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Kansas State sweeps final Big 12 weekly football honors

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riggertKansasStateMANHATTAN, Kan. – For the first time in school history, Kansas State swept the Big 12 weekly honors as wide receiver Deante Burton (offense), linebacker Charmeachealle Moore (defense) and kick returner Morgan Burns (special teams) were each named the Big 12 Player of the Week for their efforts in the Wildcats’ 24-23 win over West Virginia, the conference office announced Monday.

Burns’ honor marked the first time in Big 12 history a player has been honored in four-consecutive weeks. Prior to last week, only Texas Tech quarterback Graham Harrell (2008) and Texas running back Ricky Williams (1998) had won three-straight player of the week honors. It was the first-career honors for both Burton and Moore.

A product of Manhattan, Kansas, Burton had a career game against the Mountaineers as he carded five receptions for a career-high 135 yards and a touchdown. His touchdown went for 77 yards – the Wildcats’ longest play from scrimmage this season – in the third quarter and gave the Cats their first lead of the game at 17-13 while sparking the second-half rally. Burton, who shared the weekly conference honor with West Virginia running back Wendell Smallwood, bettered his previous career high of 65 receiving yards set earlier this year against TCU. He recorded the Wildcats’ second 100-yard receiving game this year.

Moore was all over the field against West Virginia as he set career highs in tackles (17), solo tackles (16), tackles for loss (4.0) and sacks (2.0) against the Big 12’s second-ranked rushing team. His 16 solo tackles are tied for the most nationally this season and the most by a Wildcat since at least 1999. His biggest stop came late in the game when he recorded a fourth-down tackle of WVU quarterback Skyler Howard with just over two minutes remaining and the Wildcats holding on to the one-point lead.

Burns scored the game-winning touchdown with his Big 12 record-tying fourth kickoff return score of the season. Burns returned three kickoffs for 201 yards, which included his 97-yard touchdown return in the fourth quarter. It was his fourth kickoff-return score of the year and the fifth of his career as he tied both the K-State and Big 12 records. The senior’s 201 kickoff-return yards rank second in school history for a game behind his record-setting 221 yards at Texas Tech earlier this season. Burns also blocked a West Virginia punt in the first quarter a week after recovering a blocked punt for a touchdown at Kansas.

Riding a three-game winning streak which included the comeback win over West Virginia in the regular-season finale to become bowl eligible, Kansas State will play Arkansas in the 2016 AutoZone Liberty Bowl on January 2, at Liberty Bowl Memorial Stadium in Memphis, Tennessee. The game, which will kick off at 2:20 p.m., will be shown to a national audience on ESPN. The game can also be heard across the K-State Sports Network and on ESPN Radio.

— KSU Athletics —

Three fourth-quarter interceptions fuel Chiefs’ comeback win at Oakland

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riggertChiefsOAKLAND, Calif. (AP) — Marcus Peters and Tyvon Branch made the Oakland Coliseum feel just like home.

Peters, an Oakland native who grew up attending Raiders games, set up Kansas City’s go-ahead score with an interception and former Oakland safety Tyvon Branch put the game away with an interception return for a touchdown that gave the Chiefs their sixth straight win, 34-20 on Sunday.

“It was a whole lot more than I expected,” said Peters, who gave the ball from his interception to his mother. “It was hard, man, I can’t lie, to come out there and stay focused. My nerves were up and down.

“Early in the game my emotions were everywhere so it took for coach and the other leaders on the team to just bring me back. I made some silly mistakes early, but they reeled me in.”

Peters and Branch helped key a momentum-changing fourth quarter as Kansas City (7-5) turned three interceptions by Derek Carr into three touchdowns to remain in the AFC wild-card lead.

Alex Smith threw two TD passes to Jeremy Maclin after Carr’s first two interceptions to lead the opportunistic Chiefs to another win.

“We knew we dug ourselves in a hole in the beginning of the year, but we’re been battling back every week — just working hard and believing in each other and coming out with victories,” said linebacker Josh Mauga, whose interception started the fourth-quarter barrage.

Carr became the third Raiders quarterback since the team moved back to Oakland in 1995 to throw three fourth-quarter interceptions to send the Raiders to their fourth loss in five games and likely a 13th season without a playoff berth.

“I played a lot of football in my life, won a lot of games, lost a lot of games. But today was probably one of the hardest losses I’ve been a part of in my career,” safety Charles Woodson said. “That was a tough loss.”

The game turned odd late in the third quarter after the Raiders took a 20-14 lead on a 5-yard TD pass from Carr to Lee Smith. But Sebastian Janikowski hit the upright on the extra point, ending a streak of 225 straight makes.

The Raiders then forced a punt and were driving to make it a two-score game when Carr tried to make something out of nothing and it cost him. He tried to throw the ball away to avoid a sack, but was hit on the play and the ball went right to Mauga, who rumbled 65 yards to the 2 on the return.

“The only thing in my mind was try to get as close to the goal line or even score,” Mauga said. “I was hoping I could score, but I ran out of gas.”

Maclin then scored on a 1-yard pass from Smith. But the holder Dustin Colquitt couldn’t get the snap down and the Chiefs missed the extra point, keeping the game tied at 20.

Carr then threw another interception on the next possession after Michael Crabtree tripped and Peters returned it 58 yards to the 13. Maclin then took a short pass and ran 13 yards for the go-ahead score only to have kicker Cairo Santos miss the point after attempt.

The botched kicks proved contagious as Janikowski hit the upright again on Oakland’s ensuing possession on a 49-yard field goal try.

The Raiders got another chance, but Branch scooped up a pass that deflected off Cooper’s hands and ran it back 38 yards for the score.

“I’m pretty ticked off, especially on how some of them happened,” Carr said. “I get pretty upset. Those things will happen. It just (stinks) that it happened all back to back like that.”

The Raiders took a 14-7 lead going into the half after Woodson ripped the ball away from Kelce with the Chiefs in field goal range and returned it 38 yards to the Kansas City 36. It was Woodson’s second fumble recovery of the game and set up Michael Crabtree’s 25-yard TD catch.

Game notes
Former Raiders WR Tim Brown was presented with his Hall of Fame ring at halftime. … Chiefs DL Mike DeVito left the game with a concussion. … Raiders S Nate Allen left with a knee injury.

— Associated Press —

K-State accepts invitation to play Arkansas in Liberty Bowl

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riggertKansasStateMANHATTAN, Kan. – Riding a three-game winning streak which included a comeback win over West Virginia to become bowl eligible, K-State Nation is heading to Memphis for the first time in program history as Kansas State Athletics Director John Currie announced today that the Wildcats have accepted an invitation to play Arkansas in the 2016 AutoZone Liberty Bowl on January 2.

The game, one of the most historical bowl games in all of college football that matches the Big 12 and the SEC, will be played at The Liberty Bowl Memorial Stadium at 2:20 p.m. CT, with a nationwide television audience watching on ESPN. The Wildcats’ opponent from the SEC will be announced later this afternoon.

“I am very proud of our team and coaches for their resiliency in becoming bowl eligible for the sixth-straight year,” said Currie. “With season ticket holders from 46 different states and a national fan base that features more than 250,000 friends and alumni across the country, we are excited to showcase our football program and Kansas State University in the AutoZone Liberty Bowl. I know our fans are excited to again showcase their unprecedented and tremendous support at one of our country’s most iconic destinations, while a week at one of the most tradition-rich bowl games will be a first-class experience for our football student-athletes, coaches and staff.”

The Wildcats (6-6) will be playing in their 19th bowl game in school history and 17th under Bill Snyder as the Cats are 7-9 all-time in bowls under the legendary and hall of fame head coach. Following 11 straight bowls from 1993-2003 under Snyder, the Cats have now gone bowling in each of the last six seasons and will be making the program’s first-ever appearance in the Liberty Bowl.

“On behalf of the Kansas State University family, I am very proud of Coach Snyder, our football team, coaches, staff and fans for displaying such tremendous heart and perseverance this season,” said K-State President Kirk Schulz. “We are very excited to be headed to Memphis and represent the Big 12 in the Liberty Bowl, one of the most longstanding bowls in college football.”

The Wildcats’ road to the Liberty Bowl was one of historic proportions. Sitting at 3-6 with three games remaining, K-State became just the sixth Power 5 team in the 12-game schedule era (2006) to stave off bowl elimination in at least three-straight games (2-6 or 3-6 records) to become bowl eligible. K-State also kept the Governor’s Cup trophy in Manhattan for the seventh straight season under Snyder with a 45-14 win over in-state rival Kansas.

“It is a great honor to host Kansas State University,” said Steve Ehrhart, Executive Director of the AutoZone Liberty Bowl. “In the 57-year history of the AutoZone Liberty Bowl we have never had the opportunity to host Kansas State, so we are very proud to have Hall of Fame Coach Bill Snyder and his Wildcats here in Memphis. Under the leadership of President Dr. Kirk Schulz and Athletics Director John Currie, Kansas State is one of the most respected universities in the country. We very much look forward to hosting the Wildcats and their outstanding fans.”

In addition to a Big 12-leading 25 selections to the Academic All-Big 12 team and the No. 1 football Academic Progress Rate (APR) in the Big 12, excitement in Wildcat football was also evidenced by seven sellout crowds at Bill Snyder Family Stadium this season which ran K-State’s consecutive sellout streak to 27 games.

“We are proud of the young men in our program for achieving bowl eligibility and very pleased to represent Kansas State University and the Big 12 Conference in the AutoZone Liberty Bowl,” said Snyder. “The Liberty Bowl is a first-class bowl organization with a rich history, and we appreciate Steve Ehrhart and the entire bowl staff for their efforts and support of our program.

“We have a wonderful fan base, and so many people that save up their nickels and dimes throughout the course of the year, and the only vacation they take is the one after our (regular) season is over. It doesn’t make any difference where it is; they love to go and it’s why we have such great attendance year in and year out at bowl games. They are fully invested in our program and this (becoming bowl eligible) means a great deal to them.”

K-State has faced Arkansas five times with the Wildcats holding a 3-2 record in the series, while the last meeting came in the 2012 AT&T Cotton Bowl.

The Razorbacks (7-5) finished the season with a 5-2 record in conference play and enters the bowl game with four wins in their last five games.

— KSU Athletics —

Nebraska to meet UCLA in Foster Farms Bowl

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riggertNebraskaThe University of Nebraska has been selected to participate in the 14th Foster Farms Bowl at Levi’s Stadium in Santa Clara, Calif. The Huskers will take on the UCLA Bruins of the Pac-12 Conference on Saturday, Dec. 26 with kickoff at 6:15 p.m. PT.

The Foster Farms Bowl will be televised by ESPN and is played at the home of the San Francisco 49ers. In its second season of operation, Levi’s Stadium is regarded as one of the world’s finest athletic venues and will play host to Super Bowl 50 on Feb. 7, 2016.

“We are excited about the opportunity to complete our season in the Foster Farms Bowl,” Nebraska Head Coach Mike Riley said. “This has been a great group to coach throughout the season, and we look forward to another game with this team and being able to compete against a strong UCLA team in the bowl game. The bowl practices and additional game will allow us to continue to build as a program.

“I know our players, coaches and fans will enjoy the trip to the Bay Area. We look forward to an outstanding week of activities and an excellent football game.”

Riley guided his 2007 Oregon State team to the Foster Farms Bowl, then known as the Emerald Bowl, with the Beavers defeating Maryland, 21-14. Overall, Riley owns a 6-2 record in bowl games and his 75 percent winning percentage ranks among the top 10 in college football history among coaches with at least eight bowl appearances.

The trip to the Bay Area will be the Huskers’ first-ever appearance in the Foster Farms Bowl, and Nebraska’s seventh all-time bowl trip to California. The Foster Farms Bowl is Nebraska’s 52nd all-time bowl appearance, the third-most of any school in the country. Nebraska has appeared in a bowl game in 45 of the past 47 seasons.

“We are pleased that our student-athletes, coaches and staff will be participating in Nebraska’s first-ever trip to the Bay Area for a bowl game,” University of Nebraska Athletics Director Shawn Eichorst said. “The Foster Farms Bowl is one of the Big Ten’s great bowl partners and it will provide a wonderful opportunity for our student-athletes to compete in one of the finest new stadiums in the world.”

Tickets for the Foster Farms Bowl go on sale to the public at Huskers.com beginning at 7 p.m. on Sunday evening. Beginning Monday morning, tickets can also be purchased by calling the Nebraska Athletic Ticket Office at 1-800-8-BIG RED or in person at the ticket office in the Stadium Drive Parking Garage. Fans can purchase tickets by using VISA, MasterCard or Discover.

Foster Farms Bowl tickets range in price from $44 to $154, and Nebraska will receive an allotment of 7,000 tickets to the game.

Nebraska and UCLA have a storied history of outstanding matchups on the gridiron. The Foster Farms Bowl will be the 13th all-time meeting between the universities and the first in the postseason. The schools have six wins apiece in the series, meeting most recently in 2012 and 2013 in a home-and-home series.

UCLA will come into the Foster Farms Bowl with an 8-4 record, including 5-4 in the Pac-12, and the Bruins are receiving votes in both the Associated Press and USA Today Coaches polls. The Bruins climbed as high as No. 7 in the AP poll earlier this season, and defeated four teams that were ranked at game time.

Coach Jim Mora is completing his fourth season leading the UCLA program and owns a 37-15 record with the Bruins, including two 10-win seasons.

— NU Athletics —

Kansas women fall at home to St. John’s

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riggertKULAWRENCE, Kan. – Kansas women’s basketball lost its first home game of the 2015-16 season to St. John’s on Sunday, Dec. 6, inside Allen Fieldhouse. The Red Storm shot 57 percent from the field to claim the, 86-71 victory.

Kansas couldn’t slow down Aliyyah Handford of St. John’s, who put up a career-best 33 points on 16-of 25 shooting Sunday afternoon. Despite three different Jayhawks recording double-figure scoring, the Red Storm got out to an early lead and never looked back.

Kansas (4-3) had three double-figure scoring performances from its starters, with junior forward Caelynn Manning-Allen, sophomore guard Lauren Aldridge, and freshman guard Kylee Kopatich. Manning-Allen paired a career-high 15 points on 5-of-7 shooting with five rebounds and two blocks. Aldridge posted 13 points, including a perfect 4-of-4 from the free throw line, while Kopatich collected 10 points and a team-high seven rebounds.

St. John’s (6-1) was led by Handford’s 33 points, but Danaejah Grant also posted impressive numbers with 26 points on 10-of-17 shooting. Grant made two of the Red Storm’s three long-range baskets and all four of her free throw attempts. Jade Walker recorded the other double-digit scoring effort for St. John’s with 10 points, combined with a game-high eight rebounds.

Kansas converted on its first four shots, capped off with a three from Kopatich. After missing its first shot attempt, the Red Storm responded with six-straight made field goals. The Jayhawks’ 4-0 advantage less than a minute into the game was the largest lead for either team heading into the first media timeout, as both squads began the game shooting exceptional well at 75 percent.

Out of the media break, St. John’s took off on an 11-0 run, sparked by its stifling defense, which swung the momentum back in favor of the visitors. Kansas did not score again until its final possession with less than 20 seconds left in the quarter, a layup from freshman guard Jayde Christopher, which cut St. John’s lead to seven points. During the stretch, the Jayhawks only attempted three shots while the Red Storm forced four turnovers.

Redshirt junior guard Timeka O’Neal grabbed the first four points of the second quarter with a three-ball and a free throw to bring the deficit to just four points. The Red Storm answered with four unanswered points, to re-establish the seven-point lead. Christopher ended the run with Kansas’ fifth three of the afternoon, but the basket did little to slow down St. John’s attack, which went on an 8-0 run in less than two minutes of game time to push its lead to double digits, 36-24. The two teams traded points for the remainder of the half, but St. John’s superior shooting pushed the lead to 46-31 heading to the break.

The Red Storm concluded the half making nine of its last 12 shots, while the Jayhawks converted only three of their final 12 attempts. St. John’s made a living inside, scoring 32 of its 46 points in the paint. The Jayhawks’ 11 first half turnovers resulted in 16 points for the Red Storm, while Kansas did not score any points off of turnovers in the opening 20 minutes.

The hot-shooting Red Storm continued into the second half. St. John’s made six of its first nine shots, including its first long-range basket as its lead extended to 20 points at the 5:38 mark of the third quarter. St. John’s maintained its lead until Kansas began to chip away late in the quarter. An 8-0 run was capped off at the 2:20 mark with a three-point play from Manning-Allen cut the deficit to 13 points.

After not scoring in the first half, Manning-Allen recorded 11 third quarter points to help the Jayhawks fight their way back into Sunday’s contest. With ten minutes of game time remaining, St. John’s led 69-55

St. John’s cooled off to start the fourth quarter, making only one of its first five shots. However, the Jayhawks shot the same 20 percent over their first five attempts, and the Red Storm led 73-58 at the final media timeout. Kansas refused to quit, as Manning-Allen continued to fight underneath the basket and get to the line. Two made free throws from the starting forward late in the game set a new career-high with 15 points.

Handford and the Red Storm would not let Manning-Allen’s career performance put a considerable dent in their lead. Kansas finished the game on 4-of-5 shooting, but St. John’s converted on its final four attempts. At the final buzzer, St. John’s won by a score of 86-71 to hand the Jayhawks their first home loss of the 2015-16 season.

— KU Athletics —

Nebraska women rally to defeat in-state rival Creighton

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riggertNebraskaLincoln – Nebraska produced the largest comeback in Coach Connie Yori’s 14 seasons with the Huskers, rallying from 21 points down late in the second quarter for a 65-63 win over in-state rival Creighton on Sunday at Pinnacle Bank Arena.

The Huskers, who improved to 6-1 on the season, trailed 41-20 with with just over five minutes left in the first half before coming all the way back to take the lead on Rachel Theriot’s three-pointer from the left wing with 1:35 left. Theriot’s second three of the game put the Huskers up 64-62. It was Nebraska’s first lead since 2-0 to start the game.

Theriot sealed the win with a free throw with eight seconds left to finish with 17 points and a game-high eight assists. She did all of her scoring in the final 30:01 of game action, including a buzzer-beating three from 25-feet on the right wing to close the first half and send the Huskers to halftime down 43-32.

Creighton, who slipped to 4-4, raced to a 33-16 lead at the end of the first quarter by hitting eight of its first nine three-point attempts in the first 10 minutes. The Bluejays went 1-for-15 from beyond the arc the rest of the way.

CU freshman Audrey Faber did the most damage in the first quarter and the game, scoring 13 of her game-high 22 points in the opening period. The 6-2 forward added five rebounds, six assists, six blocked shots and two steals. She hit 9-of-13 shots from the floor, including 4-of-5 threes in the game.

Nebraska answered with 19 points, seven rebounds and three assists from 6-4 freshman forward Jessica Shepard. The Huskers also got 13 points, three rebounds and two assists from sophomore guard Natalie Romeo, including a driving layup to cut the margin to 62-61 with 3:02 left.

Nebraska’s season-high crowd of 6,056 erupted on each big shot in the fourth quarter, while exhorting the Big Red possession after possession on the defensive end.

“We probably don’t win that game without that crowd today,” Yori said. “They were unbelievable. I told our team that in the locker room and they all agreed. They know how much of an impact our fans can have when they get into a game like that. There were a few times in that fourth quarter when the building sounded like it was sold out.”

Junior Allie Havers, who went 3-for-3 from the floor and 2-for-2 at the line, added eight huge points off the bench to help start NU’s rally in the first half. She added four rebounds, a block and a steal. Freshman Rachel Blackburn added six points and 10 huge rebounds, including a putback with 3:45 left to trim CU’s lead to 62-59.

The Huskers led 2-0 after a Shepard jumper to open the game, then watched the Jays hit six consecutive three-pointers to take an 18-8 lead with 5:14 left in the first quarter. CU then hit three two-point field goals before knocking down their seventh three to push the margin to 27-10 with 2:41 left in the first. CU’s eighth three came from Faber with 1:51 left to push the edge to 20 for the first time at 30-10, before Havers scored six straight points for the Big Red. But a traditional three-point play from MC McGrory sent the Jays to the second quarter with a 33-16 lead.

Nebraska outscored the Jays 16-10 in the second quarter and 14-11 in the third quarter, before closing out the win with a 19-9 edge in the fourth quarter.

For the game, the team statistics were eerily similar. The Huskers hit 48.1 percent (26-54) of their shots from the floor, while Creighton went 26-of-55 (.473). Both teams committed nine turnovers, but the Big Red outrebounded the Bluejays, 37-24. Creighton hit 9-of-24 threes (.375) while NU went 3-for-6, but the Huskers outscored CU, 10-2, at the free throw line. The Huskers committed a season-low six fouls, while Creighton was whistled for 12.

Nebraska concludes its three-game home stand on Tuesday night when the Huskers take on Evansville. Tip-off between the Big Red and Purple Aces is set for 7 p.m., with tickets available now at Huskers.com.

— NU Athletics —

No. 18 MWSU rallies from 13-point 4th quarter deficit at Southwest Baptist

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MWSUBOLIVAR, Mo. – With eight minutes to go, things looked bleak for the 18th ranked Missouri Western Women’s Basketball team. The Griffons trailed by 13 points and had five players, including four starters, with four fouls. But a 27-8 run by Missouri Western in the final eight minutes lifted the team to a 93-87 win at Southwest Baptist and preserved the team’s unblemished record.

An 18-4 run after falling behind by 13 in the fourth quarter put Missouri Western up by one with 2:10 to go. Southwest Baptist tied the game at 84 with 1:26 left but Chelsea Dewey’s first field goal of the game with 1:19 left gave the Griffons a lead they would not surrender. Missouri Western used 61 percent shooting from the field and 89 percent shooting from the free throw line in the second half to close the gap and take its first lead in the game late in the fourth quarter.

The Griffons went to halftime down by 10 after shooting 25 percent from the field and battling through early foul trouble. The game featured 68 personal fouls and 88 free throw attempts. Missouri Western found itself in early foul trouble but battled through and used Southwest Baptist’s late foul trouble to its advantage.

Sarafina Handy led all scorers with 24 points. She added seven rebounds and four steals. Miliakere Koyamainavure and Jefferson both ended the game with 18 points. Jefferson scored 16 of those in the second half.

Missouri Western improved its record to 7-0 and 2-0 in MIAA play. The Griffons are 3-0 on the road, matching the away win total from the previous two seasons, combined. Pittsburg State will visit the Fieldhouse Thursday, Dec. 10 for a 5:30 tip.

— MWSU Athletics —

Bearcats pull off upset at No. 12 Central Missouri

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Northwest2013riggertThe Northwest Missouri State University men’s basketball team knocked off No. 12 Central Missouri, 72-58, on Saturday afternoon at the Multipurpose Building in Warrensburg, Mo.

Northwest moves to 4-2 overall and 2-0 in MIAA play. UCM falls to 7-1 overall and 1-1 in conference action.

Conner Crooker scored a game-high 26 points on 8-of-14 shooting. He hit 5-of-8 three point attempts and grabbed six rebounds.

Justin Pitts had 12 points, seven rebounds and three steals for the Bearcats. He hit a pair of three pointers, one in each half.  Anthony Woods scored 12 points on 4-of-7 shooting. He had five rebounds and a block.  D’Vante Mosby had nine points for the Bearcats. He had nine rebounds, five coming on the offensive end of the court. He also had a pair of steals in 24 minutes.

Northwest outrebounded the Mules, 45-29, and grabbed 15 offensive rebounds, leading to 18 second chance points.

Northwest hit 17-of-23 free throw attempts (73.9%), going 13-for-16 (81.3%) in the second half.

The Bearcats fell behind 7-4 early in the first half. But Mosby hit a pair of free throws and woods added a layup to give Northwest its’ first lead of the game, 8-7. Mosby hit his second three pointer of the season to put Northwest up by four, 11-7. Pitts would hit a jumper and after a Crooker missed shot, Mosby cleaned up the board to cap an 11-5 Bearcat run.

Northwest held a 45-38 lead at the 14:22 mark of the second half on a Woods layup. But UCM cut the lead to five, 45-40, on a jumper. But Northwest would respond with a quick 13-4 run over the next seven minutes. Pitts and Schneider knocked down back-to-back three pointers. Woods added three points from the charity stripe and Dougherty hit a pair of free throws to go along with a Crooker jumper.

The Bearcats head to Joplin, Mo., for a Wednesday evening game at Missouri Southern at 7:30 p.m.

— Northwest Athletics —

Griffons suffer fourth straight loss as they come up short at SBU

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MWSUBOLIVAR, Mo. – The Missouri Western men’s basketball team suffered its fourth consecutive loss Saturday at Southwest Baptist 79-76, as Trey Sampson missed a three-pointer at the buzzer that would have tied the game and given the Griffons a chance in overtime.

Sampson’s miss capped a comeback effort by Missouri Western that gave the Griffons a chance after trailing by as many as 14 points in the game and 11 in the second half. Missouri Western trailed by five with 24 seconds left in the game, but three pointers from Currie Byrd and Cole Clearman brought Missouri Western within one with nine seconds left. Nate Nahirny made two free throws to stretch SBU’s lead to three and to set up Sampson’s three to tie.

Sampson led Missouri Western with 17 points and four assists. Currie Byrd added 11 points and five rebounds and Kevin Thomas finished with 10 points and eight rebounds. The Griffons lost the rebound battle 4-30 and were outscored in the paint, 30-20. The Griffons shot 50 percent from the field and from three-point range in the second half, overcoming 27 percent shooting in the first half and 10 percent from the three-point line before the break.

Missouri Western falls to 2-6 on the year and 0-2 in MIAA play. The team returns home this week to host Pittsburg State on Thursday and Missouri Southern on Saturday.

— MWSU Athletics —

Kansas State rallies for 24-23 win over West Virginia

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riggertKansasStateMANHATTAN, Kan. (AP) — Kansas State players never discussed what they would do if they lost to West Virginia on Saturday night, and had the rare opportunity to play in a bowl game with a losing record.

That’s because they never gave themselves the option of losing.

“The whole team had the mindset of earning it,” said senior Morgan Burns, who returned a kickoff 97 yards for the go-ahead touchdown in a 24-23 victory over the Mountaineers. “I think we all felt strongly about winning this game, the importance of it.”

Taking over for the injured Joe Hubener, wide receiver Kody Cook flourished once more as the emergency quarterback, running for a touchdown and hitting Deante Burton with a 77-yard scoring strike that helped the Wildcats (6-6, 3-6 Big 12) climb out of a 13-3 halftime hole.

They went on to win their third straight game, ensuring they’ll go to a bowl game for the sixth consecutive year. While not official, the likely destination is the Liberty Bowl.

“There’s not a senior in our program that’s been involved in a losing season,” Kansas State coach Bill Snyder said. “In my way of thinking, that had to be important to them.”

Wendell Smallwood ran for 141 yards and a touchdown for West Virginia (7-5, 4-5), but he didn’t have the ball in his hands with the game on the line. Instead, quarterback Skyler Howard was stopped by Charmeachealle Moore on fourth-and-2 at their own 46 with 2:33 left to turn over the ball.

The Wildcats picked up enough first downs to essentially run out the clock.

Howard had 281 yards and a touchdown through the air, but it was his inability to pick up the key fourth down on the ground that dropped West Virginia to 0-4 against Kansas State in Big 12 play.

“We beat ourselves,” West Virginia wide receiver Jordan Thompson said. “Returning the kickoff for a touchdown was a big change in the game. Credit to K-State. We didn’t execute well.”

The Wildcats would likely have earned a bowl invite even with a defeat because there are not enough six-win teams to fill all the slots, and a few will be allocated based on Academic Progress Rate. But players said all week that they wanted to reach six wins and truly earn a bowl bid.

It looked like that would be a struggle during a first half dominated by the West Virginia defense, which only surrendered Matt McCrane’s 40-yard field goal early in the second quarter.

Josh Lambert hit a pair of first-half field goals for the Mountaineers — though he also pushed an attempt wide right. But the biggest play in the half came when Howard floated a pass to Jovon Durante in the back of the end zone, the 24-yard strike helping West Virginia to a 13-3 lead at the break.

It was early in the second half that Hubener was crunched by a pair of defenders.

Cook, who has played a handful of games as the emergency QB, entered the fray. He hit Kyle Klein with his first pass attempt before later sneaking in from a yard out for a touchdown.

Kansas State’s defense forced a three-and-out to get the ball back, and Cook winged a pass downfield that Burton caught in stride. He out-ran the rest of the defense for a 17-13 lead.

This time, West Virginia answered with a touchdown drive. Smallwood did most of the work, then finished off the march with a 14-yard scamper over the right side to quiet the crowd.

When Lambert hit his third field goal, the Mountaineers led 23-17 with 13:07 left in the game.

That’s when West Virginia elected once more to kick to Burns, who broke a 67-yard return earlier in the game. The senior started up field, darted to his left and hit the sideline, utilizing a couple of blocks to reach the end zone for a Big 12 record-tying fourth time this season.

“What they do special-teams wise, I’ve never been a part of a game where that really was the difference,” West Virginia coach Dana Holgorsen said. “But that’s what Kansas State does.”

The extra point proved to be the margin of victory.

“I’m disappointed for our guys,” Holgorsen said, “but the good news is that we still have another game. I know our guys will regroup and play hard.”

— Associated Press —

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