By Tim Everson

For the second straight season, Kansas State’s offensive coordinator is getting stolen away by the Lone Star State.

Multiple reports surfaced Friday morning that Conor Riley, the Wildcats’ longtime offensive line coach and first-year offensive coordinator, is headed to the National Football League to coach the offensive line for the Dallas Cowboys, the team confirmed Friday afternoon.

His exit comes a little more than a year after former offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach Collin Klein left Manhattan to coach at Texas A&M.

Riley joins former Wildcats Cooper Beebe, the former two-time Big 12 Offensive Lineman of the Year, and consensus all-American Deuce Vaughn in Dallas.

To view the full article visit theMercury.com.

Click here for more K-State sports.

The post K-State offensive coordinator Conor Riley hired by Dallas Cowboys appeared first on News Radio KMAN.

The Minnesota Twins have selected Kansas State shortstop Kaelen Culpepper with the 21st overall pick in the 2024 MLB Draft.

The All-American shortstop who batted to a .328 AVG with .933 OPS and 11 homers to go along with 59 RBIs this past season becomes the second player ever in K-State baseball history to be taken in the first round of the draft.

Jordan Wicks is the other one to be selected in the first round, being drafted by the Chicago Cubs in 2021.

Culpepper was rated as the 31st best player by MLB.com’s Jonathan Mayo and is the 11th player to be drafted under head coach Pete Hughes.

The post BREAKING: Twins draft Kaelen Culpepper at No. 21 in MLB Draft appeared first on News Radio KMAN.

Hour 1:

Seg. 1 – High risk of severe weather on Saturday

Seg. 2 – Sharpshooter Brendan Hausen commits to K-State

Seg. 3 – Two Cats could be drafted tonight

Seg. 4 – AEW owner Tony Khan sells injury during NFL Draft

Hour 2:

Seg. 1 – Chiefs select Texas WR Xavier Worthy

Seg. 2 – Brendan “Hitman” Hausen

Seg. 3 – Blindy Rank 5

Seg. 4 – Ask us Anything

The post The Game – 4/26/24 appeared first on News Radio KMAN.

Hour 1:

Seg. 1 – The 21st century of college basketball belongs to UConn

Seg. 2 – Ayoka Lee on making decision to play one more year

Seg. 3 – Jabroni of the Week

Hour 2:

Seg. 1 – Yokie could be the next face of WBB

Seg. 2 – ‘Troy, how are the Royals doing?

Seg. 3 – Morgan Wallen is the Bob Knight of country music

Seg. 4 – Ask us Anything

The post The Game – 4/9/24 appeared first on News Radio KMAN.

Hour 1:

Seg. 1 – Two adults charged with murder at Chiefs parade

Seg. 2 – K-State’s loss to Texas was a very ugly game

Seg. 3 – Jabroni of the Week

Hour 2:

Seg. 1 – CFP finally agrees on their 5+7 format

Seg. 2 – NBA beefing today and Ask us Anything

The post The Game – 2/20/24 appeared first on News Radio KMAN.

LAS VEGAS (AP) — The Kansas City Chiefs don’t believe in simply wrapping up the AFC’s top seed. They want to have fun doing it.

Late in the first half Saturday against the Las Vegas Raiders, the Chiefs huddled and spun in a circle, broke out into the shotgun with running back Jerick McKinnon taking a direct snap. He faked a handoff to Kadarius Toney and pitched to quarterback Patrick Mahomes, who then threw to Toney for a 9-yard touchdown.

But, it didn’t count. A holding penalty brought back the play. The Chiefs then scored anyway to take full control of what became a 31-13 victory.

The play is called the Snow Globe or Arctic Circle, depending on who is asked. But, even if it didn’t count, it underscored the Chiefs’ creativity and willingness to have fun, even while playing for playoff positioning and a week off.

“We talked about it on the side, ‘Let’s see if we can get some confusion going and throw something back.’” Mahomes said. “It worked. We just had the holding penalty. We got some good things going for the playoffs, and whatever we run has to work.”

That, Chiefs coach Andy Reid said, was the bottom line.

“You do (want to make it fun), but you want to score, too,” Reid said. “It’s not fun when you’re not doing that.”

Almost lost was the NFL record for total yards in a season that Mahomes set. He passed for 202 yards and rushed for 29 against the Raiders, giving him 5,608 total yards this season. That surpassed the record of 5,562 yards set by Drew Brees in 2011 with the New Orleans Saints.

“Pat was on fire,” Reid said. “He’s throwing these (statistics) out there like they’re nothing.”

More than setting the mark, Mahomes helped ensure the top seed for the Chiefs (14-3) and a bye in the first round of the playoffs, which begin next weekend. Kansas City, however, is not assured of home-field advantage throughout the postseason.

Because Monday night’s Buffalo-Cincinnati game was canceled, the Chiefs could wind up playing the Bills or Bengals in the AFC championship on a neutral field. The Buffalo-Cincinnati game initially was postponed after Bills safety Damar Hamlin went into cardiac arrest. Hamlin remains in critical condition, but is improving.

This was the first NFL game played since Hamlin was hospitalized. Both teams wore black shirts in warmups that read “LOVE FOR DAMAR” with his No. 3 in the middle. Mahomes also wore a hoodie that had a drawing of the player with “HAMLIN STRONG” below it.

Instead of a moment of silence before the game, the Allegiant Stadium public-address announcer asked fans to cheer on Hamlin’s recovery.

“It was definitely weird,” Mahomes said of returning to the field. “It’s a game that you love, you play your entire life. It’s brought so many great things to you. But, obviously, with the situation that happened Monday night with Damar, you still have that in the back of your mind. You want to be there for him, and there is so much stuff bigger than football.”

The Chiefs matched their franchise record for regular-season victories, set in 2020, and they set a team mark with their 17th consecutive game of at least 300 yards of offense.

The Raiders (6-11) ended their first season under coach Josh McDaniels with three consecutive losses and four defeats in five games. They made the playoffs a year ago, but now face serious questions at quarterback, offensive line and throughout the defense.

Jarrett Stidham started his second game in a row in place of the sidelined Derek Carr, and this performance didn’t go nearly as well as the first one. Stidham completed 22 of 36 passes for 219 yards with a touchdown and interception. He was sacked six times.

A week ago, he threw for 365 yards and three touchdowns in a 37-34 overtime loss to the San Francisco 49ers.

Stidham said he hasn’t thought much about trying to retain the starting job next season with the Raiders.

“Do I feel like I’m that caliber player in this league?” he said. “Absolutely. I just tried to be ready for my opportunity these last two weeks and try to take full advantage of it.”

MIAMI GARDENS, Fla. (AP) — Miami Dolphins quarterback Tua Tagovailoa took a small step Wednesday toward returning to football.

Tagovailoa, who has been in the concussion protocol since Sept. 29, returned to practice in a limited capacity, though he will not play Sunday against the Minnesota Vikings.

“We just miss his personality. He’s a guy that we rely on,” Dolphins coach Mike McDaniel said.

The coach said there is a “scenario” where Tagovailoa could be medically cleared this week, but the QB will take things slowly, working out and throwing individually.

“He hasn’t done a thing on the football field for literally two weeks,” McDaniel said. “That wouldn’t be fair to the player. That wouldn’t be fair to the team. I don’t feel comfortable putting him in that situation.”

During the media viewing portion of practice, Tagovailoa could be seen stretching, laughing with coaches and teammates and throwing the football next to rookie quarterback Skylar Thompson.

Thompson will start Sunday against the Vikings as Tagovailoa and Teddy Bridgewater advance through the concussion protocol.

Tagovailoa suffered a concussion in the first half of a Thursday night game against the Cincinnati Bengals and had to be stretched off the field and taken to a hospital.

He had not practiced since and did not travel with the Dolphins for last Sunday’s game, a loss to the New York Jets.

Four days before the Cincinnati game, Tagovailoa took a hard hit against the Buffalo Bills and appeared disoriented when he got to his feet. He was taken to the locker room and evaluated for a concussion. After he was examined and no signs of head injury were found under the NFL’s protocol, Tagovailoa returned to start the third quarter, prompting an investigation by the NFL Players Association into the handling of his injury.

Last Saturday, the NFL and NFLPA agreed to make changes to the league’s concussion protocol, adding language addressing abnormality of balance and stability to its list of symptoms that would keep a player from returning to a game.

Bridgewater, who exited last week’s game against the Jets because of the league’s new concussion rules, worked individually with trainers Wednesday and could return to limited football activities Thursday.

If Bridgewater is cleared from the protocol this week, he will back up Thompson Sunday.

Thompson entered last week’s game against the Jets after Bridgewater took a hard hit on the Dolphins’ first offensive snap. Thompson completed 19 of 33 passes for 166 yards, no touchdowns and an interception.

McDaniel said he will likely decide whether to activate quarterback Reid Sinnett from the practice squad as a third gameday option later this week.

NOTES: CB Xavien Howard, who is dealing with groin issues, was limited in practice Wednesday. Howard and LT Terron Armstead (toe) will need the whole week to prepare for Sunday’s game, McDaniel said. WR Tyreek Hill (foot) was a full participant Wednesday.

___

More AP NFL: https://apnews.com/hub/nfl and https://twitter.com/AP_NFL

MANHATTAN, Kan. (Kansas State Athletics) – Each week throughout the 2022 season, k-statesports.com recaps the action for the 14 former Kansas State football players currently in the NFL.

Timmy Horne, DL – Atlanta Falcons
A rookie free agent who made the active roster, Horne carded one tackle in his first-career NFL game in Atlanta’s 27-26 last-minute loss to New Orleans. Horne saw time on 19 defensive snaps while also playing on four special teams plays. The Falcons travel to face the Los Angeles Rams on Sunday.

Elijah Lee, LB – Kansas City Chiefs
Lee signed with his hometown Kansas City Chiefs in the offseason. He began his career as a 2017 draft pick by Minnesota before signing with San Francisco, while he has also played with Detroit and Cleveland during his seven-year career. He helped the Chiefs pick up a 44-21 win at Arizona, making a tackle among his 20 special teams plays while also seeing time on eight defensive snaps. Kansas City hosts the Los Angeles Chargers on Thursday night.

Tyler Lockett, WR – Seattle Seahawks
Lockett began his eighth NFL season by making his 88^th-career start, and he came away with three catches for 28 yards as he helped Seattle pick up a 17-16 win against Denver on Monday night. The Seahawks travel to face San Francisco on Sunday.

Cornelius Lucas, OL – Washington Commanders
Lucas, in his eighth season, was in for one offensive snap as a tackle eligible and two special teams plays as Washington hung on for a 28-22 win over Jacksonville. The Commanders travel to face Detroit on Sunday.

AJ Parker, DB – Detroit Lions
Parker, who is in his second season in the NFL, is on Detroit’s practice squad. The Lions lost at home to Philadelphia, 38-35, and they host Washington on Sunday.

Byron Pringle, WR – Chicago Bears
In his first season in Chicago after spending the first four years of his career in Kansas City, Pringle came down with one catch for 22 yards during his 10 offensive snaps in Chicago’s 19-10 comeback win over San Francisco. The Bears travel to face Green Bay on Sunday night.

D.J. Reed, DB – New York Jets
Reed, who signed with the Jets during the offseason prior to his fifth NFL season, intercepted a pass, forced a fumble and made two tackles in New York’s 24-9 loss to Baltimore. The Jets travel to take on Cleveland on Sunday.

.@D7_Reed went up and got it.#BALvsNYJ on CBS pic.twitter.com/CKdt4ZFi24

— New York Jets (@nyjets) September 11, 2022

DJ Reed dedicated his interception Sunday to his dad who passed before the game.

Thinking about you and your family, @D7_Reed pic.twitter.com/4n5FCHd0jf

— New York Jets (@nyjets) September 12, 2022

The duo of @D7_Reed & @iamSauceGardner on Sunday:

9 targets
1 catch
8 yards

(h/t @PFF) pic.twitter.com/fakZ0JdSS4

— New York Jets (@nyjets) September 12, 2022

Dalton Risner, OL – Denver Broncos
Beginning his fourth NFL season, Risner made his 48^th career start and was in for all 66 offensive snaps in Denver’s 17-16 Monday night loss at Seattle. Risner has seen time on 2,881 of the Broncos’ 3,322 offensive snaps (86.7%) since he began his career in 2019. The Broncos host Houston on Sunday.

Duke Shelley, DB – Minnesota Vikings
After playing the first three years of his career in Chicago, Shelley was signed to Minnesota’s practice squad just prior to the start of the regular season. The Vikings picked up a 23-7 win over Green Bay, and they travel to face Philadelphia on Monday night.

Kiondre Thomas, CB – Green Bay Packers
After spending the entire 2021 season on the Chargers’ practice squad, Thomas is on Green Bay’s practice squad this season. The Packers fell at Minnesota, 23-7, and they host Chicago on Monday night.

Skylar Thompson, QB – Miami Dolphins
A seventh-round draft choice who made the active roster, Thompson was inactive for Miami’s 20-7 victory over New England. Miami hits the road for the first time in 2022 by traveling to face Baltimore on Sunday.

Cody Whitehair, OL – Chicago Bears
Whitehair began his seventh NFL season by making his 96^th-career start and was in for all 58 offensive snaps in Chicago’s 19-10 comeback victory over San Francisco. The Bears will look to start 2-0 for the second time in three years as they play at Green Bay on Monday night.

Jordan Willis, DL – San Francisco 49ers
Willis, in his sixth NFL season, was inactive for San Francisco’s 19-10 loss at Chicago. The 49ers open their home slate on Sunday by hosting Seattle.

Russ Yeast, S – Los Angeles Rams
Yeast, a seventh-round selection in this year’s draft, was inactive for the Rams’ 31-10 home loss to Buffalo last Thursday to kick off the 2022 NFL season. Los Angeles stays home to host Atlanta on Sunday.

TAMPA, Fla. (AP) — There’s no question about Tampa Bay’s plans for Kyle Trask for this season.

If Tom Brady remains healthy, and the Buccaneers are anywhere near as successful as they think they can be, the third-string quarterback likely won’t play a down for the second straight year.

That’s why it’s important for the defending NFC South champions to learn as much as possible this preseason about the 2020 second-round draft pick’s potential to develop into an eventual successor to the 45-year-old Brady.

He threw for 258 yards and led two touchdown drives in a 26-24 loss to the Miami Dolphins on Saturday night. There were some growing pains, too, with Trask throwing an interception and losing a fumble that was returned for a TD.

“Overall, I thought he played well,” Bucs coach Todd Bowles said.

Miami third-stringer Skylar Thompson played well in spurts, too, throwing for 218 yards and one TD in Mike McDaniel’s debut as the Dolphins’ coach.

Jason Sanders kicked four field goals, including a 53-yarder that put Miami ahead for good with just under seven minutes remaining.

Trask drove the Bucs into position to potentially win the game, but Jose Borregales’ 49-yard field goal attempt hit the right upright and bounced away as time expired.

“I just tried to stay calm,” Trask said. “We pushed the ball down the field and gave ourselves a chance.”

With Brady taking what Bowles described as a pre-planned break from training camp for personal reasons, Trask and No. 2 quarterback Blaine Gabbert shared playing time against the Dolphins.

Most of the starters from both teams, including Miami quarterback Tua Tagovailoa and key offseason acquisition Tyreek Hill, had the night off after the clubs scrimmaged against each other for two days earlier in the week.

The Bucs announced Thursday that Brady, who practiced the previous day against the Dolphins, will not rejoin the team until after next weekend’s preseason game at Tennessee.

Gabbert, a 12th-year pro who backed up Brady the past two seasons, started Saturday night and worked two series. His 23-yard touchdown pass to Jaelon Darden gave the Bucs an early lead. Trask extended it by completing five of six passes for 67 yards on a long drive Ke’Shawn Vaughn finished with a 1-yard scoring run.

Trask followed that up with a pair of costly turnovers: an interception on an ill-advised pass intended for rookie running back Rachaad White, and a fumble that Miami linebacker Sam Eguavoen returned 32 yards for a second-quarter TD.

The Dolphins also converted the interception into points, with Thompson tossing a 22-yard TD pass to Lynn Bowden Jr.

Thompson played the entire game, finishing 20 of 28 passing with no interceptions.

Trask played the final three quarters for Tampa Bay, going 25 of 33 for 258 yards, one interception and one touchdown.

The 24-year-old was inactive for every game during the regular season and playoffs a year ago, but benefited greatly by watching how Brady prepares for games in practice and executes the offensive plan on game days.

It’s a role Trask has been familiar with since his days at Manvel High School in Texas, where he once played behind future University of Houston and Miami quarterback D’Eriq King. He was also rode the bench at Florida for three years before an injury to Feleipe Franks created an opportunity with the Gators.

STARTERS REST

The only Tampa Bay player listed as a starter on the depth chart who played was Aaron Stinnie, who’s competing for the left guard opening created by Ali Marpet’s retirement. The rest of the offensive line rested, as did receivers Mike Evans, Russell Gage and Julio Jones, running back Leonard Fournette and defensive stalwarts Lavonte David, Devin White, Shaquil Barrett, Vita Vea, Akiem Hicks, Carlton Davis, Sean Murphy-Bunting and Antoine Winfield, Jr.

Several key Dolphins joined Tagovailoa and Hill in sitting out, including receiver Jaylen Waddle, running backs Chase Edmonds and Raheem Mostert, defensive tackle Christian Wilkins, cornerback Xavien Howard and safety Jevon Holland.

UP NEXT

Dolphins: Host the Las Vegas Raiders next Saturday.

Buccaneers: Travel to Nashville next week for a pair of joint practices ahead of facing the Titans on Saturday.

___

More AP NFL: https://apnews.com/hub/nfl and https://twitter.com/AP_NFL

MANHATTAN, Kansas (Kansas State Athletics) – Kansas State student-athletes continued to receive honors and accolades for their hard work in the classroom in 2021-22, as 29 Wildcats were named to the 2021-22 Academic All-Big 12 Rookie Team in an announcement by the conference office on Thursday.

In the 10 years of the award’s existence, K-State has placed 329 student-athletes on the Academic All-Big 12 Rookie Teams.

The Wildcats saw five student-athletes earn the honor with a perfect 4.0 grade point average. The six recipients with 4.0 GPAs were: Adah Anderson (soccer), Jayden Brandt (rowing), Serena Sundell (women’s basketball), Chris Tennant (football) and Emil Uhlin (men’s track & field).

The remaining honorees for the Wildcats on the 2021-22 Big 12 Academic All-Rookie Team are: Madelyn Barrett (rowing), Chloe Daniels (rowing), Florentine Dekkers (tennis), Halle Fee (rowing), Faith Gates (rowing), Kenzi Gillispie (soccer), Brylee Glenn (women’s basketball), Thomas Hazen (men’s track), Remington Isaac (women’s golf), Brendan Jones (baseball), Landry Jurecka (baseball), Kavian Kerr (men’s track), Kate Kowalik (women’s track), Andrew Leingang (football), Joey Lujan (soccer), Gracyn McClain (rowing), Tyson Neighbors (baseball), Dillon Pearson (baseball), Cayden Phillips (baseball), Molly Ramsey (volleyball), Sarah Schrage (rowing), Symone Simmons (rowing), Lilly Whitley (women’s golf) and Velecia Williams (women’s track).

K-State, a Tier 1 Carnegie Foundation Institution, has had an outstanding start to the 2021-22 academic year by both individual student-athletes and by its teams.

The soccer program was honored this season by the United Soccer Coaches with its fourth Team Academic Award, while the United States Track and Field and Cross Country Coaches Association (USTFCCCA) recognized both Wildcat cross country programs as an Academic All-America team for their work in the classroom. The women’s basketball program owned the highest GPA in the Big 12 and received Special Mention from the Women’s Basketball Coaches Association (WBCA) for its achievements in the classroom.

The Wildcats also saw eight student-athletes receive the 12th annual Dr. Gerald Land Academic Achievement Award, the Big 12 Conference’s highest academic honor.

K-State student-athletes recognized by the conference with 177 Academic All-Big 12 recipients.

Ayoka Lee of the K-State women’s basketball team, Brookelynn Entz of the soccer program, Kassidy Johnson of the women’s track team and TJ Shankar of the men’s track team were named College Sports Information Directors of America (CoSIDA) Academic All-America teams. Football’s Landry Weber and Deuce Vaughn and baseball’s Dylan Phillips were named to the CoSIDA Academic All-District VII First Team.

K-State Athletics saw 93 student-athletes receive their degrees in graduation ceremonies in Bramlage Coliseum during the 2021-22 academic year.

In the latest graduation rate data released by the NCAA in December, K-State’s all-sport graduation rate of 92% tied for the highest in department history, while eight programs recorded Big 12-best graduation figures.

United Soccer Coaches annually celebrates the academic achievements of high school and college soccer teams whose student-athletes collectively demonstrate a commitment to excellence in their studies over the course of a full academic year.

College Team Academic Award recipients are active members of the United Soccer Coaches College Services Program with a composite grade point average of 3.0 or better on a 4.0 scale for all players on the roster.

During the 2021-22 academic year, K-State registered a team grade point average of 3.41 and had 10 selections for the Academic All-Big 12 First Team. The Wildcats also saw three student-athletes collect Big 12 Academic All-Rookie Team honors (Adah Anderson, Kenzi Gillispie and Joey Lujan). K-State also collected its first CoSIDA Academic All-American, as Brookelynn Entz was named a third team honoree.

K-State begins its seventh season of action on Thursday, August 18, as the Wildcats host Northwestern. Match time is set for 7 p.m. For tickets, contact the K-State Athletic Ticket Office at (800) 221-CATS or
visit kstatesports.com/tickets.

The Lombardi Award, which is presented by the Rotary Club of Houston, goes to the top college football down lineman on either side of the ball or a linebacker. Anudike-Uzomah and Beebe are the first Wildcats to be candidates for the award since current Chicago Bear offensive lineman Cody Whitehair was on the preseason watch list in 2015. A K-State player has been a candidate 11 other times, while defensive tackle Tim Colston was a semifinalist in 1995.

It was the second watch list designation for Anudike-Uzomah on Monday as he was named to the Chuck Bednarik Award watch list earlier in the day, while it was his third of the preseason after also being named to the Bronko Nagurski Trophy watch list last Tuesday. The inclusion on the Lombardi Award watch list is the second for Beebe, who was on the Outland Trophy watch list last Tuesday.

Anudike-Uzomah earned All-America honors last season in addition to being the Big 12 Defensive Lineman of the Year and a First Team All-Big 12 performer. He tied for the national lead in forced fumbles per game (0.46), ranked 11th nationally in sacks per game (0.85), and his 11.0 total sacks tied for fifth in school history. Additionally, he totaled six forced fumbles to tie the school record.

Beebe, a product of Kansas City, Kansas, was a 13-game starter at left tackle last year who picked up First Team All-Big 12 honors from both the league’s coaches and Associated Press, the youngest offensive lineman to be named to the first team by either organization. Beebe was the first Wildcat freshman or sophomore offensive lineman to be named a First Team All-Big 12 performer since Dalton Risner in 2016, while he also earned votes for the Big 12 Offensive Lineman of the Year Award from the league’s coaches.

K-State is now up to 13 watch list designations this preseason. In addition to Anudike-Uzomah’s and Beebe’s honors, others to earn nods are running back Deuce Vaughn (Maxwell Award, Walter Camp Award, Doak Walker Award), cornerback Julius Brents (Jim Thorpe Award), punter Ty Zentner (Ray Guy Award), quarterback Will Howard (AFCA Good Works Team, Wuerffel Trophy) and long snapper Randen Plattner (Patrick Mannelly Award).

K-State embarks on the 2022 season when the Wildcats take on South Dakota on Sept. 3, a 6 p.m., contest inside Bill Snyder Family Stadium. Kansas State remains at home for its other two non-conference matchups, a Sept. 10 showdown against former Big 8/12 foe Missouri and a Sept. 17 game against Tulane.

K-State Athletics announced last week that the only remaining single-game tickets for the matchup against Missouri are scattered single seats or standing room only ticket. However, fans can still get reserved seats together for all seven home games – including the Missouri game – by purchasing a full season ticket package or a flex season pass. Fans can purchase tickets online at www.kstatesports.com/tickets or by phone at 1-800-221-CATS.