UNDATED (AP) — Joe Burrow’s latest virtuoso performance has turned the LSU Tigers into CFP champions.

The Heisman Trophy winner threw for 463 yards and five touchdowns as the boys from Baton Rouge whipped the defending-champion Clemson Tigers, 42-25. Burrow also ran for 58 yards and a touchdown on 14 carries while guiding LSU to its third national championship since the 2003 season.

The five TD passes and 463 yards passing are the most for a BCS or College Football Playoff title game as are his six total touchdowns. Burrow is the first major college quarterback to throw 60 touchdown passes in a season.

Ja’Marr Chase was Burrow’s favorite target with nine receptions for 221 yards and two scores. Thaddeus Moss also had two touchdown grabs as LSU completed a 15-0 season while ending Clemson’s 29-game winning streak.

Clyde Edwards-Helaire (heh-LEHR’) logged 164 yards of offense for LSU, including 110 on the ground.

Clemson’s offense stalled after taking a 17-7 lead in the second quarter. Trevor Lawrence finished with 234 yards passing, but he completed just 18 of his 37 throws and had just 58 yards in the second half. Lawrence also ran for a one-yard score in the opening half.

Clemson tailback Travis Etienne ran for 78 yards and one touchdown while LSU held Tee Higgins in check. Clemson’s top wideout was held to three catches for 52 yards, but he also scored on a 36-yard run.

It’s the 10th national championship for an SEC school since 2006.

UNDATED (AP) — Joe Burrow’s latest virtuoso performance has turned the LSU Tigers into CFP champions.The Heisman Trophy winner threw for 463 yards and five touchdowns as the boys from Baton Rouge whipped the defending-champion Clemson Tigers, 42-25. Burrow also ran for 58 yards and a touchdown on 14 carries while guiding LSU to its third national championship since the 2003 season.The five TD passes and 463 yards passing are the most for a BCS or College Football Playoff title game as are his six total touchdowns. Burrow is the first major college quarterback to throw 60 touchdown passes in a season.Ja’Marr Chase was Burrow’s favorite target with nine receptions for 221 yards and two scores. Thaddeus Moss also had two touchdown grabs as LSU completed a 15-0 season while ending Clemson’s 29-game winning streak.Clyde Edwards-Helaire (heh-LEHR’) logged 164 yards of offense for LSU, including 110 on the ground.Clemson’s offense stalled after taking a 17-7 lead in the second quarter. Trevor Lawrence finished with 234 yards passing, but he completed just 18 of his 37 throws and had just 58 yards in the second half. Lawrence also ran for a one-yard score in the opening half.Clemson tailback Travis Etienne ran for 78 yards and one touchdown while LSU held Tee Higgins in check. Clemson’s top wideout was held to three catches for 52 yards, but he also scored on a 36-yard run.It’s the 10th national championship for an SEC school since 2006.

LSU claims the college football national championship

KANSAS STATE (7-8, 0-3 Big 12) vs. 23/23 TEXAS TECH (10-5, 1-2 Big 12)

Tuesday, January 14, 2020 &gt;&gt; 7:02 p.m., CT &gt;&gt; Bramlage Coliseum (12,528) &gt;&gt; Manhattan, Kan.

Kansas State: Bruce Weber (Wis.-Milwaukee ’78)

Last Meeting: W, 58-45 [1/22/19 in Manhattan]

Weber vs. Beard: Beard leads 4-2 [1-2 on the road]

LAST TIME OUT: TEXAS 64, K-STATE 50

RECAPPING NON-CONFERENCE HISTORY

DIARRA NAMED BIG 12 PLAYER OF THE WEEK DEC. 30

K-State will host Texas Tech Tuesday night

MANHATTAN, Kan.&nbsp;–&nbsp;Kansas State kick returner&nbsp;Joshua Youngblood&nbsp;received his second honor from the Football Writers Association of America (FWAA) and sixth overall All-America accolade as he was named a Freshman All-American by the organization on Monday.

Youngblood, who was a Second Team All-American by the FWAA, was previously named to ESPN’s lone All-America team and was a Second Team All-American by CBS Sports, while he was a Freshman All-American by&nbsp;The Athletic&nbsp;and a True Freshman All-American by 247Sports.

The freshman was part of an overall kickoff-return unit that led the nation in both average (29.50) touchdowns (4). The unit’s average tied for the 14th&nbsp;best mark in NCAA history and set a new school and Big 12 record.

A product of Tampa, Florida, who was named the Big 12 Special Teams Player of the Year, Youngblood led the country with three kickoff-return touchdowns during the regular season. His three scores rank third in school history for a season and fourth in a career, while he ranks third in Big 12 history for a season and already tied for seventh in a career.

Youngblood held a Big 12-leading 35.9-yard kickoff-return average, which would rank first in the nation and broke both the school and conference records if he had two more attempts to meet the NCAA required minimum.

–&nbsp;<a href="http://k-statesports.com/" target="_blank">k-statesports.com</a>&nbsp;–

Assistant Athletics Director for Communications

MANHATTAN, Kan.&nbsp;–&nbsp;Kansas State kick returner&nbsp;Joshua Youngblood&nbsp;received his second honor from the Football Writers Association of America (FWAA) and sixth overall All-America accolade as he was named a Freshman All-American by the organization on Monday.Youngblood, who was a Second Team All-American by the FWAA, was previously named to ESPN’s lone All-America team and was a Second Team All-American by CBS Sports, while he was a Freshman All-American by&nbsp;The Athletic&nbsp;and a True Freshman All-American by 247Sports.The freshman was part of an overall kickoff-return unit that led the nation in both average (29.50) touchdowns (4). The unit’s average tied for the 14th&nbsp;best mark in NCAA history and set a new school and Big 12 record.A product of Tampa, Florida, who was named the Big 12 Special Teams Player of the Year, Youngblood led the country with three kickoff-return touchdowns during the regular season. His three scores rank third in school history for a season and fourth in a career, while he ranks third in Big 12 history for a season and already tied for seventh in a career.Youngblood held a Big 12-leading 35.9-yard kickoff-return average, which would rank first in the nation and broke both the school and conference records if he had two more attempts to meet the NCAA required minimum.–&nbsp;<a href="http://k-statesports.com/" target="_blank">k-statesports.com</a>&nbsp;–RYAN LACKEYAssistant Athletics Director for Communications

K-State's Youngblood named Freshman All American by FWAA

The Kansas City Chiefs overcome a 24-0 hole early in the second quarter to beat the Houston Texans 51-31 on Sunday and return to the AFC championship game. 

Patrick Mahomes led the comeback, which at one point included 41 unanswered points, by throwing for 321 yards and five touchdowns. Travis Kelce and Damien Williams scored three times apiece for Kansas City, which needed the biggest comeback in franchise history to continue its pursuit of its first Super Bowl trip in 50 years. 

Deshaun Watson had 388 yards passing and accounted for three touchdowns for the Texans.

The Kansas City Chiefs overcome a 24-0 hole early in the second quarter to beat the Houston Texans 51-31 on Sunday and return to the AFC championship game. Patrick Mahomes led the comeback, which at one point included 41 unanswered points, by throwing for 321 yards and five touchdowns. Travis Kelce and Damien Williams scored three times apiece for Kansas City, which needed the biggest comeback in franchise history to continue its pursuit of its first Super Bowl trip in 50 years. Deshaun Watson had 388 yards passing and accounted for three touchdowns for the Texans.

Chiefs rally from 24-0 deficit to defeat the Texans

Kevin Samuel deftly tipped in RJ Nembhard's errant floater with 1.7 seconds remaining, allowing TCU to escape with an ugly 59-57 victory over Kansas State. 

Samuel finished with 10 points and 15 rebounds to lead four players in double-figures scoring for the Horned Frogs (11-3, who are off to a 2-0 start in the Big 12 for the first time since joining the conference. 

Desmond Bane contributed 16 points, Nembhard added 15 and Jaire Grayer finished with 10. Xavier Sneed led Kansas State (7-7, 0-2) with 19 points, though he was just 5 of 14 from the field.

Kevin Samuel deftly tipped in RJ Nembhard's errant floater with 1.7 seconds remaining, allowing TCU to escape with an ugly 59-57 victory over Kansas State. Samuel finished with 10 points and 15 rebounds to lead four players in double-figures scoring for the Horned Frogs (11-3, who are off to a 2-0 start in the Big 12 for the first time since joining the conference. Desmond Bane contributed 16 points, Nembhard added 15 and Jaire Grayer finished with 10. Xavier Sneed led Kansas State (7-7, 0-2) with 19 points, though he was just 5 of 14 from the field.

K-State loses by two to TCU

KANSAS STATE (7-6, 0-1 Big 12) vs. TCU (10-3, 1-0 Big 12)

Tuesday, January 7, 2020 &gt;&gt; 8 p.m. CT &gt;&gt; Bramlage Coliseum (12,528) &gt;&gt; Manhattan, Kan.

Last Meeting: W, 70-61 [3/14/19 in Kansas City]

Weber vs. Dixon: Weber leads 6-3 [2-1 at home]

LAST TIME OUT: OKLAHOMA 66, K-STATE 61

K-State will host TCU in Big 12 Basketball Tuesday night

Norman, Okla.(AP) —Austin Reaves scored 18 of his 21 points in the second half to help Oklahoma rally and to beat Kansas State 66-61. Kristian Doolittle added 19 points and 12 rebounds for the Sooners. Oklahoma won despite shooting just 37 percent overall and making just 5 of 23 3-pointers. 

Xavier Sneed scored 22 points and Cartier Diarra added 10 for Kansas State in the Big 12 opener for both teams. Kansas State led by 11 in the second half. Reaves hit a 3-pointer to finally put the Sooners ahead 63-61 with 1:39 to play. The Wildcats never scored again.

Norman, Okla.(AP) —Austin Reaves scored 18 of his 21 points in the second half to help Oklahoma rally and to beat Kansas State 66-61. Kristian Doolittle added 19 points and 12 rebounds for the Sooners. Oklahoma won despite shooting just 37 percent overall and making just 5 of 23 3-pointers. Xavier Sneed scored 22 points and Cartier Diarra added 10 for Kansas State in the Big 12 opener for both teams. Kansas State led by 11 in the second half. Reaves hit a 3-pointer to finally put the Sooners ahead 63-61 with 1:39 to play. The Wildcats never scored again.

Reaves scores 21 to help Oklahoma top Kansas State 

MANHATTAN, Kan.&nbsp;– Kansas State junior guard&nbsp;Cartier Diarra&nbsp;earned his first career Phillips 66 Big 12 Player of the Week honor on Monday after scoring a career-best 25 points, including the game-winning 3-pointer with 22.4 seconds left, to help the Wildcats defeat Tulsa, 69-67, on Sunday.

Diarra is the first Wildcat to earn the Big 12’s weekly honor since&nbsp;Barry Brown, Jr., and&nbsp;Dean Wade&nbsp;won the accolade in back-to-back weeks on January 14 and 21, 2019. Overall, it marks the school’s 29th&nbsp;Player of the Week honor since the inception of the Big 12 in 1997, including the 13th&nbsp;under head coach&nbsp;Bruce Weber.

“It was just staying confident,” said Diarra after his career-best performance on Sunday. “I know that early on I wasn’t shooting the ball well. The scouting reports are saying ‘He can’t shoot,’ and I know I’ve been a good shooter in the past. My freshman year, I think I shot 40 (percent from 3). Last year, I shot like 37, 36. I’ve got to get it back up and the only way to get that back up is shooting in the gym, practicing, working on it and of course, shooting in the game. I did miss five of them. I wish I didn’t miss those five, but I made ones that counted and what we needed to get the win.”

The 6-foot-4, 188-pound guard from Florence, S.C., Diarra collected his third 20-point game of the season in Sunday’s victory over the Golden Hurricane, connecting on 8-of-16 from the field, including 6-of-11 from beyond the arc, to go with a 3-of-4 effort from the line, a game-high 7 assists and 5 rebounds in 33 minutes of action. His 6 3-pointers were a career-high and the most by a Wildcat since teammate&nbsp;Xavier Sneed&nbsp;knocked down 6 triples against West Virginia on Jan. 1, 2018. He now has at least 6 assists in 9 of 12 games this season.

For the season, Diarra is averaging 12.8 points on 40.6 percent shooting, including 31 percent from 3-point range, to go with 5.8 assists, 4.6 rebounds and 1.9 steals in 31.2 minutes per game. The team leader in assists and steals, he ranks second on the team in most offensive categories, including scoring, double-digit scoring games (7, field goals made (52, 3-point field goals made (18) and free throws made (31) and attempted (49).

K-State (7-5, 0-0 Big 12) opens up Big 12 play this weekend, as the Wildcats travel to Norman, Okla., to take on Oklahoma (8-3) at noon CT at Lloyd Noble Center. The game will air on Big 12 Now on ESPN+.

--<a href="http://www.kstatesports.com/" target="_blank">www.kstatesports.com</a>—

TOM GILBERT&nbsp;Director for Men’s Basketball Communications | K-State Athletics

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2019/12/1577746700829.jpeg" alt="" />
 <figcaption></figcaption>
 </figure>MANHATTAN, Kan.&nbsp;– Kansas State junior guard&nbsp;Cartier Diarra&nbsp;earned his first career Phillips 66 Big 12 Player of the Week honor on Monday after scoring a career-best 25 points, including the game-winning 3-pointer with 22.4 seconds left, to help the Wildcats defeat Tulsa, 69-67, on Sunday.Diarra is the first Wildcat to earn the Big 12’s weekly honor since&nbsp;Barry Brown, Jr., and&nbsp;Dean Wade&nbsp;won the accolade in back-to-back weeks on January 14 and 21, 2019. Overall, it marks the school’s 29th&nbsp;Player of the Week honor since the inception of the Big 12 in 1997, including the 13th&nbsp;under head coach&nbsp;Bruce Weber.“It was just staying confident,” said Diarra after his career-best performance on Sunday. “I know that early on I wasn’t shooting the ball well. The scouting reports are saying ‘He can’t shoot,’ and I know I’ve been a good shooter in the past. My freshman year, I think I shot 40 (percent from 3). Last year, I shot like 37, 36. I’ve got to get it back up and the only way to get that back up is shooting in the gym, practicing, working on it and of course, shooting in the game. I did miss five of them. I wish I didn’t miss those five, but I made ones that counted and what we needed to get the win.”The 6-foot-4, 188-pound guard from Florence, S.C., Diarra collected his third 20-point game of the season in Sunday’s victory over the Golden Hurricane, connecting on 8-of-16 from the field, including 6-of-11 from beyond the arc, to go with a 3-of-4 effort from the line, a game-high 7 assists and 5 rebounds in 33 minutes of action. His 6 3-pointers were a career-high and the most by a Wildcat since teammate&nbsp;Xavier Sneed&nbsp;knocked down 6 triples against West Virginia on Jan. 1, 2018. He now has at least 6 assists in 9 of 12 games this season.For the season, Diarra is averaging 12.8 points on 40.6 percent shooting, including 31 percent from 3-point range, to go with 5.8 assists, 4.6 rebounds and 1.9 steals in 31.2 minutes per game. The team leader in assists and steals, he ranks second on the team in most offensive categories, including scoring, double-digit scoring games (7, field goals made (52, 3-point field goals made (18) and free throws made (31) and attempted (49).K-State (7-5, 0-0 Big 12) opens up Big 12 play this weekend, as the Wildcats travel to Norman, Okla., to take on Oklahoma (8-3) at noon CT at Lloyd Noble Center. The game will air on Big 12 Now on ESPN+.--<a href="http://www.kstatesports.com/" target="_blank">www.kstatesports.com</a>—TOM GILBERT&nbsp;Director for Men’s Basketball Communications | K-State Athletics

Diarra named Big 12 Player of the Week

<a>MANHATTAN, Kan.</a>&nbsp;– Senior&nbsp;Makol Mawien’s&nbsp;block of Tulsa’s&nbsp;Elijah Joiner&nbsp;with 1 second left helped preserve Kansas State’s 69-67 win over the Golden Hurricane on Sunday afternoon before 8,370 fans at Bramlage Coliseum that snapped a 2-game losing streak.

K-State (7-5, which had lost 4 of 5 games this season by single digits, including consecutive setbacks to Mississippi State and Saint Louis, was able to finally close out a tight contest behind the efforts of junior&nbsp;Cartier Diarra&nbsp;(25) and senior&nbsp;Xavier Sneed&nbsp;(18, who combined for 43 points, and, in the process, end a 2-game skid to Tulsa (8-5).

The game mirrored the last matchup between the schools, in which, the Wildcats missed consecutive shots in the paint in the waning seconds as the Golden Hurricane held on for a 47-46 win at home on Dec. 8, 2018.&nbsp;

Trailing 66-64 with 2:14 remaining, Sneed ignited the comeback with a steal of Tulsa’s&nbsp;Martins Igbanu&nbsp;and tied the game on a jumper from the free throw line with 1:24 to play. After a miss by senior&nbsp;Lawton Korita, who led the Golden Hurricane with 12 points in the second half, on the next possession, freshman&nbsp;DaJuan Gordon&nbsp;grabbed the defensive rebound and head coach&nbsp;Bruce Weber&nbsp;called a timeout with 27 seconds to go.

With the shot clock set to expire, Diarra uncorked his sixth 3-pointer -- a step back triple -- with 22.4 seconds to give the Wildcats a 69-66 lead. Tulsa junior&nbsp;Darien Jackson&nbsp;was fouled and injured on a collision in the paint with 13 seconds but was unable to attempt the 1-and-1, forcing senior&nbsp;Martins Igbanu&nbsp;to try the free throw. Igbanu made the first, but missed the second, as Sneed snagged the board and was fouled.

Sneed missed the first end of the 1-and-1 free throw with 9 seconds, giving the Golden Hurricane one last opportunity, but Mawien was able to block Joiner’s shot with 1 second.

Diarra led all scorers with a career-best 25 points on 8-of-16 field goals, including a career-high 6-of-11 shooting from 3-point range, to go with a game-high 7 assists and 5 rebounds in 33 minutes. It marked his third career 20-point game, including his second this season. Sneed added 18 points on 6-of-15 shooting to go with 6 rebounds, a game-high 4 steals and 2 assists in 34 minutes.

Three Golden Hurricanes scored in double figures led by Korita’s 12, while Jackson and fellow Kansas native&nbsp;Jeriah Horne&nbsp;added 10 points each.

The contest ends an eventful 3-game series between the two schools that were all decided by single digits, including wins by Tulsa in Wichita in 2017 and last season in Tulsa.

K-State got off to a slow start, missing its first 7 field goals, as Tulsa took a 6-1 lead after a steal and dunk by junior&nbsp;Reggie Jones&nbsp;just after the first media timeout at the 15:42 mark.

The lead grew to 14-3 after 8 consecutive points, capped by a defensive goaltend on a layup by junior&nbsp;Darien Jackson, which forced head coach&nbsp;Bruce Weber&nbsp;to call his first timeout at the 12:28 mark.&nbsp; The Wildcats were just 1-of-10 from the field, including 0-of-6 from 3-point range, to go with 4 turnovers in the first 7:32.

Down 16-3 after the Golden Hurricane extended their run to 10-0, the Wildcats got back into the contest with some sharp shooting beyond the arc. Sneed started off a run of 4 makes from 3-point range from 3 different Wildcats (Sneed,&nbsp;Cartier Diarra&nbsp;and&nbsp;Mike McGuirl) that cut the deficit to 24-19 with 7:13 before halftime.

After Tulsa answered with its first 3-pointer from the corner just out of the third media timeout, K-State responded with a 7-0 run, capped by a steal and dunk by Sneed, that closed the gap to 27-26 and forced head coach Frank Haith&nbsp;to call his first timeout at the 5:18 mark.

A corner 3-pointer by Diarra – his fourth of the half – gave the Wildcats their first lead at 31-29 with 3:34 before halftime, while a pair of free throws by Sneed extended it to 33-29 at the 2:54 mark.

Two free throws and a 3-pointer from junior&nbsp;Brandon Rachal&nbsp;gave Tulsa the lead at 34-33, but back-to-back 3-pointers by Diarra and junior&nbsp;David Sloan&nbsp;and a free throw from Sneed gave K-State a 40-34 at halftime.

The Wildcats connected on 38.7 percent (12-of-31) from the field, including 40 percent (8-of-20) from 3-point range, while the Golden Hurricane hit on 45.5 percent (15-of-33, including 20 percent (2-of-10) from long range. Diarra (16) and Sneed (10) combined for 26 of K-State’s 40 first-half points, while nine different Tulsa players registered points led by Rachal’s 9 points.

A Sneed jumper and a free throw by senior&nbsp;Makol Mawien&nbsp;gave the Wildcats a 43-34 lead just 65 seconds into the second half, but the Golden Hurricane scored 9 in a row to grab the lead at 46-45 on a 3-pointer by senior&nbsp;Lawson Korita&nbsp;at the 14:43 mark.

The two teams traded the lead 7 times over the next few minutes with neither leading by more than 2 points until a corner 3-pointer by McGuirl gave K-State a 58-55 lead with 7:19 to play. However, Korita answered for Tulsa from long range on the next possession to even the score at 58-all at the 6:05 mark.&nbsp;

A tip by freshman&nbsp;DaJuan Gordon&nbsp;on a Sneed miss gave the Wildcats a 64-61 lead with 3:44 to play, but a jumper by senior&nbsp;Martins Igbanu&nbsp;and 3 free throws by junior&nbsp;Jeriah Horne&nbsp;on a foul by junior&nbsp;Levi Stockard III&nbsp;gave the Golden Hurricane a 66-64 edge with 2:23 remaining.

After Sneed tied it at 66-all on a jumper in the lane, Diarra connected on his sixth 3-pointer of the game, including his first of the second half, with a step back triple with 22.4 seconds to play to give the Wildcats a 69-66 lead.

Jackson was fouled on a collision in the lane with 13 seconds remaining but was injured forcing Igbanu to head to the line for 1-and-1. He made the first one, but missed the second, with Sneed grabbing the defensive rebound and earning the foul. Sneed, who uncharacteristically struggled from the line (4-of-8, missed the first end of the 1-and-1 and Rachal grabbed the rebound, giving Joiner one last chance before the Mawien block.

K-State connected on 37.9 percent (11-of-29) after halftime, including just 25 percent (3-of-12) from 3-point range, and made just 4-of-7 free throws, while Tulsa hit on 39.1 percent (9-of-23, including 50 percent (5-of-10) from long range, and 10-of-14 from the free throw line. Diarra scored 9 of his game-high 25 points in the second half, while Korita led all scorers after halftime with 12 points.

Junior&nbsp;Cartier Diarra&nbsp;scored a career-high 25 points -- his second 20-point game of the season – on 8-of-16 field goals, including 6-of-11 from 3-point range, to go with a game-high 7 assists and 5 rebounds in 33 minutes.

Senior&nbsp;Xavier Sneed&nbsp;scored 18 points on 6-of-15 field goals, including 2-of-8 from 3-point range, to 6 rebounds, 4 steals and 2 assists in 34 minutes. He has scored in double figures in 6 of the last 7 games.

62 – Starters accounted for 62 of Kansas State’s 69 points, including a combined 43 by junior&nbsp;Cartier Diarra&nbsp;(25) and senior&nbsp;Xavier Sneed&nbsp;(18).

“I’m happy for the guys and proud of them, especially the older guys. We need them to be consistent, give us something. The win helps everyone else. It wasn’t a great start when you spot them a 13-point lead, but to our guys’ credit, they fought back into the game, took the lead, even stretched it out in the second half. We said they’re not going to quit and they didn’t. We had a couple bad possessions in that stretch in the second half, but kept making plays and finally, Cartier (Diarra) makes a big shot, Mak (Mawien) has a big block, Xavier (Sneed) a big rebound. It would’ve been nice to not make it even tougher, make those two free throws. I’m happy for them, happy for the guys. They were very quiet before, very quiet after shootaround, I was hoping that meant they were locked in, but obviously they weren’t very locked in to start the game. I just challenged them. You better compete. You’ve got to compete, you’ve got to play hard, you’ve got to defend. We made some strides after spotting them and found a way to win a game. Hopefully, that will help us take another step.”

<a>K-State opens Big 12 play next weekend, as the Wildcats hit the road for Norman, Okla., to take on Oklahoma (8-3) on Saturday at noon at the Lloyd Noble Center. The game will air on Big 12 Now on ESPN+.</a>

TOM GILBERT&nbsp;Director for Men’s Basketball Communications | K-State Athletics Men’s Basketball Contact&nbsp;

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2019/12/1577706008215.png" alt="" />
 <figcaption></figcaption>
 </figure><a>MANHATTAN, Kan.</a>&nbsp;– Senior&nbsp;Makol Mawien’s&nbsp;block of Tulsa’s&nbsp;Elijah Joiner&nbsp;with 1 second left helped preserve Kansas State’s 69-67 win over the Golden Hurricane on Sunday afternoon before 8,370 fans at Bramlage Coliseum that snapped a 2-game losing streak.K-State (7-5, which had lost 4 of 5 games this season by single digits, including consecutive setbacks to Mississippi State and Saint Louis, was able to finally close out a tight contest behind the efforts of junior&nbsp;Cartier Diarra&nbsp;(25) and senior&nbsp;Xavier Sneed&nbsp;(18, who combined for 43 points, and, in the process, end a 2-game skid to Tulsa (8-5).The game mirrored the last matchup between the schools, in which, the Wildcats missed consecutive shots in the paint in the waning seconds as the Golden Hurricane held on for a 47-46 win at home on Dec. 8, 2018.&nbsp;Trailing 66-64 with 2:14 remaining, Sneed ignited the comeback with a steal of Tulsa’s&nbsp;Martins Igbanu&nbsp;and tied the game on a jumper from the free throw line with 1:24 to play. After a miss by senior&nbsp;Lawton Korita, who led the Golden Hurricane with 12 points in the second half, on the next possession, freshman&nbsp;DaJuan Gordon&nbsp;grabbed the defensive rebound and head coach&nbsp;Bruce Weber&nbsp;called a timeout with 27 seconds to go.With the shot clock set to expire, Diarra uncorked his sixth 3-pointer -- a step back triple -- with 22.4 seconds to give the Wildcats a 69-66 lead. Tulsa junior&nbsp;Darien Jackson&nbsp;was fouled and injured on a collision in the paint with 13 seconds but was unable to attempt the 1-and-1, forcing senior&nbsp;Martins Igbanu&nbsp;to try the free throw. Igbanu made the first, but missed the second, as Sneed snagged the board and was fouled.Sneed missed the first end of the 1-and-1 free throw with 9 seconds, giving the Golden Hurricane one last opportunity, but Mawien was able to block Joiner’s shot with 1 second.Diarra led all scorers with a career-best 25 points on 8-of-16 field goals, including a career-high 6-of-11 shooting from 3-point range, to go with a game-high 7 assists and 5 rebounds in 33 minutes. It marked his third career 20-point game, including his second this season. Sneed added 18 points on 6-of-15 shooting to go with 6 rebounds, a game-high 4 steals and 2 assists in 34 minutes.Three Golden Hurricanes scored in double figures led by Korita’s 12, while Jackson and fellow Kansas native&nbsp;Jeriah Horne&nbsp;added 10 points each.The contest ends an eventful 3-game series between the two schools that were all decided by single digits, including wins by Tulsa in Wichita in 2017 and last season in Tulsa.HOW IT HAPPENEDK-State got off to a slow start, missing its first 7 field goals, as Tulsa took a 6-1 lead after a steal and dunk by junior&nbsp;Reggie Jones&nbsp;just after the first media timeout at the 15:42 mark.The lead grew to 14-3 after 8 consecutive points, capped by a defensive goaltend on a layup by junior&nbsp;Darien Jackson, which forced head coach&nbsp;Bruce Weber&nbsp;to call his first timeout at the 12:28 mark.&nbsp; The Wildcats were just 1-of-10 from the field, including 0-of-6 from 3-point range, to go with 4 turnovers in the first 7:32.Down 16-3 after the Golden Hurricane extended their run to 10-0, the Wildcats got back into the contest with some sharp shooting beyond the arc. Sneed started off a run of 4 makes from 3-point range from 3 different Wildcats (Sneed,&nbsp;Cartier Diarra&nbsp;and&nbsp;Mike McGuirl) that cut the deficit to 24-19 with 7:13 before halftime.After Tulsa answered with its first 3-pointer from the corner just out of the third media timeout, K-State responded with a 7-0 run, capped by a steal and dunk by Sneed, that closed the gap to 27-26 and forced head coach Frank Haith&nbsp;to call his first timeout at the 5:18 mark.A corner 3-pointer by Diarra – his fourth of the half – gave the Wildcats their first lead at 31-29 with 3:34 before halftime, while a pair of free throws by Sneed extended it to 33-29 at the 2:54 mark.Two free throws and a 3-pointer from junior&nbsp;Brandon Rachal&nbsp;gave Tulsa the lead at 34-33, but back-to-back 3-pointers by Diarra and junior&nbsp;David Sloan&nbsp;and a free throw from Sneed gave K-State a 40-34 at halftime.The Wildcats connected on 38.7 percent (12-of-31) from the field, including 40 percent (8-of-20) from 3-point range, while the Golden Hurricane hit on 45.5 percent (15-of-33, including 20 percent (2-of-10) from long range. Diarra (16) and Sneed (10) combined for 26 of K-State’s 40 first-half points, while nine different Tulsa players registered points led by Rachal’s 9 points.A Sneed jumper and a free throw by senior&nbsp;Makol Mawien&nbsp;gave the Wildcats a 43-34 lead just 65 seconds into the second half, but the Golden Hurricane scored 9 in a row to grab the lead at 46-45 on a 3-pointer by senior&nbsp;Lawson Korita&nbsp;at the 14:43 mark.The two teams traded the lead 7 times over the next few minutes with neither leading by more than 2 points until a corner 3-pointer by McGuirl gave K-State a 58-55 lead with 7:19 to play. However, Korita answered for Tulsa from long range on the next possession to even the score at 58-all at the 6:05 mark.&nbsp;A tip by freshman&nbsp;DaJuan Gordon&nbsp;on a Sneed miss gave the Wildcats a 64-61 lead with 3:44 to play, but a jumper by senior&nbsp;Martins Igbanu&nbsp;and 3 free throws by junior&nbsp;Jeriah Horne&nbsp;on a foul by junior&nbsp;Levi Stockard III&nbsp;gave the Golden Hurricane a 66-64 edge with 2:23 remaining.After Sneed tied it at 66-all on a jumper in the lane, Diarra connected on his sixth 3-pointer of the game, including his first of the second half, with a step back triple with 22.4 seconds to play to give the Wildcats a 69-66 lead.Jackson was fouled on a collision in the lane with 13 seconds remaining but was injured forcing Igbanu to head to the line for 1-and-1. He made the first one, but missed the second, with Sneed grabbing the defensive rebound and earning the foul. Sneed, who uncharacteristically struggled from the line (4-of-8, missed the first end of the 1-and-1 and Rachal grabbed the rebound, giving Joiner one last chance before the Mawien block.K-State connected on 37.9 percent (11-of-29) after halftime, including just 25 percent (3-of-12) from 3-point range, and made just 4-of-7 free throws, while Tulsa hit on 39.1 percent (9-of-23, including 50 percent (5-of-10) from long range, and 10-of-14 from the free throw line. Diarra scored 9 of his game-high 25 points in the second half, while Korita led all scorers after halftime with 12 points.PLAYER(S) OF THE GAMEJunior&nbsp;Cartier Diarra&nbsp;scored a career-high 25 points -- his second 20-point game of the season – on 8-of-16 field goals, including 6-of-11 from 3-point range, to go with a game-high 7 assists and 5 rebounds in 33 minutes.Senior&nbsp;Xavier Sneed&nbsp;scored 18 points on 6-of-15 field goals, including 2-of-8 from 3-point range, to 6 rebounds, 4 steals and 2 assists in 34 minutes. He has scored in double figures in 6 of the last 7 games.STAT OF THE GAME62 – Starters accounted for 62 of Kansas State’s 69 points, including a combined 43 by junior&nbsp;Cartier Diarra&nbsp;(25) and senior&nbsp;Xavier Sneed&nbsp;(18).IN THEIR WORDSK-State Head Coach Bruce WeberOn the game…“I’m happy for the guys and proud of them, especially the older guys. We need them to be consistent, give us something. The win helps everyone else. It wasn’t a great start when you spot them a 13-point lead, but to our guys’ credit, they fought back into the game, took the lead, even stretched it out in the second half. We said they’re not going to quit and they didn’t. We had a couple bad possessions in that stretch in the second half, but kept making plays and finally, Cartier (Diarra) makes a big shot, Mak (Mawien) has a big block, Xavier (Sneed) a big rebound. It would’ve been nice to not make it even tougher, make those two free throws. I’m happy for them, happy for the guys. They were very quiet before, very quiet after shootaround, I was hoping that meant they were locked in, but obviously they weren’t very locked in to start the game. I just challenged them. You better compete. You’ve got to compete, you’ve got to play hard, you’ve got to defend. We made some strides after spotting them and found a way to win a game. Hopefully, that will help us take another step.”BEYOND THE BOXSCORE<ol>
 <li><a>K-State enters Big 12 play with a 7-5 record in non-conference play with one more to play in January.</a></li><li>K-State is now 111-8 in non-conference play at home dating back to 2006-07 with wins in 98 of its last 104 non-conference home games.</li><li>Tulsa still leads the all-time series, 7-2… The win by the Wildcats snapped a 3-game losing streak and was the first since a 75-69 win at Bramlage Coliseum on Dec. 14, 1989.</li><li>K-State is now 40-35 against teams from the American, including a 24-7 mark in home games.</li><li>The Wildcats’ starting lineup consisted of juniors&nbsp;Cartier Diarra&nbsp;and&nbsp;Mike McGuirl, senior&nbsp;Xavier Sneed, freshman&nbsp;Montavious Murphy&nbsp;and senior&nbsp;Makol Mawien… This was the fourth time using this lineup.</li><li>Sneed has now played in 117 career games, including 84 starts (45 consecutive)… Mawien has played and started in every game in his career, which now stretches to 83… Diarra has now played in 75 games, including 43 starts (14 consecutive)… McGuirl has now played in 58 career games, including 14 starts… This was the fourth career start for Murphy.</li><li>K-State has now started at least one true freshman (A. Gordon&nbsp;or&nbsp;Murphy) in 11 of 12 games this season.</li><li>Junior&nbsp;Levi&nbsp;Stockard&nbsp;III&nbsp;was the first player off the bench.</li><li>Freshman&nbsp;Antonio Gordon&nbsp;missed the game due to illness (flu).</li>
 </ol>Team Notes<ol>
 <li>K-State’s starting five produced 62 of the team’s 69 points in the victory.</li><li>K-State posted double-figure 3-point field goals (11) for the third time this season, including the second-most following the 11 against Alabama State (12/11/19).</li><li>K-State connected on 38.3 percent (23-of-60) from the field, including 34.4 percent (11-of-32) from 3-point range, and hit on 60 percent (12-of-20) from the free throw line.</li><li>K-State scored 19 points off just 12 Tulsa turnovers, including 10 steals… The team has at least 19 points off turnovers in 8 of 12 games… It marked the sixth game with 10 or more steals.</li><li>K-State held a 40-36 advantage on the boards, including 14 offensive rebounds… It marked the sixth time leading the way in rebounding.</li><li>Tulsa scored 32 of its 67 points in the paint compared to 20 for K-State.</li><li>K-State led for just 17 minutes (16:38) compared to 20:39 for Tulsa.</li><li>K-State came back from a 12-point deficit in the first half to take a 40-34 lead heading into halftime.</li>
 </ol>Player Notes<ol>
 <li>Junior&nbsp;Cartier Diarra&nbsp;scored a career-high 25 points on 8-of-16 field goals and 6-of-11 from beyond the arc in 33 minutes…. It marked his third career 20-point scoring game… His previous career high was set back on November 5 when he produced 23 points in a win against North Dakota State…. He also posted a career best in three points field goals (6) while tying a career best in field goals (8).</li><li>Diarra also posted game-high 7 assists to go with 5 rebounds in 33 minutes… He now has led the team in assists in 10 of 12 games, while he has at least 6 assists in 9 games.</li><li>Senior&nbsp;Xavier Sneed&nbsp;scored 18 points on 6-of-15 field goals, including 2-of-8 from 3-point range, to go with 5 rebounds, 2 assists in 34 minutes… He has now scored in double figures in 62 career games, including 9 this season… He has now scored in double figures in 6 of the last 7 games.</li><li>Senior&nbsp;Makol&nbsp;Mawien&nbsp;secured 7 rebounds while scoring 9 points in the win over the Golden Hurricanes.</li><li>Junior&nbsp;Mike McGuirl&nbsp;grabbed a career-best 7 rebounds to go with 8 points and 1 assist in 34 minutes.</li>
 </ol>WHAT’S NEXT<a>K-State opens Big 12 play next weekend, as the Wildcats hit the road for Norman, Okla., to take on Oklahoma (8-3) on Saturday at noon at the Lloyd Noble Center. The game will air on Big 12 Now on ESPN+.</a>--www.kstatesports.com--TOM GILBERT&nbsp;Director for Men’s Basketball Communications | K-State Athletics Men’s Basketball Contact&nbsp;<figure>
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K-State hangs on to defeat Tulsa

Stadium: Liberty Bowl Memorial Stadium (57,266)

CATS, MIDSHIPMEN TANGLE ON NEW YEAR’S EVE IN AUTOZONE LIBERTY BOWLAn eight-win regular season was rewarded with Kansas State’s ninth bowl berth in the last 10 years as the Wildcats look to win three-consecutive bowl games for the first time in school history against first-time opponent Navy in the 61st Annual AutoZone Liberty Bowl. The game is slated for a 2:45 p.m., kickoff on Tuesday, December 31, inside Liberty Bowl Memorial Stadium in Memphis, Tennessee. The Liberty Bowl is the 22nd bowl game in school history, with 21 of those coming since 1993. The Wildcats are advancing to postseason play under first-year head coach Chris Klieman, who has the most wins by a first-year head coach in school history and the second-most victories this season by a first-time Power 5 head coach (Ryan Day, Ohio State). The 2019 version of the AutoZone Liberty Bowl will be K-State’s second trip to the Birthplace of Rock ‘n Roll as the Wildcats will look to avenge a 45-23 loss to Arkansas in the game following the 2015 season. The Wildcats are one of just 22 teams in the nation to advance to at least nine bowl games this decade, including one of four in the Big 12 (Baylor, Oklahoma, Oklahoma State). In its last two bowl games, the Wildcats defeated Texas A&amp;M, 33-28, in the 2016 Texas Bowl prior to a 35-17 victory over UCLA in the 2017 Cactus Bowl. It was the second time in school history that K-State won consecutive bowl games as the Wildcats look for their first three-game bowl winning streak against Navy.

K-State rode the waves of celebration and adversity on its way to an 8-4 regular season as the Wildcats jumped out to a 3-0 start – highlighted by a 31-24 win at Mississippi State – before dropping its first two Big 12 games. The win in Starkville was the Wildcats’ first at an SEC venue, going 0-11 prior to the fourth-quarter comeback victory. Following the 0-2 start to conference play, the Wildcats got back on track with a 24-17 victory over TCU, which preceded a 48-41 upset victory over then-No. 5 and now College Football Playoff participant Oklahoma. The Wildcats erased a pair of 10-point deficits by outscoring the Sooners, 41-6, over the second and third quarters before hanging on in the final period for the win. K-State went on to earn its 11th-straight Sunflower Showdown victory over Kansas the next week, but it dropped the next two games by a combined seven points – a three-point loss at Texas on a field goal as time expired and a four-point defeat to West Virginia. The Wildcats pushed through adversity to secure wins their final two contests, a 30-27 victory at Texas Tech and a 27-17 win in the regular-season and home finale over Iowa State, K-State’s 11th win in the last 12 years over the Cyclones.

Kansas State is led on offense by junior quarterback Skylar Thompson, a 2019 Honorable Mention All-Big 12 pick who is in line to make the 27th career start. The Independence, Missouri, native has set career highs in passing yards (2,191, touchdowns (12) and completions (167) this season, while he has been one of the more effective running quarterbacks in the Big 12 in 2019. The Wildcats boast three running backs with at least 250 rushing yards, led by graduate transfer and All-Big 12 pick James Gilbert with 698 yards and six touchdowns. Another grad transfer, Jordon Brown, has 367 yards and four scores, while junior Harry Trotter has 261 yards and three scores. The trio has run behind a senior-laden offensive line that seen five of the six regular contributors earn All-Big 12 honors this season. The wideouts are led by senior Dalton Schoen, who has 35 catches for 567 yards and four scores, while freshman Malik Knowles and Phillip Brooks also have at least 20 catches for 250 yards.

Defensively, senior safety Denzel Goolsby leads four players that have at least 50 tackles, while First Team All-Big 12 defensive end Wyatt Hubert ranks second in the league in sacks (7.0) and eighth in tackles for loss (12.5). Cornerback AJ Parker has a team-high three interceptions and eight total passes defended, while Goolsby and linebacker Da’Quan Patton each have two picks.

Kansas State has been known to have stellar special teams, and 2019 is no different as its place kicker, Blake Lynch, punter, Devin Anctil, and kick returner, Joshua Youngblood each earned All-Big 12 honors. Youngblood was the 2019 Big 12 Special Teams Player of the Year with a nation-leading three kickoff-return touchdowns. Anctil ranks first in the Big 12 with a 45.0-yard average, which including 17 punts of 50 or more yards. Lynch ranks seventh nationally in field-goal percentage (90.0%) and 22nd in field goals per game (1.50).

Navy enters the AutoZone Liberty Bowl with a 10-2 record – including a 7-1 mark to tie for first in the AAC West – fresh off a 31-7 victory over Army to claim the Commander-in-Chief Trophy. Navy’s only two losses this year are a 35-23 defeat at Memphis – the Group of 5 representative in the New Year’s Six – and a 52-20 setback at then-No. 16 Notre Dame. The Midshipmen rank first in the nation with a 363.7-yard average on the ground, 66.5 yards better than the next best team. Quarterback Malcolm Perry ranks second nationally with 150.3 rushing yards per game as the Mids’ signal caller is coming off a 304-yard, two-touchdown performance against the Black Knights, a game in which he did not attempt a pass. Perry has 21 touchdowns on the season, while Jamale Carothers is second with 14 touchdowns and a 79.1-yard rushing average per game. Linebacker Diego Fagot has a team-high 93 tackles, while striker Jacob Springer paces Navy in both tackles for loss (16.0) and sacks (8.0). Three Midshipmen have two interceptions on the season.

Date: Tuesday, December 31, 2019Kickoff: 2:45 p.m.Location: Memphis, Tenn.Stadium: Liberty Bowl Memorial Stadium (57,266)Series: First MeetingCATS, MIDSHIPMEN TANGLE ON NEW YEAR’S EVE IN AUTOZONE LIBERTY BOWLAn eight-win regular season was rewarded with Kansas State’s ninth bowl berth in the last 10 years as the Wildcats look to win three-consecutive bowl games for the first time in school history against first-time opponent Navy in the 61st Annual AutoZone Liberty Bowl. The game is slated for a 2:45 p.m., kickoff on Tuesday, December 31, inside Liberty Bowl Memorial Stadium in Memphis, Tennessee. The Liberty Bowl is the 22nd bowl game in school history, with 21 of those coming since 1993. The Wildcats are advancing to postseason play under first-year head coach Chris Klieman, who has the most wins by a first-year head coach in school history and the second-most victories this season by a first-time Power 5 head coach (Ryan Day, Ohio State). The 2019 version of the AutoZone Liberty Bowl will be K-State’s second trip to the Birthplace of Rock ‘n Roll as the Wildcats will look to avenge a 45-23 loss to Arkansas in the game following the 2015 season. The Wildcats are one of just 22 teams in the nation to advance to at least nine bowl games this decade, including one of four in the Big 12 (Baylor, Oklahoma, Oklahoma State). In its last two bowl games, the Wildcats defeated Texas A&amp;M, 33-28, in the 2016 Texas Bowl prior to a 35-17 victory over UCLA in the 2017 Cactus Bowl. It was the second time in school history that K-State won consecutive bowl games as the Wildcats look for their first three-game bowl winning streak against Navy.A LOOK AT K-STATEK-State rode the waves of celebration and adversity on its way to an 8-4 regular season as the Wildcats jumped out to a 3-0 start – highlighted by a 31-24 win at Mississippi State – before dropping its first two Big 12 games. The win in Starkville was the Wildcats’ first at an SEC venue, going 0-11 prior to the fourth-quarter comeback victory. Following the 0-2 start to conference play, the Wildcats got back on track with a 24-17 victory over TCU, which preceded a 48-41 upset victory over then-No. 5 and now College Football Playoff participant Oklahoma. The Wildcats erased a pair of 10-point deficits by outscoring the Sooners, 41-6, over the second and third quarters before hanging on in the final period for the win. K-State went on to earn its 11th-straight Sunflower Showdown victory over Kansas the next week, but it dropped the next two games by a combined seven points – a three-point loss at Texas on a field goal as time expired and a four-point defeat to West Virginia. The Wildcats pushed through adversity to secure wins their final two contests, a 30-27 victory at Texas Tech and a 27-17 win in the regular-season and home finale over Iowa State, K-State’s 11th win in the last 12 years over the Cyclones.Kansas State is led on offense by junior quarterback Skylar Thompson, a 2019 Honorable Mention All-Big 12 pick who is in line to make the 27th career start. The Independence, Missouri, native has set career highs in passing yards (2,191, touchdowns (12) and completions (167) this season, while he has been one of the more effective running quarterbacks in the Big 12 in 2019. The Wildcats boast three running backs with at least 250 rushing yards, led by graduate transfer and All-Big 12 pick James Gilbert with 698 yards and six touchdowns. Another grad transfer, Jordon Brown, has 367 yards and four scores, while junior Harry Trotter has 261 yards and three scores. The trio has run behind a senior-laden offensive line that seen five of the six regular contributors earn All-Big 12 honors this season. The wideouts are led by senior Dalton Schoen, who has 35 catches for 567 yards and four scores, while freshman Malik Knowles and Phillip Brooks also have at least 20 catches for 250 yards.Defensively, senior safety Denzel Goolsby leads four players that have at least 50 tackles, while First Team All-Big 12 defensive end Wyatt Hubert ranks second in the league in sacks (7.0) and eighth in tackles for loss (12.5). Cornerback AJ Parker has a team-high three interceptions and eight total passes defended, while Goolsby and linebacker Da’Quan Patton each have two picks.Kansas State has been known to have stellar special teams, and 2019 is no different as its place kicker, Blake Lynch, punter, Devin Anctil, and kick returner, Joshua Youngblood each earned All-Big 12 honors. Youngblood was the 2019 Big 12 Special Teams Player of the Year with a nation-leading three kickoff-return touchdowns. Anctil ranks first in the Big 12 with a 45.0-yard average, which including 17 punts of 50 or more yards. Lynch ranks seventh nationally in field-goal percentage (90.0%) and 22nd in field goals per game (1.50).A LOOK AT NAVYNavy enters the AutoZone Liberty Bowl with a 10-2 record – including a 7-1 mark to tie for first in the AAC West – fresh off a 31-7 victory over Army to claim the Commander-in-Chief Trophy. Navy’s only two losses this year are a 35-23 defeat at Memphis – the Group of 5 representative in the New Year’s Six – and a 52-20 setback at then-No. 16 Notre Dame. The Midshipmen rank first in the nation with a 363.7-yard average on the ground, 66.5 yards better than the next best team. Quarterback Malcolm Perry ranks second nationally with 150.3 rushing yards per game as the Mids’ signal caller is coming off a 304-yard, two-touchdown performance against the Black Knights, a game in which he did not attempt a pass. Perry has 21 touchdowns on the season, while Jamale Carothers is second with 14 touchdowns and a 79.1-yard rushing average per game. Linebacker Diego Fagot has a team-high 93 tackles, while striker Jacob Springer paces Navy in both tackles for loss (16.0) and sacks (8.0). Three Midshipmen have two interceptions on the season.RYAN LACKEYDirector of Football CommunicationsK-State Athletics

K-State and Navy will meet in the Liberty Bowl

CHICAGO (AP) — Patrick Mahomes kept the Kansas City Chiefs in the running for a first-round bye in the playoffs.

It was a satisfying performance in a couple different ways.

Mahomes outplayed Mitchell Trubisky, throwing for two touchdowns and running for another score, and the Chiefs beat the Chicago Bears 26-3 Sunday night for their fifth straight win.

Kansas City (11-4) remained a game behind New England for the AFC’s second seed. The Patriots clinched their 11th consecutive AFC East championship by beating Buffalo on Saturday. The Chiefs hold the head-to-head tiebreaker over New England thanks to a victory two weeks ago that helped secure their fourth AFC West title in a row.

Mahomes’ big game in his first appearance at Soldier Field is just another blow for Chicago in a rough season that began with Super Bowl hopes. The Bears passed on Mahomes when they traded up a spot to grab Trubisky with the No. 2 overall pick in 2017. Mahomes went to Kansas City at No. 10 and won the MVP award last season.

Trubisky has not performed the way the Bears envisioned. And with their playoff hopes already dashed coming off an NFC North championship, they got outclassed by Kansas City.

“You know that there’s a process to it and not everyone can be picked first,” Mahomes said. “And I ended up in a great situation in Kansas City, a situation where I wanted to be at, an organization that’s kind of taken me and made me the best player that I could be at this time. So I’m just excited that I’m here now and I was able to go out there and find a way to win the football game.”

Mahomes, playing his 30th game, became the fastest player to reach the 9,000-yard passing mark. He was 23 of 33 for 251 yards, giving him 9,238 in three seasons. Hall of Famer Kurt Warner did it in 32 games.

Mahomes also has 75 touchdown passes, making him the fastest player to hit that mark.

“I think it was a good solid performance,” coach Andy Reid said. “He had some unbelievable throws in the mix there. Not a lot of guys can do. He showed part of that game. He showed his toughness part when (Khalil Mack) is bearing down on you.”

Travis Kelce, already the first tight end with four straight 1,000-yard seasons, became the first to reach 1,200 yards in back-to-back years. He caught eight passes for 74 yards, giving him 1,205 this year. That included a 6-yard touchdown near the end of the first half.

Harrison Butker kicked a career-best 56-yard field goal that was the fourth-longest in franchise history. He also hit both the left and right uprights on a missed extra point.

And Reid beat protege Matt Nagy in his first meeting with his longtime former assistant.

The Bears (7-8) dropped their second straight after winning four of five.

Trubisky completed 18 of 34 passes for 157 yards. Mack had a sack, and fans let the Bears have it before heading toward the exits in the closing minutes.

“I think it just comes to down all of us with the details and just understanding that on each and every play, we all need to be extremely detailed,” Nagy said. “We all need to understand where we’re at and how important it is.”

The Chiefs have outscored Denver and Chicago a combined 49-6 the past two weeks. And they took control early in this one.

Kansas City led 17-0 at halftime after scoring on all three possessions and racking up more than twice as many yards as the Bears (203-93).

Mahomes rolled to his left and went 12 yards untouched to the end zone, capping a 15-play drive that ate up 7 minutes, 58 seconds.

Butker nailed a 56-yard field goal early in the second quarter. And Mahomes hit Kelce for the TD in the closing minute of the half, after Chicago’s Kevin Pierre-Louis got flagged for running into punter Dustin Colquitt.

The Bears drove to the 4 in the third, but Trubisky’s fourth-down pass to Allen Robinson in the left side of the end zone got broken up by Charvarius Ward. Chicago finally scored when Eddy Piñeiro kicked a 46-yard field goal as the quarter ended.

Mahomes answered with a&nbsp;<a href="https://twitter.com/NFL/status/1208954217676693504" target="_blank">14-yard touchdown</a>&nbsp;to Damien Williams on the opening drive of the fourth to make it 23-3. Butker then missed the extra point when the ball somehow ricocheted off the left and right uprights.

Chiefs: Reid said RB Spencer Ware and CB Bashaud Breeland tweaked shoulders.

Bears: NT Eddie Goldman (concussion) exited in the first half. ... RG Rashaad Coward suffered a knee injury in the first half.

Chiefs: Host Los Angeles Chargers on Dec. 29.

<figure>
 <img src="https://static.clubs.nfl.com/image/private/t_editorial_landscape_8_desktop_mobile/f_auto/chiefs/nngqumv88cswqdkliw1h.jpg" alt="KC Chiefs win on Sunday Night Football 26-3" />
 <figcaption>KC Chiefs win on Sunday Night Football 26-3</figcaption>
 </figure>CHICAGO (AP) — Patrick Mahomes kept the Kansas City Chiefs in the running for a first-round bye in the playoffs.It was a satisfying performance in a couple different ways.Mahomes outplayed Mitchell Trubisky, throwing for two touchdowns and running for another score, and the Chiefs beat the Chicago Bears 26-3 Sunday night for their fifth straight win.Kansas City (11-4) remained a game behind New England for the AFC’s second seed. The Patriots clinched their 11th consecutive AFC East championship by beating Buffalo on Saturday. The Chiefs hold the head-to-head tiebreaker over New England thanks to a victory two weeks ago that helped secure their fourth AFC West title in a row.Mahomes’ big game in his first appearance at Soldier Field is just another blow for Chicago in a rough season that began with Super Bowl hopes. The Bears passed on Mahomes when they traded up a spot to grab Trubisky with the No. 2 overall pick in 2017. Mahomes went to Kansas City at No. 10 and won the MVP award last season.Trubisky has not performed the way the Bears envisioned. And with their playoff hopes already dashed coming off an NFC North championship, they got outclassed by Kansas City.“You know that there’s a process to it and not everyone can be picked first,” Mahomes said. “And I ended up in a great situation in Kansas City, a situation where I wanted to be at, an organization that’s kind of taken me and made me the best player that I could be at this time. So I’m just excited that I’m here now and I was able to go out there and find a way to win the football game.”Mahomes, playing his 30th game, became the fastest player to reach the 9,000-yard passing mark. He was 23 of 33 for 251 yards, giving him 9,238 in three seasons. Hall of Famer Kurt Warner did it in 32 games.Mahomes also has 75 touchdown passes, making him the fastest player to hit that mark.“I think it was a good solid performance,” coach Andy Reid said. “He had some unbelievable throws in the mix there. Not a lot of guys can do. He showed part of that game. He showed his toughness part when (Khalil Mack) is bearing down on you.”Travis Kelce, already the first tight end with four straight 1,000-yard seasons, became the first to reach 1,200 yards in back-to-back years. He caught eight passes for 74 yards, giving him 1,205 this year. That included a 6-yard touchdown near the end of the first half.Harrison Butker kicked a career-best 56-yard field goal that was the fourth-longest in franchise history. He also hit both the left and right uprights on a missed extra point.And Reid beat protege Matt Nagy in his first meeting with his longtime former assistant.The Bears (7-8) dropped their second straight after winning four of five.Trubisky completed 18 of 34 passes for 157 yards. Mack had a sack, and fans let the Bears have it before heading toward the exits in the closing minutes.“I think it just comes to down all of us with the details and just understanding that on each and every play, we all need to be extremely detailed,” Nagy said. “We all need to understand where we’re at and how important it is.”DOMINATING EARLYThe Chiefs have outscored Denver and Chicago a combined 49-6 the past two weeks. And they took control early in this one.Kansas City led 17-0 at halftime after scoring on all three possessions and racking up more than twice as many yards as the Bears (203-93).Mahomes rolled to his left and went 12 yards untouched to the end zone, capping a 15-play drive that ate up 7 minutes, 58 seconds.Butker nailed a 56-yard field goal early in the second quarter. And Mahomes hit Kelce for the TD in the closing minute of the half, after Chicago’s Kevin Pierre-Louis got flagged for running into punter Dustin Colquitt.The Bears drove to the 4 in the third, but Trubisky’s fourth-down pass to Allen Robinson in the left side of the end zone got broken up by Charvarius Ward. Chicago finally scored when Eddy Piñeiro kicked a 46-yard field goal as the quarter ended.Mahomes answered with a&nbsp;<a href="https://twitter.com/NFL/status/1208954217676693504" target="_blank">14-yard touchdown</a>&nbsp;to Damien Williams on the opening drive of the fourth to make it 23-3. Butker then missed the extra point when the ball somehow ricocheted off the left and right uprights.INJURIESChiefs: Reid said RB Spencer Ware and CB Bashaud Breeland tweaked shoulders.Bears: NT Eddie Goldman (concussion) exited in the first half. ... RG Rashaad Coward suffered a knee injury in the first half.UP NEXTChiefs: Host Los Angeles Chargers on Dec. 29.Bears: Visit Minnesota on Dec. 29.

Mahomes throws 2 TDs, runs for 1 as Chiefs beat Bears 26-3

<a>KANSAS CITY, Mo.</a>&nbsp;– Senior&nbsp;Xavier Sneed’s&nbsp;3-point field goal with 2 seconds left was just off the mark, as Saint Louis held on for a 66-63 win over Kansas State before 11,625 fans in the 10th&nbsp;Wildcat Classic at the Sprint Center.

In a highly-contest game where neither team led by more 3 points in the second half, Saint Louis (10-2) broke a 63-all tie on freshman&nbsp;Yuri Collins’&nbsp;driving layup with 2:02 to play. Collins extended the lead to 66-63 on a free throw with 52 seconds before a final sequence, in which, Sneed had an opportunity to tie the game on the final possession. The teams battled through 13 ties and 12 lead changes, including 10 of each in the second half.

K-State (6-5) has now lost 4 of 5 games this season by single digits, including consecutive games.

The loss spoiled an impressive effort by junior forward and St. Louis native&nbsp;Levi Stockard III, who scored a career-high 17 points off the bench on 5-of-5 field goals and 7-of-9 free throws. It marked the first time in his 79-game career that he has scored in double figures and the first time he has led the team in scoring. Fellow St. Louis native&nbsp;Xavier Sneed&nbsp;also scored in double figures with 11 points on 3-of-7 field goals, all coming from 3-point range.

Stockard was part of a Wildcat bench that scored 31 of the team’s 63 points, as junior&nbsp;David Sloan&nbsp;chipped in 7 points to go with a season-best 8 assists in a season-high 28 minutes and freshmen&nbsp;DaJuan Gordon&nbsp;and&nbsp;Montavious Murphy&nbsp;added 5 and 2 points, respectively. It marked Murphy’s first action in more than a month after missing the last 7 games due to injury.

The Billiken bench also proofed to be effective with 31 points of their own, as junior&nbsp;Javonte Perkins&nbsp;scored of all his team-high 12 points in the second half, while freshman&nbsp;Terrance Hargrove, Jr., added 10 points. Perkins and Hargrove went a combined 7-of-10 from the field and 7-of-8 from the free throw line. Junior starter&nbsp;Jordan Goodwin&nbsp;also registered double figures with 11 points.

The loss snapped the Wildcats’ 5-game winning streak in the Wildcat Classic, which has been held since 2007. It was the first loss in the Classic in nearly a decade since a 63-59 setback to UNLV on Dec. 21, 2010.

Saint Louis came out of the game firing, scoring the first 9 points before a 3-pointer by junior&nbsp;Cartier Diarra&nbsp;gave K-State its first points at the 13:58 mark. The Wildcats missed their first 6 field goals before the triple by Diarra.

After a pair of free throws by freshman&nbsp;DaJuan Gordon&nbsp;cut the gap to 9-5, the Billikens responded with 9 of the next 11 points, capped by a 3-pointer from senior&nbsp;Tay Weaver, to increase their lead to 18-7 at the 11:27 mark.

Head coach&nbsp;Bruce Weber&nbsp;inserted junior reserve&nbsp;David Sloan&nbsp;into the lineup at the next break and the change ignited a 10-1 run by the Wildcats that closed the deficit to 19-17 with 9:16 before halftime. A 3-point play by junior&nbsp;Jordan Goodwin&nbsp;pushed the Billikens back out by 5 points before a 3-point play by junior&nbsp;Levi Stockard III&nbsp;and a free throw by Sloan closed the Wildcats to within 22-21 with 6:55 left.

A 3-pointer by junior&nbsp;Mike McGuirl&nbsp;tied the score at 24-all at the 5:21 mark then another triple, this one by&nbsp;DaJuan Gordon, gave K-State its first lead at 27-26 with 4:02 to play. Two free throws by McGuirl gave the Wildcats its largest lead at 29-26 with 3:34 before halftime but a 3-pointer by Weaver knotted it at 29-all just over a minute later. Saint Louis took a 31-29 lead on two free throws by freshman&nbsp;Terrence Hargrove, Jr., but senior&nbsp;Makol Mawien&nbsp;tied it at 31-all with 29 seconds.

The Billikens connected on 57.1 percent (12-of-21) from the field in the first, including 42.9 percent (3-of-7) from 3-point range, while the Wildcats hit on 40 percent (10-of-25, including 45.5 percent (5-of-11) from long range. Hargrove, Jr., led all scorers with 8 points off the bench, while Sneed paced the Wildcats with 6 points.

Freshman&nbsp;Antonio Gordon&nbsp;gave K-State a 33-31 lead 76 seconds into the second half with 2 free throws, but Saint Louis rattled off 6 straight points to take a 37-33 lead into the first media timeout at the 15:41 mark.

The Billikens held the lead until Diarra connected on his second 3-pointer to give the Wildcats a 41-40 edge with 12:29 remaining. However, once again, the Billikens responded with 6 consecutive points to take a 46-43 lead at the 10:30 mark.

K-State slowly chipped away at the deficit before back-to-back buckets by Stockard gave the Wildcats a 49-48 lead with under 8 to play. The two teams traded the lead over the next few minutes, battling through five ties, before freshman&nbsp;Yuri Collins’&nbsp;driving layup gave Saint Louis a 65-63 lead with 2:02 remaining.

The Wildcats had 3 turnovers down the stretch, but the Billikens didn’t completely shut the door, as Sneed’s 3-point was just off the mark that wouldn’t tied the game with 2 seconds to play.

K-State connected on 53.3 percent (8-of-15) in the second half, including 40 percent (2-of-5) from 3-point range, while Saint Louis hit on 45.8 percent (11-of-24, including 28.6 percent (2-of-7) from long range. Stockard led all scorers with 12 points after halftime, while junior&nbsp;Javonte Perkins&nbsp;led the Billikens with 11 points.

Junior&nbsp;Levi Stockard III&nbsp;led all scorers with a career-high 17 points on 5-of-5 field goals and 7-of-9 free throws, as the St. Louis native scored in double figures for the first time in his career in 28 minutes.

Junior&nbsp;David Sloan&nbsp;gave K-State a lift of the bench, dishing out a season-best 8 assists in 28 minutes.

13 – After posting 9 assists on 10 made field goals with just 5 turnovers in the first half, K-State suffered just 5 assists on 8 made field goals in the second half while turning the ball over 13 times.

“It is Christmas but for K-State basketball, it is Groundhog Day. You keep waking up and it is the same scenario. In games we can’t rewind them. It is not video games and you have to play it through and you have to learn from it. It was the same scenario, they had a lot of turnovers and we had a lot of turnovers, it was just way too many turnovers to give ourselves a chance. In the first half, we had nine assists on ten field goals after the really slow start. I am happy for Levi (Stockard) and David Sloan. They did some decent things, but we did not have enough guys chip in. We have to get better production and more consistency if we are going to make any progress.”

<a>K-State will take a week off before returning to Bramlage Coliseum on Sunday, Dec. 29 to host Tulsa (8-4) at 5 p.m., CT in the final home game of 2019. The game will air on Big 12 Now on ESPN+.</a>

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2019/12/1577052041519.jpeg" alt="" />
 <figcaption></figcaption>
 </figure><a>KANSAS CITY, Mo.</a>&nbsp;– Senior&nbsp;Xavier Sneed’s&nbsp;3-point field goal with 2 seconds left was just off the mark, as Saint Louis held on for a 66-63 win over Kansas State before 11,625 fans in the 10th&nbsp;Wildcat Classic at the Sprint Center.In a highly-contest game where neither team led by more 3 points in the second half, Saint Louis (10-2) broke a 63-all tie on freshman&nbsp;Yuri Collins’&nbsp;driving layup with 2:02 to play. Collins extended the lead to 66-63 on a free throw with 52 seconds before a final sequence, in which, Sneed had an opportunity to tie the game on the final possession. The teams battled through 13 ties and 12 lead changes, including 10 of each in the second half.K-State (6-5) has now lost 4 of 5 games this season by single digits, including consecutive games.The loss spoiled an impressive effort by junior forward and St. Louis native&nbsp;Levi Stockard III, who scored a career-high 17 points off the bench on 5-of-5 field goals and 7-of-9 free throws. It marked the first time in his 79-game career that he has scored in double figures and the first time he has led the team in scoring. Fellow St. Louis native&nbsp;Xavier Sneed&nbsp;also scored in double figures with 11 points on 3-of-7 field goals, all coming from 3-point range.Stockard was part of a Wildcat bench that scored 31 of the team’s 63 points, as junior&nbsp;David Sloan&nbsp;chipped in 7 points to go with a season-best 8 assists in a season-high 28 minutes and freshmen&nbsp;DaJuan Gordon&nbsp;and&nbsp;Montavious Murphy&nbsp;added 5 and 2 points, respectively. It marked Murphy’s first action in more than a month after missing the last 7 games due to injury.The Billiken bench also proofed to be effective with 31 points of their own, as junior&nbsp;Javonte Perkins&nbsp;scored of all his team-high 12 points in the second half, while freshman&nbsp;Terrance Hargrove, Jr., added 10 points. Perkins and Hargrove went a combined 7-of-10 from the field and 7-of-8 from the free throw line. Junior starter&nbsp;Jordan Goodwin&nbsp;also registered double figures with 11 points.The loss snapped the Wildcats’ 5-game winning streak in the Wildcat Classic, which has been held since 2007. It was the first loss in the Classic in nearly a decade since a 63-59 setback to UNLV on Dec. 21, 2010.HOW IT HAPPENEDSaint Louis came out of the game firing, scoring the first 9 points before a 3-pointer by junior&nbsp;Cartier Diarra&nbsp;gave K-State its first points at the 13:58 mark. The Wildcats missed their first 6 field goals before the triple by Diarra.After a pair of free throws by freshman&nbsp;DaJuan Gordon&nbsp;cut the gap to 9-5, the Billikens responded with 9 of the next 11 points, capped by a 3-pointer from senior&nbsp;Tay Weaver, to increase their lead to 18-7 at the 11:27 mark.Head coach&nbsp;Bruce Weber&nbsp;inserted junior reserve&nbsp;David Sloan&nbsp;into the lineup at the next break and the change ignited a 10-1 run by the Wildcats that closed the deficit to 19-17 with 9:16 before halftime. A 3-point play by junior&nbsp;Jordan Goodwin&nbsp;pushed the Billikens back out by 5 points before a 3-point play by junior&nbsp;Levi Stockard III&nbsp;and a free throw by Sloan closed the Wildcats to within 22-21 with 6:55 left.A 3-pointer by junior&nbsp;Mike McGuirl&nbsp;tied the score at 24-all at the 5:21 mark then another triple, this one by&nbsp;DaJuan Gordon, gave K-State its first lead at 27-26 with 4:02 to play. Two free throws by McGuirl gave the Wildcats its largest lead at 29-26 with 3:34 before halftime but a 3-pointer by Weaver knotted it at 29-all just over a minute later. Saint Louis took a 31-29 lead on two free throws by freshman&nbsp;Terrence Hargrove, Jr., but senior&nbsp;Makol Mawien&nbsp;tied it at 31-all with 29 seconds.The Billikens connected on 57.1 percent (12-of-21) from the field in the first, including 42.9 percent (3-of-7) from 3-point range, while the Wildcats hit on 40 percent (10-of-25, including 45.5 percent (5-of-11) from long range. Hargrove, Jr., led all scorers with 8 points off the bench, while Sneed paced the Wildcats with 6 points.Freshman&nbsp;Antonio Gordon&nbsp;gave K-State a 33-31 lead 76 seconds into the second half with 2 free throws, but Saint Louis rattled off 6 straight points to take a 37-33 lead into the first media timeout at the 15:41 mark.The Billikens held the lead until Diarra connected on his second 3-pointer to give the Wildcats a 41-40 edge with 12:29 remaining. However, once again, the Billikens responded with 6 consecutive points to take a 46-43 lead at the 10:30 mark.K-State slowly chipped away at the deficit before back-to-back buckets by Stockard gave the Wildcats a 49-48 lead with under 8 to play. The two teams traded the lead over the next few minutes, battling through five ties, before freshman&nbsp;Yuri Collins’&nbsp;driving layup gave Saint Louis a 65-63 lead with 2:02 remaining.The Wildcats had 3 turnovers down the stretch, but the Billikens didn’t completely shut the door, as Sneed’s 3-point was just off the mark that wouldn’t tied the game with 2 seconds to play.K-State connected on 53.3 percent (8-of-15) in the second half, including 40 percent (2-of-5) from 3-point range, while Saint Louis hit on 45.8 percent (11-of-24, including 28.6 percent (2-of-7) from long range. Stockard led all scorers with 12 points after halftime, while junior&nbsp;Javonte Perkins&nbsp;led the Billikens with 11 points.PLAYER(S) OF THE GAMEJunior&nbsp;Levi Stockard III&nbsp;led all scorers with a career-high 17 points on 5-of-5 field goals and 7-of-9 free throws, as the St. Louis native scored in double figures for the first time in his career in 28 minutes.Junior&nbsp;David Sloan&nbsp;gave K-State a lift of the bench, dishing out a season-best 8 assists in 28 minutes.STAT(S) OF THE GAME13 – After posting 9 assists on 10 made field goals with just 5 turnovers in the first half, K-State suffered just 5 assists on 8 made field goals in the second half while turning the ball over 13 times.IN THEIR WORDSK-State Head Coach Bruce WeberOn the game…“It is Christmas but for K-State basketball, it is Groundhog Day. You keep waking up and it is the same scenario. In games we can’t rewind them. It is not video games and you have to play it through and you have to learn from it. It was the same scenario, they had a lot of turnovers and we had a lot of turnovers, it was just way too many turnovers to give ourselves a chance. In the first half, we had nine assists on ten field goals after the really slow start. I am happy for Levi (Stockard) and David Sloan. They did some decent things, but we did not have enough guys chip in. We have to get better production and more consistency if we are going to make any progress.”BEYOND THE BOXSCORE<ol>
 <li><a>K-State is now 113-83 all-time in games played in Kansas City, which date back to 1926.</a></li><li>K-State is now 18-16 all-time in games played at Sprint Center.</li><li>K-State is now 8-2 all-time in the Wildcat Classic, in this, the 10th edition (2007, 2008, 2009, 2010, 2011, 2012, 2014, 2016, 2018 and 2019)… The loss snapped a 5-game winning streak in the Wildcat Classic.</li><li>K-State is now 110-8 in non-conference play at home dating back to 2006-07 with wins in 97 of its last 103 non-conference home games.</li><li>Head coach&nbsp;Bruce Weber&nbsp;is now 156-94 at K-State, 469-249 overall.</li><li>The series between K-State and Saint Louis is now tied at 10-all… The win by the Billikens snapped a 2-game losing streak… The Wildcats still lead the all-time series in home games, 5-4.</li><li>K-State is now 23-14 against teams from the Atlantic 10, including a 10-4 mark in home games.</li><li>The Wildcats’ starting lineup consisted of juniors&nbsp;Cartier Diarra&nbsp;and&nbsp;Mike McGuirl, senior&nbsp;Xavier Sneed, freshman&nbsp;Antonio Gordon&nbsp;and senior&nbsp;Makol Mawien… This was the eighth time using this lineup.</li><li>Sneed has now played in 116 career games, including 83 starts (44 consecutive)… Mawien has played and started in every game in his career, which now stretches to 82… Diarra has now played in 74 games, including 42 starts (13 consecutive)… McGuirl has now played in 57 career games, including 13 starts… This was the seventh career start for Gordon.</li><li>Junior&nbsp;Levi Stockard III&nbsp;and freshman&nbsp;Montavious Murphy&nbsp;were the first players off the bench.</li><li>Murphy saw his first action since Nov. 13, missing 8 consecutive games.</li>
 </ol>Team Notes<ol>
 <li>K-State has now lost 4 of its 5 games by single digits, including 3 of the last 4 games.</li><li>K-State connected 45 percent (18-of-40) from the field, including 43.8 percent (7-of-16) from 3-point range, and hit on 87 percent (20-of-23) from the free throw line.</li><li>The Wildcats have connected nearly 80 percent (47-of-59) from the free throw line the last 2 games.</li><li>Saint Louis connected on an opponent-high 51.1 percent (23-of-45) from the field, including 58.1 percent (18-of-31) from inside the 3-point arc.</li><li>K-State actually held a 24-23 advantage on the boards against one of the nation’s best rebounding teams in Saint Louis… The 23 rebounds were a season-low for the Billikens.</li>
 </ol>Player Notes<ol>
 <li>Junior&nbsp;Levi Stockard III&nbsp;scored a game-high 17 points on 5-of-5 field goals and 7-of-9 free throws in 28 minutes off the bench… It marked his first career double-digit scoring game and the first time leading the team in scoring… He also posted career-best for field goals (5, free throw made (7) and attempted (9).</li><li>Senior&nbsp;Xavier Sneed&nbsp;scored 11 points on 3-of-7 field goals, including 3-of-6 from 3-point range, to go with 4 rebounds, 2 assists in 27 minutes… He has now scored in double figures in 61 career games, including 8 this season… He has now scored in double figures in 5 of the last 6 games.</li><li>Junior&nbsp;David Sloan&nbsp;dished out a season-best 8 assists to go with 7 points on 3-of-6 field goals in a season-best 28 minutes… He now has 14 assists in the last 5 games against 7 turnovers.</li><li>Junior&nbsp;Mike McGuirl&nbsp;grabbed a career-best 6 rebounds to go with 7 rebounds and 2 assists in 33 minutes.</li>
 </ol>WHAT’S NEXT<a>K-State will take a week off before returning to Bramlage Coliseum on Sunday, Dec. 29 to host Tulsa (8-4) at 5 p.m., CT in the final home game of 2019. The game will air on Big 12 Now on ESPN+.</a>--www.kstatesports.com--

Saint Louis holds on late to defeat K-State

PHILADELPHIA (AP) — Philadelphia Eagles running back Darren Sproles has decided to retire, ending a 15-year career for the three-time Pro Bowl player.

Sproles announced his decision Saturday on the Eagles’ website, saying “Spending the past month on Injured Reserve has been hard. I want to be out there with my guys. But I’ve had the chance to spend a lot of time with my family and I’m at peace with this decision. ”

The 36-year-old Sproles has been out with a torn right hip flexor muscle and won’t play Sunday when the Eagles (7-7) attempt to keep their playoffs hopes alive against the Dallas Cowboys (7-7). He rushed for 66 yards on 17 carries this season.

Sproles has spent the last six seasons with the Eagles. He also played three seasons with New Orleans Saints and six with the San Diego Chargers.

The 5-foot-6 Sproles was a fourth-round draft pick out of Kansas State in 2005 and is fifth on the NFL’s career list for all-purpose yards with (19,696).

PHILADELPHIA (AP) — Philadelphia Eagles running back Darren Sproles has decided to retire, ending a 15-year career for the three-time Pro Bowl player.Sproles announced his decision Saturday on the Eagles’ website, saying “Spending the past month on Injured Reserve has been hard. I want to be out there with my guys. But I’ve had the chance to spend a lot of time with my family and I’m at peace with this decision. ”The 36-year-old Sproles has been out with a torn right hip flexor muscle and won’t play Sunday when the Eagles (7-7) attempt to keep their playoffs hopes alive against the Dallas Cowboys (7-7). He rushed for 66 yards on 17 carries this season.Sproles has spent the last six seasons with the Eagles. He also played three seasons with New Orleans Saints and six with the San Diego Chargers.The 5-foot-6 Sproles was a fourth-round draft pick out of Kansas State in 2005 and is fifth on the NFL’s career list for all-purpose yards with (19,696).___

Former KSU RB Darren Sproles retires after 15 NFL seasons

MANHATTAN, Kan.&nbsp;–&nbsp;Kansas State freshman kick returner&nbsp;Joshua Youngblood&nbsp;recorded another postseason accolade as he was named a Football Writers Association of America (FWAA) Second Team All-American, the organization announced Thursday.

It is Youngblood’s fifth All-America designation this year. He was named to ESPN’s team on Monday, while he has also been named a Second Team All-American by CBS Sports, a Freshman All-American by&nbsp;The Athletic&nbsp;and a True Freshman All-American by 247Sports.

Youngblood, the first Wildcat true freshman with multiple first- or second-team honors since&nbsp;Tyler Lockett&nbsp;in 2011, was honored as the 2019 Big 12 Special Teams Player of the Year after leading the country with three kickoff-return touchdowns during the regular season.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2019/12/1576786734112.jpeg" alt="" />
 <figcaption></figcaption>
 </figure>MANHATTAN, Kan.&nbsp;–&nbsp;Kansas State freshman kick returner&nbsp;Joshua Youngblood&nbsp;recorded another postseason accolade as he was named a Football Writers Association of America (FWAA) Second Team All-American, the organization announced Thursday.It is Youngblood’s fifth All-America designation this year. He was named to ESPN’s team on Monday, while he has also been named a Second Team All-American by CBS Sports, a Freshman All-American by&nbsp;The Athletic&nbsp;and a True Freshman All-American by 247Sports.Youngblood, the first Wildcat true freshman with multiple first- or second-team honors since&nbsp;Tyler Lockett&nbsp;in 2011, was honored as the 2019 Big 12 Special Teams Player of the Year after leading the country with three kickoff-return touchdowns during the regular season.RYAN LACKEYDirector of Football CommunicationsK-State Athletics

Joshua Youngblood receives more postseason recognition

MANHATTAN, Kan.&nbsp;–<a></a>&nbsp;Kansas State head coach&nbsp;Chris Klieman&nbsp;announced Wednesday the first part of his second signing class in Manhattan as 23 student-athletes have signed National Letters of Intent to play for the Wildcats in 2020.

The early signing period saw K-State ink 18 high school student-athletes and five community-college transfers. It is the second time in the last three years the Wildcats signed five transfer student-athletes.

Thus far, K-State’s Signing Class of 2020 includes 12 players on defense, nine on offense and there are two athletes. The class is comprised of five defensive backs, three defensive ends and offensive linemen, two apiece of defensive tackles, linebackers, running backs and tight ends, while there is one quarterback and one wide receiver.

Of the five community-college players, four played in Kansas with two coming from Butler Community College (Dawson Delforge&nbsp;and&nbsp;Derick Newton) and two coming from Hutchinson Community College (Kirmari Gainous&nbsp;and&nbsp;Justin Gardner). Newton originally signed with K-State as a prep in 2018 and redshirted that season with the Wildcats, while Gardner signed with Oregon State out of high school in 2017 and played as a redshirt freshman in 2018.

The Wildcats again put an emphasis on Kansas and the Kansas City area as four are from the Sunflower State, while one is on the Missouri side of Kansas City. Texas leads all states with six, while Georgia remains a hotbed for the Wildcats with three more from the Peach State this year in Newton as well as defensive backs&nbsp;Tee Denson&nbsp;and&nbsp;TJ Smith. K-State has signed at least one from Georgia every year since 2015 for a total of 18 during that time.

The quarterback in the class,&nbsp;Will Howard, hails from Downingtown, Pennsylvania, and is the first player from the state to sign with the Wildcats since 1990 (Andre Coleman). Offensive lineman&nbsp;Witt Mitchum&nbsp;is the first player from Tennessee to sign with K-State since 2000 (Will Martin).

Kansas State will sign more players in the regular signing period, which begins Wednesday, February 5.

K-STATE FOOTBALL SIGNING DAY/PRE-BOWL PRESS CONFERENCE

“Excited about the amount of kids and the number of guys that we signed for the early signing period. The early signing period is becoming the signing period now. We identified positions and identified the players. I am really proud of our staff and thought we did really well today. Obviously time will tell but we are really excited about the class that we signed. We are in the middle of finals, in the middle of game prep, and the reason that we are heading to practice (today) is we had one small window because the guys have finals until 3:50 (p.m.) and then start up again at 6:10 (p.m.). Our window to practice is really about 3:50 to 5:30. Prep is going well, probably four solid days into it now, and I am excited about where we are at. The guys are working hard, and I know they’ve got a lot on their plate but they are doing a good job of separating their academics and football once they get over here.”

On the heralded community-college players signed…

“The awards aren’t a big thing to me. We just saw them as being fit. We were able to evaluate film but more importantly see practices and that was the key to go see some guys run around in practice. We were able to do that during the two weeks we were out.&nbsp; Those were two big areas - the defensive tackle position we needed to try to fill some holes because we are losing a lot of seniors. Our offensive line, obviously we lose a lot of guys there. It is another area where we’re happy with what we’ve done and we are still doing some work there too.”

“We saw the physicality in film, and we wanted to see the athleticism. The athleticism was there in camp and that was the big thing that we needed to see - the ability to take his steps and the ability to move his feet. You could tell he was a technician. Once we saw him do those things we felt pretty comfortable.”

“Length. That’s the biggest thing we see we need to recruit to is length, getting some size there. We need to have corners that are heavier guys. We need guys that can go put on 10, 15, 20-pounds. At the corner position you always want a guy that is taller but we need length, we need weight and all those things. That is not only with the guys coming in but the guys we have coming back too. We just need to get bigger and stronger there.”

“Really smart player, he won a state championship in Georgia and played a lot of football. They do an awful lot at his high school so he is a really intelligent kid. He has the length, has the size, and he’s a competitor. Obviously he is a young player but we feel like he has an opportunity to compete right away.”

“His favorite player is Carson Wentz, that’s for starters. That was a big sell. When he and his parents sat in my office and saw the pictures of Carson Wentz and knew my background with Carson and the success he had within the system (played a big factor). He’s a really, really smart football player, he’s athletic, and he has a really strong arm. He’s a sponge that wants to learn. He comes in at semester, which is huge for us to be able to get him in. The same thing with Jaren (Lewis) last year it is a big advantage to get those guys in at semester. We are excited to continue to bring competition to the quarterback room.”

On Will Howard enrolling at semester…

“Being around Skylar (Thompson) for starters because he can be a sponge from Skylar since Skylar has a year of eligibility left. Being a sponge around Collin Klein too since he has done a phenomenal job with Skylar. Getting around our older guys, the system and Coach Messingham as well. Will is excited about coming at semester. He’s had it planned in the summer and to be able to hold onto him for six months was key. I’m so excited because he's got the ability and the want to learn what we are doing.”

“Deuce is an electric guy, he’s a home run hitter. He’s got great quicks, but he’s got a second gear to take it the distance. He is an excellent receiver out of the backfield as well. He has really good hands so he will allow us to do a lot of things. Whether we have him in the backfield, which we plan on, putting him flexed out like we have done with Phillip (Brooks, or the return game. You can’t have enough explosive players and he brings that to the table.”

“The offensive line we’re excited about. Dawson Delforge the Wamego kid from Butler has played an awful lot of football. We are excited to bring him back closer to home. Talor Warner is going to start on the offensive line. Talor is as good as an athlete as I have seen at the high school level coming into the fold for college. Obviously he has to continue to gain some weight and get a little bit stronger.&nbsp; The tight end, fullback position, we have a number of guys that we feel are going to fit that. Will Swanson is one of them, Christian Moore is one, and we are hoping Cody Stufflebean can play either defensive end or tight end. We have not settled on where he is going to start out, and he has the size and length to be a really good athlete for us.”

On offensive lineman Witt Mitchum…

“Witt was a tremendous defensive player on film but we saw with his length the ability to bend and to be a really good athlete in space. We’re projecting, and that is something our staff has done a good job of especially Coach Riley has done that a bunch at NDSU, guys that we think are long, good athletes that can run and we feel that with Witt. He is a physical kid. We’re going to plug him in at tackle, he has enough length and height. He needs to gain weight and do his other things but we are excited about his athleticism.”

On defensive end Nate Matlack joining the class early…

“Huge. Nate has been a catalyst for Taylor Braet and continuing to bring in other guys in the fold and communicating with them through social media. Nate’s a tremendous football player, a better kid from a great family. They love K-State and want to be a part of K-State. We need guys from the state of Kansas, from Kansas City specifically. We need guys that want to be a part of K-State football because there are such great players in that region as well as the state. Not only from this years class but moving forward will help us in the future with other kids in the state.”

“The fact that he’s playing for a state championship this weekend (is huge). I want winners and guys that have been at a championship level. He and Trip (Ronald Triplette) are both playing in a championship game. I’m excited for those guys, and success breeds success. Winning is a habit, and those guys know how to win. Same thing with Tee Denson - he knows how to win and played for a state championship. That’s huge. Will Howard was player of the year in the southern part of Pennsylvania, led his team as far as they’ve ever gone. Being from successful programs is important, and that’s something that we look at. Is it the almighty thing? No, but it’s something that is important because the expectation is high here to be successful. We want those guys who have been at that expectation and that know that winning is the most important thing.”

On Ronald Triplette at defensive tackle or defensive end…

“We love his athleticism, so we’ll see where his body goes. He can play defensive tackle in a speed package right now like we do against a lot of the spread teams. Where will he go in the next year and a half? That’s what we have to find out, but Tripp’s a really good athlete.

On the benefit of satellite camps and if that trend will continue…

“It was a benefit - maybe to weed the numbers down more than anything. I’m still a big proponent of getting them to your campus, because that’s the key. You guys know this. Manhattan, Kansas, is a hidden gem. Once you get here, people are like wow, this place is unbelievable. Witt Mitchum, came here this weekend and didn’t know anything about Kansas State, said ‘holy cow, this is really cool.’ Justin Gardner from Hutch, came here this weekend and was like wow, this place is awesome. They were sold right away, not only with the people but with the facilities, community, all those things. I still want them to come to our campus. I don’t know where that’s going to go. I think NCAA legislations might even make some adjustments to that.”

On if the team’s success during the year impacted the recruiting efforts…

“Potentially, but a lot of those relationships we built before we played a game. Without a doubt, we had a lot of kids here for the Oklahoma game, and I think that opened up more eyes which is always a good thing. Without question, our success doesn’t hurt us. I still believe that your relationships with the family and the young man are the most important thing to those kids making a final decision.”

On Coach Jay Klanderman recruiting in Texas…

“Joe can recruit anybody from anywhere. Joe is one of the best recruiters I’ve ever been around. He builds a relationship with kids. He builds relationships with families. Joe is real, is genuine. Joe is a special talent, not only as a defensive backs coach but as a recruiter. He’s as thorough of a guy that I’ve ever been around.”

On playing Navy in the AutoZone Liberty Bowl…

“It’s a real big challenge. It’s had us up late at night and doing a lot more game planning, probably taking away a little bit from the developmental side of things we want with some of the younger guys. We’re practicing all the developmental things, but probably not getting as much time watching and reviewing the developmental tape because there’s a new formation that we’re trying to get everybody aligned to. This is foreign territory from what I understand talking to Coach (Taylor) Braet and Coach (Collin) Klein. We haven’t faced this in a long time here. I’m fortunate, Van Malone and Buddy Wyatt were at SMU and those guys faced Navy every year. We have enough familiarity on our staff, what we know is great, but it doesn’t matter if you don’t know it as a player. We’ve just had to go slow, with easy steps. That’s why it’s so important. Last weekend we got a little bit of work in and this week is finals. I know these kids have a lot on their plate and we’re not out there very long from a practice standpoint, but we have to get a lot of stuff done this week because it is very challenging. If you’re not right with everybody’s responsibilities, eyes and reads, the quarterback is going to run for 400 yards. It’s a big challenge.”

“There’s one guy assigned to that and if he misses a tackle, I can’t leave my responsibility or I’ve already tackled my responsibility, it’s going the distance. You have to make up for some of that with running the football, with your eyes correct. The corners in this defense are essentially a man coverage, but you better have some zone eyes in case something pops because they’re not going to throw it 25 times against us. Our biggest concern right now is getting our scout team to play the offense. That’s a huge challenge. It looks great right now, but it’s slow motion football that’s going to happen so much faster on December 31. Right now, our scout team is doing really good but the first three days, it didn’t look like option football. Now, it’s starting to. The other thing is the cut block. It’s no fun as a defensive tackle. You’re playing off of cuts all day long at practice, but we’re not going to cut you all day at practice. We’ve got to be really smart and be able to say ‘Here’s where you’re going to get cut,’ and we’ve got to work those drills.”

On the defense’s preparedness…

“It’s been unbelievable the amount of focus that they’ve had. I think they’re excited to learn something, excited to see a different offense, excited about the challenge of facing the Naval Academy because it’s the Naval Academy. I think our practices have been really good. I’m excited because some guys are playing positions they’re never really played before. So what that you’re a strong safety, that doesn’t mean anything in this defense or the defenses that we’re playing. Just the fact that there’s eye discipline and there’s responsibility. Everybody knows that if we mess up, that was whose responsibility? So there’s a lot of accountability as well.

On challenge adjusting from playoffs to a bowl game…

“Yes, it still is. I’m still trying to piece together some things as far as the schedule. But we were on the road for two weeks, which I’ve never been on the road, because we had just been going to playoff game to playoff game. This week’s probably a little bit more of a routine as far as there’s finals, we’re finding times to practice. The fact that there’s not a culmination at the end of every week. There’s culmination on December 31, so you don’t have to be quite as diligent as far as we have to get this done today and this done tomorrow. I’m learning on the run, utilizing resources that I have at the Power 5 level.”.

On balance development and bowl prep…

“You owe it to the seniors first. That's the first and foremost thing. You owe it to the seniors to send them out with an opportunity to win a football game by preparing the best you can. Then, you owe it to the program to make sure that we continue to develop. There’s not going to be a practice that we don’t work on development. Every practice we’ve had so far, we’ve dedicated some substantial time to development. But had this been a conventional offense, maybe we’d spend more time with development. Because of the unique offense that we’re facing, you have no choice but to be able to spend a little more time trying to scheme it.”