• Quarterback Alex Delton held the charge last weekend against Kansas as the junior was 11-for-17 through the air for 126 yards while adding 55 on the ground with a score.
• Delton was making his second start of the year as he also started the Texas game.
• Isaiah Zuber leads the Wildcats with 43 catches on the year, totaling 522 receiving yards and three scores.
• The Wildcat defense allowed only 275 total offensive yards against TCU, the fewest allowed since last year's Vanderbilt game and the fewest in a Big 12 game since limiting Kansas to just 196 total yards in 2014.
• The Cats also had an impressive performance against an Oklahoma State team that was averaging 523.3 yards and 44.0 points per game. K-State held the Cowboys to 311 yards and just 12 points.
• Junior linebacker Da'Quan Patton (62) and senior safety Eli Walker (57) lead the team in tackles, while Reggie Walker has a team-best 5.5 sacks and 8.5 tackles for loss.

A LOOK AT TEXAS TECH
• The Red Raiders have lost three straight, but it boasts an offense that averages 529.4 yards per game, including 383.4 yards through the air.
• Quarterbacks Alan Bowman and Jett Duffey have combined to throw for 3,709 yards and 25 touchdowns.
• Duffey also leads the team with 377 rushing yards, while Ta'Zhawn Henry has a team-high eight rushing scores.
• On defense, Dakota Allen is the leader with 71 tackles, while Adrian Frye has picked off four passes.

A LOOK AT THE SERIES
• The all-time series between K-State and Texas Tech is tied, 9-9, but the Wildcats hold a 9-6 advantage since the inception of the Big 12.
• One of those games was the first-ever Big 12 game, as the Cats topped Tech, 21-14, on August 31, 1996.
• The Cats are in search of their third winning streak of at least three games. K-State won the first three games as Big 12 foes (1996-97, 2000) and four-straight games from 2011-14. K-State won at home, 44-38, in 2016 before earning a 42-35 overtime victory in Lubbock last year.

THANK YOU, SENIORS
• K-State will honor 16 seniors prior to Saturday's game.
• The list includes: DB Kendall Adams, OL Abdul Beechman, P Jeremy Collier, LS Dalton Harman, TE Matt Jones, DE Osvelt Joseph, DB Colby Moore, WR Zach Reuter, OL Dalton Risner, DB Duke Shelley, RB Justin Silmon, LB Sam Sizelove, DT Logan Stoddard, LS David Tullis, DB Eli Walker and RB Dalvin Warmack.
• The group includes eight fifth-year seniors in Adams, Harman, Moore, Reuter, Risner, Silmon, Sizelove and Warmack.

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 23 seasons.
• Since 1995, K-State has picked up 195 victories, which ranks 19th in the nation.
• The only current Big 12 teams to rank higher are Oklahoma (3rd; 228), Texas (t12th; 210) and TCU (15th; 200).

ONE OF THE BIG 12'S BEST
• Kansas State has had both recent and historical success in the Big 12 since the league began in 1996.
• The Wildcats are one of only four teams in the conference to reach 100 league wins over the last 23 years, a mark that now stands at 111 victories.
• The Wildcats also rank third in the conference in winning percentage since round-robin play began in 2011. They sit at .614 (43-27), trailing only Oklahoma (.814; 57-13) and Oklahoma State (.657; 46-24).
• During that stretch, the Wildcats are 24-11 (.686) at home in Big 12 play and 19-16 (.543) on the road.

THE HALL OF FAMER
• The architect of the "greatest turnaround in college football history," Bill Snyder is in his 27th season at K-State.
• Snyder is just the fourth person in the history of college football to be inducted into the Hall of Fame as an active coach when he was enshrined in 2015.
• Snyder, who has 214 wins, is one of just six coaches to reach the 200-win mark and coach at only one school.
• Holding 175 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 (FBS schools only).
• Snyder has 125 conference wins to stand as one of four coaches with 100 Big 8/12 victories (Tom Osborne [153], Bob Stoops [121], Barry Switzer [100]).

DRAWING FIRST BLOOD
• Since 1990, K-State is 166-34 (.830) when scoring first.
• K-State is 20-5 in that department over the last four seasons, including a 5-3 mark in 2017.
• Under Bill Snyder, K-State is 153-27 (.850) when scoring first.

LEADING AT THE HALF
• Under Bill Snyder, the Wildcats are 180-12 (.938) when leading at halftime, including a 61-5 (.924) mark in Snyder's second tenure, which began in 2009.
• The Wildcats finished the 2017 campaign with a 7-1 record when leading at the half.
• The lone blemish last season was against No. 9 Oklahoma when the Wildcats led, 21-10, at halftime before the Sooners scored a touchdown with seven seconds left in the game to win, 42-35.

COMEBACK KIDS
• Kansas State recorded three wins in 2017 in which they trailed by double digit points. That comeback mentality has continued in 2018 as the Wildcats have a pair of wins when trailing at halftime.
• This year, K-State trailed South Dakota, 24-12, before earning a 27-24 victory. Then, against Oklahoma State, the Wildcats trailed, 6-3, at half and outscored the Cowboys, 28-6, in the second half for a 31-12 victory.
• Last year, the Wildcats trailed by 11 points at Texas Tech but won, 42-35, in overtime. Against Iowa State, K-State was down by 12 points before earning a 20-19 win. In the Cactus Bowl against UCLA, K-State was down, 17-7, at halftime but outscored the Bruins, 28-0, to win 35-17.

TURNOVER TURNAROUND
• After starting the year minus-5 in the turnover department, K-State has turned the tide over the last seven games, going plus-3 in that stretch.
• The recent stretch started with a plus-3 mark against West Virginia when K-State picked off three passes and recovered a fumble while fumbling one time itself.
• Following a game with no turnovers against Texas and a minus-1 mark at Baylor, K-State was plus-2 against Oklahoma State when Duke Shelley picked off a pair of passes.
• The Wildcats began the year with a minus-4 mark against South Dakota but still won, marking the first time since 2011 they won a game with four-plus more turnovers than their opponent (10-7 win over Eastern Kentucky).

CATS TOPS IN NON-OFFENSIVE TDs
• K-State is the nation's best in non-offensive touchdowns over the last 19 seasons with 112 since 1999, eight more than the next closest team and one of only three to top 100.
• Entering 2018, the Wildcats averaged 5.8 non-offensive scores per year since 1999, while the yearly average for the other 105 teams to play FBS football since then is 3.3.
• Kansas State has at least five non-offensive touchdowns in six of the last seven years.
• The Wildcats' only non-offensive score this year was an 85-yard punt return score by Isaiah Zuber in the season opener against South Dakota.
• Since 1990, the Wildcats are 62-17 when scoring on special teams and 20-1 when scoring on special teams and defense, including an 18-0 mark under Bill Snyder.

NON-OFFENSIVE TD RECORDS
• Under head coach Bill Snyder, K-State is 76-21 (.784) when scoring a non-offensive touchdown, while the Cats are 57-14 (.803) since 1999 in that department.
• Since Snyder returned to the sideline in 2009, K-State is 32-7 (.821) in this same category.

FLAGGED EARLY, NOT OFTEN
• Kansas State was flagged 13 times for 129 yards in the season opener against South Dakota, the most penalties by a Bill Snyder team since the 2005 Nebraska game (14) and the most yards since 2011 against Kent State (136).
• Since then, K-State has committed five or fewer penalties for 50 or fewer yards in six of nine games.
• One of those games was a zero-penalty effort against Texas, the first by a Wildcat team since the 2014 Auburn contest. Ironically, K-State lost both of those games.
• The Wildcats ranked 119th nationally and last in the Big 12 in penalties following week one, but they have worked their way to 23rd in the country and third in the Big 12.

OFFENSIVE NOTES
GROUND ATTACK
• K-State has leaned heavily on its rushing game the last five weeks as it has averaged 212.2 yards and 2.8 touchdowns on the ground against Baylor, Oklahoma State, Oklahoma, TCU and KU.
• The recent numbers are a big up-tick from the first five games of the year as the Cats were averaging 146.2 yards per game and only 0.8 rushing scores during that stretch.
• K-State's rushing prowess is nothing new as, dating back to 2016, the Cats have hit the 200-yard mark on the ground in 19 of its last 36 games.
• Kansas State enters this week's game ranked third in the Big 12 in rushing, which includes 179.9 yards per game in conference-only games to rank second.

GOING FOR 275
• The Wildcats, who had 319 yards against the Bears and 291 yards against the Cowboys, put together consecutive 275-yard rushing outputs for the first time since doing so against Kansas (342) and TCU (336) in 2016.
• K-State's total against Oklahoma State came against a team that was ranked No. 1 in the Big 12 and 23rd nationally in rushing defense at the time.

MOVIN' ON UP
• Alex Barnes, who leads the Big 12 and ranks 15th nationally in rushing, continues to move up the K-State career rushing yardage list.
• He entered the school's career top-10 list with his effort against Oklahoma State. He now has 2,296 yards and moved from 10th to seventh in school history with last week's performance against Kansas.

HITTING 1,000
• Thanks to his 117 rushing yards last week against Kansas, Alex Barnes posted the 16th 1,000-yard season rushing performance in school history, a mark that now stands at 1,035.
• He became the first Wildcat to hit the barrier since quarterback Jesse Ertz did so in 2016, but he is the first K-State running back to do so since John Hubert in 2013.
• Hubert reached the mark in the 2013 Buffalo Wild Wings Bowl, making Barnes the first Wildcat running back to reach 1,000 rushing yards in a regular season since Daniel Thomas in 2009.

HITTING 100
• Alex Barnes recorded the 10th 100-yard game of his career last week against Kansas to move into a tie for fourth place in school history.
• Barnes now has five 100-yard games this season, entering the school's top-10 list in a tie for seventh in K-State history.
• He is the first Wildcat with at least five 100-yard rushing games in a season since John Hubert in 2013.

FINDING PAYDIRT
• With two scores last week, Alex Barnes leads the Big 12 and ranks 20th nationally with 11 rushing touchdowns.
• Barnes now has 24 rushing scores in his career to rank ninth in K-State history, while his 11 scores this year are four shy of the top 10.
• Totaling seven touchdowns over a two-game stretch vs. Baylor and Oklahoma State, Barnes became the first Wildcat to tally consecutive games of at least three rushing scores since then-QB and now Co-Offensive Coordinator Collin Klein vs. Iowa State (3) and West Virginia (4) in 2012.
• However, Barnes was the first K-State running back to accomplish the feat since Mack Herron did so in four-straight games in 1969 (Kansas, Iowa State, Oklahoma, Missouri).

CAREER DAY
• Junior running back Alex Barnes had one of the best rushing games in school history when he went for 250 yards and three touchdowns at Baylor.
• His 250 yards were the fifth most in school history and the most by a Wildcat since Daniel Thomas went for 269 yards at North Texas in 2010.
• Even more impressive, the total was the most by a Wildcat in a Big 12 game since Darren Sproles put together a 273-yard rushing effort against Missouri in 2003.
• His 250 yards against the Bears rank as the sixth most in the nation by a player in a game this season.

BACK TO BACK
• Alex Barnes backed up his performance at Baylor with 181 yards and four scores against Oklahoma State, an effort that gave him Big 12 Offensive Player of the Week honors.
• He became the first Wildcat with consecutive 175-yard rushing games since Darren Sproles did so against Missouri (273) and Oklahoma (235) in 2003.
• His four touchdowns against the Cowboys tied a career high and are tied for the third most nationally by a player in a game this season.

OUT OF THE BACKFIELD
• The performance by Alex Barnes against the Cowboys was even more impressive considering he was also K-State's leading receiver with three catches for 51 yards.
• He became the third player in program history to have 175 rushing yards and 50 receiving yards in the same game, joining Darren Sproles (2003 vs. Oklahoma) and Tony Jordan (1986 vs. Iowa State).
• This season, Barnes has 16 receptions for 171 yards after totaling only five catches for 29 yards in his previous two years.
• His 16 catches this year are the most by a Wildcat running back since John Hubert had 18 in 2012. His 171 receiving yards as the most by a K-State running back/fullback since Winston Dimel had 261 yards in 2015.

HIGH AVERAGES, TOO
• Alex Barnes also ranks high in school history in both yards per carry and yards per game.
• Barnes' 5.77 yards per carry average in his career ranks second in K-State history to Darren Sproles (6.11), while his season average of 5.28 ranks seventh.
• The Pittsburg, Kansas, native is averaging 103.5 yards per game this year to rank seventh in school history, and his 67.5 career average ranks sixth.

SCHOEN A DEEP THREAT
• Wide receiver Dalton Schoen has become a deep threat for the Wildcats over the last two years, averaging 18.0 yards on his 50 career catches.
• The junior ranks fourth in school history in career yards per catch among players with at least 50 receptions.
• Schoen's five career touchdown receptions are just as impressive as they span an average of 45.8 yards.

LEADER ON THE FIELD, IN THE COMMUNITY
• Dalton Risner has been a leader on the field, being named a captain each of the last three years.
• Risner is just the fifth player in program history to be named a captain three times, joined by Brooks Barta (1990-92), Mark Simoneau (1997-99), Collin Klein (2010-12) and B.J. Finney (2012-14).
• A Preseason All-American by multiple outlets entering the season, Risner has started 48 career games, the third most by a Wildcat offensive lineman since 1989.
• Risner was named to multiple Midseason All-America teams, earning the nod from Sporting News, Pro Football Focus and CBSSports.com.
• The leadership by Risner does end on the field as he was named to the AFCA Good Works Team and is also a semifinalist for the Wuerffel Trophy.
• Last week, Risner was also named a finalist for the prestigious William V. Campbell Trophy, also known as the "Academic Heisman."

DEFENSIVE NOTES
UNDER AVERAGE
• Kansas State has generally held its Big 12 opponents under their season scoring averages over the past several years, and the 2018 season is no different.
• The Wildcats have held four of their six conference foes under their season scoring averages entering the game, highlighted by the Oklahoma State contest when they allowed only 12 points to a team that was averaging 44.0 points per game entering the contest. The Cowboys havee since scored over 30 points in their three games since then.
• The 32.0 points that K-State held Oklahoma State under its season scoring average was the biggest difference against a Big 12 opponent since the Baylor game in 2013. That season, the Bears were averaging 70.5 points per game and scored 35.

IMPROVING RUN DEFENSE
• The Wildcats, who ranked 13th nationally in 2017 by allowing only 117.7 yards per game on the ground, are trying to climb out of an early hole in that department this year.
• After surrendering only 77 yards against South Dakota, Mississippi State totaled 384 yards on the ground, the most allowed by a Wildcat team since 2010.
• Following the game against the Bulldogs, K-State ranked 111th in the nation and last in the Big 12.
• Since that time, K-State has allowed 155.5 rushing yards per game over the last eight games.
• K-State allowed only 57 rushing yards to TCU, the fewest surrendered to a Big 12 opponent since limiting Oklahoma State to 49 rushing yards in 2015.

LOW TOTAL
• Kansas State held TCU to only 275 total offensive yards (57 run, 218 pass). It was the fewest yards allowed by a K-State defense since last year's Vanderbilt game (270).
• The yardage total was the fewest allowed to a Big 12 opponent since Kansas could only come up with 196 total offensive yards (57 run, 139 pass) in 2014.

PICKING THEM APART
• Kansas State has been one of the best in the Big 12 in interceptions over the last eight seasons, carding 109 interceptions since 2011 to tie for second in the Big 12.
• The Wildcats, who have notched at least one interception in 41 of the last 59 games, are fifth in the Big 12 with eight interceptions, which includes seven in league-only games to rank second best.
• K-State has picked off at least two passes in three of its five Big 12 game this year, totaling three at West Virginia and two apiece against both Baylor and Oklahoma State.

HUGHES COMING UP HUGE
• Entering the Texas game with five tackles in nine career games, linebacker Justin Hughes has answered the bell the last six contests.
• Over the last six contests – five of which being starts – Hughes has totaled 42 tackles, good for a 7.0 tackle per game average.
• Hughes began his run with a then-career high six tackles and a tackle for loss against Texas. Then, in his first-career start at Baylor, the Tucker, Georgia, product tallied 11 tackles and forced a fumble before coming back with eight more stops against Oklahoma State.
• Last week against Kansas, he totaled five tackles – three of which were TFLs – and forced a fumble.

WALK THIS WAY
• Junior Reggie Walker has taken his game to another level over the last six games with 6.5 tackles for loss and 4.5 sacks during that span.
• Walker enters the week ranked tied for sixth in the league with 5.5 sacks, while he is tied for 12th in TFLs with 8.5.
• His sack total this year has bumped his career mark to 14.0, standing four sacks away from entering the school's career top-10 list.
• Walker has also forced a pair of fumbles this year to tie for fourth in the Big 12 and give him six for his career. His six career forced fumbles are tied for 17th nationally among active players.

SPECIAL TEAMS NOTES
ANNUALLY ONE OF THE BEST
• Kansas State has been a model of success on special teams, being a key element of the Wildcats' success over the last two decades.
• Since 1996, K-State ranks first in the nation in kickoff-return touchdowns (28), first in punt-return average (13.1 [min. 100 attempts]), first in kickoff-return average (23.6), tied for first in punt-return touchdowns (28 tied with Miami), and fifth in field goal percentage (75.8 [min. 400 att]).

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 48 kickoff- and punt-return touchdowns since 2005, 19 more than any other FBS school over the last 13 seasons.
• K-State averaged 3.6 return touchdowns per year over the last 13 seasons entering 2018. The yearly average for the other 116 teams to play FBS football since 2005 is 1.1.

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 72 games as the last was against Louisiana on Sept. 7, 2013. During that stretch, K-State has defended against 273 kickoff returns.
• K-State surrendered only 16.6 yards on kickoff returns in 2017, its best mark since 2000.
• The Wildcats had a streak of 54 games and 70 attempts of not allowing a punt-return score snapped when Texas recorded a 90-yard return for a score.

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.
• Since head coach Bill Snyder's return in 2009, K-State has returned 19 kickoffs for touchdowns as opposed to only four in his first tenure, which lasted 17 years.
• Additionally, D.J. Reed earned First Team All-Big 12 honors, marking the 12th-straight year a Wildcat received all-conference honors for the discipline.
• Of the 29 First Team All-Big 12 returners in conference history, 12 (41.3-percent) have come from K-State to lead the league. The next closest team is Colorado, which had four.

ANCTIL WITH THE BOOTS
• Punting in just his second-career game at Oklahoma, junior Devin Anctil averaged 46.9 yards on seven attempts, with three punts of 50 or more yards and five that were downed inside the 20-yard line.
• His high average included a 65-yard punt, the longest by a Wildcat since Mark Krause had a 67-yarder against Iowa State in 2013, while Anctil's three punts of 50 or more yards were the most since Krause also had three against TCU in 2013.
• A product of Lenexa, Kansas, Antcil's five punts downed inside the 20-yard line were the most since Nick Walsh had five at TCU in 2014.
• Anctil came back with another two good games at TCU and Kansas, totaling five more punts downed inside the 20-yard line and booming another long punt, a 61-yarder against the Jayhawks.

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Players Mentioned

Kendall Adams

Devin Anctil

Alex Barnes

Jeremy Collier

Alex Delton

Winston Dimel

Jesse Ertz

Dalton Harman

Justin Hughes

Matt Jones

Osvelt Joseph

Colby Moore

Da'Quan Patton

D.J. Reed

Zach Reuter

Dalton Risner

Dalton Schoen

Duke Shelley

Justin Silmon

Sam Sizelove

Logan Stoddard

David Tullis

Eli Walker

Reggie Walker

Nick Walsh

Dalvin Warmack

Isaiah Zuber

Kansas State University Athletics