Cats, Midshipmen Tangle on New Year's Eve in AutoZone Liberty Bowl

MANHATTAN, Kan. - An eight-win regular season was rewarded with Kansas State's ninth bowl berth in the last 10 years as the Wildcats look to win three-consecutive bowl games for the first time in school history against first-time opponent Navy in the 61st Annual AutoZone Liberty Bowl. The game is slated for a 2:45 p.m., kickoff on Tuesday, December 31, inside Liberty Bowl Memorial Stadium in Memphis, Tennessee.

The Liberty Bowl is the 22nd bowl game in school history, with 21 of those coming since 1993. The Wildcats are advancing to postseason play under first-year head coach Chris Klieman, who has the most wins by a first-year head coach in school history and the second-most victories this season by a first-time Power 5 head coach (Ryan Day, Ohio State). The 2019 version of the AutoZone Liberty Bowl will be K-State's second trip to the Birthplace of Rock 'n Roll as the Wildcats will look to avenge a 45-23 loss to Arkansas in the game following the 2015 season.

The Wildcats are one of just 22 teams in the nation to advance to at least nine bowl games this decade, including one of four in the Big 12 (Baylor, Oklahoma, Oklahoma State). In its last two bowl games, the Wildcats defeated Texas A&M, 33-28, in the 2016 Texas Bowl prior to a 35-17 victory over UCLA in the 2017 Cactus Bowl. It was the second time in school history that K-State won consecutive bowl games as the Wildcats look for their first three-game bowl winning streak against Navy.

A LOOK AT K-STATE
K-State rode the waves of celebration and adversity on its way to an 8-4 regular season as the Wildcats jumped out to a 3-0 start – highlighted by a 31-24 win at Mississippi State – before dropping its first two Big 12 games. The win in Starkville was the Wildcats' first at an SEC venue, going 0-11 prior to the fourth-quarter comeback victory. Following the 0-2 start to conference play, the Wildcats got back on track with a 24-17 victory over TCU, which preceded a 48-41 upset victory over then-No. 5 and now College Football Playoff participant Oklahoma. The Wildcats erased a pair of 10-point deficits by outscoring the Sooners, 41-6, over the second and third quarters before hanging on in the final period for the win. K-State went on to earn its 11th-straight Sunflower Showdown victory over Kansas the next week, but it dropped the next two games by a combined seven points – a three-point loss at Texas on a field goal as time expired and a four-point defeat to West Virginia. The Wildcats pushed through adversity to secure wins their final two contests, a 30-27 victory at Texas Tech and a 27-17 win in the regular-season and home finale over Iowa State, K-State's 11th win in the last 12 years over the Cyclones.

Kansas State is led on offense by junior quarterback Skylar Thompson, a 2019 Honorable Mention All-Big 12 pick who is in line to make the 27th career start. The Independence, Missouri, native has set career highs in passing yards (2,191), touchdowns (12) and completions (167) this season, while he has been one of the more effective running quarterbacks in the Big 12 in 2019. The Wildcats boast three running backs with at least 250 rushing yards, led by graduate transfer and All-Big 12 pick James Gilbert with 698 yards and six touchdowns. Another grad transfer, Jordon Brown, has 367 yards and four scores, while junior Harry Trotter has 261 yards and three scores. The trio has run behind a senior-laden offensive line that seen five of the six regular contributors earn All-Big 12 honors this season. The wideouts are led by senior Dalton Schoen, who has 35 catches for 567 yards and four scores, while freshman Malik Knowles and Phillip Brooks also have at least 20 catches for 250 yards.

Defensively, senior safety Denzel Goolsby leads four players that have at least 50 tackles, while First Team All-Big 12 defensive end Wyatt Hubert ranks second in the league in sacks (7.0) and eighth in tackles for loss (12.5). Cornerback AJ Parker has a team-high three interceptions and eight total passes defended, while Goolsby and linebacker Da'Quan Patton each have two picks.

Kansas State has been known to have stellar special teams, and 2019 is no different as its place kicker, Blake Lynch, punter, Devin Anctil, and kick returner, Joshua Youngblood each earned All-Big 12 honors. Youngblood was the 2019 Big 12 Special Teams Player of the Year with a nation-leading three kickoff-return touchdowns. Anctil ranks first in the Big 12 with a 45.0-yard average, which including 17 punts of 50 or more yards. Lynch ranks seventh nationally in field-goal percentage (90.0%) and 22nd in field goals per game (1.50).

A LOOK AT NAVY
Navy enters the AutoZone Liberty Bowl with a 10-2 record – including a 7-1 mark to tie for first in the AAC West – fresh off a 31-7 victory over Army to claim the Commander-in-Chief Trophy. Navy's only two losses this year are a 35-23 defeat at Memphis – the Group of 5 representative in the New Year's Six – and a 52-20 setback at then-No. 16 Notre Dame. The Midshipmen rank first in the nation with a 363.7-yard average on the ground, 66.5 yards better than the next best team. Quarterback Malcolm Perry ranks second nationally with 150.3 rushing yards per game as the Mids' signal caller is coming off a 304-yard, two-touchdown performance against the Black Knights, a game in which he did not attempt a pass. Perry has 21 touchdowns on the season, while Jamale Carothers is second with 14 touchdowns and a 79.1-yard rushing average per game. Linebacker Diego Fagot has a team-high 93 tackles, while striker Jacob Springer paces Navy in both tackles for loss (16.0) and sacks (8.0). Three Midshipmen have two interceptions on the season.

A LOOK AT THE SERIES
• Kansas State and Navy will meet for the first time ever on the gridiron in the AutoZone Liberty Bowl.
• The game will mark the sixth all-time meeting between the Wildcats and a service academy and the first since hosting Army in 1987.
• K-State is 3-2 all-time against service academies, going 3-0 against Air Force and 0-2 against Army.

K-STATE AND THE AAC
• K-State will be playing its 33rd game all-time against current members of the American Athletic Conference when the Wildcats face Navy in the AutoZone Liberty Bowl, but it will be the first time they will face an AAC member since the league's reorganization in 2014.
• It is the first time K-State will face a current member of the AAC in a bowl game, while it will be the first away from Manhattan since a 23-21 victory at Cincinnati in 1995.
• The Wildcats' last game against one of the league's current members was 2010 in Manhattan when they topped UCF, 17-13, on a rushing touchdown with 24 seconds remaining.

ONE OF THE BIG 12'S BEST
• K-State ranks third in Big 12 wins since the league's inception in 1996, trailing only Oklahoma and Texas.
• The Wildcats also rank third in the conference in winning percentage since round-robin play began in 2011. They sit at .605 (49-32), trailing only Oklahoma (.827; 67-14) and Oklahoma State (.642 52-29).
• During that stretch, the Wildcats are 28-13 (.683) at home in Big 12 play and 21-19 (.525) on the road.

A WINNING HISTORY
• A proven winner with a championship history, Chris Klieman came to Manhattan after capping his five-year stint as head coach at North Dakota State by winning his fourth national championship in 2018.
• A native of Waterloo, Iowa, Klieman has a career record of 80-17 (.825), going 69-6 in his five seasons at NDSU, 3-7 in one year at Division III Loras College in 2005 and 8-4 this year.
• Klieman's overall winning percentage ranks eighth among all active NCAA coaches – regardless of division – and tops among active FBS coaches.

FOOTBALL IS FOOTBALL
• Despite not having any FBS head coaching experience, Chris Klieman has shown that "football is football" is more than just a saying.
• Klieman tallied eight regular-season victories to set the school record by first-year head coaches, topping College Football Hall of Famer Lynn "Pappy" Waldorf (7-2-1 in 1934) and Ron Prince (7-6 in 2006).
• In fact, Klieman is one of the most successful first-time Power 5 head coaches over the last five years as his eight regular-season wins are tied for fifth over that span.

FEW FLAGS
• One staple of Kansas State football throughout the years has been limited penalties, and the 2019 Wildcats have continued that trend.
• K-State enters the bowl season ranked fifth in the Big 12 in fewest penalties with 72 this season.
• The Kansas game was an anomaly as the Wildcats were flagged 11 times for 113 yards, the first time they had over 10 penalties and 100 penalty yards since the 2018 season opener.

HIGH T.O.P.
• K-State enters the bowl season ranked third nationally in time of possession at 34:17.
• The Wildcats' best season time of possession average since 1985 was 33:55 during the 2011 season.
• K-State has possessed the ball for over 40 minutes twice this year, including a 42:52 mark against Bowling Green to rank eighth in Big 12 history, while they have two other games with over 38:00 of possession (38:08 vs. Oklahoma, 38:03 at Kansas).

CATS TOPS IN NON-OFFENSIVE TDs
• K-State is the nation's best in non-offensive touchdowns over the last 21 seasons as it has 117 since 1999, nine more than the next closest team.
• Entering the season, the Wildcats were averaging 5.6 non-offensive touchdowns per year since 1999, while the yearly average for the other 105 teams to play FBS football since 1999 was 3.3.
• Kansas State's average is boosted by the fact that it has at least five non-offensive touchdowns in seven of the last nine years, which includes the 2019 season.
• The Wildcats have a nation-leading four kickoff-return touchdowns this year – including three from individual leader Joshua Youngblood – while Jonathan Alexander returned a fumble for a touchdown in the season opener.

THESE CATS ARE SMART
• K-State enters the 2019 AutoZone Liberty Bowl with 31 players on its roster that have obtained their undergraduate degrees.
• The list includes: Devin Anctil (P), Kyle Ball (DE), Mason Barta (FB), Daron Bowles (DB), Tyler Burns (RB), Evan Curl (OL), Joe Davies (DT), Trey Dishon (DT), Johnathan Durham (DB), Scott Frantz (OL), Eric Gallon II (LB), Blaise Gammon (TE), James Gilbert (RB), Denzel Goolsby (DB), Adam Holtorf (OL), Justin Hughes (LB), Nick Kaltmayer (OL), Blake Lynch (PK), Kevion McGee (DB), Nick McLellan (PK), Tyler Mitchell (OL), Jordan Mittie (DT), Brock Monty (DB), Da'Quan Patton (LB), Hayden Perry (OL), D.J. Render (DB), Blake Richmeier (LB), Dalton Schoen (WR), Luke Sowa (FB), Elijah Sullivan (LB) and Reggie Walker (DE).
• The Wildcats have also been by far the best in the conference in terms of Academic All-Big 12 accolades as they have a league-leading 167 since 2014, which is 41 more than the next closest program (Oklahoma State, 126).
• This season, K-State set a new school record with 32 academic all-conference honorees – the third most in Big 12 history – while they set a conference record with 26 first-team members.

BALANCED ON OFFENSE
• Kansas State has been extremely balanced on offense this season, totaling 2,268 rushing yards and 2,228 passing yards.
• The Wildcats' current difference of 40 yards is their fewest since at least 1949. The next closest team was the 1986 squad with a 43-yard difference (1,418 rushing; 1,375 passing).
• Against Oklahoma, K-State was a perfect 50-50 split with 213 rushing yards and 213 passing yards.
• K-State had 573 yards of total offense against Nicholls, which tied for the seventh most in school history and were the most ever in a season opener.
• With 521 yards against Bowling Green, K-State eclipsed the 500-yard total offense mark in the first two games of a season for the first time ever.

FEW OFFENSIVE TURNOVERS
• The Wildcats only have nine offensive turnovers this season (4 fumbles, 5 interceptions), K-State's fewest in a regular season since the 2012 team also had nine (2 fumbles, 7 interceptions).
• Of the Wildcats' seven total lost fumbles this year, three are on punt returns and one was on an interception return.
• K-State was the final team in the nation to commit an offensive turnover this year when it fumbled at OSU. The Cats went the first 189 minutes, 38 seconds of the 2019 season without committing an offensive turnover.

RACKING UP RUSHING YARDS
• The Cats showed at the outset of the year their ability to run the ball, a mark that now stands at 189.0 per game.
• K-State has 2,268 total rushing yards this season. The Wildcats have hit 2,000 rushing yards for the 10th time in the last 11 years and the 18th time in the last 23 years.
• The Wildcats need 175 rushing yards in the AutoZone Liberty Bowl to tie for 10th in school history.
• K-State carded over 300 yards rushing in each of the first two games, the first time since at least 1965 that the Cats went over the 300-yard mark twice to open a season.
• Over the Oklahoma and Kansas games, K-State ran for 555 yards and 11 scores on the ground. Their 342 rushing yards against Kansas were the most in a Big 12 game since totaling 366 yards at TCU in 2016.

RUNNING TO PAYDIRT
• Eight different Wildcats have tallied rushing touchdowns this year for a team total of 28. Last year, K-State had 20 total rushing touchdowns in 12 games.
• The last time the Wildcats had more than eight players score a rushing touchdown during a season was 2002 (9).
• The Wildcats are three rushing scores away from tying for 10th in school history.
• K-State backs have accounted for 17 rushing touchdowns this season after the position group only had 13 in 2018.

GOING THE DISTANCE
• Kansas State has three touchdown drive this season of at least 90 yards – 97 yards against Nicholls, 95 yards against TCU and 98 yards against Iowa State.
• The long drive against the Frogs was capped by a 3-yard run by Skylar Thompson with 2:45 left in a 24-17 victory.
• The 98-yard drive against the Cyclones was the longest by the Wildcats since also going 98 yards against both Texas Tech and UCLA in 2017.

DEFENSE RANKING HIGHLY
• The K-State defense is having one of its best statistical seasons in 2019.
• The year is highlighted by four top-30 rankings, including a No. 1 mark in third-down defense (25.9%).

UNDER AVERAGE
• Although it plays in a high-powered offensive league, K-State has been outstanding in terms of keeping opposing teams well below their season scoring average.
• The Wildcats held 11 of their 12 opponents under their season scoring averages prior to the bowl season.

GETTING OFF THE FIELD
• The K-State defense has excelled in terms of getting off the field on third down during this year as the Cats lead the nation in third down defense (25.9%) ahead of Wisconsin (27.1%), UCF (28.0%) and Ohio State (28.6%).
• The Cats have allowed only 35 third down conversions this year, the fewest in that nation by 10 (Wisconsin, 45).
• The low conversion number is aided by the Wildcats not allowing a single one against Bowling Green – the first time since the 2003 Kansas game that K-State did not allow a third-down conversion – while it was the first time since 2011 that a Big 12 team did not give up one.
• In the regular-season finale against Iowa State, the Wildcats limited the Cyclones to just 1-of-13 on third-down conversions (7.7%), the lowest conversion rate that K-State had yielded in a Big 12 contest since the aforementioned Kansas game.
• Additionally, K-State was the last team in the nation to allow a fourth-down conversion when Texas converted one on November 9.

3-AND-OUT
• K-State forced teams into 39 three-and-out this year, its highest mark since the 2007 team also totaled 39.
• In Big 12 play, the Cat defense had 25 three-and-outs, the most since also having 25 in 2014.
• The Wildcats ended the year in a high note in that department as, in addition to limiting Iowa State to 1-of-13 on third downs, they forced six three-and-outs on 12 Cyclone drives. It was the most three-and-outs by K-State in a Big 12 game since the 2016 TCU contest (6).

LIMITED SNAPS
• Thanks to its efficiency on third downs and its success in forcing 3-and-outs, the K-State defense is one of the nation's leaders in fewest defensive snaps played.
• K-State has defended against just 713 plays in its 12 games as its 59.4 defensive snaps per game rank second in the nation.

SCORING IN THE THIRD PHASE
• Kansas State has been far and away the best team among FBS programs over the last 15 years when it comes to scoring via a kickoff or punt return.
• The Wildcats have a combined 52 kickoff- and punt-return touchdowns since 2005, 21 more than any other FBS school during that stretch.
• Malik Knowles got things going for the Wildcats in that department in 2019 with a 100-yard kickoff return at Mississippi State, while Joshua Youngblood went 98 yards for a kickoff-return score at Texas, 100 yards at Texas Tech and 93 yards on the opening kickoff in the regular-season finale against Iowa State.

ALL THE WAY
• Kansas State has been the best team in the country in kickoff-return touchdown with four, a mark that is tied for the school record with the 2009 and 2015 teams.
• The Wildcats have as many or more kickoff-return touchdowns this year than the combined conference totals of four FBS leagues (Pac-12: 4; Sun Belt: 4; SEC: 2; MAC: 2).
• The Wildcats, who represent 0.7% of FBS teams (1 of 130) have 8.7% (4 of 46) of kickoff-return touchdowns in the nation this year entering the bowl season.

DEFENSE ON KICKOFFS
• K-State has been consistent in terms of kickoff coverage as the Cats have not allowed a kickoff-return touchdown in the last 87 games, the last being against Louisiana on September 7, 2013. During that stretch, K-State has defended against 324 kickoff returns.
• K-State has ranked in the top 30 nationally in kickoff return defense each of the last five seasons, including a No. 2 national ranking in 2017.
• The Wildcats enter the bowl season ranked 23rd in that department by limiting opponents to just 18.09 yards per return.

Kansas State University Athletics

Cats, Midshipmen Tangle on New Year's Eve in AutoZone Liberty Bowl

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Players Mentioned

Jonathan Alexander

Devin Anctil

Kyle Ball

Mason Barta

Daron Bowles

Phillip Brooks

Jordon Brown

Tyler Burns

Evan Curl

Joe Davies

Trey Dishon

Johnathan Durham

Scott Frantz

Eric Gallon II

Blaise Gammon

James Gilbert

Denzel Goolsby

Adam Holtorf

Wyatt Hubert

Justin Hughes

Nick Kaltmayer

Malik Knowles

Blake Lynch

Kevion McGee

Nick McLellan

Tyler Mitchell

Jordan Mittie

Brock Monty

AJ Parker

Da'Quan Patton

Hayden Perry

D.J. Render

Blake Richmeier

Dalton Schoen

Luke Sowa

Elijah Sullivan

Skylar Thompson

Harry Trotter

Reggie Walker

Joshua Youngblood

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