Kansas State news, notes, and whatever

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The All-Big 12 Conference football teams and individual award winners

Jordan Willis is the fourth player from K-State to earn Defensive Player of the Year along with linebacker Arthur Brown (2012), defensive back Terence Newman (2002) and linebacker Mark Simoneau (1999). This is the ninth year that a player on the defensive line has been recognized.

D.J. Reed is the sixth K-State player named as Defensive Newcomer of the Year, and the first since Arthur Brown in 2011.

Reggie Walker is the first K-State player to earn Defensive Freshman of the Year since Terry Pierce won the first award in 2000. He is the third defensive end to be honored.

K-State's Jordan Willis was also named Defensive Lineman of the Year joining previous K-State selections Ryan Mueller (2013) and Meshak Williams (2012). Willis is the fifth player to win both defensive lineman and player of the year in the same season.

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2016 All-Big 12 Football First Team
Offense
FB Winston Dimel
OL Dalton Risner
KR/PR Byron Pringle
Defense
DL Jordan Willis
LB Elijah Lee
DB D.J. Reed

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Jordan Willis has been named Big 12 Defensive Player of the Year by the Associated Press.

The Kansas State senior defensive end earned the honor Tuesday morning after leading the conference with 11.5 sacks this season. Willis, a soft-spoken captain from Kansas City, was a true difference-maker for the Wildcats this year. He made 48 tackles, including 16.5 for loss, and also forced three fumbles while constantly rushing the quarterback.

Willis earned praise from K-State coach Bill Snyder and his teammates during the season.

“He plays so hard and is just one of those guys that you should not make a mistake with if you are on the other side of the ball,” Snyder said. “If you are slow getting your feet set or hands up, he has a good chance to win the battle.”

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Willis led a group of six K-State football players that made the AP All-Big 12 team.

Senior right guard Terrale Johnson was a first-team selection on offense, while junior defensive tackle Will Geary, junior linebacker Elijah Lee and Willis were first-team selections on defense.

Geary has made the media’s defensive first team in back-to-back seasons.

Sophomore right tackle Dalton Risner and sophomore defensive back D.J. Reed both made the second team.

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First Look

They run the same play — you can’t stop it

Obviously, this is an exaggeration, but not a huge one. Kansas State thrives off of the quarterback option. Quarterback Jesse Ertz is an inconsistent passer, but led the team with 945 yards rushing. Between Ertz and backup Joe Hubener, quarterbacks were responsible for over one-third of the Wildcats’ rushing yards.

However, the entire roster has at least some ability to run. Six different players rushed for 100 yards this season. That doesn’t even count fullback Winston Dimel, who had 12 touchdowns and 92 yards on just 30 touches this season.

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The Wildcats hold the ball for almost eight more minutes per game than their opponents.

While the Wildcats have a bottom 50 offense, they respond by being great in critical spots. Alabama and Missouri are the only SEC teams that convert more third downs than Kansas State. The Wildcats are also adept at getting into the end zone. Kansas State ranks No. 84 with 386.8 yards per game, but rank No. 48 with 32.2 points per game.

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While it was slightly more penalty-prone this season, the Wildcats stick to assignments well.

Kansas State is just as disciplined on defense. Even though it doesn’t have elite athletes, the Wildcats stuff the run effectively. They’re a little more susceptible to the pass, but moving the ball down the field actually plays right into their ball control offense. Big shots can also lead to turnovers; unsurprisingly, the Wildcats rank No. 6 nationally in turnover margin.

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