Nov 16, 2020

Cats start final stretch of 2020 by traveling to face ISU

Posted Nov 16, 2020 9:46 PM
Image courtesy <a href="http://kstatesports.com">kstatesports.com</a>
Image courtesy kstatesports.com

Coming off its third and final bye week of the season, Kansas State begins the final run of the 2020 regular season with the first of two road games, a contest at No. 17 Iowa State on Saturday inside Jack Trice Stadium in Ames, Iowa.

The game, which has implications for one of the top two spots in the Big 12 standings, kicks off at 3 p.m., and will be shown on FOX with Tim Brando (play-by-play), Spencer Tillman (analyst) on the call. Fans can also catch the game on SiriusXM (S: 106, X: 382, Internet: 972) in addition to the TuneIn app.

A LOOK AT K-STATE

• K-State is looking to bounce back from a pair of losses prior to its bye, the latest being a narrow 20-18 setback to No. 14 Oklahoma State that dropped the Wildcats to 4-3 overall and 4-2 in Big 12 play.

• The Wildcats are playing out the rest of the season with a true freshman quarterback in Will Howard, who is in line to start his fifth-straight game on Saturday. With wins in his first two starts at TCU and against Kansas, he became the first K-State true freshman signal caller to win his first two starts under center.

• Another true freshman, running back Deuce Vaughn, continues to impress as he leads the team in rushing and receiving, the only player in the Big 12 to lead his team in both categories.

• Vaughn is also one of only two players in the nation to eclipse 300 rushing yards and 300 receiving yards in 2020, joining Clemson running back Travis Etienne.

• K-State is one of only two teams in the nation to have true freshmen start at least four games at both quarterback and running back, the other being Georgia Tech.

• A pair of senior linebackers from Georgia, Justin Hughes (43) and Elijah Sullivan (39), are among the Wildcats’ top tacklers, along with safety Jahron McPherson (42).

• A total of 16 Wildcats have tallied at least a half tackle for loss, while nine players have at least one sack. The list includes junior Wyatt Hubert, who is first nationally among non-seniors in career sacks at 17.0, just one sack away from entering the school’s career top-10 list.

• Another senior, tackle Drew Wiley, also ranks in the top 15 in the Big 12 in both sacks and TFLs.

• McPherson and Gardner lead the team with a pair of interceptions as they are tied for third in the Big 12 in total interceptions. Gardner also ranks second the Big 12 and 25rth nationally in passes defended.

• Kansas State’s special teams ranks first nationally in efficiency according to ESPN thanks in large part to a blocked kick in each of the first four games and two punt return scores against Kansas by Big 12 Special Teams Player of the Week Phillip Brooks.

• Senior place kicker Blake Lynch is 10-for-14 this season, including a 2-for-3 mark from 50 or more yards. He connected on a game-winning 50-yarder at Oklahoma, while he set a new career long with a 53-yarder at TCU.


A LOOK AT IOWA STATE

• Iowa State comes off its bye week with a 5-2 overall record and a 5-1 mark in Big 12 play thanks in part to a 38-31 comeback victory over Baylor on November 7.

• Cyclone running back Breece Hall is the top rusher in the Big 12 with 147.7 yards per game and 13 touchdowns, marks that rank fourth and tied for third in the nation, respectively.

• Brock Purdy has thrown for 1,477 yards and 10 scores this season, while he is also Iowa State’s second leading rusher with 194 yards and three scores on the ground.

• Purdy’s favorite target this season has been Xavier Hutchinson, who has 35 catches for 407 yards and three touchdowns.

• Tight end Charlie Kolar is the Cyclones’ second-leading receiver with 23 catches and three touchdowns, while another tight end in Chase Allen has a pair of scores.

• Iowa State ranks fourth in the Big 12 in total defense (360.1 yds/gm), second in rushing defense (108.4 yds/gm) and tied for fifth in scoring defense (26.7 pts/gm).

• The Cyclones’ leading tackler is linebacker Mike Rose, who has 56 stops to go along with 6.0 tackles for loss.

• Rose is also the team leader in interceptions with three, including one in the end zone in Iowa State’s last game against Baylor to halt a potential Bear scoring drive.

A LOOK AT THE SERIES

• Iowa State leads the all-time series, 50-49-4, but K-State has won 11 of the last 12 meetings and is 25-5 in the last 30 meetings between the programs.

• K-State saw a 10-game winning streak over the Cyclones come to an end two years ago in Ames in a 42-38 ISU victory, Iowa State’s first victory in the series since a 31-20 win in 2007.

• The Wildcats quickly made amends in last year’s regular-season finale in the form of a 27-17 victory, a game that featured scoring runs by both teams. K-State scored the first 14 points of the game before ISU came back with 17-straight points to take a three-point lead. The Wildcats then scored 13-straight points of their own – capped by a field goal by Blake Lynch with 3:04 left – for the victory.

ONE OF THE BIG 12’S BEST

• K-State continues to quietly rank among the Big 12’s best teams since the league began in 1996. The Wildcats are third with 122 victories behind Oklahoma and Texas.

• The Cats also rank third in winning percentage since round-robin play began in 2011. They sit at 60.9% (53-34), trailing only Oklahoma (81.6%; 71-16) and Oklahoma State (65.1%; 56-30). No other team is above 60%.

BACK TO BACK YEARS?

• After finishing the 2019 campaign with a 5-4 record, K-State is trying to put together consecutive years of winning conference records.

• If the Wildcats were to have another winning campaign in conference play, Chris Klieman would become the first head coach in school history to begin his tenure with consecutive winning seasons in league action.

A LONG-STANDING RIVALRY

• This year marks the 104th-consecutive season Kansas State and Iowa State will meet on the gridiron, which is one of the longest uninterrupted series in FBS history.

• The current streak of 103 ranks seventh among active uninterrupted series but will move to sixth after 2020 as Clemson and South Carolina are not scheduled to play.

• Of the top seven uninterrupted series entering 2020, K-State is involved in two of them (Kansas).

YOUNG PUPS

• Kansas State has played many young players this year as a total of 48 underclassmen (freshmen and sophomore) have seen action in at least one game, representing 54.5% of the 88 Wildcats that have played this season.

• Of the group, 24 freshmen have played, including four  that have tallied starts in right tackle Cooper Beebe (5), quarterback Will Howard (4), running back Deuce Vaughn (4) and defensive back Will Jones II (2).

• K-State is one of just two teams in the nation to have true freshmen start at least four games at both quarterback and running back (Georgia Tech).

• When taking the entire roster into account, the Wildcats have 65.4% of its players (83-of-127) that are underclassmen, a figure that ranks sixth nationally among teams that have played at least three games this season.

BREAKING IN NEW STARTERS

• K-State has used the beginning of the 2020 season to break in new starters as the Wildcats have 17 first-time starters this season.

• That figure is tied for fourth nationally among Power 5 programs.

A WINNING HISTORY

• A proven winner with a championship history, Chris Klieman holds an 84-21 career record as his 80.0% winning percentage is tied for 11th among all NCAA coaches – regardless of division – among those with at least seven full years of experience.

• 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 guided the 2018 Bison to a perfect 15-0 record, making NDSU just the fifth team in FCS history to go undefeated and untied on the way to a national championship.

WIN THE TURNOVER BATTLE

• One of the formulas of success for Kansas State under Chris Klieman is winning the turnover battle as the Wildcats are plus-four this season in turnover margin to rank second in the Big 12.

• K-State has turned its 11 turnovers gained this season into 42 points (6.0 points/game), while opponents have scored 21 points (3.0 points/game) off a total of seven turnovers by the Cats.

CATS TOPS IN NON-OFFENSIVE TDs

• K-State is the nation’s best in non-offensive touchdowns over the last 22 seasons as it has 122 since 1999, 12 more than the next closest team.

• Kansas State had three non-offensive touchdowns in the win against 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 since the 2007 Texas game.

• K-State has had at least five non-offensive scores in seven of the last nine years and is one shy of hitting that mark again in 2020.

GOING THE DISTANCE

• K-State has put together five scoring drives of 90 yards or longer this season, which is tied with the 2008 squad for the most by the Wildcats dating back to 1991.

• The five drives this year spanned 92 yards against Arkansas State, 97 yards against Texas Tech, 94 yards against KU and a pair of 91-yard drives at TCU, one of which resulted in a field goal.

• When combining it with last year’s total, K-State has eight scoring drives that have spanned at least 90 yards, which is the most in a two-year span dating back to 1991.

• Last season, K-State had touchdown drives of 97 yards (Nicholls), 95 yards (TCU) and 98 yards (Iowa State).

• The long drives this season have been aided by six plays from scrimmage of at least 60 yards, K-State’s most in the first seven games of a season since at least 2002.

RED ZONE SUCCESS

• K-State finished the 2019 season with 39-straight scoring trips inside the red zone, the most by the Wildcats since at least 2003. That helped K-State finish first in the nation with a 96.2% conversion rate.

• The Wildcats began the year with 24-straight scores inside the red zone to push their streak out to 63-straight before a fumble against Oklahoma State. K-State’s red zone scoring streak of 63 was the best by the Wildcats during the Big 12 era (56 between 2015 and 2016).

• Despite the setback against the Cowboys, K-State still ranks fifth nationally among teams that have played at least three games and tops in the Big 12 with a 96.2% scoring rate.

TAKE CARE OF THE FOOTBALL
• In 20 games under head coach Chris Klieman, K-State has only committed 17 offensive turnovers, including seven this season. The first turnover this year was an interception at TCU as the Wildcats went 211 minutes, 53 seconds into the season prior to their first turnover.

• Last season, K-State tied for first in the Big 12 with only 14 turnovers lost, but three were on punt returns and one was on an interception return.

• The Wildcats enter this week tied for seventh nationally in fewest turnovers lost among teams that have played at least six games.

WILLING K-STATE TO VICTORY
• A native of Downingtown, Pennsylvania, Will Howard earned his first-career start at TCU and became the first K-State true freshman QB to win his first-career road start.

• For his effort against the Horned Frogs, Howard was named the Big 12 Newcomer of the Week.

• He backed that up with a win in his first start in a home game against Kansas, becoming the first Wildcat true freshman quarterback to win his first two career starts.

BIG PLAY WILL
• One of the reasons Will Howard has found early success is that he has been involved in four of K-State’s six plays from scrimmage that have spanned at least 66 yards.

• Against Texas Tech, Howard threw a 70-yard, game-clinching touchdown pass to Deuce Vaughn, while he also had a 66-yarder to Briley Moore earlier in the fourth quarter to set up the go-ahead score.

• It was the first time a K-State quarterback threw two passes of at least 65 yards in the same game since Jesse Ertz in the 2017 season opener against Central Arkansas.

• Then, on the third offensive play of the game at TCU, Howard ran 80 yards to set up an early field goal. It was the seventh-longest run ever by a Wildcat and the second longest by a K-State quarterback (91 yards by Ell Roberson against Nebraska in 2002).

• He tallied another long run against Oklahoma State when he went 69 yards to set up a touchdown just before halftime.

MAKING A SPLASH
• K-State doesn’t only have a true freshman quarterback making headlines, running back Deuce Vaughn has been on fire to begin his collegiate career.

• Vaughn is one of only two players in the nation this season to tally at least 300 rushing yards and 300 receiving yards. The other is Clemson senior running back Travis Etienne (634 rushing, 491 receiving).

• A product of Round Rock, Texas, Vaughn is also the only player in the Big 12 to lead his team in both rushing yards and receiving yards.

• Vaughn has already etched his name in the K-State record book. He ranks in the top five in four K-State freshmen categories, while he is fourth in school history in single-season receiving yards among running backs (more info on pages 50-51).

DEUCE ON THE LOOSE
• Deuce Vaughn has put together three games of at least 150 yards from scrimmage as he did so against Oklahoma (194 yards), Texas Tech (174 yards) and Kansas (152 yards), holding three of the top eight scrimmage-yard efforts among all true freshmen in the nation.

• At No. 3 Oklahoma, he became the fifth running back in school history – and first freshman – to tally a 100-yard receiving game. It was the fifth most in a single game by a running back in Big 12 history and the most by a freshman.

• For his efforts against the Sooners and Red Raiders, Vaughn was named the Big 12 Newcomer of the Week following both contests.

MOORE OFFENSE
• One of the top tight ends from the FCS level in 2018, Briley Moore is in his second senior season and his first campaign at K-State.

• Moore, a transfer from Northern Iowa, has started his Wildcat career on the right foot by as he has a team-leading 19 receptions for 271 yards and three touchdowns. Through seven games, those are already the best by a Wildcat tight end for an entire season since Zach Trujillo had 19 catches for 389 yards in 13 games during the 2014 season.

• His three receiving touchdowns this year are tied for fourth in school history among tight ends and two shy of tying the record (Henry Childs, 1972).

UNDER AVERAGE
• Last season, Kansas State held 11 of its 12 opponents under their season scoring averages for the season, including double-digit differences in Big 12 play against Oklahoma State (-18.5), TCU (-20.2), Kansas (-17.8), Texas (-12.1) and Iowa State (-17.1).

• It has been more of the same for the Wildcats in Big 12 play in 2020 under new defensive coordinator Joe Klanderman as the Wildcats held five of their first six conference foes below their scoring averages entering the game.

• K-State enters this week’s game ranked fourth in the Big 12 in scoring defense by allowing 26.0 points per game. The Wildcats’ 23.5 points allowed in conference play ranks third.

STRONG AT THE START
• One of the main reasons K-State has been able to limit other offenses throughout the year is a strong start as each of the Wildcats’ seven opponents this year have come up empty on their first possession of the game.

• K-State has forced a trio of three-and-outs on its first defensive possession this season, while the Cats have allowed only five total first downs and 109 total yards (15.6 yds/gm).

• In the 20 games under Chris Klieman dating back to last year, the Wildcats have allowed only six total points in opponent’s first possessions which were field goals last year by Oklahoma and Navy.

BEHIND THE LINE
• A total 17 Wildcats have totaled at least a half tackle for loss – including 10 that have notched at least 2.0 – to give the Wildcats 47 stops behind the line this season.

• K-State’s 47 TFLs through seven games are the most since the 2006 team had 58 in their first seven contests.

• This year’s total has been given a boost the last two games against West Virginia and Oklahoma State when K-State totaled nine and eight TFLs, respectively. Their nine TFLs against the Mountaineers were K-State’s most since the 2016 regular-season finale at TCU (11.0).

MEET ME AT THE QB
• Similarly, K-State has also been consistent in sacking the quarterback this season, coming away with at least one sack in every game and totaling at least three in five of its seven contests.

• The Wildcats have 19 sacks through seven games this season, their most through the first seven games of a campaign since the 2007 squad at 20.

• Kansas State enters this week’s game tied for 25th nationally and fourth in the Big 12 in total sacks.

EARLY INTERCEPTIONS
• The Kansas State defense has started the 2020 campaign with seven interceptions, tying for 24th in the nation and ranking second in the Big 12.

• The Wildcats’ high-water mark this year was three in the win at No. 3 Oklahoma. It was K-State’s first three-interception game since the 2018 contest at West Virginia.

WYATT’S COMING FOR YOU
• One of the top young defenders in the Big 12 the last two seasons has improved as a junior as Wyatt Hubert is back after earning First Team All-Big 12 honors in 2019.

• This season, Hubert has 5.5 sacks and 8.5 tackles for loss to tie for first and rank sixth in the Big 12, respectively. He tallied career highs in both categories against Oklahoma State, totaling 3.5 TFLs and 2.5 sacks.

• His sack total against OSU was the highest by a Wildcat since Jordan Willis had 3.5 vs. Louisiana Tech in 2015 and the most in a Big 12 game since Ryan Mueller had 3.0 against Texas Tech in 2013.

• The Topeka, Kansas, native ranks 16th nationally among active players in career sacks and 15th in career tackles for loss, but he is the top non-senior in each category.

WILEY PLAYING WILD
• Senior defensive tackle Drew Wiley entered the season with 21 tackles and 2.0 tackles for loss in 38 games as a reserve over his first three seasons.

• Earning his first-career seven starts in seven games this year, the Vinton, Iowa, product has been a dominant force in the interior of the Wildcat defensive line as he has 18 tackles, including 7.0 TFLs and 3.5 sacks.

• Wiley is the first K-State interior defensive lineman with at least 7.0 TFLs and 3.5 sacks in a season since Will Geary in 2017.

• He set a new career high with seven tackles at West Virginia, the most by a Wildcat interior defensive lineman since Geary tallied eight at TCU in the 2016 regular-season finale.

• The contest against the Mountaineers featured 2.5 TFLs, the most by a Wildcat interior defensive lineman since Geary had 3.0 against Baylor in 2017.

VERY EFFICIENT
• Kansas State has always been known to have excellent special teams, and that trend has continued in 2020.

• The Wildcats rank first nationally in special teams efficiency according to ESPN.

BLOCKED KICKS
• K-State blocked punts in the first three games of the season and also blocked a field goal in its fourth game of the year at TCU.

• It is the first time K-State has blocked a kick in four-straight games since at least 1990. Additionally, the blocked punts in the first three games marked the first time the Wildcats accomplished that feat in three-consecutive games since 1995 (Nebraska, Kansas and Oklahoma).

• K-State was the first team in the FBS to block kicks in each of the first four games of a season since Texas did so in 2016.

• When the Wildcats blocked punts in each of the first three games, they were the first FBS team to do so since Memphis in 2012.

SCORING IN THE THIRD PHASE
• Kansas State has been far and away the best team among FBS programs over the last 16 years when it comes to scoring via a kickoff or punt return.

• The Wildcats have a combined 55 kickoff- and punt-return touchdowns since 2005, 23 more than any other FBS school during that stretch.

BROOKS’ HISTORIC DAY
• Sophomore Phillip Brooks put together a historic performance against Kansas, setting the school record with 189 punt-return yards and becoming the first player in school history with two punt-return touchdowns in a single game.

• A product of Lee’s Summit, Missouri, Brooks’ two punt-return touchdowns were the most by a Big 12 player in a conference game in school history.

• Additionally, his 47.25-yard average on punt returns vs. Kansas is the highest by any player nationally with at least 4 attempts since 1996.

• For his effort against the Jayhawks, Brooks picked up Big 12 Special Teams Player of the Week accolades.

LYNCH IS ACCURATE
• Senior Blake Lynch has proven to be an accurate kicker as his career field goal percentage of 84.3% (43-for-51) currently ranks second in school history, fifth in Big 12 history and 11th nationally among active players.

• Lynch, a two-time Lou Groza Award candidate, ranked third in school history a year ago with his 90.5% mark.

FROM DEEP
• After going 2-for-6 from 45 yards or longer in his first two seasons as the primary kicker, Blake Lynch has turned in a pair of field goals from 50 or more yards this season, the first two of his career.

• He is tied for third in the nation this year in field goals made of 50 or more yards.

• Lynch connected on the eventual game-winning at Oklahoma, a 50-yarder with 4:32 left in the game. It was the first field goal in school history of 50 or more yards that served as the game winner with less than five minutes left.

• Lynch, who also connected on a 53-yarder at TCU, is now tied for fourth in school history in 50-plus yard field goal connections in a season. He needs one more to tie the record.

--kstatesports.com--