Wildcats Return Home to Host No. 4 Sooners

MANHATTAN, Kan. - Looking to bounce back from a disappointing 31-20 loss at Oklahoma State, K-State returns to Bill Snyder Family Stadium for two-straight games, beginning with a contest against fourth-ranked Oklahoma on Saturday. The game kicks off at 2:30 p.m. and will be televised by FOX with Aaron Goldsmith (play-by-play) and Brock Huard (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. Fans can also catch the game on SiriusXM (S: 83; XM: 83, App: 83) in addition to The Varsity Network app.

A LOOK AT K-STATE
• K-State is looking for its third-straight victory over the Sooners after marquee wins in 2019 and 2020, the latter being a 21-point comeback in Norman.
• The Wildcats have rushed for 739 yards through four games – led by Deuce Vaughn's 393 yards – while surrendering just 75.2 yards per game on the ground to rank 11th in the nation.
• Vaughn saw a five-game streak of 100-yard games come to an end last week, which were the most by a Wildcat since Darren Sproles had five in 2003.
• Quarterback Skylar Thompson, who is back for his "Super Senior" season, ranks in the top 10 in school history in 15 career categories, but he missed the last two games due to injury.
• In his absence, Will Howard (starter) and Jaren Lewis were efficient in the win against Nevada as they combined to go 9-for-13 for 129 yards and a touchdown with no turnovers, while Howard added 56 rushing yards with two scores.
• K-State quarterbacks have the luxury of playing behind an experienced offensive line that brought back 100% of its starts from a year ago in addition to playmakers at every skill position.
• Vaughn headlines the skill group after he was named the True Freshman of the Year by 247Sports in 2020, as well as an All-American and Freshman All-American by multiple outlets.
• In Vaughn's 14 career games played he has at least 100 scrimmage yards nine times – including all four games this year – as he ranks second nationally among active players in career all-purpose yards per game (122.57).
• Wide receivers Malik Knowles and Phillip Brooks, the latter a 2020 All-American as a punt returner, are back, while the Wildcats welcomed tight end transfer Daniel Imatorbhebhe, who has spent time at both USC and Illinois. The trio have combined for 23 catches for 427 yards, which includes a 68-yard catch-and-run touchdown by Imatorbhebhe against Nevada.
• K-State has rotated nearly 10 players along the defensive front, while its linebacker corps are led by Cody Fletcher with 26 stops along with Daniel Green and his 25 tackles.
• The Wildcats have four interceptions on the year as safeties Russ Yeast and TJ Smith each recorded a pick against Stanford, defensive tackles Jaylen Pickle had one against Southern Illinois, and cornerback Tee Denson picked off Nevada.
• The Cats have 14 sacks this year to rank 14th nationally.
• New kicker Taiten Winkel has made 5-of-6 field goals and all 14 extra points.

A LOOK AT OKLAHOMA
• Oklahoma heads into the contest with a 4-0 record on the season following wins over Tulane, Western Carolina, Nebraska and West Virginia.
• Currently the highest ranked Big 12 team, OU is sixth in this week's Associated Press Top 25 and fourth in the USA TODAY Sports AFCA Coaches' Poll.
• The Sooners are 20th nationally in scoring offense, 21st nationally in scoring defense and is 11th nationally in rushing defense.
• Quarterback Spencer Rattler has completed 100 of his 135 pass attempts on the year for 1,017 yards and eight touchdowns.
• Rattler has spread the ball out as three different receivers – Mike Woods, Jadon Haselwood and Mario Williams – each have 17 catches, while the latter two have a pair of touchdowns.
• On the ground, Kennedy Brooks and Eric Gray have combined for 450 yards on 84 carries (5.36 yds/rush) and three scores.
• Defensively, Delarrin Turner-Yell leads the team with 25 tackles, while the rush defense has been one of the better units in the Big 12.

A LOOK AT THE SERIES
• Oklahoma leads the all-time series, 76-21-4, including a 37-9-3 mark in Manhattan.
• The Wildcats have won each of the last two meetings, their first time winning consecutive games in the series since a five-game streak from 1993 to 1995.
• K-State used its largest comeback in school history in last year's affair as Oklahoma held a 35-14 advantage with two minutes left in the fourth quarter but scored the game's final 24 points en route to a 38-35 victory over the third-ranked Sooners.
• It was the first time in school history that K-State won a road game over a team ranked in the top five of the Associated Press Top 25.
• The year prior in Manhattan, the Wildcats topped the fifth-ranked Sooners, 48-41. In that game, K-State held a 48-23 lead in the fourth quarter and was able to hold on down the stretch to secure their first victory over a top-five team in 13 years.
• The Wildcats were the first Big 12 team to defeat Oklahoma in consecutive years since 2013-14 (Baylor), while they are the first to do so against top-five Sooner teams since 2001-02 (Oklahoma State).
• K-State will look to be the third team with wins over the Sooners in three-straight years in the Big 12 era (Texas A&M, 1996-98; Texas, 1997-99).

BIG 12 HOME OPENERS
• K-State holds a 15-10 all-time record in Big 12 home openers, which includes a win last year against Texas Tech.
• The only other meeting between the two schools in Big 12 play in K-State's Big 12 home opener was a 31-21 Sooner win in 2004.

TWO OF THE BIG 12'S BEST
• Two of the top teams in the Big 12 both overall and as of late will square off this Saturday as K-State ranks third in Big 12 wins since the league's inception in 1996, while OU is first.
• The Wildcats also rank third in the conference in winning percentage since round-robin play began in 2011. They sit at 58.3% (53-38), trailing only Oklahoma (82.2%; 74-16) and Oklahoma State (64.8%; 59-32).

PERFECT NON-CON SLATE
• Kansas State put the finishing touches on a perfect non-conference schedule with an impressive 38-17 victory over Nevada. It was the Wildcats' 17th unblemished non-conference record since 1993, and the second in Chris Klieman's two full non-conference schedules since arriving in Manhattan.

IMPRESSIVE RESUME
• The three opponents that the Wildcats defeated in non-conference play have found success when not playing K-State as Stanford, Southern Illinois and Nevada have combined for a 7-1 record – including a 3-1 mark against Power 5 teams – in their other games.
• The average score for those three teams in their games not against K-State is 39.4-19.3.

MARQUEE WINS
• K-State has knocked off top-five teams in consecutive seasons under Chris Klieman, and the win last year at No. 3 Oklahoma carried some extreme significance. Down 21 points in the third quarter, K-State became just the second team in 547 tries since 2004 to rally for a win over a top-five team when trailing in the game by 21 points.
• The win was the 10th all-time in K-State history over an AP top-10 team, and the No. 3 Sooners were the highest ranked team the Wildcats had ever defeated in a true road game.

A WINNING HISTORY
• A proven winner with a championship history, Chris Klieman holds an 87-25 career record as his 77.7% career winning percentage ranks fourth among current FBS coaches that have led programs for at least eight years.
• 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. Klieman guided the 2018 Bison to a perfect 15-0 record.

WINNING THE FINAL FRAME
• Kansas State is off to a 3-1 start thanks in part to its play in the fourth quarter, as the Wildcats are outscoring their opponents, 38-7, in the final frame.
• The Wildcat offensive line and defense have been catalysts in the fourth quarter as K-State is averaging 44.0 rushing yards in the final 15 minutes as opposed to 6.0 yards per game by its opponents, which includes negative rushing totals by Southern Illinois and Nevada.

CATS TOPS IN NON-OFFENSIVE TDs
• K-State is the nation's best in non-offensive touchdowns over the last 23 seasons as it has 123 since 1999, eight more than the next closest team.
• Kansas State had three non-offensive touchdowns in last year's win over Kansas as Phillip Brooks returned two punts for scores, and Justin Gardner had a pick-six.
• It was the first time the Cats had three non-offensive scores in one game since doing so against Montana State in 2008, while it was the first time K-State had a punt return score and a pick-six in the same game since the 2007 Texas contest.
• K-State has had at least five non-offensive scores in seven of the last 10 years. Last year, the Cats missed that mark by just one during their shortened 10-game schedule.
• A 99-yard kickoff return score by Malik Knowles at Oklahoma State was the first non-offensive score of the 2021 season.

OFFENSIVE NOTES
200 OR MORE
• Dating back to last season, Kansas State has rushed for 200 yards in five of its last six games but saw its streak of five-straight snapped at Oklahoma State last week.
• The Wildcats put together a 269-yard output against Nevada, the sixth time under head coach Chris Klieman that the Wildcats have totaled at least 250 yards on the ground.
• The Wildcats rushed for 200 yards against Stanford, 208 yards against SIU and 269 yards vs. Nevada as K-State is currently fourth in the Big 12 in rushing offense.

SHOT PLAYS
• K-State had seven plays from scrimmage of at least 60 yards last season, which ranked fifth in the nation behind Louisville (9), Alabama (8), Appalachian State (8) and North Carolina (8).
• Against Stanford, K-State had five plays from scrimmage that went for 20 or more yards, including a 56-yard catch by Phillip Brooks and a 59-yard touchdown run by Deuce Vaughn, while the Wildcats added another on a 50-yard pass to Malik Knowles against Southern Illinois.
• Against Nevada, Kansas State scored on the second play of the game, a 68-yard pass from Will Howard to Daniel Imatorbhebhe with 14:16 left on the clock. It was tied for the ninth-quickest score in school history.
• The Wildcats' five plays of 50 or more yards this season are tied for ninth in the nation.

RED ZONE SUCCESS
• In the first two-plus years under offensive coordinator Courtney Messingham, Kansas State has converted on 93-of-98 (94.9%) of its red zone opportunities.
• Included in that stretch is a streak of 67-straight red zone conversions, as the Wildcats were true on their final 39 tries of 2019 and their first 24 opportunities of 2020.
• The Wildcats led the nation in red zone offense in 2019 at a 96.2% clip (50-of-52). K-State was fourth last year at 93.9% (31-of-33) but second among teams with 30 or more attempts.
• K-State is the only team in the nation to rank in the top five of red zone offense each of the last two years.

AN EXPERIENCED SIGNAL CALLER
• Skylar Thompson is one of the most experienced quarterbacks in K-State history as he has made 32 career starts, which are tied for the most among K-State signal callers since 1990.
• Thompson is tied with Ell Roberson, who made 32 starts over the 2001 through 2003 seasons.
• Thompson's 19 victories as a starter rank fifth by a Wildcat since 1990, just three behind a three-way tie for first place between Roberson, Collin Klein and Michael Bishop.

CHASING MILESTONES
• Not only did Skylar Thompson return to end his career on a high note with the team, but he is also hunting some records during his final season in Manhattan.
• A product of Independence Missouri, Thompson ranks in the top 10 in school history in 15 career categories. A detailed list of records can be found on page 48.
• Additionally, Thompson needs 739 more passing yards to become the first player in school history with 6,000 passing yards and 1,000 rushing yards in a career.

5x100
• Sophomore running back Deuce Vaughn put together a streak of five-straight games of 100 rushing yards, which was snapped last week at Oklahoma State.
• The streak was tied for the third longest in school history. Darren Sproles holds the record with 10-straight that spanned over the 2002 and 2003 seasons, while Isaac Jackson had a six-game streak in 1976. Sproles also had a five-game streak later in 2003.
• The last four games of Vaughn's streak featured 120 or more yards, the longest stretch of games with at least 120 rushing yards since Darren Sproles did so in five-straight games in 2003.
• Vaughn's final game of the streak was a 127-yard output against Nevada, a new career high.

QUICK TO 1,000
• Deuce Vaughn reached the 1,000-yard mark for his career during the Nevada game, becoming the 32nd player in school history to hit the milestone.
• However, Vaughn was one of the quickest in school history reach 1,000 career rushing yards, doing so on his 183rd career carry. It was the fifth quickest in school history to 1,000 career rushing yards.

DEUCE TO PAYDIRT
• Deuce Vaughn has five rushing touchdowns in four games this year, which ranks 21st in the nation and second in the Big 12.
• His total this year was boosted by a three-touchdown performance against Southern Illinois. It was the most by a Wildcat since Skylar Thompson also had three last year at Oklahoma, while it was the most by a K-State running back since Alex Barnes had four against Oklahoma State in 2018.

DEUCE ON THE LOOSE
• A product of Round Rock, Texas, Deuce Vaughn has been one of the best all-purpose backs in the nation over the first 14 games of his career.
• Vaughn ranks second in the nation among active players in career all-purpose per game at 122.57.
• One of the main reasons he is producing over 120 all-purpose yards per game is his work as a receiver, as Vaughn ranks fifth in school history among running backs or fullbacks in career receiving yards.

MALIK MAKING MOVES
• Junior Malik Knowles put together a 112-yard receiving game against Southern Illinois, a new career high. His previous high was 99 yards against Bowling Green in 2019.
• Paired with Deuce Vaughn's 100-yard rushing game, it marked the first time since the 2014 Texas Tech game that the Wildcats had a player with 100 rushing yards and another with 100 receiving yards.

DEFENSIVE NOTES
BEHIND THE LINE
• Kansas State totaled 68 tackles for loss in just 10 games a year ago, which were the most by the Wildcats since the 2016 squad had 70 during a 13-game season.
• A total 22 Wildcats carded at least a half tackle for loss, 16 of which are back in 2021.
• In the season opener against Stanford, the Wildcats recorded eight tackles for loss with seven different players chipping in, while they added seven tackles for loss against SIU and six more against Nevada.
• The Wildcats have 26 tackles for loss in four games this year, as their average of 6.5 per game ranks sixth in the Big 12.

MEET ME AT THE QB
• Included in K-State's 68 tackles for loss last year were 28 sacks in 10 games, which were the most for an entire season since a 13-game 2016 campaign (30).
• The Wildcats' per game total of 2.8 tied for 27th nationally, which was their highest NCAA ranking in the category since 2015 (ninth).
• Kansas State has at least one sack in 26 of the 27 games since Chris Klieman took over as head coach in 2019 with the lone non-sack game being the 2019 opener against Nicholls.
• The Wildcats have 14 sacks this year, which includes at least three sacks in three of four games. Nine different players have recorded a sack, led by Felix Anudike-Uzomah's four, three of which came against Southern Illinois.
• Through four games in 2021, K-State is ranked 14th in the nation and tops in the Big 12 at 3.5 sacks per game.

RUN STOPPERS
• In four games this season, K-State has allowed just 301 total yards rushing on 128 carries (2.4 yards per rush).
• The Wildcats rank 11th nationally by allowing 75.2 yards per game, while their 2.4 yards per rush allowed ranks eighth.
• Stanford rushed 22 times for 39 yards in the opener, SIU had 100 yards on 40 carries, while Nevada had 25 yards on 23 carries.
• It is the first time the Wildcats allowed 100 or fewer rushing yards in three-straight games since the first three games of the 2007 season against Auburn, San Jose State and Missouri State.
• The 301 rushing yards allowed in the first four games are the fewest by a K-State defense since surrendering only 283 yards to open up the 2015 campaign against South Dakota (61), UTSA (37), Louisiana Tech (137) and Oklahoma State (49).
• So far this season, K-State is one of only four schools nationally to not allow a rush for more than 20 yards, joining Iowa, South Alabama and UTSA.

IMPRESSIVE PERFORMANCE
• After allowing 69 points and 608 total yards – including 334 yards on the ground – in last year's season finale against Texas, the revamped K-State defense has made a statement to begin 2021.
• The Wildcats allowed just seven points to Stanford – which came with less than four minutes remaining in a 24-0 game – 233 total offensive yards and only 39 rushing yards.
• The seven points allowed were the fewest since shutting out Bowling Green in 2019, the fewest against a Power 5 program since the 2018 Texas Tech game (6) and the fewest in a non-conference Power 5 game since the 2001 season opener against USC (6).
• The 233 yards of total offense allowed was the fewest since allowing 140 to Bowling Green in 2019, while the 39 rushing yards was the fewest since surrendering only 31 to Texas Tech in 2018.
• The Wildcats then shut out Southern Illinois in the second half of the next game. It was the first time K-State shut out an opponent in a half in back-to-back games since doing so in the first two games of 2019. That year, K-State blanked Nicholls in the first half of the season opener prior to shutting out Bowling Green for the entire game the next week.

STRONG AT THE START
• The Kansas State defense has been strong at the beginning of games since the start of 2020 as nine of the Wildcats' last 14 opponents have come up empty on their first possession of the game.
• Over the last 14 games, K-State has allowed only 16 total first downs (1.1 per game) and 374 total yards (26.7 yards).
• Included in that total is three-and-outs last year against Arkansas State, Kansas and Baylor, in addition to an interception against Southern Illinois and punt against Nevada this season.

ANOTHER DEUCE
• Nicknamed "Deuce" by the defensive staff, linebacker Daniel Green has been impressive through the first four games of 2021.
• Green ranks second on the team with 25 tackles – just one behind leader and fellow linebacker Cody Fletcher – despite missing two full halves this year due to targeting calls.

FELIX IS FLASHING
• Sophomore Felix Anudike-Uzomah had a career-best game against Southern Illinois when he totaled five tackles, which included three sacks. Of those trio of sacks, two were on forced fumbles that were recovered by K-State.
• His three sacks are tied for the sixth most nationally in a game this season, while it was the most by a Wildcat since Jordan Willis had 3.5 against Louisiana Tech in 2015.
• Anudike-Uzomah's two forced fumbles are tied for the most in the nation in a game this year and are the most by a Wildcat since Reggie Walker also had two against Texas Tech in 2018.
• For his effort against the Salukis, Anudike-Uzomah was named the Big 12 Newcomer of the Week.
• Enters the game against the Sooners, Anudike-Uzomah ranks 19th nationally and second in the Big 12 in sacks.

SPECIAL TEAMS NOTES
SCORING IN THE THIRD PHASE
• One of the main reasons the Wildcats have been a successful program the last three decades is a knack for momentum-swinging plays in the return game.
• Since 2005 (17 seasons), the Wildcats have a combined 56 kickoff- and punt-return touchdowns, 20 more than second-place Alabama (36) and 25 more than the next closest Big 12 team (Oklahoma State – 31).

KNOWLES WITH ANOTHER ONE
• Junior Malik Knowles carded the second kickoff-return touchdown of his career at Oklahoma State, taking one back 99 yards for a first-quarter touchdowns.
• Knowles' first-career return touchdown was a 100-yarder at Mississippi State in 2019 as he is tied for fifth in school history and sixth nationally among active players in career kickoff-return touchdowns.
• A native of Mansfield, Texas, Knowles has a career kickoff-return average of 26.3 yards to rank seventh in school history.

WINKEL IN AS NEW KICKER
• Junior Taiten Winkel has taken over as the Wildcats' new kicker in 2021, the first time in three years that K-State is breaking in a new kicker.
• So far this season, Winkel has connected on 5-of-6 field goal attempts, which includes a long of 45 yards at Oklahoma State. Additionally, Winkel is 14-for-14 on extra-point attempts, including a 5-for-5 mark against Nevada.
• Prior to K-State, Winkel was primarily a punter at Butler Community College as he was just 1-for-3 on field goals in 2019.

ZENTNER IMPRESSIVE AT OSU
• Punter Ty Zentner had one of his best performances at Oklahoma State as he punted seven times for a 49.9-yard average that included three that landed inside the Cowboy 20-yard line.
• Zentner's punt total and average were new career highs, while he tied his career best for punts settled inside an opponent's 20-yard line.

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Players Mentioned

Felix Anudike-Uzomah

Phillip Brooks

Cody Fletcher

Justin Gardner

Daniel Green

Will Howard

Daniel Imatorbhebhe

Malik Knowles

Jaren Lewis

Jaylen Pickle

TJ Smith

Skylar Thompson

Deuce Vaughn

Russ Yeast

Ty Zentner

Kansas State University Athletics