SE: Anudike-Uzomah Making a Name for Himself
Sep 13, 2021 | Football, Sports Extra
By: D. Scott Fritchen
On the final play for a Kansas State defense that was badly in need of big plays, sophomore defensive end Felix Anudike-Uzomah raced around the edge of the Southern Illinois offensive line. This is how it began. He was unstoppable. He was hungry. Southern Illinois trailed by eight points. Quarterback Nic Baker took the Salukis 49 yards in eight plays. They had the ball at the K-State 21-yard line and there was less than 30 seconds remaining in a game that simply didn't want to end.
Then, with one mighty swipe of his hand, Anudike-Uzomah ended it.
The 6-foot-3, 255-pound Anudike-Uzomah (pronounced ann-you-DEE-kay you-ZAH-mah) was underrecruited when he signed his letter-of-intent with K-State on December 18, 2019. Six teams offered him a scholarship. K-State was the only Power 5 squad to do so. Anudike-Uzomah arrived in Manhattan after earning all-state honors his senior season at Lee's Summit (Mo.) High School. And, man, he entered the Vanier Family Football Complex for the first time with a Texas-sized chip on his shoulder.
"Since you were underrecruited," his mother said, "you've got to make a big name for yourself."
Anudike-Uzomah is taking his mother's words to heart. And so, on the final defensive play of the game, and with less than 30 seconds left in the game that didn't want to end, and with Southern Illinois threatening deep in K-State territory, Anudike-Uzomah hooked Baker with his left hand, ripped the football away with his right, and took the life out of the Salukis. Baker lost the football. K-State defensive tackle Timmy Horne recovered it. Game over.
During a game in which sixth-year senior starting quarterback Skylar Thompson went down early with a knee injury, during a game in which the Wildcats committed four turnovers and trailed Southern Illinois 23-21 at the half, and during a game in which shellshocked coaches and players clearly had difficulty concentrating at times while pondering a potential future without Thompson, the Wildcats showed enough resolve to win 31-23 at Bill Snyder Family Stadium.
In lamenting the many pitfalls of his team, and how Southern Illinois continued to battle, K-State head coach Chris Klieman said, "We gave them life."
And then Anudike-Uzomah swiped it away.
"Felix is someone who's going to be great for us for a very long time," said K-State sophomore running back Deuce Vaughn, who is his roommate.
"Felix is a workhorse," K-State cornerback Julius Brents said.
K-State defensive coordinator Joe Klanderman midway through fall camp used one word to describe Anudike-Uzomah: "Tremendous."
"All I'm thinking is when I see the quarterback and I'm alone with him, I try to hit the ball with my right hand and tackle with my left," Anudike-Uzomah said, shrugging his shoulders after the game. "That's how I go every time. That's my mindset."
Some very fine players go almost the entirety of their careers without recording two sacks in a single game. Anudike-Uzomah had three sacks against Southern Illinois. Two of those were forced fumbles of the "strip-sack" variety, as they're typically called. His pair of strip-sacks arrived over the course of the final three defensive possessions.
"I've become a lot better player," Anudike-Uzomah said. "Last year, I didn't know the defense and scheme that much. Wyatt Hubert helped me to understand the game. He showed me how to be a better defensive end."
Anudike-Uzomah had three tackles and one sack while playing in five games last season.
Now Anudike-Uzomah leads the Big 12 Conference with three sacks in 2021.
In fact, among all Power 5 conference players, only Florida State's Jermaine Johnson II, Missouri's Blaze Alldredge, LSU's Andre Anthony and Michigan's Aidan Hutchinson currently have more sacks than Anudike-Uzomah after two games.
Anudike-Uzomah had two forced fumbles against Southern Illinois.
Only one player in the nation has more this season.
"The way Felix prepares is ridiculous," Vaughn said. "Out in practice, he doesn't take a rep off. Those things we're seeing on Saturday, man, we saw that on Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday in practice. We saw it in spring ball as well. He's changed his body. He's gotten bigger. He's worked on his game. It's crazy to see.
"He's a fantastic player. And he's going to be a fantastic player for us for a long time."
Anudike-Uzomah will remember his strip sacks. Baker might never forget them, either. But what Anudike-Uzomah will also remember is the remarkable feeling of being a large contributor to his football family in front of the K-State family — the crowd of 47,628 that roared for his boundless effort the way it used to roar for the likes of Darren Howard, Ryan Mueller and Hubert on the very same football field. This time a year ago, there were few fans in the stands. That's a small part of what the pandemic took away. Now the fans are back. And they helped to spring Anudike-Uzomah and the Wildcats to life.
"It was amazing," Anudike-Uzomah said. "I'd never experienced that. Last year, coming in as a true freshman, I didn't see many fans because the stadium had to be at half capacity. When I came out of the tunnel today, man, I was amazed. It was crazy. It was unbelievable."
And it was just the start for Anudike-Uzomah, the strip-sack master, who sucked the life out of Southern Illinois when the Wildcats absolutely needed it, and behind his exploits is heeding his mother's words one play at a time. This is only the beginning. And it might only continue.
"My goals?" Anudike-Uzomah said. "First, my goal is to be an unstoppable defense."
He paused.
"Number two," he said, "I want to be the best defensive end in the conference."
When K-State needed him the most, he was unstoppable, he was hungry, and with a mighty swipe of his hand, he ended a wild game.
On the final play for a Kansas State defense that was badly in need of big plays, sophomore defensive end Felix Anudike-Uzomah raced around the edge of the Southern Illinois offensive line. This is how it began. He was unstoppable. He was hungry. Southern Illinois trailed by eight points. Quarterback Nic Baker took the Salukis 49 yards in eight plays. They had the ball at the K-State 21-yard line and there was less than 30 seconds remaining in a game that simply didn't want to end.
Then, with one mighty swipe of his hand, Anudike-Uzomah ended it.
The 6-foot-3, 255-pound Anudike-Uzomah (pronounced ann-you-DEE-kay you-ZAH-mah) was underrecruited when he signed his letter-of-intent with K-State on December 18, 2019. Six teams offered him a scholarship. K-State was the only Power 5 squad to do so. Anudike-Uzomah arrived in Manhattan after earning all-state honors his senior season at Lee's Summit (Mo.) High School. And, man, he entered the Vanier Family Football Complex for the first time with a Texas-sized chip on his shoulder.
"Since you were underrecruited," his mother said, "you've got to make a big name for yourself."
Anudike-Uzomah is taking his mother's words to heart. And so, on the final defensive play of the game, and with less than 30 seconds left in the game that didn't want to end, and with Southern Illinois threatening deep in K-State territory, Anudike-Uzomah hooked Baker with his left hand, ripped the football away with his right, and took the life out of the Salukis. Baker lost the football. K-State defensive tackle Timmy Horne recovered it. Game over.
During a game in which sixth-year senior starting quarterback Skylar Thompson went down early with a knee injury, during a game in which the Wildcats committed four turnovers and trailed Southern Illinois 23-21 at the half, and during a game in which shellshocked coaches and players clearly had difficulty concentrating at times while pondering a potential future without Thompson, the Wildcats showed enough resolve to win 31-23 at Bill Snyder Family Stadium.
In lamenting the many pitfalls of his team, and how Southern Illinois continued to battle, K-State head coach Chris Klieman said, "We gave them life."
And then Anudike-Uzomah swiped it away.
"Felix is someone who's going to be great for us for a very long time," said K-State sophomore running back Deuce Vaughn, who is his roommate.
"Felix is a workhorse," K-State cornerback Julius Brents said.
K-State defensive coordinator Joe Klanderman midway through fall camp used one word to describe Anudike-Uzomah: "Tremendous."
"All I'm thinking is when I see the quarterback and I'm alone with him, I try to hit the ball with my right hand and tackle with my left," Anudike-Uzomah said, shrugging his shoulders after the game. "That's how I go every time. That's my mindset."
Some very fine players go almost the entirety of their careers without recording two sacks in a single game. Anudike-Uzomah had three sacks against Southern Illinois. Two of those were forced fumbles of the "strip-sack" variety, as they're typically called. His pair of strip-sacks arrived over the course of the final three defensive possessions.
"I've become a lot better player," Anudike-Uzomah said. "Last year, I didn't know the defense and scheme that much. Wyatt Hubert helped me to understand the game. He showed me how to be a better defensive end."
Anudike-Uzomah had three tackles and one sack while playing in five games last season.
Now Anudike-Uzomah leads the Big 12 Conference with three sacks in 2021.
In fact, among all Power 5 conference players, only Florida State's Jermaine Johnson II, Missouri's Blaze Alldredge, LSU's Andre Anthony and Michigan's Aidan Hutchinson currently have more sacks than Anudike-Uzomah after two games.
Anudike-Uzomah had two forced fumbles against Southern Illinois.
Only one player in the nation has more this season.
"The way Felix prepares is ridiculous," Vaughn said. "Out in practice, he doesn't take a rep off. Those things we're seeing on Saturday, man, we saw that on Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday in practice. We saw it in spring ball as well. He's changed his body. He's gotten bigger. He's worked on his game. It's crazy to see.
"He's a fantastic player. And he's going to be a fantastic player for us for a long time."
Anudike-Uzomah will remember his strip sacks. Baker might never forget them, either. But what Anudike-Uzomah will also remember is the remarkable feeling of being a large contributor to his football family in front of the K-State family — the crowd of 47,628 that roared for his boundless effort the way it used to roar for the likes of Darren Howard, Ryan Mueller and Hubert on the very same football field. This time a year ago, there were few fans in the stands. That's a small part of what the pandemic took away. Now the fans are back. And they helped to spring Anudike-Uzomah and the Wildcats to life.
"It was amazing," Anudike-Uzomah said. "I'd never experienced that. Last year, coming in as a true freshman, I didn't see many fans because the stadium had to be at half capacity. When I came out of the tunnel today, man, I was amazed. It was crazy. It was unbelievable."
And it was just the start for Anudike-Uzomah, the strip-sack master, who sucked the life out of Southern Illinois when the Wildcats absolutely needed it, and behind his exploits is heeding his mother's words one play at a time. This is only the beginning. And it might only continue.
"My goals?" Anudike-Uzomah said. "First, my goal is to be an unstoppable defense."
He paused.
"Number two," he said, "I want to be the best defensive end in the conference."
When K-State needed him the most, he was unstoppable, he was hungry, and with a mighty swipe of his hand, he ended a wild game.
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