Wildcats Meet Bruins in Cactus Bowl

Winners of four of its last five games and looking to win consecutive bowl games for the first time since 1999-2000, Kansas State takes on UCLA in the 2017 Cactus Bowl on December 26, inside Chase Field in downtown Phoenix, Arizona. This year's Cactus Bowl is one of the more exciting bowl matchups of the season as K-State puts its winning ways on the line against a Bruin team that features a stellar passing game.

The Cactus Bowl marks the 21st bowl game in K-State history and the 19th under Hall of Fame head coach Bill Snyder. The Wildcats will be making their fourth appearance in the contest, but are playing under a fourth different name at a third different stadium. Kansas State first appeared in the game as it won the 1993 Copper Bowl over Wyoming, 52-17, in Tucson, Arizona. The game then moved to the Phoenix area as the Wildcat lost to Syracuse, 26-3, at Chase Field (then Bank One Ballpark) before K-State earned a 31-14 triumph over Michigan in the 2013 Buffalo Wild Wings Bowl at Sun Devil Stadium in Tempe.

K-State is riding a streak of eight-straight bowl games, a mark that is tied for 13th nationally. After narrowly missing postseason play in the first season of his second tenure in 2009 (6-6 record), Snyder quickly led K-State back into the bowl picture in 2010 when Kansas State played in the inaugural New Era Pinstripe Bowl. Since then, they have played in the Cotton Bowl (2011), Fiesta Bowl following a Big 12 Championship in 2012, Buffalo Wild Wings Bowl (2013), Alamo Bowl (2014), Liberty Bowl (2015) and Texas Bowl (2016).

A LOOK AT K-STATE
• One of the hottest teams entering the bowl season, K-State turned a 3-4 mark following consecutive losses to top-10 teams into a 7-5 record that included late-game drama and a top-10 road victory.
• The Wildcats' road to the Cactus Bowl began with wins over Central Arkansas and Charlotte to open the year before falling by a touchdown at Vanderbilt. Kansas State opened conference play with a win over Baylor but dropped its next three games – a double-overtime loss at Texas, a defeat to then-No. 6 TCU and a seven-point loss to Oklahoma, which scored the game-winning touchdown with seven seconds remaining.
• K-State got back on track by picking up its ninth-straight win over in-state rival Kansas. The Wildcats then traveled to Texas Tech and found themselves down by 11 points in the fourth quarter. All K-State did was record a field goal, touchdown and game-tying two-point conversion to send the game into overtime. The Wildcats then scored a touchdown on its first possession of overtime before forcing four-straight incompletions inside the 10-yard line.
• After falling at home to then-No. 23 West Virginia, Kansas State made a statement for its sixth win over the season in the form of a 45-40 win at then-No. 10 Oklahoma State, the Wildcats' first road win over a top-10 since 2012.
• In the regular-season finale against Iowa State, K-State used its blueprint from the Texas Tech game as the Wildcats trailed, 19-7, in the fourth quarter but scored two touchdowns in the final six minutes – including a game-winning one-yard touchdown pass from Skylar Thompson to Isaiah Zuber as time expired – for a 20-19 win.
• Thompson, a redshirt freshman, is the Wildcats' third quarterback this year, starting the final three games. During that stretch, he has thrown for 515 yards and four touchdowns on 38-of-60 (63.3-percent) aim to go along with 158 rushing yards and another two scores. Sophomore Alex Barnes leads the K-State rushing attack with 702 yards and six touchdowns on 134 carries, while Zuber, another sophomore, leads the team with 51 catches. Junior Byron Pringle has totaled 705 receiving yards and six touchdowns on only 28 catches to rank first nationally in yards per reception.
• Defensively, senior linebacker Trent Tanking (96) and Jayd Kirby (93) pace the Wildcats in tackles. Kirby leads the squad with 10.5 tackles for loss and ranks second with 4.0 sacks, just a half sack shy of team-leader Will Geary. K-State also has two of the top corners in the league in juniors Duke Shelley (11 PBUs, 2 INTs) and D.J. Reed (9 PBUs, 4 INT).
• K-State's stellar special teams are led by All-Big 12 performers Matthew McCrane (kicker) and Nick Walsh (punter) in addition to all-conference return men in Reed and Pringle. McCrane holds the school record with 57 career field goals, including 21 this year. Reed currently ranks first in Big 12 history in kickoff-return average (35.3) and ranks second nationally in punt returns (17.1).

K-STATE IN ARIZONA
• This year marks the seventh time K-State will play in an Arizona bowl, including the third time since the 2012 season.
• The Wildcats hold a 3-3 all-time record in Arizona bowl games, including a 31-14 victory over Michigan in the 2013 Buffalo Wild Wings Bowl.

CATS AND BRUINS
• K-State is 1-2 all-time against UCLA as the two teams have met three times since 2009.
• The teams played in a home-and-home series in 2009 and 2010. UCLA won the first matchup, 23-9, in Pasadena, California, in 2009, but K-State held on its home field in the form of a 31-22 victory in Manhattan in 2010.
• The Wildcats and Bruins also met in the 2015 Alamo Bowl (following the 2014 season) with UCLA holding on for a 40-35 victory.
• UCLA jumped out to a 31-6 halftime lead, but K-State outscored the Bruins, 29-9 in the second half. However, UCLA was able to hold on for the five-point victory.

K-STATE AND THE PAC-12
• K-State will be playing its 94th game all-time against current members of the Pac-12 Conference when the Wildcats face UCLA in the Cactus Bowl, but 66 of those games came against Colorado as a member of the Big 8/12.
• The Wildcats will face a Pac-12 team in a bowl game for the fifth time in school history.
• K-State is 2-2 against the Pac-12 in bowl games after facing UCLA (L in 2015 Alamo Bowl), Oregon (L in 2013 Fiesta Bowl), Arizona State (W in 2002 Holiday Bowl) and Washington (W in 1999 Holiday Bowl).

BOWLING AGAIN
• In an era of college football where nearly 80 teams play in bowl games each year, K-State is one of just 16 FBS schools nationally to ride of streak of at least eight-consecutive bowl berths.
• The eight-year bowl streak is tied for 13th nationally with only Oklahoma (4th; 19) and Oklahoma State (10th; 12) ranking higher in the Big 12.

SUSTAINABLE SUCCESS
• Kansas State is in rare company in college football as the Wildcats rank in the top 20 in wins among FBS programs over the last 23 seasons.
• Since 1995, K-State has picked up 190 victories, which ranks 19th in the nation.
• Among current Big 12 teams, only Oklahoma (3rd; 219), Texas (13th; 202) and TCU (15th; 195) rank higher.

ONE OF THE BIG 12'S BEST
• K-State is one of only three teams in the Big 12 to reach 100 league wins. Oklahoma tops the list with 137 Big 12 wins, while the Wildcats are third with 110.
• K-State ranks third in the conference in winning percentage since the start of 2011 at .651 (41-22), trailing only OU (.810; 51-12) and Oklahoma State (.698; 44-19).
• During that stretch, the Wildcats are 22-10 (.688) at home in Big 12 play and 19-12 (.613) on the road.

THE HALL OF FAMER
• The architect of the "greatest turnaround in the history of college football," Bill Snyder was inducted into the College Football Hall of Fame in 2015.
• Snyder is just the fourth person in the history of college football to be inducted as an active coach.
• Snyder has compiled a 209-110-1 (.655) record in 26 seasons at K-State as he is one of just six coaches to reach the 200-win mark and coach at only one school.
• Holding 170 more victories than any other coach in K-State history, Snyder ranks first in the FBS in wins among coaches at their current schools and second in total wins among active coaches.
• Additionally, Snyder has 123 conference wins to stand as one of four coaches with 100 Big 8/12 victories (Tom Osborne [153], Bob Stoops [121], Barry Switzer [100]).

CARDIAC CATS
• Goal No. 10 in the Wildcats' 16 Goals for Success is "Never Give Up," which led K-State to two of the most improbable wins in school history this season at Texas Tech and against Iowa State.
• The Wildcats trailed, 35-27, with less than 10 minutes left at Texas Tech but scored the game's final 15 points – a field goal, touchdown and two-point conversion in regulation and a touchdown in the first overtime – for a 42-35 win.
• In the regular-season finale against the Cyclones, K-State trailed 19-7 with less than seven minutes remaining but scored a pair of touchdowns – including one on the final play – to earn a 20-19 victory.
• It marked the first time in school history the Wildcats had two wins in a season when trailing by double digits in the fourth quarter.
• The 11-point comeback at Texas Tech was the largest road deficit overcome for a win in school history.

BETTER LATE THAN NEVER
• Kansas State's 20-19 victory in the regular-season finale over Iowa State came via a one-yard touchdown pass from Skylar Thompson to Isaiah Zuber on the final play of the game.
• It represented the Wildcats' first-game winning touchdown on the final play of regulation since Matt Miller hit Kevin Lockett on a 22-yard touchdown pass to win at Cincinnati, 23-21, on Sept. 9, 1995.

ROAD WARRIORS
• K-State started the season on the wrong side of the ledger in road games, losing at Vanderbilt and in two overtimes at Texas. However, K-State reversed the trend by winning its final three road games at Kansas, Texas Tech and Oklahoma State.
• With their last loss coming at Texas on October 7, it marked the longest a K-State team went without losing a road game since 2002.

YOUTH IS SERVED
• A year after combining for 135 starts by sophomores or freshmen – the most during Bill Snyder's 25 years in Manhattan – K-State is close to the mark again this season.
• The Wildcats have a combined 112 starts by sophomores (104) and freshmen (8) to rank as the second most in Snyder's tenure.

DRAWING FIRST BLOOD
• Since 1990, K-State is 165-34 (.829) when scoring first.
• K-State finished the 2016 season with a 5-2 mark when scoring first and is 19-5 in that department over the last four seasons.
• Under Bill Snyder, K-State is 152-27 (.849) when scoring first, including a 5-3 mark this season.

QUICK OUT OF THE GATE
• Kansas State has been strong at the beginning of games in 2017.
• The Wildcats have outscored opponents 226-144 in the first half, including a 148-73 margin in the second quarter alone.

LEADING AT THE HALF
• Under Bill Snyder, the Wildcats are 179-11 (.942) when leading at halftime, including a 60-4 (.938) mark in Snyder's second tenure, which began in 2009.
• The Wildcats are 7-1 this season when leading at halftime and had a nine-game winning streak when leading at the half snapped against Oklahoma.

K-STATE TOPS IN NON-OFFENSIVE TDs
• K-State is the nation's best in non-offensive touchdowns over the last 19 seasons as it has 112 since 1999. • This year, D.J. Reed has returned a punt and kickoff for touchdowns, Kendall Adams had both a pick-six and a fumble-return touchdown against Charlotte, Duke Shelley returned a pick for a score at Texas Tech and Byron Pringle had a kick return score in K-State's upset at No. 10 Oklahoma State.
• Since 1990, the Wildcats are 62-17 when scoring on special teams and 20-1 when scoring on special teams and defense, including an 18-0 mark under Bill Snyder.
• The Cats have now had at least five non-offensive touchdowns in six of the last seven years and in 17 of the 19 seasons since 1999.

NON-OFFENSIVE TD RECORDS
• Under head coach Bill Snyder, K-State is 75-21 (.781) when scoring a non-offensive touchdown, while the Cats are 56-14 (.800) since 1999 in that department.
• Since Snyder returned to the sideline in 2009, K-State is 31-7 (.816) in this same category.

THESE CATS ARE SMART
• K-State enters the 2017 Cactus Bowl with 19 players on its roster that have obtained their undergraduate degrees.
• The list includes: Kendall Adams (DB), Brogan Barry (DB), Jesse Ertz (QB), Winston Dimel (FB), Bryce Fitzner (OL), Will Geary (DT), Jayd Kirby (LB), Mitch Lochbihler (P), Matthew McCrane (PK), Colby Moore (DB), Sean Newlan (DB), Byron Pringle (WR), C.J. Reese (DE), Dalton Risner (OL), Drew Scott (LS), Dayton Valentine (TE), Nick Walsh (P), Glenn Williams (OL) and Tanner Wood (DE).
• The Wildcats have also been by far the best in the conference as they have led the league in Academic All-Big 12 honors each of the last four years, including 28 this year. K-State has 111 total Academic All-Big 12 honors over the last four seasons, 35 more than the next closest team.

OFFENSIVE NOTES
GROUND ATTACK
• K-State leaned heavily on its running game throughout 2016, as the Cats broke the school record in yards per carry (5.27) and ranked third in yards per game (231.8).
• Dating back to last season, K-State has hit the 200-yard mark on the ground in 14 of its last 21 games, including each of the final seven contests of 2016.
• This year, K-State has recorded six games with at least 200 rushing yards, including a 268-yard output against No. 9 Oklahoma and 217 yards in a win at No. 10 Oklahoma State.
• K-State enters the bowl season ranked second in the conference in rushing offense at 186.7 yards per game, while they are second in yards per carry (4.8) and fourth in rushing touchdowns (25).

LONG DRIVES
• In the era of quick-strike offenses in college football, K-State remains a team that likes to possess the ball.
• Of K-State's 64 scoring drives in 2016, 39 were seven plays or longer, including 19 of 10 or more plays, while 19 scoring drives a year ago lasted at least five minutes.
• The Wildcats have been more of a quick-strike offense this year as 17 of their 39 touchdown drives have been four plays or less (43.6-percent).

RED ZONE EFFICIENCY
• Although K-State has not been as proficient in red-zone offense as in previous years, the Wildcats are looking to continue a current red-zone bowl streak that has seen the Wildcats have been perfect in the red zone over their last six bowl games.
• Since the 2012 Cotton Bowl (following 2011 season), K-State has been a perfect 20-for-20 in the red zone with 13 touchdowns. Their best games were 4-for-4 outings against Arkansas in the 2016 Liberty Bowl (following 2015 season), UCLA in the 2015 Alamo Bowl (following 2014 season), and Michigan in the 2013 Buffalo Wild Wings Bowl.
• Overall, K-State has converted on 206-of-228 red zone attempts (.904) with 150 touchdowns since the beginning of 2014.
• Included in that stretch was a nation-leading scoring streak of 56-straight trips that was snapped in 2016.
• In their last 60 wins since 2011, the Cats are 273-for-297 (.919) in red zone chances with 201 touchdowns, while four of their non-scoring trips have come via kneel downs to close out victories.

THOMPSON UNDER CENTER
• After playing a majority of the second halves against Kansas and Texas Tech, redshirt freshman Skylar Thompson earned his first three career starts under center over the final three games of the regular season.
• Against the Red Raiders, he helped the Wildcats record their largest fourth-quarter road comeback victory in school history.
• His start against the Mountaineers made him just the second freshman to start under center for Bill Snyder, joining Allan Evridge, who started the final six games of the 2005 season.
• Thompson's start also marked the third time ever under Snyder that three different quarterbacks have started in a season (1989 and 2015), while it was just the second time three quarterbacks started in one regular season (1989).

YOUNG GUN
• Skylar Thompson had one of the best games by a freshman quarterback in school history in K-State's upset win at No. 10 Oklahoma State.
• The Independence, Missouri, native threw for 204 yards and three touchdowns on 10-of-13 passing, good for a pass efficiency mark of 284.9.
• His passer rating against the Cowboys was the fourth best in school history and tops by a freshman signal caller.
• Thompson enters the bowl season with 662 passing yards, the fourth most by a freshman in school history, while his five passing touchdowns are tied for third in Wildcat history among freshmen.
• The freshman was named Big 12 Newcomer of the Week in the final two games of the season against Oklahoma State and Iowa State, while he earned votes for Big 12 Offensive Freshman of the Year.

1,000 ON THE GROUND
• Sophomore running back Alex Barnes became the 29th player in school history with 1,000 career rushing yards, a mark he eclipsed during the Texas Tech game.
• In doing so, he is just the fourth player in school history to reach the 1,000-yard barrier prior to the end of his sophomore season, while he was the second fastest player to reach 1,000 career yards in terms of carries (152), just five behind Darren Sproles (147).
• Junior Justin Silmon joined the club during the Iowa State game as he enters the 2017 Cactus Bowl with 1,031 yards.

1,000 THROUGH THE AIR
• Byron Pringle became the 31st player in K-State history to eclipse the 1,000-yard receiving mark in a career, a bar he reached during the Kansas game.
• He joins a list of six other former community-college receivers to hit the 1,000-yard mark for a career at K-State. The last to accomplish the feat was Brandon Banks, who had 1,754 yards between 2008 and 2009.
• Junior Dominique Heath is not far from the mark with 898 career receiving yards in his three years of action.

DEEP THREAT
• Now ranking 21st in school history in career receiving yards, Byron Pringle has made the most of his catches this year as his 25.2-yard average is tops in the nation and ranks second in school history.
• Of his 67 career catches, 41.8-percent have gone for at least 20 yards, including 50.0-percent of his 28 grabs this season.

HAVE A DAY, BYRON
• Junior Byron Pringle put together one of the best all-around games in league history at Oklahoma State as he became the first Big 12 player ever with three receiving touchdowns and a kickoff-return score in the same game.
• Pringle's three touchdowns – which came from distances of 47, 46, and 60 yards – tied the school record. It was a mark that had been achieved 10 other times but not since Tyler Lockett did so against Michigan in the 2013 Buffalo Wild Wings Bowl.
• A product of Tampa, Florida, Pringle hauled in four passes for 166 yards as his 41.5-yard average ranked third in school history for a single game.
• Combined with his 114 kickoff-return yards, Pringle tallied 280 all-purpose yards against the Cowboys, the 13th-highest total in the nation this year and the most by a Wildcat since Lockett had 321 at West Virginia in 2014.
• For his effort against the Cowboys, Pringle picked up Big 12 Offensive Player of the Week honors.

YOUNG TALENT
• Left tackle Scott Frantz has started all 25 career games beginning with his redshirt freshman season of 2016.
• Frantz's 25 starts are the most by a Wildcat underclassman (Fr. or So.) left tackle since 1989, 13 more than Barrett Brooks (1992-93).
• Of the 357 total starts at left tackle since 1989, only 63 have been made by underclassmen (17.6-percent), but 39.7-percent of those are represented by Frantz.

DEFENSIVE NOTES
NOT YOUR AVERAGE JOES
• 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 seven of their nine Big 12 opponents to score less than their season averages entering the game.
• The only two foes to not score less were Oklahoma – which scored exactly 42 points when averaging 42.0 – and Texas – which was averaging 34.5 points and needed two overtimes to top that mark.
• Additionally, the Wildcats began the year by holding each of their first four opponents under 21 points, doing so for the first time since 2002 and just the sixth time since 1990.

TOUGH AGAINST THE RUN
• The Wildcats have surrendered less than 125 rushing yards in nine games this season, including 98 yards to a TCU team that was averaging 200-plus rushing yards per game entering the contest.
• The 98 yards by TCU were the fewest the Wildcats surrendered to a ranked opponent since No. 20 Oklahoma State could only muster 49 yards in 2015.
• K-State has held five opponents to less than 100 yards as they also limited Vanderbilt to just 65 rushing yards, Baylor to 84 yards, Kansas to 64 yards and Oklahoma State to 85.

PICKING THEM APART
• The Wildcats have notched at least one interception in 37 of the last 49 games and have totaled 12 this year.
• K-State also have a pair of pick-sixes this year, coming from Kendall Adams (Charlotte) and Duke Shelley (Texas Tech).
• Reed snagged the team's first interception of 2017 against Central Arkansas and had one on the first play at Texas and one on the final play at Kansas. He became the first Wildcat with an interception on the first play of the game since Ty Zimmerman did so against Missouri in 2011.
• The Wildcats have recorded interceptions in each of their last two bowl games. Adams recorded one against Texas A&M in the 2016 Texas Bowl, while current San Francisco 49er linebacker Elijah Lee had one against Arkansas in the 2016 Liberty Bowl (following 2015 season).

IMPROVEMENT AT LINEBACKER
• Although K-State did not return any starts at linebacker from the 2016 seasons, the Wildcats received great production from the unit in 2017.
• The Wildcats were one of three teams in the nation – but the only one from a Power 5 school – to not return a single start at linebacker this year. The next closest among Power 5 schools was Florida, which returned 12 total starts.
• Although lacking experience, Trent Tanking and Jayd Kirby led the team with 96 and 93 tackles, respectively, as each were named Honorable Mention All-Big 12 performers by the league's coaches.
• A former walk-on from Holton, Kansas, Tanking enters the bowl season averaging 5.8 solo stops per game to tie for 11th in the nation.
• Tanking was also a semifinalist for the Campbell Trophy – often referred to as the "Academic Heisman" – and the Burlsworth Trophy, which is awarded to the most outstanding player who began his career as a walk-on.

KIRBY CAME TO PLAY
• Jayd Kirby, who ranks second on the team and ninth in the Big 12 in tackles, had a game to remember against Kansas.
• All the Blooming Grove, Texas, native did was record five tackles, including 4.0 for loss, a sack, three forced fumbles, a fumble recovery and a pass breakup.
• Kirby's 4.0 TFLs were the most by a Wildcat since Charmeachealle Moore also had 4.0 against West Virginia in 2015.
• His three forced fumbles were the most by Wildcat since Darren Howard also had three against Nebraska in 1999 and are the most by a Big 12 player since at least 2009.
• Kirby finished the regular season by averaging 8.5 tackles over the last six games, while he has totaled 8.0 tackles for loss, 3.0 sacks, three forced fumbles, a fumble recovery and four passes defended.
• He is tied with Trent Tanking for 11th nationally with 5.8 solo tackles per game.

BATTING IT AWAY
• K-State has two of the top three players in the Big 12 and two of the top 35 nationally in terms of passes defended in D.J. Reed (13) and Duke Shelley (13).
• It is a continuation of what they have been doing throughout their careers as Reed has 32 career passes defended to rank 12th in school history, while Shelley's 26 are tied for 21st.
• Reed leads the team and ranks second in the Big 12 with 0.4 interceptions per game, while Shelley's first of the season was a big one as he returned in 25 yards for a score in K-State's overtime win at Texas Tech. He also tallied one two weeks later at Oklahoma State.

GEARY LEADS THE LINE
• A former in-state walk-on, Will Geary has recorded a team-best 42 career starts, which includes 37 of the last 38 games.
• The Topeka, Kansas, native held a four-game streak earlier this year with at least one tackle for loss, including a season-best 3.0 TFLs against Baylor.
• Geary, who ranks second on the team in career tackles with 163, ranks 12th in program history in career tackles among interior defensive linemen.
• Additionally, Geary has 25.0 career tackles for loss, which ranks fourth in school history among interior defensive linemen.

SPECIAL TEAMS NOTES
SOLID SPECIAL TEAMS
• Kansas State has annually had one of the best special teams units in the nation, and 2017 has been no different.
• K-State the bowl season ranked seventh nationally in punt returns (14.78 yds/return), while the Wildcats rank 15th in the country in kickoff returns (24.67 yds/return).
• The Wildcats are one of three teams nationally to rank in the top 15 in both categories, joining UCF and TCU.

SCORING IN THE THIRD PHASE
• Kansas State has been far and away the best team among FBS programs over the last decade when it comes to scoring via a kickoff or punt return.
• The Wildcats have a combined 45 kickoff- and punt-return touchdowns since 2005, 16 more than any other FBS school over the last 13 seasons.

DEFENSE IN THE THIRD PHASE
• On the flip side, K-State has been just as consistent in terms of kickoff and punt coverage.
• The Cats have not allowed a kickoff-return touchdown in the last 62 games as the last was against Louisiana on Sept. 7, 2013. During that stretch, K-State has defended against 239 kickoff returns.
• K-State enters the bowl season ranked third nationally in kickoff-return defense (16.21 yds/return).
• The Wildcats have also not allowed a punt-return score in the last 49 games, the last being at Iowa State on Sept. 6, 2014. The Wildcats have successfully defended against 67 punt returns during that stretch.

KICKOFF-RETURN STREAK
• Kansas State is currently riding a pair of streaks in terms of kickoff returns as the Wildcats have returned a kick for a touchdown in each of the last 13 seasons – the longest streak in the nation by five years.
• D.J. Reed extended the streak against Kansas when he returned a first-quarter kickoff 99 yards to paydirt.
• Since head coach Bill Snyder's return in 2009, K-State has returned 19 kickoffs for touchdowns as opposed to only four in his first tenure, which lasted 17 years.
• Reed was named a First Team All-Big 12 kick returner, marking the 12th-straight year a Wildcat received all-conference honors for the discipline and the seventh in the last nine years to be named to the first team.

REED RANKS HIGH
• Junior D.J. Reed earned First Team All-Big 12 honors and Second Team All-America honors as a kick returner.
• Most of that was due to the fact that he enters the bowl season ranked in the top 10 nationally in kickoff-return average (2nd; 35.3), punt-return average (2nd; 17.1), and punt-return touchdowns (10th; 1).
• He had 189 combined return yards at Kansas and 181 against Central Arkansas, the top two marks in the Big 12 this season, while the former is tied for the 10th most in the nation.
• The first Wildcat with a kickoff-return touchdown and a non-blocked punt-return touchdown in the same season since Terence Newman in 2002, Reed is trying to etch his name into the K-State record book.
• The Bakersfield, California, product ranks first in K-State history for single-season kickoff-return average, while he is currently second for a career.
• He also currently holds the top mark in Big 12 history for single season kickoff-return average (35.3).

ALL-PURPOSE PLAYER
• An impressive returner in his own right, who became the school's 31st career 1,000-yard receiver during the Kansas game, Byron Pringle recorded his second career milestone in as many games at Texas Tech.
• Pringle topped 2,000 career all-purpose yards during the game against the Red Raiders, a game in which he recorded 199 all-purpose yards en route to being named to the Paul Hornung Award weekly honor roll.
• The Tampa, Florida, native has 2,509 all-purpose yards as he is just the seventh former community-college player to reach the 2,000-yard barrier and the first since Daniel Thomas had 3,303 all-purpose yards from 2009-10.
• Pringle enters the bowl season ranked 12th nationally in kickoff returns (26.4 yards/return).

McCRANE STANDS ALONE
• Matthew McCrane became the school's all-time leader in career field goals made during the West Virginia game.
• McCrane made three field goals in the game to push his career total to 56, passing Martin Gramatica, who had 54 in his career and held the record for 19 years.
• A two-time All-Big 12 place kicker, McCrane will finish his career highly on many other career kicking lists, as evidenced by the chart on page 12 of K-State's Cactus Bowl Media Guide.

CONNECTING FROM DEEP
• In addition to consistency, Matthew McCrane has also been one of the best in long-distance field goals.
• By connecting from 51 yards against TCU, McCrane made his fifth-career field goal of 50 or more yards to tie with Jeff Snodgrass (2005-06) and Martin Gramatica (1994-95, 1997-98) for the school record.
• Additionally, it was McCrane's third 50-yard field goal this season to tie both Snodgrass (2006) and Gramatica (1997) for first in K-State history.
• Against Texas, McCrane drilled a career-long 54-yarder, which was tied for the eighth-longest field goal in school history, was the longest in the Big 12 this year and tied for the seventh-longest in the nation this season.

WALSH A DEPENDABLE PUNTER
• The Wildcats also have an experienced punter in Nick Walsh, as the 2017 Second Team All-Big 12 punter and two-time member of the Ray Guy Award watch list ranks third in school history in average (42.3), while he ranks fourth in yards (9,058) and attempts (214).
• His current season average of 43.7 ranks second in the Big 12, 29th nationally and fifth in K-State history.
• Walsh's average is aided by a career-long 64-yarder against TCU, the longest by a Wildcat since Mark Krause booted a 67-yarder against Iowa State in 2013.
• A product of Lyndon, Kansas, Walsh has also had 66 career punts land inside the opponent's 20-yard line, the most by a Wildcat since at least 1997.

Kansas State University Athletics

Players Mentioned

Kendall Adams

Alex Barnes

Brogan Barry

Winston Dimel

Jesse Ertz

Bryce Fitzner

Scott Frantz

Will Geary

Dominique Heath

Jayd Kirby

Mitch Lochbihler

Matthew McCrane

Colby Moore

Sean Newlan

Byron Pringle

D.J. Reed

C.J. Reese

Dalton Risner

Drew Scott

Duke Shelley

Justin Silmon

Trent Tanking

Skylar Thompson

Dayton Valentine

Nick Walsh

Glenn Williams

Tanner Wood

Isaiah Zuber

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