PLAYERS TO WATCH
–RB Alex Barnes rushed for a career-high 250 yards with three touchdowns in the Oct. 6 loss at Baylor. His rushing total was the fifth-best mark in school history and most by a Wildcat since Daniel Thomas went for 269 yards at North Texas in 2010. Barnes, a junior, scored on bursts of 55, 35 and 48 yards while moving to 13th on the all-time Kansas State rushing chart with 1,868 yards.
–CB Duke Shelley ranks third among Big 12 defenders with nine passes defended. He snagged a beautiful diving interception in the Baylor game on a perfect read along the boundary. Shelley was credited with four solo tackles against the Bears and has emerged as the Wildcats’ top defender in pass coverage.
–LB Justin Hughes was in on 11 tackles to rank second among the Wildcats in the Baylor loss. He also forced a fumble. Hughes, a junior, has come around slowly. He did not play as a redshirt freshman and a year ago only had stats in two games, though he was credited with a tackle in the Cactus Bowl win over UCLA. He is one of several linebackers Kansas State has looked at while seeking consistency at that spot.
–QB Skylar Thompson completed 15-of-26 passes for 149 yards, with two interceptions against Baylor. Thompson also was sacked three times and could not elude pressure to heave a Hail Mary on the game’s final play. Thompson added 50 yards rushing, though a 52-yard keeper for a touchdown was easily the highlight among his nine attempts.
SERIES HISTORY: Oklahoma State leads Kansas State 39-25. A 45-40 upset the Wildcats administered last year in Stillwater knocked the Cowboys out of consideration for the Big 12 championship game. QB Skylar Thompson passed for 204 yards and three touchdowns, and rushed for 93 yards, as Kansas State built a 29-point lead before needing a late stop to preserve the win.
QUOTE TO NOTE: “Our offensive line did their job and executed beautifully (against Baylor). On most of my runs I was getting to the second and third level completely untouched. That is a huge improvement over the last couple weeks. Shout out to those guys, the coordinators, everybody. We had a great game plan.” — Kansas State RB Alex Barnes.