Coming off a three-sack performance in Kansas State’s 49-26 win at No. 23 Texas Tech, junior defensive end Ryan Mueller earned his second-consecutive Big 12 Defensive Player of the Week honor, the conference office announced Monday.

The nation’s leader in sacks with 10.5, Mueller’s selection marked the second-straight season a Wildcat picked up consecutive player-of-the-week honors (Collin Klein), while he garnered K-State’s Big 12-leading 22nd accolade since 2011.

A product of Leawood, Kan., Mueller tied for second in school history with his three sacks against the Red Raiders, which were the most in a Big 12 game since Oklahoma’s Frank Alexander had 4.5 against Texas in 2011. Mueller is now tied for sixth in school history in sacks as he needs just one more to tie the K-State single-season record, while he is 1.5 sacks shy of appearing the Big 12 top-10 list.

In addition to leading the nation in sacks, Mueller ranks second in tackles for loss (15.0) and 14th in forced fumbles (3). He has at least a half TFL in every game this season and sacks in seven games, including a current five-game streak in which he has totaled eight sacks.

Kansas State hosts TCU Saturday in a 2:30 p.m., matchup at Bill Snyder Family Stadium that will be shown to a national audience on FSN.

— KSU Sports Information —

LUBBOCK, Texas (AP) — Jake Waters had a big day to help Kansas State run right over No. 25 Texas Tech.

Daniel Sams chipped in too, running for two touchdowns of his own to lead Kansas State over the Red Raiders 49-26 Saturday.

”As a team, it was one of our best games, especially (offensive) line running,” said Waters, who ran for two touchdowns and passed for another. ”We got that going early with John (Hubert’s) touchdown run. We kind of set the tone of, ‘Hey, we can pound the rock against these guys.’ That helped us all day. As a whole (team), I think that was one of our best games.”

Sams’ TDs came on a 1-yard rush and a 5-yarder, and Waters scored from 1 yard and 13 yards.

Waters threw a 20-yard touchdown to Tramaine Thompson. John Hubert, who scored on a 63-yard run early in the game, finished with 157 yards on 23 carries to lead the Wildcats.

”It was huge. That got everyone going,” Waters said of Hubert’s early score.

Ty Zimmerman scored a 43-yard touchdown after intercepting a pass from Texas Tech backup quarterback Baker Mayfield early in the fourth quarter.

The win was the third in a row for the Wildcats (5-4, 3-3 Big 12), while the Red Raiders (7-3, 4-3) dropped their third straight game.

Mayfield, who came in for starter Davis Webb late in the second quarter, was 34 for 44 for 276 yards and two interceptions.

”We got outcoached,” Texas Tech coach Kliff Kingsbury said. ”We got outplayed. It’s up to us what we’re going to do for the last two weeks.”

Wildcats coach Bill Snyder, who’s been coaching longer than Kingsbury has been alive, said he’s content with the progress of his team.

”I think we’ve improved a good deal, not as much as I would like, but we are getting better week in and week out,” said Snyder, who got his 175th career victory. I think we’re better this week than we were a week ago. Probably played as well today, or better today, collectively. Offense, defense, kicking game – a lot of things we didn’t like but, collectively, I think we’ve probably played as well as we have.”

Waters was six of nine for 65 yards passing. He rushed for 38 yards on eight carries. Sams finished with 81 yards on 11 carries.

The Wildcats put the game out of reach when Mayfield was intercepted for the first time at Texas Tech’s 43-yard line and Zimmerman returned it for a score less than a minute after a previous Kansas State touchdown.

Texas Tech slowed Kansas State’s rushing game early in the third quarter. The Red Raiders, who were shut out in the second quarter, came away with points on each of their first two possessions of the second half. Mayfield ran for a 4-yard touchdown and Ryan Bustin kicked a 31-yard field goal to pull within 35-19.

Tyler Lockett led the Wildcats in receptions, getting 44 yards on four receptions.

The Wildcats got just 48 yards rushing in the third quarter and the bulk of those came on a key third-and-5 at the Red Raiders 30-yard line following an unsuccessful onside kick by Texas Tech. Sams started right but juked back left and went for 27 yards and a first down. Two plays later, on the first play of the fourth quarter, Sams scored from a yard out to put the Wildcats up 42-19.

Kansas State scored touchdowns on all but one of the Wildcats’ six first-half possessions – their lone unsuccessful one when they took over on downs with a second remaining.

On the Wildcats’ second play from scrimmage, Hubert ran left and scampered untouched along the far sideline for his 63-yard touchdown.

Eric Ward led Texas Tech with 11 catches for 107 yards.

Red Raiders receiver Jace Amaro, the Big 12’s leader in receptions, continued his streak of games with at least eight catches. He finished with nine for 67 yards.

Mayfield’s interceptions was his sixth and seventh of the season and Waters converted the backup’s fumble into a touchdown when he found Thompson in the end zone.

Starting Texas Tech quarterback Davis Webb was 13 for 20 for 78 yards and a touchdown before going out.

Kansas State scored touchdowns on all but one of its six first-half possessions – their only unsuccessful one came when they took over on downs with a second remaining.

— Associated Press —

MANHATTAN, Kan. (AP) — Derrick Barden had 16 points and 17 rebounds as Northern Colorado stunned Kansas State 60-58 in Friday night’s season opener.

The Bears only went 3-for-8 from the free throw line in the game’s last 52 seconds, but an equally sour performance from the Wildcats gave them the edge.

Wesley Iwundu had 14 points and 10 rebounds, and D.J. Johnson had 12 points and 9 rebounds for the Wildcats.

The last opening loss for the Wildcats came Nov. 23, 2002 against BYU and it was the first season opening loss at home in nearly 20 years.

Having lost Rodney McGruder to graduation and Angel Rodriguez to a postseason transfer, the defending Big 12 regular season champions were in need of quick answers.

The ownership fell on the shoulders of guards Shane Southwell and Will Spradling. They finished 4-of-22 from the field including a 2-of-12 from 3-point range.

— Associated Press —

Kansas State defensive end Ryan Mueller was named Big 12 Defensive Player of the Week following a stellar outing in last week’s 41-7 win over Iowa State, the league office announced today.

The honor for Mueller was the first of his career, while it marked the Wildcats’ Big 12-leading 21st weekly conference accolade since 2011.

A former walk-on, Mueller led a K-State defense that came within an eyelash of the school’s first shutout in a Big 12 game in 10 seasons. The Leawood, Kan., product finished the afternoon with seven tackles, including two tackles for loss and one sack, from his defensive end position to take over the Big 12 lead in quarterback sacks. He now has at least a half TFL in all eight games and one or more sacks in six games, including the last four contests.

In the game, K-State held Iowa State to just 249 total yards and a Cyclone score following a turnover and a short field with 3:24 left prevented the shutout.

K-State (4-4, 2-3) hits the road this weekend for a Big 12 matchup with No. 23 Texas Tech (7-2, 4-2). Kickoff is slated for 11 a.m. with the game being televised by ABC.

— KSU Sports Information —

MANHATTAN, Kan. (AP) — John Hubert ran for 105 yards and two touchdowns, and Kansas State nearly pitched its first Big 12 shutout in a decade in a 41-7 rout of Iowa State on Saturday.

The quarterback combo of Jake Waters and Daniel Sams combined to throw for 221 yards and run for 89 yards as the Wildcats (4-4, 2-3) beat the Cyclones for the sixth straight time.

Iowa State (1-7, 0-5) didn’t score until the Wildcats’ Robert Rose coughed up the ball at his own 10-yard line in the closing minutes, and DeVondrick Nealy took a toss-sweep for a touchdown.

That was the only time the Cyclones ran a play in the Wildcats’ red zone.

Grant Rohach threw for 88 yards for the Cyclones in place of Sam Richardson, who left midway through the second quarter. Richardson had been dealing with a lingering ankle injury.

Nealy’s TD run prevented the Wildcats from finishing off their first shutout since September 2011, and their first of a Big 12 foe since a 45-0 win over the Cyclones on Nov. 3, 2003.

Still, Cyclones coach Paul Rhoads remained winless against Kansas State. Iowa State hasn’t beaten its fellow land-grant university in Manhattan since Nov. 20, 2004.

It didn’t help the Cyclones’ chances that they were missing several key players due to injuries. Top running back Aaron Wimberly, who has an ailing hamstring, did not play.

After holding the Cyclones on fourth down to start the game, Waters led the Wildcats on a 79-yard march. He hit Tyler Lockett for a pair of completions, ran 23 yards for a first down and then handed off to Hubert, whose 10-yard touchdown run gave Kansas State a 7-0 lead.

Jack Cantele kicked a 44-yard field goal a few minutes later to extend the lead to 10-0.

Meanwhile, the Cyclones couldn’t get anything going on offense. They punted on three straight possessions, and then Richardson tossed an interception on the next series.

Rohach took over for Richardson at quarterback in the second quarter and fared a bit better, driving the Cyclones to the Kansas State 29. But forced to settle for a field goal, Cole Netten yanked his kick wide left to keep the score 10-0.

That’s when Kansas State also went to the quarterback bullpen.

Sams came into the game and ran 34 yards on six carries, while also completing 2 of 3 passes for 22 yards – one of them a wobbler intended for Lockett that Tramaine Thompson actually caught.

Sams finished the drive with a 1-yard run for a 17-0 lead just before halftime.

Cantele added another field goal early in the second half, and Hubert finished off an 83-yard drive with a 3-yard run early in the fourth quarter to extend the lead to 27-0.

The two biggest highlights of the game came when it had already been decided.

After the Cyclones were again held on fourth down, Sams threw a 28-yard rainbow that Thompson hauled in over a defender – despite pass interference – while landing on his back in the end zone.

Rohach was picked off by the Wildcats’ Dorrian Roberts on the ensuing possession, and Rose scampered nine yards into the end zone for a touchdown and a 41-0 lead.

The only drama left was whether the Wildcats would finish off the shutout. Rose’s fumble and Nealy’s touchdown run finally gave the Cyclones something to feel good about.

— Associated Press —

Kansas State senior defensive back Ty Zimmerman is one of 15 semifinalists for the Jim Thorpe Award as the nation’s top defensive back, the Jim Thorpe Association announced Monday.

A product of Junction City, Kan., Zimmerman is the fifth individual in school history to be named a semifinalist following Jamie Mendez (1993), Chris Canty (1995 and 1996), Terence Newman (2001 and 2002) and Nigel Malone (2011 and 2012). Additionally, he is just the second safety in Kansas State history to earn semifinal status (Mendez).

Zimmerman has recorded 55 tackles this season to rank second on the team and tied for fifth in the Big 12. He picked off his 11th career pass against Louisiana and returned it 32 yards for his first career touchdown. He is tied for sixth in school history in career interceptions and ranks fourth in career interception-return yards (178). In addition, Zimmerman has broken up four other passes, has three tackles for loss and forced a fumble last week against West Virginia that led to a K-State touchdown.

One of the most experienced players in K-State history, Zimmerman has started 43 career games to rank fifth nationally among active players, while he has 237 tackles to sit just 12 shy of entering the school’s career top-25 list.

The three Thorpe Award finalists will be named on Monday, November 25 and the winner will be announced at the Home Depot College Football Awards Show on December 12 airing on ESPN. The winner of the 2013 Thorpe Award will be honored at a banquet in Oklahoma City on February 4, 2014.

Kansas State concludes a three-game homestand this Saturday with a 2:30 p.m., contest against Iowa State at Bill Snyder Family Stadium that will be televised nationally by FOX Sports 1.

— KSU Sports Information —

Kansas State scored four unanswered touchdowns in the second half to defeat West Virginia, 35-12, and gain its first Big 12 win of the season Saturday.

Jake Waters was 10-of-13 for 198 yards and three touchdowns for Kansas State (3-4, 1-3). Daniel Sams was 8-for-8 for 93 yards and a touchdown. Tyler Lockett had eight catches for 111 yards and three scores.

Kansas State had a chance for a big break early in the third quarter when Clint Trickett fumbled and it was recovered by Blake Slaughter at the West Virginia 18-yard line. But on the second play, Sams lost the ball after gaining a first down and it was recovered in the end zone by the Mountaineers’ Karl Joseph.

On the next play Trickett hit Kevin White on a slant pass just over the line of scrimmage and White meandered 43 yards through the K-State defense. That resulted in a 50-yard field goal by Josh Lambert and a 12-7 lead for West Virginia (3-5, 1-4).

But Kansas State responded with a 14-play, 78-yard drive, that used up 8:24 with the Wildcats going into the 20-mph wind. The drive was capped by a 9-yard pass from Sams to Lockett in the back of the end zone on third-and-goal.

Another 78-yard drive, this one taking seven plays and 3:40, gave Kansas State a 21-12 lead with 11:11 left in the fourth quarter. Waters hit Tramaine Thompson on a 30-yard touchdown pass on a play that looked exactly like his first touchdown of the day to Lockett.

Waters’ hit Lockett with a 24-yard touchdown with 7:31 left to put the game out of reach. John Hubert ran in a 4-yard touchdown with 21 seconds left for the final score.

Kansas State was the first team to find any kind of flow on offense in the first half, but even that took a substitute. Waters replaced Sams at quarterback as the Wildcats faced third-and-15 from the West Virginia 35. Waters, who had started the game for Kansas State, threw a 35-yard touchdown to Lockett, hitting Lockett in stride just shy of the goal line.

After the teams traded punts, West Virginia answered early in the second quarter. Trickett ran off left tackle for a 6-yard touchdown. Travis Britz blocked the extra point, helping Kansas State retain the 7-6 lead.

West Virginia took the lead on a 21-yard field goal by Lambert. The Mountaineers reached the Kansas State 6-yard line on a 50-yard completion from Trickett to Ronald Carswell. But the Wildcats defense stiffened, forcing the field goal.

— Associated Press —

MANHATTAN, Kan. (AP) — Baylor coach Art Briles knew that his team would be tested at some point his season. Things had been too easy for the No. 15 Bears during four lopsided home wins.

In fact, he figured the step up in class would start Saturday at Kansas State.

He was right, and his team answered the call.

Bryce Petty threw for 342 yards and three touchdowns, Ahmad Dixon made a critical interception late in the fourth quarter and the Bears held on for a 35-25 victory over the slumping Wildcats.

”We knew the way this season had gone, it wasn’t going to continue like that,” said Briles, whose had been averaging more than 700 yards and 70 points per game. ”Everything had been in our favor, four games at home, catching everyone at a good time. We knew it would change.”

What didn’t change was the outcome.

Tevin Reese had five catches for 184 yards and two scores, and Antwan Goodley had five catches for 139 yards and another touchdown as the Bears (5-0, 2-0 Big 12) won their ninth straight game dating to their upset victory over Kansas State last season.

”It was a huge team win all-around,” said Petty, whose three TD passes all went for more than 50 yards. ”The defense stepped up huge. I thought they had a great game.”

Daniel Sams ran for 199 yards and three touchdowns for the Wildcats, who led 25-21 midway through the third quarter. But they twice failed on 2-point conversion attempts, missed a tying field-goal try in the fourth quarter, and then Sams was picked off by Dixon to seal the outcome.

The defending Big 12 champion, Kansas State (2-4) is 0-3 in the Big 12 for the first time since 2004, shortly before coach Bill Snyder stepped away for a brief retirement.

”It better matter to them. It better matter to everybody if it involves the program,” he said. ”I hate to think that you lose four ball games through the early segments of your season and be a 2-4 football team and not have it matter. That doesn’t make any sense to me. I think it does matter to our players and they don’t want to be there. They want to do something about it.”

The Bears had scored at least 28 points in the first quarter of each of their games this season, so it was a mild victory for Kansas State that they only led 7-0 on Saturday.

Kansas State answered early in the second quarter when Sams carried eight consecutive times on a 78-yard TD drive, but Baylor’s score-a-minute offense eventually got on track.

Reese ran right past defensive back Randall Evans for a 93-yard touchdown reception, the second-longest scoring pass in the Bears’ 115-year history. Then after Jack Cantele hit a 24-yard field goal for Kansas State, Goodley hauled in a 72-yard pass from Petty to make it 21-10 at halftime.

So accustomed to games being over by then, perhaps the Bears forgot they needed to keep playing.

The Wildcats scored 15 unanswered points in the third quarter, beginning with Cantele’s 32-yard field goal. Weston Hiebert blocked a punt moments later to give Kansas State the ball back, and Sams – who briefly went to the locker room with a shoulder injury – returned for a 2-yard TD run.

The Wildcats got the ball back again when Petty was stripped by Ryan Mueller near the Baylor sideline, and Kansas State punched it into the end zone for its first lead of the game.

But facing adversity for the first time this season, Baylor responded with aplomb. Petty hit Reese on a 54-yard scoring strike that gave the Bears a 28-25 lead with 14:33 left.

”He just got off a great press, he got a good release and just took off,” Petty said. ”It was just about not overthrowing him and ac ting like we were in the indoor.”

The Wildcats had chances down the stretch, only to fritter them away.

Cantele pulled a 41-yard field goal wide left that would have tied the game with 6:49 left in the game. After the Kansas State defense held, Sams was picked off by Dixon with 3:48 remaining when the sophomore quarterback appeared to be throwing the ball away.

Glasco Martin added a 21-yard touchdown run with 1:16 to go that put the game away.

”We moved the ball at times but we kind of shot ourselves in the foot at times, too,” said the Wildcats’ Jake Waters, who shared time with Sams at quarterback. ”For the most part I thought we played good enough to win the game. We’ve just got to make those plays to get the W.”

— Associated Press —