K-State Returns Home for Sunflower Showdown

Coming off a tough one-point loss at TCU, Kansas State will head home for the 116th edition of the Dillons Sunflower Showdown on Saturday as the Kansas Jayhawks visit Bill Snyder Family Stadium. The game will kick off at 11 a.m., and be shown nationally on FSN with Jeff Levering (play-by-play), Brian Baldinger (analyst) and Lesley McCaslin 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 113, XM Channel 199 and the TuneIn app.

A LOOK AT K-STATE
• K-State is looking to bounce back from a loss at TCU and put itself back in the bowl picture, needing three wins over the final three weeks to become bowl eligible.
• The Wildcats have leaned heavily on their running game over the last four contests, averaging 221.5 yards and totaling 11 touchdowns on the ground.
• The running game is solidified by Alex Barnes, who leads the Big 12 at 102.0 yards per game with a league-high tying nine rushing scores. He ran for a career-best 250 yards at Baylor, the fifth-most in a game in school history, while recording three touchdowns on the day.
• Against Oklahoma State, Barnes had 181 rushing yards and four scores, and he added 102 yards against TCU.
• 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 Skylar Thompson has started eight games, throwing for 995 yards and five scores, while he has added 360 rushing yards and four touchdowns.
• Isaiah Zuber leads the Wildcats with 41 catches on the year, totaling 496 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 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.
• Senior safety Eli Walker (56) and junior linebacker Da'Quan Patton (53) lead the team in tackles, while Reggie Walker has a team-best 5.5 sacks and 8.5 TFLs.
• Senior defensive back Duke Shelley has three picks this season – all coming in Big 12 play – to rank third in the Big 12 and 16th in the country in interceptions per game.
• Shelley has 12 passes defended this year, ranking sixth nationally in passes defended per game.

A LOOK AT KANSAS
• KU is coming off a 27-3 loss to No. 24 Iowa State last week in Lawrence.
• The Jayhawks boast one of the league's top freshmen in running back Pooka Williams, who has rushed for 711 yards and four scores this season.
• On defense, Joe Dineen leads the Big 12 in tackles with 110, while Daniel Wise has collected a team-best 9.0 tackles for loss and 4.0 sacks.

A LOOK AT THE SERIES
• Kansas leads the all-time series, 64-46-5, but Kansas State has won each of the last nine meetings and 22 of the last 27 dating back to 1991.
• The Wildcats' average margin of victory over the last nine years is 28.0, while they have hit the 45-point mark in five of those contests.
• Head coach Bill Snyder is 22-4 all-time against the Jayhawks (12-1 in Manhattan), while three of his four losses came within his first four years in Manhattan.
• Snyder's 22 victories over the Jayhawks are tied for the most by an active head coach over any one opponent (Snyder vs. Iowa State).
• The series is the fourth-longest continuously played series in the nation and the longest among Big 12 teams.

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 194 victories, which ranks 19th in the nation.
• The only current Big 12 teams to rank higher are Oklahoma (3rd; 227), Texas (t12th; 209) 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 110 victories.
• The Wildcats also rank third in the conference in winning percentage since round-robin play began in 2011. They sit at .609 (42-27), trailing only Oklahoma (.812; 56-13) and Oklahoma State (.667; 46-23).
• During that stretch, the Wildcats are 23-11 (.676) 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 213 wins, is one of just six coaches to reach the 200-win mark and coach at only one school.
• Holding 174 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 124 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 six games, going plus-1 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 eight 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, but they have worked their way to 17th in the country and third in the Big 12.

OFFENSIVE NOTES
GROUND ATTACK
• K-State has leaned heavily on its rushing game the last four weeks as it has averaged 221.5 yards and 2.75 touchdowns on the ground against Baylor, Oklahoma State, Oklahoma and TCU.
• 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 35 games.
• Kansas State enters this week's game ranked third in the Big 12 in rushing, which includes 180.7 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 18th 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 2,179 yards and has a chance to move from 10th to seventh in school history this week with 87 yards.
• Barnes has 918 yards this season. He needs 82 yards to become the 16th player in school history with a 1,000-yard rushing season.

HITTING 100
• Alex Barnes recorded the ninth 100-yard game of his career last week at TCU to move into a tie for seventh place in school history.
• Barnes now has four 100-yard games this season, just one shy of entering the school's top-10 list.

FINDING PAYDIRT
• Totaling seven rushing touchdowns over a two-game stretch against Baylor and Oklahoma State, Alex Barnes became the first Wildcat to tally consecutive games of at least three rushing touchdowns since then-quarterback and now Co-Offensive Coordinator Collin Klein against 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).
• Barnes enters this week tied for first in the Big 12 and 24th nationally with nine rushing touchdowns.
• Barnes is one rushing score shy of entering the school's career top-10 list as he enters play this week with 22.

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 second 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 15 receptions for 160 yards after totaling only five catches for 29 yards in his previous two seasons.
• His 15 catches are the most by a Wildcat running back since John Hubert had 18 in 2012. His 160 receiving yards as the most by a K-State running back or fullback since Winston Dimel had 261 yards in 2015.

SKYLAR UNDER CENTER
• Sophomore Skylar Thompson has started eight of the nine games this year and 12 of the last 13 overall.
• Thompson threw for a career-high 213 passing yards with two scores in a week-three win over UTSA.
• His passer rating of 208.3 against the Roadrunners was the second highest of his career (minimum 13 attempts). His career high was 284.55 last year at Oklahoma State, when he had a previous career high of 204 yards.
• Thompson has become a more efficient runner in his second year on the field, averaging 40.0 yards per game (33.4 yds/gm in 2017) with four touchdowns, the latter mark bettering his total from last year.
• His total includes a career-long touchdown run of 52 yards at Baylor.

SCHOEN A DEEP THREAT
• Wide receiver Dalton Schoen has become a deep threat for the Wildcats over the last two years, averaging 18.1 yards on his 47 career catches.
• The junior ranks fourth in school history in career yards per catch among players with at least 40 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 47 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 have since scored over 30 points in their last two games.
• The 32.0 points that K-State held OSU under its season scoring average was the biggest difference against a Big 12 opponent since the Baylor game in 2013. That season, BU was 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 141.1 rushing yards per game over the last eight games.
• K-State allowed only 57 rushing yards last week 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) last week. 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 rank 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.
• The Wildcats' picks this year have been fairly spread out. Outside of Duke Shelley, who is ranked 16th nationally in interceptions, the other five picks are by five different players, including four who made their first-career picks.

SHELLEY LEADS THE BACKFIELD
• Senior Duke Shelley is in the midst of his final campaign serving as a primary starter at cornerback the last three years.
• Shelley, who burned his redshirt five games into his true freshman season of 2015, has 39 career passes defended.
• His 39 passes defended rank fifth among active players and rank seventh in school history.

I'LL TAKE THAT
• Duke Shelley has been a ballhawk this year as he totaled three interceptions over a two-game stretch against Baylor and Oklahoma State.
• The Tucker, Georgia, product tallied a career-high two picks against Oklahoma State en route to Big 12 Defensive Player of the Week accolades.
• His two interceptions gave him eight for his career, a mark that is tied for 17th nationally among active players and two shy of entering the school's top-10 list.
• Of Shelley's six career picks, two have been returned for touchdowns to tie for fourth in K-State history and first among active Big 12 players.

WALK THIS WAY
• Junior Reggie Walker has taken his game to another level over the last five games with 6.5 tackles for loss and 4.5 sacks during that span.
• Walker enters the week ranked sixth in the league with 5.5 sacks, while he is tied for 10th 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 15th nationally among active players.

MITTIE IN THE MIDDLE
• Junior graduate transfer Jordan Mittie has started seven games this year, providing the Wildcats a formidable run stopper in the middle of the defense.
• The Aledo, Texas, native tallied a season-best four tackles, his first sack as a Wildcat and a fumble recovery at West Virginia.
• An All-Sun Belt player last year at Texas State, Mittie had 8.0 tackles for loss and 4.0 sacks during his time with the Bobcats.
• Mittie's transfer to K-State shouldn't have come as a surprise as his father, Jeff, is entering his fifth season as the K-State women's basketball head coach in 2018-19.

HUGHES COMING UP HUGE
• Entering the Texas game with five career tackles in nine games, linebacker Justin Hughes has answered the bell the last five contests.
• Hughes recorded 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.
• Hughes has 37 tackles over the last five contests are second on the team to Eli Walker, who has 38 of his team-leading 56 stops during that span.

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 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 71 games as the last was against Louisiana on Sept. 7, 2013. During that stretch, K-State has defended against 272 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.

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]).

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.
• Kansas State also is the only Power 5 team in the country to finish in the top 15 in kickoff-return average each of the last three seasons.
• 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 good game at TCU, averaging 43.2 yards on six punts with two more downed inside the opponent's 20-yard line.

Next Event

Players Mentioned

Devin Anctil

Alex Barnes

Winston Dimel

Justin Hughes

Jordan Mittie

Da'Quan Patton

D.J. Reed

Dalton Risner

Dalton Schoen

Duke Shelley

Skylar Thompson

Eli Walker

Reggie Walker

Nick Walsh

Isaiah Zuber

Kansas State University Athletics