Cue the Fireworks

By: D. Scott Fritchen

At times, the cannon retorts from training exercises at Fort Riley seem to shake parts of Manhattan from its foundation, the powerful bursts echoing through the air without warning. They're drills, only drills, a boom-boom-boom that has grown on townies over the years, and for a Fort Riley native named Des Purnell, a reminder that his birthplace, where this story began, isn't too far away, while the Kansas State senior linebacker each day grows closer to closing the book on his fabulous career at his second home — the Little Apple.

On Saturday, the retorts were plenty loud inside Bill Snyder Family Stadium, where a sellout crowd of 51,316 stood and cheered as Purnell experienced one of those slow-motion moments, as the 6-foot, 232-pounder in zone coverage broke on a pass thrown by TCU quarterback Josh Hoover near the middle of the field, intercepted the ball, and returned it 25 yards into the end zone to give K-State a 21-7 lead early in the third quarter of an eventual 41-28 victory by the Wildcats.

Cue the fireworks. Cue the boom-boom-boom. Was this happening? Yeah, it was real. It was like the stadium was ready to shake. And once the smoke cleared, reality fully set in.

Purnell had recorded the first pick-six of his career.

"It kind of felt like high school days a little bit with the ball in my hand," Purnell said, standing in the team theatre in the Vanier Family Football Complex after the game. "That was all set up from the guys around me. Just kudos to everybody. It was huge. Us and the offense, we were just battling back and forth in a tight game, and we just needed a big play to happen. Fortunately, it was just me."

Purnell has played in 47 games in his career, and it's been wonderful to watch how the Hayden High School All-State standout from Topeka has progressed from high school safety to an All-Big 12 caliber linebacker.

On Saturday, in a game most defenders can only dream about, Purnell had five tackles, including 2.0 tackles for loss and one sack, and two interceptions with a pick-six. It was the first time a K-State linebacker recorded two interceptions in a game since Elijah Lee did so in 2015. He is one of only two linebackers in the nation with a two-interception game this season and one of only two Big 12 linebackers with a multi-interception game since 2022.

"The kid probably should be player of the week," K-State head coach Chris Klieman said during his postgame radio show.

Moments later at his postgame news conference, Klieman said: "Des was having one of those days. I'm so happy for Des and his family and the game that he had. Des is one of the best players in our conference, and I've said that for the last couple years. He's very underrated."

Purnell now has 155 career tackles, including 18.5 tackles for loss with 5.5 sacks and three interceptions in his career, and currently is tied for second on the team with 37 tackles this season. That includes a career-high 10 solo tackles against Army and a career-high 11 total tackles the following week at Arizona.

But there's nothing quite like seeing a defensive player head into the end zone. It touches everybody on the team. At least, that's how K-State quarterback Avery Johnson described it after the game.

"It was the best feeling in the world," Johnson said. "We had come to the sideline after one of the worst three-and-outs that we've had in a while. We were really frustrated. Coach Matt Wells was trying to get us right, talking to Jaron Tibbs and talking to me to get everything figured out, and then you heard the crowd erupt and Des was strutting into the end zone.

"Me and Coach Wells just looked at each other, and in that moment there's nothing you can do but smile and be happy."

While Johnson appreciated Purnell's touchdown, he appreciates Purnell for many more reasons as well.

"Man, Des is a warrior," Johnson said. "He's a really good leader. He's super intense in practice. He's somebody you can compete with on the field and joke with inside the locker room. Having a guy like that, he's capable of having a breakout game like he just did every week. He just does things the right way and plays hard, and he was rewarded today being in the right spots. And he almost had a third interception."

The third interception late in the fourth quarter didn't happen. But by then, Purnell had made his presence felt across the field.

"Des? Man, he's a player," safety Wesley Fair said. "He's a Dawg."

Lorenzo Purnell saw this coming all along.

Although Des Purnell outraced defenders and tore up football field during his flag-football and pee-wee football days, Lorenzo, who played football at Pittsburg State, maintained other ideas for his younger brother in the coming years. He believed that Des would emerge as a great defender.

As Purnell grew up, his legend across northeast Kansas high school football grew as well, as he emerged as a dominant force at Hayden High School in Topeka. He was a finalist for the 2020 Kansas 3A Offensive and Defensive Player of the Year by Sports in Kansas. As a senior, he had 811 rushing yards, 469 receiving yards, 22 touchdowns, and he also had 80 tackles as a safety. He was also the No. 6-rated prospect in the state of Kansas for the Class of 2021 by 247Sports.

It was during one particular game against Manhattan High School that Purnell turned all the right heads. K-State head coach Chris Klieman happened to be in attendance to watch his son, a member of the Manhattan High Indians.

But it was Purnell who dominated.

"Coach Klieman came up to Topeka and watched Manhattan play Hayden," Purnell said. "We beat them pretty bad. That next day, (K-State director of recruiting) Taylor Braet called my head coach, and we were in communication ever since.

"That first conversation (with Klieman) was like, 'Well, you beat the crap out of our sons.' It was all genuine and love from the very beginning."

After redshirting as a freshman in 2021, Purnell has played in every game in his career. In Purnell's first-ever K-State game, on special teams, he returned a blocked punt for a touchdown in the 2022 season opener against South Dakota. On the field, he played in every game at linebacker in 2022. He had 21 tackles, two pass breakups and a fumble recovery over 301 defensive snaps and 194 special teams plays. Last season, he totaled 46 tackles, including 9.5 tackles for loss with four sacks, a pass breakup and a fumble recovery while playing 670 defensive snaps — fifth on the team. He ranked second on the team with 9.5 tackles for a loss and recorded full sacks against Colorado, Kansas and Arizona State.

While Purnell is quick to credit defensive coordinator Joe Klanderman, linebackers coach Steve Stanard, and his teammates for aiding in any success on the football field over the years — he earned 2023 All-Big 12 Honorable Mention accolades — his menacing presence goes back to following a simple formula.

"I've just had to focus on one thing at a time each and every day and stack great days upon great days, which has led to opportunities for me to make great plays out there," he said.

It has also required another ingredient along the way.

"I needed to be patient," he said. "My freshman year, I was really frustrated with myself. I had to take a step back, take a deep breath, understand who I am, and take it day by day."

He's had his family supporting him every step of the way.

"Having them just drive down the road to come see me play has been great," he said. "It's been phenomenal to see them whenever I can. My first year, I was homesick even though I was an hour away. It's been really important and impactful for me knowing they're that close to me."

After Saturday's game, standing with the K-State football family, Klieman called Purnell out into the middle of the locker room. K-State players erupted. Klieman presented Purnell with the prestigious sledgehammer, an award bestowed upon players with standout performances in a particular game. Purnell accepted the sledgehammer and waved it high in the air. K-State players erupted again.

There were no cannon reports inside the locker room, but there was plenty of celebration.

"It was electric," Purnell said. "Water everywhere."

But now Purnell is focused on October 25. That's when K-State plays its next game and visits Kansas for the annual Sunflower Showdown — a heated rivalry game that K-State has won 16 times in a row, and that is especially near and dear to the hearts of in-state football players, including Purnell.

"We have a great team coming up," he said. "That's going to be a really fun game over there in Lawrence."

It's a game that could shake the state of Kansas from its foundation.

Kansas State University Athletics

Players Mentioned

Wesley Fair

Avery Johnson

Jaron Tibbs

Related Videos