MANHATTAN, Kan. – Coming off Kansas State’s 45-40 upset victory at No. 10 Oklahoma State, Kansas State wide receiver Byron Pringle and quarterback Skylar Thompson have been named the Big 12 Offensive and Newcomer of the Week, respectively, the conference office announced Monday.

The honor was the third of Pringle’s career but the first of the offensive variety as he was named special teams player of the week twice in 2016. It was also the Wildcats’ first weekly conference honor for offense since the 2015 regular-season finale (Deante Burton vs. West Virginia). Thompson picked up his first weekly Big 12 accolade.

Pringle made Big 12 history against the Cowboys as he became the first player in conference history to record three receiving touchdowns in addition to a kickoff-return score in a single game. On the day, Pringle caught four passes for 166 yards and three touchdowns, the latter tying the school record, which hadn’t been accomplished since Tyler Lockett did so against Michigan in the 2013 Buffalo Wild Wings Bowl.

A product of Tampa, Florida, Pringle averaged 41.5 yards per catch, the third-highest mark in school record. His 89-yard kickoff return touchdown in the second quarter gave the Wildcats a lead that they would not relinquish, as he improved his career kickoff-return yardage to 966 to improve to eighth in school history.

Thompson, a redshirt freshman who made just his second-career start, threw for 204 yards and three scores on 10-of-13 aim, while he rushed for 93 yards and another touchdown. He accumulated a 284.9 pass efficiency rating, the fourth-highest mark in school history and the best mark ever by a Wildcat freshman. Additionally, his three passing touchdowns were tied for the second most by a Wildcat freshman.

A native of Independence, Missouri, Thompson has thrown for 510 yards and four touchdowns this season, both ranking fourth in school history among freshmen. He also has 251 rushing yards this year, needing 38 yards to move into the top five in K-State history among freshmen, a list that does not include any quarterbacks.

K-State hosts Iowa State on Saturday in its regular-season finale, a contest kicks off at 2:30 p.m.

— K-State Athletics —

STILLWATER, Okla. (AP) — Looks like 78-year-old Kansas State coach Bill Snyder still knows how to reach young people.

Snyder made it a point to tell his team it was a heavy underdog heading into Saturday’s matchup with No. 10 Oklahoma State, and it was the perfect button to push. Byron Pringle caught three touchdown passes and returned a kickoff for another score to help the Wildcats stun the Cowboys 45-40 on Saturday.

The Wildcats were a 19 1/2-point underdog Friday.

“We all knew it wasn’t an accurate number, but I told them you’re going to have to go out there and prove it, and we proved it tonight,” Snyder said.

Oklahoma State nearly erased a 29-point deficit in the second half, but Kansas State (6-5, 4-4 Big 12) held on to become bowl eligible for the eighth consecutive season.

“This is what we’ve been capable of all year long,” Kansas State linebacker Jayd Kirby said.

Pringle caught four passes for a career-high 166 yards the day after his 24th birthday. His kickoff return touchdown covered 89 yards. The junior entered the game with eight career touchdowns, and he had never scored more than two in a game.

Freshman Skylar Thompson threw for 204 yards and three touchdowns and ran for 93 yards and a score in his second start for the injured Jesse Ertz.

Oklahoma State’s Mason Rudolph passed for 425 yards and three touchdowns and ran for another score. James Washington caught eight passes for 159 yards and two touchdowns for the Cowboys (8-3, 5-3, No. 13 CFP).

Kansas State led 28-13 at halftime. The Wildcats ran for 132 yards in the first half and intercepted two of Rudolph’s passes. Pringle got loose for a 46-yard touchdown grab to put the Wildcats up 35-13 in the third quarter, then caught a 60-yarder a few minutes later to make it 42-13 before Rudolph got it going.

Rudolph threw a 14-yard touchdown pass to Dillon Stoner to cut Kansas State’s lead to 45-40 with 4:02 to go. The Wildcats went three-and-out to give Oklahoma State a chance to take the lead, but Rudolph missed four straight passes, then Kansas State ran out the clock.

It was Oklahoma State’s third home loss, and it crushed the Cowboys’ already slim chances of reaching the College Football Playoff.

“We all need to look at ourselves and figure out what’s going on because for whatever reason, we’re not showing up,” coach Mike Gundy said.

THE TAKEAWAY

Kansas State: The Wildcats finally caught a break in a close game. They had lost by seven points to Vanderbilt, six points to Texas, seven points to Oklahoma and five points to West Virginia this season.

“The defense had a role in it, the offense had a role, special teams had a role,” Snyder said. “We can be a decent team when all three aspects are involved.”

Oklahoma State: The Cowboys couldn’t get their offense going until late. Rudolph was off, and his receivers had some costly drops early.

Rudolph wasn’t sure why he struggled to start of the game.

“I don’t really know,” he said. “That’s a good question. I don’t think we played very well as a whole, so we’ll have to go back and watch the tape.”

STAT LINES

Oklahoma State’s offense posted big numbers, despite being dormant for a long stretch. In one span of six possessions from the middle of the second quarter to late in the third, the Cowboys ran 25 plays, gained 55 yards and did not score.

“We couldn’t throw and couldn’t catch, which the chances of that happening are slim in my opinion,” Gundy said.

QUOTABLE

Thompson on Pringle’s performance: “We just have a lot of confidence in one another and I know if I see any separation with Byron, I know I can put it in a spot and I know he’s going to go get it for me. It takes a lot of weight off my shoulders, I know I can just put it up there in a spot where he can go get it, and gosh dang, he did it today.”

UP NEXT

Kansas State: Hosts Iowa State on Saturday.

Oklahoma State: Hosts Kansas on Saturday.

— Associated Press —

MANHATTAN, Kan. (AP) — Kansas State held opponents to 45 and 51 points on the season so far, and on Friday night, the Wildcats provided the folks at Bramlage Coliseum with more of the same type of basketball at the expense of a young UC Irvine team.

Kamau Stokes had 14 points on 4-of-8 shooting and Kansas State started quickly on its way to a 71-49 victory over UC Irvine on Friday night.

The Wildcats (3-0) used a balanced attack to jump to an 11-0 lead while the Anteaters (2-2) could not get anything to fall with a 0-for-6 start from the field.

Xavier Sneed added 12 points on 4-of-10 shooting, including two 3-point baskets, for the Wildcats.

“We came out with a lot of energy and a lot of fight,” Sneed said. “I think we went on a 10-0 run to start it off. We preached that the first five minutes we will come out and punch those guys in the mouth. That is what we did.”

UC Irvine briefly got the deficit within single digits at 39-30 early in the second half but could not overcome its turnovers and poor shooting. Following the game, head coach Russell Turner was pleased with his team’s fight at resolve in their first true road test of the season.

“They fight hard, play well together and are very committed — and that showed tonight. We didn’t play very well but we fought hard and I think that we’ve got a great chance of continually getting better because we are a young team. We’re also a team that needs to perform in these opportunities. What we hope is to make the NCAA Tournament and play a team like Kansas State and be better in that environment than we were tonight.”

Brad Greene had nine points to lead the Anteaters.

“Brad’s one of our many sophomores,” Turner said. “Brad has had an incredible offseason where he shed 50 pounds. I think that there’s talent on this team in many places, just like Brad, that are going to have good nights against different opponents.”

BIG PICTURE

For the second straight ballgame, the Wildcats held an opponent to under 30 percent shooting. On the offensive end, Kansas State was inconsistent and careless with the basketball at times. The interior was another concern for Kansas State as they were outrebounded 39-37.

UP NEXT

UC Irvine: The Anteaters travel to Tempe, Ariz., to play Arizona State on Sunday.

Kansas State: The Wildcats will host Northern Arizona on Monday.

— Associated Press —

MANHATTAN, Kan. (AP) — Barry Brown scored 14 points to help Kansas State beat cold-shooting Missouri-Kansas City 72-51 on Tuesday night.

Xavier Sneed had 13 points and Dean Wade and Mawdo Sallah scored 11 points apiece for Kansas State.

After both teams struggled to get baskets early going, the Wildcats (2-0) put together a game-breaking 15-2 run in the final five minutes of the first half to give them a 14-point lead at the half.

The Kangaroos (1-2) struggled shooting for the entire night as they had multiple scoring droughts that would reach three or four minutes at a time. As a team they shot below 30 percent (13 of 50) for the second time in three games this season. Isaiah Ross was the lone player to score in double figures for UMKC with 12 points on 4-of-11 shooting.

BIG PICTURE: Kansas State moves to 2-0 on the season but struggled from the field, shooting 41 percent, which seemed to be contagious as UMKC struggled as well. We’re about a week away from Kansas State’s first tough test of the season when they play Arizona State in the Las Vegas Invitational on November 23.

UP NEXT

UMKC: The Kangaroos host Loyola Nov. 16

Kansas State: Kansas State hosts UC Irvine on Nov. 17

— Associated Press —

MANHATTAN, Kan. (AP) — Will Grier scrambled to his right and then retreated to his left, time ticking off the clock in the first half and No. 23 West Virginia seemingly content to take a one-point lead over Kansas State into halftime.

Then Grier unloaded a pass toward the end zone.

Ka’Raun White never had to move to haul in his second touchdown reception.

The half-ending score, after a crippling interception thrown by Skylar Thompson, gave the Mountaineers a lift going into the break. And their defense did the rest in the second half, holding on to escape with a 28-23 victory and their Big 12 title hopes intact.

“It was a weird game,” Mountaineers coach Dana Holgorsen said. “I don’t quite know how we won it other than our defense playing their tail off. The offense was hot and cold. But we made some big plays.”

Few bigger than that 30-yard TD pass for a 28-20 halftime lead.

Grier finished with 372 yards and four touchdowns passing for the Mountaineers (7-3, 5-2), while White had eight catches for 168 yards. David Sills V had the other two TD receptions, one a tip-toe job in the corner of the end zone, and Justin Crawford added 113 yards on the ground.

“It was a big game,” Mountaineers linebacker David Long said, “and they were going to make plays.”

Indeed, the Wildcats closed to 28-23 on Matt McCrane’s field goal early in the fourth quarter, but an offense down to its third-string QB in Thompson couldn’t get all the way back.

Thompson threw for 159 yards with two interceptions in his first career start for the Wildcats (5-5, 3-4), who still need a win to become bowl-eligible for the eighth consecutive year. Dalvin Warmack added 96 yards rushing and bruising fullback Winston Dimel reached the end zone twice.

“It was in our hands,” Kansas State coach Bill Snyder said. “It was ours to win or lose.”

The nip-and-tuck game was indicative of the series: The last three meetings had been decided by eight points total, including the Mountaineers’ 17-16 comeback win in Morgantown last year.

They tried to fumble this one away early, coughing it up twice in the damp, cold weather. Grier also threw a pair of first-half interceptions, one of which was returned inside their 5.

But Kansas State kept stumbling while trying to take advantage of the mistakes.

The Wildcats had to settle for a pair of early field goals, which West Virginia wiped out with a 75-yard touchdown pass from Grier to White, and Sills added his two TD catches to extend the lead.

Still, Kansas State got within 21-20 and had the ball in the closing seconds of the first half when Thompson was picked off on a poorly designed screen play. West Virginia had time for one play, and Grier scrambled long enough to find White in the end zone.

“Will is very good at extending plays,” Sills said. “He always keeps his eyes downfield. He can run, but when he scrambles he is looking to throw downfield. It resulted in a lot of big plays.”

The Wildcats’ defense stiffened in the second half, but their offense still couldn’t do much. McCrane missed a 32-yard field goal — Snyder argued in vain that it went through the uprights — before hitting from 29 yards to make it 28-23 with 12:44 to go.

Kansas State was trying to take the lead when Thompson was picked off by Kenny Robinson deep in West Virginia territory. And even though the Wildcats’ defense forced a quick punt, the turnover flipped the field with about 6 minutes remaining, emboldening the Mountaineers’ defense.

They forced a punt of their own, and Grier converted on fourth down with 2:29 left, allowing West Virginia to run out the clock at the Kansas State goal line.

“This one will hurt us for a while,” said McCrane, who broke Martin Gramatica’s school record of 54 career field goals. “We know we need to get some wins.”

TAKEAWAYS

West Virginia overcame four turnovers and some uncharacteristic dropped passes. Gary Jennings was a big part of the success, catching 13 passes for 115 yards as the Wildcats bottled up the run early and tried to take White and Sills away in the passing game.

Kansas State’s defense, which had surrendered at least 400 yards passing in three straight games, was good enough to keep it close. But the offense struggled behind an inexperienced quarterback who made several poor decisions and often held onto the ball too long.

UP NEXT

West Virginia heads home to face Texas on Saturday before a trip to No. 5 Oklahoma.

Kansas State plays its road finale against No. 12 Oklahoma State on Saturday.

— Associated Press —

MANHATTAN, Kan. (AP) — Kamau Stokes fed Xavier Sneed for a game-opening alley oop and Kansas State set the tone early as it opened the season with an 83-45 win over American on Friday night.

Dean Wade scored 17 points including 15 in the first half and newcomers Cartier Diarra netted 13 points and Makol Mawien had 12. Stokes and Barry Brown added 10 points each.

ADVERTISEMENT

The Wildcats broke away with unselfish play as they connected on 14 assists on their first 17 made shots. Stokes led the effort and finished with a game-high seven assists.

American struggled to keep pace as the Wildcats used a 14-0 run early on in the first half to put the Eagles behind 19-5.

Larry Motuzis led the Eagles in scoring with 17 points on 7-of-14 shooting.

BIG PICTURE

Coming off of an NCAA Tournament appearance, the season opener for Kansas State showed the offensive potential of proven vets like Dean Wade, Barry Brown and Kamau Stokes. The game also gave fans a chance to see young and unproven players like Makol Mawien and Cartier Diarra who will look to help Kansas State reach back-to-back NCAA appearances for the first time since 2013-2014 seasons.

UP NEXT

American: The Eagles face West Virginia on Nov. 15

Kansas State: The Wildcats host UMKC on Nov. 3

— Associated Press —

MANHATTAN, Kan. – With a 25-yard interception return touchdown and three total passes defended in last week’s overtime victory at Texas Tech, Kansas State junior defensive back Duke Shelley picked up Big 12 Defensive Player of the Week honors, the conference office announced Monday.

The citation was the first in Shelley’s career and the fifth by a Wildcat this year, including the second of the defensive variety as Kendall Adams was honored following the Charlotte game. The Wildcats now have 48 player-of-the-week honors since 2011, the second most in the Big 12.

A product of Tucker, Georgia, Shelley picked off a third-quarter pass and returned it for a score, which was vital in helping the Wildcats earn a 42-35 overtime victory in Lubbock. It was the first road overtime victory in school history, while he helped the Wildcats secure their largest fourth-quarter comeback win under head coach Bill Snyder.

Shelley, who also had four tackles and two pass breakups, earned the second pick-six of his career (2016 vs. Oklahoma State) and recorded K-State’s nation-leading 111th non-offensive touchdown since 1999. He took over the Big 12 lead in passes defended with 11, while he ranks 14th nationally in the category thanks to five over the last two games alone.

K-State hosts No. 23 West Virginia on Saturday inside Bill Snyder Family Stadium at 2:30 p.m.

— K-State Athletics —

LUBBOCK, Texas (AP) — Third-string quarterback Skylar Thompson emerged from the shadows of Kansas State’s never-thought-much-about Plan C and threw the game-winning touchdown in a 42-35 overtime win over Texas Tech.

Thompson, a redshirt freshman and once a heralded recruit within the Midwest, also threw a tying two-point conversion to Dalton Schoen that tied the game with 42 seconds to play.

“I’m so glad we won,” Thompson said. “That’s all that matters to me is we won the game. I was ready when my number was called. I knew I needed come in and help us win the football game. I wasn’t expecting it to come down to something like that, but I was ready. I was confident and felt like everyone was confident in me.”

The Red Raiders (4-5, 1-5 Big 12) followed up Thompson’s overtime touchdown with a fourth-and-goal pass from the 4-yard line that quarterback Nic Shimonek threw out the back of the end zone.

Kansas State (5-4, 3-3) had trailed for the previous 19:18 after blowing a 24-21 advantage before Shoen pulled down the two-pointer in the front corner of the end zone.

The 2-point play was set up by Thompson’s 1-yard dive into the end zone on second-and-goal. The five-play, 80-yard drive started after Texas Tech kicker Clayton Hatfield missed a 31-yard field goal with 3:40 left in regulation.

The Red Raiders have missed at least one kick, whether an extra point or field goal and sometimes both, in each game of what is now a four-game losing streak.

“There’s something going on,” Texas Tech coach Kliff Kingsbury said. “There’s no question. To not be able to get this one done, we’ve got to play with more confidence late in games. We’ve got to be able to make kicks. It’s a number of things. Got to have stops. Got to have drives.”

Thompson, who replaced Alex Delton after a helmet-to-helmet hit late in the first half, played the final 30 minutes and finished 5 of 8 for 96 yards passing with the touchdown through the air. Delton started the prior three games for Jesse Ertz, who is sidelined with a knee injury.

Texas Tech defensive end Kolin Hill was ejected for targeting on the Delton hit, but he served his one-half suspension in the second half and will be eligible to play next week against Baylor.

Trailing 17-14 at halftime, Shimonek threw third-quarter scores to Keke Coutee and Dylan Cantrell of 34 yards and 1 yard, respectively, but he also threw a 25-yard pick-6 to cornerback Duke Shelley. Cantrell’s catch gave the Red Raiders a lead of 28-24 and came a split-second after Shimonek shook off blitzing defensive end Reggie Walker.

Texas Tech added a 22-yard touchdown reception from T.J. Vasher in the fourth quarter and Kansas State mustered a 30-yard field goal by Matthew McCrane ahead of tying the game.

Kansas State’s first-half lead could have been larger.

D.J. Reed’s punt return of more than 80 yards for a touchdown was initially negated by a holding call and, subsequently, Colby Moore’s targeting infraction on the play after video review.

Down 28-24 late in the third quarter, Thompson threw a 37-yard touchdown pass to Isaiah Zuber that was whistled back after Zuber drifted out of bounds before coming back in for the catch.

“To see the offense be down 10 points, come back, get the field goal, and then come back and get the touchdown and the 2-point conversion — I thought there was a lot of want-to,” Kansas State coach Bill Snyder said. “A lot of passion involved in that. A lot of confidence involved in it as well.”

THE TAKEAWAY

Kansas State: Snyder’s squad took another blow at quarterback, but Skylar Thompson was serviceable against a program now on a four-game losing streak. The ante goes up next week when West Virginia visits.

Texas Tech: Kingsbury’s hot seat is sizzling. Saturday’s loss marked the Red Raiders’ fourth straight after a 4-1 start.

UP NEXT

Kansas State: The Wildcats return home to host West Virginia, which is receiving votes in the AP poll.

Texas Tech: The Red Raiders hit the road for a neutral-site game against Baylor at the Dallas Cowboys’ AT&T Stadium.

— Associated Press —

MANHATTAN, Kan. – Kansas State senior Matthew McCrane is one of 20 place kickers in the nation to be named a semifinalist for the 2017 Lou Groza Award, the Palm Beach County Sports Commission announced Thursday.

McCrane, the lone Big 12 place kicker on the list, is the fifth Wildcat to be named a semifinalist for the award. Martin Gramatica was the 1997 winner and 1998 runner up, while Jamie Rheem was the runner up in both 1999 and 2000. Joe Rheem (2004) and Anthony Cantele (2012) were also semifinalists for the award.

A product of Brownwood, Texas, McCrane leads the Big 12 and ranks fifth nationally with 15 field goals this season. His total includes three of at least 50 yards, including the two longest field goals in the Big 12 this season when he made a 54-yarder at Texas and a 53-yarder against Central Arkansas.

McCrane is threatening to break several school records, while he will leave K-State with several top-10 rankings. He is currently first in school history in career field-goal percentage (86.4; 51-59) and career extra-point percentage (.991; 114-115), while he is tied for the single-season and career (5) records for 50-yard field goals made.

A two-time All-Big 12 placekicker, McCrane also ranks second in career field goals made with 51, just three behind Gramatica for the record. His 267 career points rank fifth in school history overall and third among kickers. His 18 field goals in 2014 – a year he was named a Freshman All-American – are tied for fifth in school history, while this year’s total is 10th.

Three finalists for the award will be announced on Tuesday, November 21, and be honored at the 26th annual Lou Groza Collegiate Place-Kicker Awards Banquet on December 4. The winner of the 2017 Lou Groza Award will be announced live on ESPN at the Home Depot College Football Awards Show on Thursday, December 7.

Kansas State meets Texas Tech on Saturday, an 11 a.m., contest inside Jones AT&T Stadium in Lubbock, Texas.

— KSU Athletics —