<a target="_blank" href="https://www.kstatesports.com/watch/?Archive=23626&amp;type=Archive">Watch Conor Riley’s Press Conference</a>&nbsp; |&nbsp;&nbsp;<a target="_blank" href="https://www.kstatesports.com/watch/?Archive=23625&amp;type=Archive">Watch Joe Klanderman’s Press Conference</a>&nbsp; |&nbsp;&nbsp;<a target="_blank" href="https://www.kstatesports.com/podcasts/coordinator-press-conference-october-17-2024/4910">Listen on Wildcats Uncut</a>&nbsp;&nbsp;

<a target="_blank" href="https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1EumD2G5yXNgLSarXhsUzllnCQ7-ea9GjrtXuVomWN3U/edit#gid=0"></a>MANHATTAN, Kan.&nbsp;– Kansas State offensive coordinator&nbsp;Conor Riley&nbsp;and defensive coordinator&nbsp;Joe Klanderman&nbsp;met with members of the media on Thursday at the Vanier Family Football Complex prior to the Wildcats’ contest at West Virginia on Saturday night inside Milan Puskar Stadium. Links to video and audio of both press conferences are above, and a transcript of select quotes are below.

CONOR RILEY, OFFENSIVE COORDINATOR

On DJ Giddens’ impact opening up plays…

“It’s pretty easy in those situations. Obviously, DJ had a phenomenal evening that night running the football. I think we looked, and he had 11 forced missed tackles in one game, which is pretty dynamic. It was pretty clear that early on we had to continue to feed him the football. Then, when you go through a situation when Ta’Quan (Roberson) came in and kind of eased him into that moment, when you have that tailback in the backfield, it certainly makes it a lot easier. It certainly does.”

On when he knew that DJ Giddens had great physical ability…

“I think we've known for a long time, that DJ has a tremendous amount of ability. One of the things that I'm so impressed with that we’ve always known is he's been able to run through an arm tackle. He's a very physical runner. There's one particular play where we ran a power play, and the flat-footed safety was right down in the hole. For him to make guys miss in the hole like he's making them miss in the hole, he just continues to improve on those things. You can go back to a year ago and I know we had challenged him pretty significantly going into the Central Florida game, is really where he began to gain more and more confidence, and it's just been building ever since.”

On facing West Virginia’s zone coverage…

“They're going to run a little bit more of zone coverage than what we saw this previous week. I think 99% of the country is going to show a little bit more zone coverage than what we saw this previous week. So, we're going to be prepared for both. They are very active up front. They have always been very active up front. I credit their head football coach (Neal Brown), I credit their defensive coordinator (Jordan Lesley), their defensive staff and their ability to do some things up front that are going to create the pressures where they don't necessarily feel all the time that they need to bring that fifth or sixth rusher. We ultimately need to be prepared to adapt and adjust no differently than we did this past Saturday night.”

On what is most impressive about the offense halfway in…

“Right now is our continued growth in the sense of maturity. I think we took a huge stride this past week. I know a week ago we discussed overcoming adversity while we're in the comfort and convenience of our own backyard. We've shown the ability to do that. When you look back at this past weekend and where we need to continue to grow and find the confidence, yet still not be overconfident. You can see we had some adversity in that particular game. Whether it be not starting out fast in the first series. You can look at them getting the lead and us responding. You can look at early on in the second half, our quarterback coming out for a handful, eight, maybe nine, plays. Then you can look at one point, if I'm not mistaken, up 21-7, and ultimately we were then down 28-24. You didn't see the guys get nervous. Granted, I'm not down on the sideline, but from what I'm told and from my vantage point, the guys responded really well. That is probably the most positive thing that I've seen with our group handling that environment. I think this was a big stride for us. I know that we had a few false starts, and I’ll credit their crowd and credit that environment. It was dynamic Saturday night, but that's where we have to continue to grow. We've got an opportunity on the road in another very challenging place to play this upcoming week.”

JOE KLANDERMAN, DEFENSIVE COORDINATOR

On what he sees from West Virginia’s offense…

“I think they’re an efficient group. I think this is a group that can beat you in a lot of ways. They have a quarterback that can beat you running it, beat you throwing it. They have tremendous backs, great personnel up front, skilled tight ends, a good receiving core. This is a really good offense, and we have to figure out how they're going to try to attack us. So, that's the key because they have a lot of diversity in what they do.”

On if this will be the most mobile quarterback K-State will face…

“I would say so, and we’ve played some pretty good scrambling quarterbacks. Even last week, he was a great scrambling quarterback. The difference is Garrett Greene, when he's decides to go, he's just going to go. He's not going to hesitate and try to find some other option. When he decides, he's going to take off with the most decisiveness, probably, of anybody that we play. So, that's going to be a challenge of keeping him restrained in the run game.”

On giving up 300-yard passers in wins…

“It bothers me, but at the same time, I think we're doing the right thing in taking away what needs to be taken away. That's Colorado's identity – when you drop back and throw it 60 times, you're going to get numbers. That's what it is. I think if you would have talked to me at halftime, I would have said we were doing a pretty good job in the pass game. Then in the second half, probably some technical things, more than anything, just breaking down. We gave up some bigger explosive plays. I don't think we're necessarily doing anything wrong. I think we just have to be a little bit more smooth when we do it.”

On the different styles of West Virginia’s two running backs…

“I don't think it changes what they do. I think they're comfortable running with either one of those backs. But, yeah, it's kind of like our attack here with thunder and lightning. The other running back, he's not a small guy by any means. I think he’s 197 pounds. He's just more of a jump cut, quick cut back type of a guy, whereas (CJ) Donaldson is going to be more of a power downhill in your face guy. Great compliments to each other. I think our guys will know who they're trying to tackle at all times, for sure. We’ll need to get a lot of bodies on those guys at all times.”

On who he believes the most improved player on defense is…

“Well, there are a number of candidates there. One guy that probably doesn't get a lot of attention but does a lot of things for us is Colby McCallister. He does a lot of dirty work, dirty roles, and doesn't get around the action as much just because he's doing his job. The probably more obvious answer is Austin Romaine from what he what he was a year ago. I think he's just in another stratosphere. You can make one more case up front in Damian Ilalio. I think Damian is playing at a really high level. He's a tough guy to move in there. So, I think we're getting better. I told the guys this on Monday – I felt like last year there was point in the year where we were pretty beat up and we kind of stagnated, I think, on defense. We had a couple really good games in the middle of the year, a couple shutouts or whatever. It was great. I feel like, with this group of guys, we’re getting better all the time at all three levels, and that's exciting. I think our best stuff is still in front of us. I don't think we have really touched our capabilities yet. So, hopefully we get a lot more names here for you in a couple weeks.”

Associate Athletics Director for Communications

<a target="_blank" href="https://www.kstatesports.com/watch/?Archive=23626&amp;type=Archive">Watch Conor Riley’s Press Conference</a>&nbsp; |&nbsp;&nbsp;<a target="_blank" href="https://www.kstatesports.com/watch/?Archive=23625&amp;type=Archive">Watch Joe Klanderman’s Press Conference</a>&nbsp; |&nbsp;&nbsp;<a target="_blank" href="https://www.kstatesports.com/podcasts/coordinator-press-conference-october-17-2024/4910">Listen on Wildcats Uncut</a>&nbsp;&nbsp;<a target="_blank" href="https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1EumD2G5yXNgLSarXhsUzllnCQ7-ea9GjrtXuVomWN3U/edit#gid=0"></a>MANHATTAN, Kan.&nbsp;– Kansas State offensive coordinator&nbsp;Conor Riley&nbsp;and defensive coordinator&nbsp;Joe Klanderman&nbsp;met with members of the media on Thursday at the Vanier Family Football Complex prior to the Wildcats’ contest at West Virginia on Saturday night inside Milan Puskar Stadium. Links to video and audio of both press conferences are above, and a transcript of select quotes are below.CONOR RILEY, OFFENSIVE COORDINATOROn DJ Giddens’ impact opening up plays…“It’s pretty easy in those situations. Obviously, DJ had a phenomenal evening that night running the football. I think we looked, and he had 11 forced missed tackles in one game, which is pretty dynamic. It was pretty clear that early on we had to continue to feed him the football. Then, when you go through a situation when Ta’Quan (Roberson) came in and kind of eased him into that moment, when you have that tailback in the backfield, it certainly makes it a lot easier. It certainly does.”On when he knew that DJ Giddens had great physical ability…“I think we've known for a long time, that DJ has a tremendous amount of ability. One of the things that I'm so impressed with that we’ve always known is he's been able to run through an arm tackle. He's a very physical runner. There's one particular play where we ran a power play, and the flat-footed safety was right down in the hole. For him to make guys miss in the hole like he's making them miss in the hole, he just continues to improve on those things. You can go back to a year ago and I know we had challenged him pretty significantly going into the Central Florida game, is really where he began to gain more and more confidence, and it's just been building ever since.”On facing West Virginia’s zone coverage…“They're going to run a little bit more of zone coverage than what we saw this previous week. I think 99% of the country is going to show a little bit more zone coverage than what we saw this previous week. So, we're going to be prepared for both. They are very active up front. They have always been very active up front. I credit their head football coach (Neal Brown), I credit their defensive coordinator (Jordan Lesley), their defensive staff and their ability to do some things up front that are going to create the pressures where they don't necessarily feel all the time that they need to bring that fifth or sixth rusher. We ultimately need to be prepared to adapt and adjust no differently than we did this past Saturday night.”On what is most impressive about the offense halfway in…“Right now is our continued growth in the sense of maturity. I think we took a huge stride this past week. I know a week ago we discussed overcoming adversity while we're in the comfort and convenience of our own backyard. We've shown the ability to do that. When you look back at this past weekend and where we need to continue to grow and find the confidence, yet still not be overconfident. You can see we had some adversity in that particular game. Whether it be not starting out fast in the first series. You can look at them getting the lead and us responding. You can look at early on in the second half, our quarterback coming out for a handful, eight, maybe nine, plays. Then you can look at one point, if I'm not mistaken, up 21-7, and ultimately we were then down 28-24. You didn't see the guys get nervous. Granted, I'm not down on the sideline, but from what I'm told and from my vantage point, the guys responded really well. That is probably the most positive thing that I've seen with our group handling that environment. I think this was a big stride for us. I know that we had a few false starts, and I’ll credit their crowd and credit that environment. It was dynamic Saturday night, but that's where we have to continue to grow. We've got an opportunity on the road in another very challenging place to play this upcoming week.”JOE KLANDERMAN, DEFENSIVE COORDINATOROn what he sees from West Virginia’s offense…“I think they’re an efficient group. I think this is a group that can beat you in a lot of ways. They have a quarterback that can beat you running it, beat you throwing it. They have tremendous backs, great personnel up front, skilled tight ends, a good receiving core. This is a really good offense, and we have to figure out how they're going to try to attack us. So, that's the key because they have a lot of diversity in what they do.”On if this will be the most mobile quarterback K-State will face…“I would say so, and we’ve played some pretty good scrambling quarterbacks. Even last week, he was a great scrambling quarterback. The difference is Garrett Greene, when he's decides to go, he's just going to go. He's not going to hesitate and try to find some other option. When he decides, he's going to take off with the most decisiveness, probably, of anybody that we play. So, that's going to be a challenge of keeping him restrained in the run game.”On giving up 300-yard passers in wins…“It bothers me, but at the same time, I think we're doing the right thing in taking away what needs to be taken away. That's Colorado's identity – when you drop back and throw it 60 times, you're going to get numbers. That's what it is. I think if you would have talked to me at halftime, I would have said we were doing a pretty good job in the pass game. Then in the second half, probably some technical things, more than anything, just breaking down. We gave up some bigger explosive plays. I don't think we're necessarily doing anything wrong. I think we just have to be a little bit more smooth when we do it.”On the different styles of West Virginia’s two running backs…“I don't think it changes what they do. I think they're comfortable running with either one of those backs. But, yeah, it's kind of like our attack here with thunder and lightning. The other running back, he's not a small guy by any means. I think he’s 197 pounds. He's just more of a jump cut, quick cut back type of a guy, whereas (CJ) Donaldson is going to be more of a power downhill in your face guy. Great compliments to each other. I think our guys will know who they're trying to tackle at all times, for sure. We’ll need to get a lot of bodies on those guys at all times.”On who he believes the most improved player on defense is…“Well, there are a number of candidates there. One guy that probably doesn't get a lot of attention but does a lot of things for us is Colby McCallister. He does a lot of dirty work, dirty roles, and doesn't get around the action as much just because he's doing his job. The probably more obvious answer is Austin Romaine from what he what he was a year ago. I think he's just in another stratosphere. You can make one more case up front in Damian Ilalio. I think Damian is playing at a really high level. He's a tough guy to move in there. So, I think we're getting better. I told the guys this on Monday – I felt like last year there was point in the year where we were pretty beat up and we kind of stagnated, I think, on defense. We had a couple really good games in the middle of the year, a couple shutouts or whatever. It was great. I feel like, with this group of guys, we’re getting better all the time at all three levels, and that's exciting. I think our best stuff is still in front of us. I don't think we have really touched our capabilities yet. So, hopefully we get a lot more names here for you in a couple weeks.”RYAN LACKEYAssociate Athletics Director for Communications

K-State Coordinators Discuss Game at West Virginia

<a target="_blank" href="https://www.kstatesports.com/watch/?Archive=23616&amp;type=Archive">Watch Coach Klieman’s Press Conference</a>&nbsp; |&nbsp;&nbsp;<a target="_blank" href="https://www.kstatesports.com/podcasts/chris-klieman-press-conference-october-14-2024/4908">Listen to Coach Klieman’s Press Conference</a>&nbsp; |&nbsp;&nbsp;<a target="_blank" href="https://www.kstatesports.com/podcasts/player-breakout-interviews-october-14-2024/4909">Listen to Player Breakout Interviews</a>

MANHATTAN, Kan.&nbsp;– Kansas State head coach&nbsp;Chris Klieman&nbsp;and select players met with members of the media on Monday inside the Vanier Family Football Complex to preview Saturday’s game at West Virginia. Links to video and audio of Klieman’s press conference – which was streamed live on ESPN+ – are above in addition to an audio link of player breakout interviews. A transcript of Klieman’s opening statement is below.

“Good afternoon, everyone. Going back and looking at the film, our guys played really hard, played really well, played physically in a really good environment. I’m pleased with the way we handled the adversity, whether it was being down early to then getting the lead, to then losing the lead and finding a way to come back with a big strike and get the touchdown.

 Then to be able to hold them on defense, it was a collective effort by everybody. We played a lot of guys. That was the other thing that we looked at – we played well over 60 guys, which you take 70 on a trip, so it's great that many people are having a factor in the game, whether it's O, D or special teams. We still have some work to do. We've got to continue to improve. 

We're at the halfway point and excited about where we're at, but we've got a lot of stuff to do. We've got to be better this week. We're playing a really good West Virginia team. I've got tons of respect for Neal (Brown) and what he's done. He and I are on the same timeframe of being hired at the same time. We’re on the (AFCA) Board of Trustees together. I know him well, and he's doing a really good job down there.”

<a target="_blank" href="https://www.kstatesports.com/watch/?Archive=23616&amp;type=Archive">Watch Coach Klieman’s Press Conference</a>&nbsp; |&nbsp;&nbsp;<a target="_blank" href="https://www.kstatesports.com/podcasts/chris-klieman-press-conference-october-14-2024/4908">Listen to Coach Klieman’s Press Conference</a>&nbsp; |&nbsp;&nbsp;<a target="_blank" href="https://www.kstatesports.com/podcasts/player-breakout-interviews-october-14-2024/4909">Listen to Player Breakout Interviews</a>MANHATTAN, Kan.&nbsp;– Kansas State head coach&nbsp;Chris Klieman&nbsp;and select players met with members of the media on Monday inside the Vanier Family Football Complex to preview Saturday’s game at West Virginia. Links to video and audio of Klieman’s press conference – which was streamed live on ESPN+ – are above in addition to an audio link of player breakout interviews. A transcript of Klieman’s opening statement is below.CHRIS KLIEMAN, HEAD COACHOpening Statement…“Good afternoon, everyone. Going back and looking at the film, our guys played really hard, played really well, played physically in a really good environment. I’m pleased with the way we handled the adversity, whether it was being down early to then getting the lead, to then losing the lead and finding a way to come back with a big strike and get the touchdown. Then to be able to hold them on defense, it was a collective effort by everybody. We played a lot of guys. That was the other thing that we looked at – we played well over 60 guys, which you take 70 on a trip, so it's great that many people are having a factor in the game, whether it's O, D or special teams. We still have some work to do. We've got to continue to improve. We're at the halfway point and excited about where we're at, but we've got a lot of stuff to do. We've got to be better this week. We're playing a really good West Virginia team. I've got tons of respect for Neal (Brown) and what he's done. He and I are on the same timeframe of being hired at the same time. We’re on the (AFCA) Board of Trustees together. I know him well, and he's doing a really good job down there.”RYAN LACKEY

K-State Previews West Virginia Game at Weekly Press Conference   

BOULDER, Colo. (AP) — Avery Johnson rebounded from throwing a late interception by&nbsp;<a href="https://x.com/RGIII/status/1845343431058420074">finding Jayce Brown</a>&nbsp;for a 50-yard touchdown with 2:14 remaining as&nbsp;<a href="https://x.com/KStateFB/status/1845352115549471225">No. 18 Kansas State</a>&nbsp;escaped with a 31-28 win over Colorado on Saturday night.

The dual-threat quarterback for the Wildcats (5-1, 2-1 Big 12) finished with a rushing score and two passing TDs, both to Brown.

Leading 21-7 in the third quarter, the Wildcats saw the Buffaloes (4-2, 2-1) steadily chip away. Colorado took the lead when Shedeur Sanders threw an 11-yard touchdown pass to LaJohntay Wester with 3:12 left.

The score was set up when Johnson’s tipped pass resulted in a 59-yard interception return by cornerback Colton Hood, who was filling in after two-way star&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/travis-hunter-colorado-buffaloes-2b1dccbb45f5b415191c8672729d1389">Travis Hunter</a>&nbsp;left the game in the first half with an apparent shoulder injury.

Johnson needed only three plays to help Kansas State retake the lead. The Wildcats defense stopped the Buffaloes on downs to cement the win.

“Ultimately you’ve just got to make plays in big moments,” Johnson said. “Ultimately, that’s what our guys did.”

It was nearly the second straight magical comeback at Folsom Field for the Buffaloes. They beat Baylor on Sept. 21 in overtime after tying it up on a Hail Mary pass with no time left in regulation.

“Sometimes when you lose in life, you get your butt kicked and you've just got to take. Sometimes you lose, you say, ‘Dang, we should’ve won that. We should've had that,'” Colorado coach Deion Sanders said. “That was one of those types of games. That's not taking anything away from our opponents because they played their butts off.”

<a href="https://x.com/KStateFB/status/1845353222946341164">DJ Giddens</a>&nbsp;finished with 182 yards to become the first tailback this season to break 100 against the Buffaloes. Kansas State outgained Colorado 185 to minus-29 on the ground.

<a href="https://x.com/ESPNWichita/status/1845310769484775745">For Wildcats tailback Dylan Edwards,</a>&nbsp;it was a successful return to Folsom Field with a 1-yard TD run. He was a true freshman with the Buffaloes last season before transferring to Kansas State.

The Buffaloes' three-game winning streak came to a halt. More concerning, the health of Hunter, who appeared to hurt his shoulder catching a Shedeur Sanders pass and running full speed into safety Daniel Cobbs in the second quarter. The team also lost receivers Jimmy Horn Jr., Omarion Miller and Terrell Timmons Jr. to injuries.

Hunter is a Heisman hopeful for his play as a cornerback and receiver. Before leaving, he showed off his blocking skills by picking a defender and allowing Wester to score on a 25-yard pass.

Prior to the interception and the comeback, Johnson was having all sorts of fun on the field. He broke out the “Deion Shuffle” after a score. The cameras also caught Johnson taking a selfie with a fan in the stands who handed him their phone as he rode a stationary bike.

Johnson briefly went to the locker room in the third quarter holding his left side but returned to throw a TD pass to make it 21-7.

Shedeur Sanders finished 34 of 40 for 388 yards and three scores. He completed a school-best 16 straight passes and nearly had a 17th in a row but Will Sheppard dropped a pass in his hands. Soon after,&nbsp;<a href="https://x.com/CUBuffsFootball/status/1845326551191060763">Sheppard made up for it</a>&nbsp;with a difficult 7-yard TD reception to make it 21-14.

“Yeah, we made a statement — that we lost,” the Colorado QB said.

Kansas State: Johnson and the Wildcats didn't panic after losing the lead and found a way to respond. “Some of the things that happened will help us down the road,” coach Chris Klieman said.

Colorado: Safety Shilo Sanders made his return after missing three games with a forearm injury. “I thought he was rusty," his father/coach said.

Longtime NBA standout Carmelo Anthony was on the sideline wearing a Colorado Avalanche jersey.&nbsp;<a href="https://x.com/CUBuffsFootball/status/1845300543486402843">Kevin Durant showed</a>&nbsp;up near Colorado's bench, too. The Phoenix Suns play the Denver Nuggets in a preseason game Sunday night.

Also on hand was Nuggets guard Russell Westbrook.

Kansas State: At West Virginia next Saturday.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2024/10/1728805522456.jpeg" alt="Kansas State quarterback Avery Johnson rushed for a touchdown and threw for two more, including one with 2:14 to play, in Saturday's 31-28 win over Colorado. (photo by Mike Courson/Great Bend Post)" />
 <figcaption>Kansas State quarterback Avery Johnson rushed for a touchdown and threw for two more, including one with 2:14 to play, in Saturday's 31-28 win over Colorado. (photo by Mike Courson/Great Bend Post)</figcaption>
 </figure>BOULDER, Colo. (AP) — Avery Johnson rebounded from throwing a late interception by&nbsp;<a href="https://x.com/RGIII/status/1845343431058420074">finding Jayce Brown</a>&nbsp;for a 50-yard touchdown with 2:14 remaining as&nbsp;<a href="https://x.com/KStateFB/status/1845352115549471225">No. 18 Kansas State</a>&nbsp;escaped with a 31-28 win over Colorado on Saturday night.The dual-threat quarterback for the Wildcats (5-1, 2-1 Big 12) finished with a rushing score and two passing TDs, both to Brown.Leading 21-7 in the third quarter, the Wildcats saw the Buffaloes (4-2, 2-1) steadily chip away. Colorado took the lead when Shedeur Sanders threw an 11-yard touchdown pass to LaJohntay Wester with 3:12 left.The score was set up when Johnson’s tipped pass resulted in a 59-yard interception return by cornerback Colton Hood, who was filling in after two-way star&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/travis-hunter-colorado-buffaloes-2b1dccbb45f5b415191c8672729d1389">Travis Hunter</a>&nbsp;left the game in the first half with an apparent shoulder injury.Johnson needed only three plays to help Kansas State retake the lead. The Wildcats defense stopped the Buffaloes on downs to cement the win.“Ultimately you’ve just got to make plays in big moments,” Johnson said. “Ultimately, that’s what our guys did.”It was nearly the second straight magical comeback at Folsom Field for the Buffaloes. They beat Baylor on Sept. 21 in overtime after tying it up on a Hail Mary pass with no time left in regulation.“Sometimes when you lose in life, you get your butt kicked and you've just got to take. Sometimes you lose, you say, ‘Dang, we should’ve won that. We should've had that,'” Colorado coach Deion Sanders said. “That was one of those types of games. That's not taking anything away from our opponents because they played their butts off.”<a href="https://x.com/KStateFB/status/1845353222946341164">DJ Giddens</a>&nbsp;finished with 182 yards to become the first tailback this season to break 100 against the Buffaloes. Kansas State outgained Colorado 185 to minus-29 on the ground.<a href="https://x.com/ESPNWichita/status/1845310769484775745">For Wildcats tailback Dylan Edwards,</a>&nbsp;it was a successful return to Folsom Field with a 1-yard TD run. He was a true freshman with the Buffaloes last season before transferring to Kansas State.The Buffaloes' three-game winning streak came to a halt. More concerning, the health of Hunter, who appeared to hurt his shoulder catching a Shedeur Sanders pass and running full speed into safety Daniel Cobbs in the second quarter. The team also lost receivers Jimmy Horn Jr., Omarion Miller and Terrell Timmons Jr. to injuries.Deion Sanders had no immediate updates.Hunter is a Heisman hopeful for his play as a cornerback and receiver. Before leaving, he showed off his blocking skills by picking a defender and allowing Wester to score on a 25-yard pass.Prior to the interception and the comeback, Johnson was having all sorts of fun on the field. He broke out the “Deion Shuffle” after a score. The cameras also caught Johnson taking a selfie with a fan in the stands who handed him their phone as he rode a stationary bike.Johnson briefly went to the locker room in the third quarter holding his left side but returned to throw a TD pass to make it 21-7.Shedeur Sanders finished 34 of 40 for 388 yards and three scores. He completed a school-best 16 straight passes and nearly had a 17th in a row but Will Sheppard dropped a pass in his hands. Soon after,&nbsp;<a href="https://x.com/CUBuffsFootball/status/1845326551191060763">Sheppard made up for it</a>&nbsp;with a difficult 7-yard TD reception to make it 21-14.“Yeah, we made a statement — that we lost,” the Colorado QB said.<h2>The Takeaway</h2>Kansas State: Johnson and the Wildcats didn't panic after losing the lead and found a way to respond. “Some of the things that happened will help us down the road,” coach Chris Klieman said.Colorado: Safety Shilo Sanders made his return after missing three games with a forearm injury. “I thought he was rusty," his father/coach said.<h2>Celebrity sightings</h2>Longtime NBA standout Carmelo Anthony was on the sideline wearing a Colorado Avalanche jersey.&nbsp;<a href="https://x.com/CUBuffsFootball/status/1845300543486402843">Kevin Durant showed</a>&nbsp;up near Colorado's bench, too. The Phoenix Suns play the Denver Nuggets in a preseason game Sunday night.Also on hand was Nuggets guard Russell Westbrook.<h2>Up next</h2>Kansas State: At West Virginia next Saturday.

🏈Johnson throws for winning TD as No. 18 K-State beats Colorado

KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) — Gerrit Cole pitched like a postseason ace Thursday night, holding the Kansas City Royals to a single run over seven innings and sending the New York Yankees to a 3-1 victory that put them back in&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/hub/MLB">the American League Championship Series</a>.

The six-time All-Star scattered six hits and struck out four before handing the ball to the New York bullpen, which dominated&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/mlb-playoffs-yankees-royals-new-york-kansas-city-8bad4d90f6891eda52d67b0aa4e4c44d">a tense AL Division Series</a>. Clay Holmes tossed a perfect eighth inning and Luke Weaver breezed through the ninth, extending the scoreless streak by Yankees relievers to 15 2/3 innings this postseason.

New York will play Cleveland or Detroit of the ALCS starting Monday night at Yankee Stadium.

<a href="https://apnews.com/article/mlb-playoffs-yankees-soto-royals-new-york-0e67745813372aaca6bc33b027b4c669">Juan Soto, Gleyber Torres</a>&nbsp;and&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/mlb-playoffs-yankees-royals-new-york-kansas-city-e5552ac80a6c03f893b1da38a804f8bf">Game 3 star Giancarlo Stanton</a>&nbsp;drove in runs for the Yankees, who fittingly clinched a spot in their fourth ALCS in eight years on the road. They won 50 games away from home in the regular season, their most in 21 years.

Michael Wacha&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/mlb-playoffs-yankees-royals-new-york-kansas-city-417218832d775dd13038728c98244dd4">failed to get through five innings</a>&nbsp;for Kansas City, allowing two runs, six hits and a walk. He didn't get much help from a long-scuffling offense that managed just five runs total over the final three games of the series.

Still, it was a remarkable turnaround for a club that went from 106-loss laughingstock a year ago to making its first postseason appearance since winning the 2015 World Series. And with young stars such as Bobby Witt Jr. signed to long-term deals, there is hope in Kansas City that this was a beginning rather than an ending.

New York set the tone from the start, pouncing on Wacha like it did in the series opener. Torres hit the veteran right-hander's first pitch of the game for a double, and Soto followed with an RBI single on just the third pitch of the night.

Anthony Volpe kept on the pressure with his single in the fifth. And after Alex Verdugo grounded into a forceout and Jon Berti singled to put runners on the corners, Torres lined a two-out single to make it 2-0 and put an end to Wacha's night.

Meanwhile, Cole only seemed to get stronger as he clicked off innings.

The reigning Cy Young Award winner retired his first six batters, worked around a leadoff single in the third and retired eight more before Tommy Pham's single in the fifth. Cole promptly struck out Kyle Isbel on three pitches to end that inning.

Stanton, who hit the go-ahead homer in the eighth inning in Game 3, extended the lead to 3-0 with his single in the sixth.

Tensions that had simmered all night — and all series, after Yankees third baseman Jazz Chisholm Jr. called the Royals' Game 2 win “lucky” — finally boiled over in the sixth. Volpe slapped a hard tag on Maikel Garcia at second base to complete a double play, and the Royals third baseman took umbrage with it. Players spilled out of both dugouts before order was restored.

The near-fracas nearly ignited Kansas City, too. Witt, who had been 1 for 15 in the series, followed with a base hit and Vinnie Pasquantino — who'd been 0 for 14 — had an RBI double. But with the sellout crowd of 39,012 in Kauffman Stadium whipped into a sudden frenzy, Cole got Salvador Perez to pop out lazily to second base to end the inning.

Cole's night ended after he got Isbel to fly out to the warning track with a runner aboard to end the seventh, a deep shot to right field that would have been a tying homer had it been hit to that part of Yankee Stadium.

The Yankees are headed to the ALCS for the 19th time to face the Guardians or Tigers, who play the decisive game of their AL Division Series on Saturday night in Cleveland.

The Royals head into the offseason with some momentum. Most of their key players are signed for next season or under club control, though a couple of decisions loom. Wacha could opt out of his deal after a strong season while 2B Adam Frazier has a mutual option and OF Hunter Renfroe a player option for 2025.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2024/10/1728616643757.jpeg" alt="New York Yankees' Aaron Judge doubles during the sixth inning in Game 4 of an American League Division baseball playoff series against the Kansas City Royals Thursday, Oct. 10, 2024, in Kansas City, Mo. (AP Photo/Reed Hoffmann)" />
 <figcaption>New York Yankees' Aaron Judge doubles during the sixth inning in Game 4 of an American League Division baseball playoff series against the Kansas City Royals Thursday, Oct. 10, 2024, in Kansas City, Mo. (AP Photo/Reed Hoffmann)</figcaption>
 </figure>KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) — Gerrit Cole pitched like a postseason ace Thursday night, holding the Kansas City Royals to a single run over seven innings and sending the New York Yankees to a 3-1 victory that put them back in&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/hub/MLB">the American League Championship Series</a>.The six-time All-Star scattered six hits and struck out four before handing the ball to the New York bullpen, which dominated&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/mlb-playoffs-yankees-royals-new-york-kansas-city-8bad4d90f6891eda52d67b0aa4e4c44d">a tense AL Division Series</a>. Clay Holmes tossed a perfect eighth inning and Luke Weaver breezed through the ninth, extending the scoreless streak by Yankees relievers to 15 2/3 innings this postseason.New York will play Cleveland or Detroit of the ALCS starting Monday night at Yankee Stadium.<a href="https://apnews.com/article/mlb-playoffs-yankees-soto-royals-new-york-0e67745813372aaca6bc33b027b4c669">Juan Soto, Gleyber Torres</a>&nbsp;and&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/mlb-playoffs-yankees-royals-new-york-kansas-city-e5552ac80a6c03f893b1da38a804f8bf">Game 3 star Giancarlo Stanton</a>&nbsp;drove in runs for the Yankees, who fittingly clinched a spot in their fourth ALCS in eight years on the road. They won 50 games away from home in the regular season, their most in 21 years.Michael Wacha&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/mlb-playoffs-yankees-royals-new-york-kansas-city-417218832d775dd13038728c98244dd4">failed to get through five innings</a>&nbsp;for Kansas City, allowing two runs, six hits and a walk. He didn't get much help from a long-scuffling offense that managed just five runs total over the final three games of the series.Still, it was a remarkable turnaround for a club that went from 106-loss laughingstock a year ago to making its first postseason appearance since winning the 2015 World Series. And with young stars such as Bobby Witt Jr. signed to long-term deals, there is hope in Kansas City that this was a beginning rather than an ending.New York set the tone from the start, pouncing on Wacha like it did in the series opener. Torres hit the veteran right-hander's first pitch of the game for a double, and Soto followed with an RBI single on just the third pitch of the night.Anthony Volpe kept on the pressure with his single in the fifth. And after Alex Verdugo grounded into a forceout and Jon Berti singled to put runners on the corners, Torres lined a two-out single to make it 2-0 and put an end to Wacha's night.Meanwhile, Cole only seemed to get stronger as he clicked off innings.The reigning Cy Young Award winner retired his first six batters, worked around a leadoff single in the third and retired eight more before Tommy Pham's single in the fifth. Cole promptly struck out Kyle Isbel on three pitches to end that inning.Stanton, who hit the go-ahead homer in the eighth inning in Game 3, extended the lead to 3-0 with his single in the sixth.Tensions that had simmered all night — and all series, after Yankees third baseman Jazz Chisholm Jr. called the Royals' Game 2 win “lucky” — finally boiled over in the sixth. Volpe slapped a hard tag on Maikel Garcia at second base to complete a double play, and the Royals third baseman took umbrage with it. Players spilled out of both dugouts before order was restored.The near-fracas nearly ignited Kansas City, too. Witt, who had been 1 for 15 in the series, followed with a base hit and Vinnie Pasquantino — who'd been 0 for 14 — had an RBI double. But with the sellout crowd of 39,012 in Kauffman Stadium whipped into a sudden frenzy, Cole got Salvador Perez to pop out lazily to second base to end the inning.Cole's night ended after he got Isbel to fly out to the warning track with a runner aboard to end the seventh, a deep shot to right field that would have been a tying homer had it been hit to that part of Yankee Stadium.New York's bullpen did the rest.UP NEXTThe Yankees are headed to the ALCS for the 19th time to face the Guardians or Tigers, who play the decisive game of their AL Division Series on Saturday night in Cleveland.The Royals head into the offseason with some momentum. Most of their key players are signed for next season or under club control, though a couple of decisions loom. Wacha could opt out of his deal after a strong season while 2B Adam Frazier has a mutual option and OF Hunter Renfroe a player option for 2025.

⚾ Cole shuts down the Royals and sends Yankees back to ALCS 

KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) — Giancarlo Stanton hit a go-ahead homer in the eighth inning amid a battle of the bullpens, and the New York Yankees beat the Kansas City Royals 3-2 on Wednesday night in Game 3 of their AL Division Series at Kauffman Stadium.

Stanton finished with three hits, drove in two runs and stole a base for the first time in four years for the Yankees, who will turn to&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/2024-mlb-playoffs-royals-yankees-55c69e03da0c418a922ad02831ea0610">six-time All-Star pitcher Gerrit Cole on Thursday night</a>&nbsp;with a chance to reach&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/hub/mlb">the American League Championship Series</a>.

The Royals used four relievers before Kris Bubic took over for the eighth. The left-hander struck out Austin Wells before Stanton hit his 3-1 pitch nearly 420 feet to left to give New York the lead.

The Royals tried to answer off Luke Weaver in the bottom half, getting&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/royals-chiefs-kansas-city-patrick-mahomes-bobby-witt-25b56b7e0ed73261a13434168c102551">Bobby Witt Jr.'s first hit of the series</a>&nbsp;and a two-out single by franchise stalwart Salvador Perez. Weaver recovered to get Yuli Gurriel to fly out to end the threat, and he also handled the ninth to earn the save and cap 4 1/3 scoreless innings by the New York bullpen.

The Yankees won despite another frustrating night in the postseason for MVP front-runner Aaron Judge. He went 0 for 4 with a walk, and is now 1 for 11 with only an infield single through three games against the Royals.

It helped that the powerful Yankees drew nine walks Wednesday night, giving them 22 for the series.

It was the&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/yankees-royals-new-york-kansas-city-mlb-playoffs-a71e04dca396f35402287621911ad50e">first playoff game at the K in 3,268 days</a>, since the Royals beat the Mets in Game 2 of the 2015 World Series. They won their first title in 30 years a few days later in New York.

The first baseman on that Royals team, Eric Hosmer, was on hand to deliver the first pitch for a crowd that included Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes.

The Yankees had some good swings against Seth Lugo's dizzying array of nine pitches, but they had nothing to show for it early on.

<a href="https://apnews.com/article/mlb-playoffs-yankees-soto-royals-new-york-0e67745813372aaca6bc33b027b4c669">Juan Soto flew out to center in the first</a>&nbsp;on what would have been a homer in 17 ballparks. Judge followed with a liner snared by Witt at shortstop that had an exit velocity of 114 mph. And in the third, Gleyber Torres hit a ball to the warning track in right, moments after a review confirmed that his would-be RBI blooper down the line had landed foul.

The Yankees broke through in the fourth on Stanton's double — Soto came around from first to score, though he might well have been out had Witt delivered a better relay throw to the plate. And in the fifth, Soto added a bases-loaded sacrifice fly.

The Royals answered with two in the fifth. Kyle Isbel got them on the board with a two-out double to left, and Michael Massey ripped a sinking liner that somehow missed Soto's glove in right for an RBI triple.

Yankees starter Clarke Schmidt was dinged for both runs on four hits and a walk in 4 2/3 innings. Lugo went five for Kansas City, allowing two hits and walking four against the team that led the league in free passes this season.

Yankees: Cole (8-5, 3.41 ERA) heads back to the mound Thursday night. He allowed four runs — three earned — over five innings in the opener Saturday night but got no decision in the 6-5 win for New York.

Royals: RHP Michael Wacha (13-8, 3.35 ERA) will face Cole again after pitching just four innings Saturday. He allowed three runs but was long gone by the time the Yankees scored the go-ahead run in the seventh.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2024/10/1728527218078.png" alt="Giancarlo Stanton finished with three hits, drove in two runs and stole a base for the first time in four years for the Yankees-Photo courtesy New York Yankees" />
 <figcaption>Giancarlo Stanton finished with three hits, drove in two runs and stole a base for the first time in four years for the Yankees-Photo courtesy New York Yankees</figcaption>
 </figure>KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) — Giancarlo Stanton hit a go-ahead homer in the eighth inning amid a battle of the bullpens, and the New York Yankees beat the Kansas City Royals 3-2 on Wednesday night in Game 3 of their AL Division Series at Kauffman Stadium.Stanton finished with three hits, drove in two runs and stole a base for the first time in four years for the Yankees, who will turn to&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/2024-mlb-playoffs-royals-yankees-55c69e03da0c418a922ad02831ea0610">six-time All-Star pitcher Gerrit Cole on Thursday night</a>&nbsp;with a chance to reach&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/hub/mlb">the American League Championship Series</a>.The Royals used four relievers before Kris Bubic took over for the eighth. The left-hander struck out Austin Wells before Stanton hit his 3-1 pitch nearly 420 feet to left to give New York the lead.<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2024/10/1728527435203.png" alt="Kansas City Royals' Yuli Gurriel celebrates after hitting a double during the second inning in Game 3 of an American League Division baseball playoff series against the New York Yankees Wednesday, Oct. 9, 2024, in Kansas City, Mo. (AP Photo/Charlie Riedel)" />
 <figcaption>Kansas City Royals' Yuli Gurriel celebrates after hitting a double during the second inning in Game 3 of an American League Division baseball playoff series against the New York Yankees Wednesday, Oct. 9, 2024, in Kansas City, Mo. (AP Photo/Charlie Riedel)</figcaption>
 </figure>The Royals tried to answer off Luke Weaver in the bottom half, getting&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/royals-chiefs-kansas-city-patrick-mahomes-bobby-witt-25b56b7e0ed73261a13434168c102551">Bobby Witt Jr.'s first hit of the series</a>&nbsp;and a two-out single by franchise stalwart Salvador Perez. Weaver recovered to get Yuli Gurriel to fly out to end the threat, and he also handled the ninth to earn the save and cap 4 1/3 scoreless innings by the New York bullpen.The Yankees won despite another frustrating night in the postseason for MVP front-runner Aaron Judge. He went 0 for 4 with a walk, and is now 1 for 11 with only an infield single through three games against the Royals.It helped that the powerful Yankees drew nine walks Wednesday night, giving them 22 for the series.It was the&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/yankees-royals-new-york-kansas-city-mlb-playoffs-a71e04dca396f35402287621911ad50e">first playoff game at the K in 3,268 days</a>, since the Royals beat the Mets in Game 2 of the 2015 World Series. They won their first title in 30 years a few days later in New York.<div><iframe src="https://www.facebook.com/plugins/post.php?href=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.facebook.com%2FRoyals%2Fposts%2Fpfbid0Yv1Jn9vedfcT3GwueeHbHf6MDDoLXMTS4bQC73jW8ha9XjZEQfLT7f5NfYCLGF7Bl&show_text=true&width=500" width="500" height="645" style="border:none;overflow:hidden" scrolling="no" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen="true" allow="autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; picture-in-picture; web-share"></iframe></div>The first baseman on that Royals team, Eric Hosmer, was on hand to deliver the first pitch for a crowd that included Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes.The Yankees had some good swings against Seth Lugo's dizzying array of nine pitches, but they had nothing to show for it early on.<a href="https://apnews.com/article/mlb-playoffs-yankees-soto-royals-new-york-0e67745813372aaca6bc33b027b4c669">Juan Soto flew out to center in the first</a>&nbsp;on what would have been a homer in 17 ballparks. Judge followed with a liner snared by Witt at shortstop that had an exit velocity of 114 mph. And in the third, Gleyber Torres hit a ball to the warning track in right, moments after a review confirmed that his would-be RBI blooper down the line had landed foul.The Yankees broke through in the fourth on Stanton's double — Soto came around from first to score, though he might well have been out had Witt delivered a better relay throw to the plate. And in the fifth, Soto added a bases-loaded sacrifice fly.The Royals answered with two in the fifth. Kyle Isbel got them on the board with a two-out double to left, and Michael Massey ripped a sinking liner that somehow missed Soto's glove in right for an RBI triple.Yankees starter Clarke Schmidt was dinged for both runs on four hits and a walk in 4 2/3 innings. Lugo went five for Kansas City, allowing two hits and walking four against the team that led the league in free passes this season.UP NEXTYankees: Cole (8-5, 3.41 ERA) heads back to the mound Thursday night. He allowed four runs — three earned — over five innings in the opener Saturday night but got no decision in the 6-5 win for New York.Royals: RHP Michael Wacha (13-8, 3.35 ERA) will face Cole again after pitching just four innings Saturday. He allowed three runs but was long gone by the time the Yankees scored the go-ahead run in the seventh.___

⚾ Stanton's homer in the 8th lifts Yankees over Royals in Game 3 of the ALDS

<a target="_blank" href="https://www.kstatesports.com/watch/?Archive=23603&amp;type=Archive">Watch Coach Klieman’s Press Conference</a>&nbsp; |&nbsp;&nbsp;<a target="_blank" href="https://www.kstatesports.com/podcasts/chris-klieman-press-conference-october-7-2024/4905">Listen to Coach Klieman’s Press Conference</a>&nbsp; |&nbsp;&nbsp;<a target="_blank" href="https://www.kstatesports.com/podcasts/player-breakout-interviews-october-7-2024/4906">Listen to Player Breakout Interviews</a>

MANHATTAN, Kan.&nbsp;– Kansas State head coach&nbsp;Chris Klieman&nbsp;and select players met with members of the media on Monday inside the Vanier Family Football Complex to preview Saturday’s game at Colorado. Links to video and audio of Klieman’s press conference – which was streamed live on ESPN+ – are above in addition to an audio link of player breakout interviews. A transcript of Klieman’s opening statement is below.

“Good afternoon, everyone. I hope everybody had a good weekend. It was good to give the guys a weekend off and try to recharge a little bit mentally and physically. We're back at it with a normal week of prep, normal stuff. We'll be on the grass fields the first half of this week, so we'll see the guys at 2:40 today. I know Coach Tru (Trumain Carroll) saw them this morning, and we're excited about getting back to work. We know it's going to be a big task going to Colorado. We have to continue on from our game planning from last week and really hone in on a lot of the details of the game plan this week.”

<a target="_blank" href="https://www.kstatesports.com/watch/?Archive=23603&amp;type=Archive">Watch Coach Klieman’s Press Conference</a>&nbsp; |&nbsp;&nbsp;<a target="_blank" href="https://www.kstatesports.com/podcasts/chris-klieman-press-conference-october-7-2024/4905">Listen to Coach Klieman’s Press Conference</a>&nbsp; |&nbsp;&nbsp;<a target="_blank" href="https://www.kstatesports.com/podcasts/player-breakout-interviews-october-7-2024/4906">Listen to Player Breakout Interviews</a>MANHATTAN, Kan.&nbsp;– Kansas State head coach&nbsp;Chris Klieman&nbsp;and select players met with members of the media on Monday inside the Vanier Family Football Complex to preview Saturday’s game at Colorado. Links to video and audio of Klieman’s press conference – which was streamed live on ESPN+ – are above in addition to an audio link of player breakout interviews. A transcript of Klieman’s opening statement is below.CHRIS KLIEMAN, HEAD COACHOpening Statement…“Good afternoon, everyone. I hope everybody had a good weekend. It was good to give the guys a weekend off and try to recharge a little bit mentally and physically. We're back at it with a normal week of prep, normal stuff. We'll be on the grass fields the first half of this week, so we'll see the guys at 2:40 today. I know Coach Tru (Trumain Carroll) saw them this morning, and we're excited about getting back to work. We know it's going to be a big task going to Colorado. We have to continue on from our game planning from last week and really hone in on a lot of the details of the game plan this week.”

K-State Discusses Matchup at Colorado During Weekly Press Conference   

KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) — Patrick Mahomes threw for a bunch of yards. Travis Kelce caught a whole lot of his passes. And Kareem Hunt plowed into the end zone once again, sending a torrent of red fireworks flying over Arrowhead Stadium on Monday night.

It might as well have been six years ago, the last time that trio of Chiefs played in a home game together.

But with injuries having ravaged their offense, the Chiefs were forced to lean on two of their stalwarts and the return of their erstwhile star running back to beat the Saints, 26-13. Mahomes finished with 331 yards through the air, Kelce had a game-high nine catches for 70 yards, and Hunt ran 27 times for 102 yards and a touchdown.

“It was a great feeling to get back in the end zone. I missed it very much,” said Hunt, who only returned to the Chiefs a couple of weeks ago, after an injury to starter Isiah Pacheco. “That's why I threw up a heart. To show my love for Kansas City.”

There was a lot of love flowing inside Arrowhead Stadium.

Just as the Chiefs were moving to 5-0 behind another defensive gem, the Royals were beating the Yankees in Game 2 of their AL Division Series in New York. There were frequent chants of “Let's go Royals!” throughout the game, and when&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/mlb-playoffs-yankees-royals-973e1a65ef5ba6bede4b849f3329d924">the Royals finished off a 4-2 victory</a>&nbsp;to send the series back to Kansas City tied at a game apiece, a roar ripped through Arrowhead.

“There was kind of a lull there toward the end of the game, and I was like, ‘They’re not showing the score. The Yankees came back,'” said Mahomes, who owns a part of the Royals. “But they picked it up and got the win, and it was extremely exciting.”

The Chiefs held Saints quarterback Derek Carr to 185 yards passing with two touchdowns and an interception before leaving with an oblique injury. It occurred with about 9 1/2 minutes left, when Carr was hit by blitzing defensive back Chamarri Conner on a fourth-down incompletion as he tried to rally New Orleans from a 23-13 deficit.

“I couldn’t do what I needed to do in the simplest form," said Carr, who plans to get an MRI exam on Tuesday.

The Saints' Alvin Kamara managed 26 yards rushing on 11 carries, becoming the latest high-profile running back to struggle against the Chiefs. They held the Ravens' Derrick Henry to 46 yards rushing, Zack Moss of the Bengals to 34, Falcons star Bijan Robinson to 31 and J.K. Dobbins to 32 in last week's win over the Chargers.

“We got outplayed,” Saints coach Dennis Allen said. "We really couldn't get a whole lot going on either side of the ball.”

The first half Monday night featured a bit of everything: Hunt's first TD since returning to Kansas City, where his once-promising career was&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/chiefs-kansas-city-kareem-hunt-e02c86492982355676e0be2548b95914">derailed by an off-the-field incident</a>; a 43-yard touchdown pass from Carr to Rashid Shaheed, the shortest of the three Shaheed has caught this season; and yet another lateral by Kelce, which came on the most bizarre of drives.

The Chiefs were leading 10-7 when a fumbled pitch and a holding penalty left them facing second-and-34. They got some of it back on a pass to JuJu Smith-Schuster, and then Mahomes hit Kelce over the middle. Kelce lateraled to Samaje Perine, who got within a yard of a first down, and Kansas City converted the fourth-and-short play to set up an eventual field goal.

It was exactly that — field goals — that kept New Orleans in the game, though. The Chiefs have struggled to score TDs in the red zone all season, and they were forced to let Harrison Butker kick a trio of chip shots to lead 16-7 at the break.

Their red-zone woes continued in the third quarter. On second-and-goal, Smith-Schuster had a pass bounce off his hands at the goal line and into the arms of 324-pound former Chiefs defensive tackle Khalen Saunders, who made his first career interception.

The Saints promptly marched 65 yards with Foster Moreau's TD catch getting them within 16-13 with 14:16 to play.

But unlike every other game for the Chiefs, which had been decided in the final minutes — if not the final play — they answered the blow by delivering one of their own. Smith-Schuster hauled in a 50-yard pass moments later, and Xavier Worthy took a handoff on first-and-goal at the 3 for a touchdown that extended their cushion early in the fourth quarter.

After the Chiefs stopped the Saints on fourth down, they tacked on another field goal with 3:03 left to put away the game.

"It’s pretty cool to get the band back together,” said Smith-Schuster, who is also back with the Chiefs after a couple of years spent in New England. “Man, I’m telling you, there is no place like this. What we have here is special. It’s unreal.”

<a href="https://apnews.com/article/chiefs-taylor-swift-travis-kelce-arrowhead-b386bd5deb5b6588f255d62068417cae">Taylor Swift was back at Arrowhead Stadium</a>&nbsp;to see Kelce and the Chiefs after missing her boyfriend's previous two road games. She resumes her record-setting Eras Tour on Friday night with the first of three shows in Miami.

Saints: CB Will Harris hurt his hamstring in the first half. C Lucas Patrick left briefly in the third quarter with a collarbone injury,

Chiefs: LT Wanya Morris left in the first half with a lower leg injury but returned to the game.

Kansas City has a week off before visiting San Francisco on Oct. 20.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2024/10/1728358707794.jpeg" alt="Kansas City Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes throws during the second half of an NFL football game against the New Orleans Saints Monday, Oct. 7, 2024, in Kansas City, Mo. (AP Photo/Ed Zurga)" />
 <figcaption>Kansas City Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes throws during the second half of an NFL football game against the New Orleans Saints Monday, Oct. 7, 2024, in Kansas City, Mo. (AP Photo/Ed Zurga)</figcaption>
 </figure>KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) — Patrick Mahomes threw for a bunch of yards. Travis Kelce caught a whole lot of his passes. And Kareem Hunt plowed into the end zone once again, sending a torrent of red fireworks flying over Arrowhead Stadium on Monday night.It might as well have been six years ago, the last time that trio of Chiefs played in a home game together.But with injuries having ravaged their offense, the Chiefs were forced to lean on two of their stalwarts and the return of their erstwhile star running back to beat the Saints, 26-13. Mahomes finished with 331 yards through the air, Kelce had a game-high nine catches for 70 yards, and Hunt ran 27 times for 102 yards and a touchdown.“It was a great feeling to get back in the end zone. I missed it very much,” said Hunt, who only returned to the Chiefs a couple of weeks ago, after an injury to starter Isiah Pacheco. “That's why I threw up a heart. To show my love for Kansas City.”There was a lot of love flowing inside Arrowhead Stadium.Just as the Chiefs were moving to 5-0 behind another defensive gem, the Royals were beating the Yankees in Game 2 of their AL Division Series in New York. There were frequent chants of “Let's go Royals!” throughout the game, and when&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/mlb-playoffs-yankees-royals-973e1a65ef5ba6bede4b849f3329d924">the Royals finished off a 4-2 victory</a>&nbsp;to send the series back to Kansas City tied at a game apiece, a roar ripped through Arrowhead.“There was kind of a lull there toward the end of the game, and I was like, ‘They’re not showing the score. The Yankees came back,'” said Mahomes, who owns a part of the Royals. “But they picked it up and got the win, and it was extremely exciting.”The Chiefs held Saints quarterback Derek Carr to 185 yards passing with two touchdowns and an interception before leaving with an oblique injury. It occurred with about 9 1/2 minutes left, when Carr was hit by blitzing defensive back Chamarri Conner on a fourth-down incompletion as he tried to rally New Orleans from a 23-13 deficit.“I couldn’t do what I needed to do in the simplest form," said Carr, who plans to get an MRI exam on Tuesday.The Saints' Alvin Kamara managed 26 yards rushing on 11 carries, becoming the latest high-profile running back to struggle against the Chiefs. They held the Ravens' Derrick Henry to 46 yards rushing, Zack Moss of the Bengals to 34, Falcons star Bijan Robinson to 31 and J.K. Dobbins to 32 in last week's win over the Chargers.“We got outplayed,” Saints coach Dennis Allen said. "We really couldn't get a whole lot going on either side of the ball.”The first half Monday night featured a bit of everything: Hunt's first TD since returning to Kansas City, where his once-promising career was&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/chiefs-kansas-city-kareem-hunt-e02c86492982355676e0be2548b95914">derailed by an off-the-field incident</a>; a 43-yard touchdown pass from Carr to Rashid Shaheed, the shortest of the three Shaheed has caught this season; and yet another lateral by Kelce, which came on the most bizarre of drives.The Chiefs were leading 10-7 when a fumbled pitch and a holding penalty left them facing second-and-34. They got some of it back on a pass to JuJu Smith-Schuster, and then Mahomes hit Kelce over the middle. Kelce lateraled to Samaje Perine, who got within a yard of a first down, and Kansas City converted the fourth-and-short play to set up an eventual field goal.It was exactly that — field goals — that kept New Orleans in the game, though. The Chiefs have struggled to score TDs in the red zone all season, and they were forced to let Harrison Butker kick a trio of chip shots to lead 16-7 at the break.Their red-zone woes continued in the third quarter. On second-and-goal, Smith-Schuster had a pass bounce off his hands at the goal line and into the arms of 324-pound former Chiefs defensive tackle Khalen Saunders, who made his first career interception.The Saints promptly marched 65 yards with Foster Moreau's TD catch getting them within 16-13 with 14:16 to play.But unlike every other game for the Chiefs, which had been decided in the final minutes — if not the final play — they answered the blow by delivering one of their own. Smith-Schuster hauled in a 50-yard pass moments later, and Xavier Worthy took a handoff on first-and-goal at the 3 for a touchdown that extended their cushion early in the fourth quarter.After the Chiefs stopped the Saints on fourth down, they tacked on another field goal with 3:03 left to put away the game."It’s pretty cool to get the band back together,” said Smith-Schuster, who is also back with the Chiefs after a couple of years spent in New England. “Man, I’m telling you, there is no place like this. What we have here is special. It’s unreal.”<h2>Tay-Tay returns</h2><a href="https://apnews.com/article/chiefs-taylor-swift-travis-kelce-arrowhead-b386bd5deb5b6588f255d62068417cae">Taylor Swift was back at Arrowhead Stadium</a>&nbsp;to see Kelce and the Chiefs after missing her boyfriend's previous two road games. She resumes her record-setting Eras Tour on Friday night with the first of three shows in Miami.<h2>Injuries</h2>Saints: CB Will Harris hurt his hamstring in the first half. C Lucas Patrick left briefly in the third quarter with a collarbone injury,Chiefs: LT Wanya Morris left in the first half with a lower leg injury but returned to the game.<h2>Up next</h2>New Orleans hosts Tampa Bay on Sunday.Kansas City has a week off before visiting San Francisco on Oct. 20.

🏈 Mahomes throws for 331 yards, Derek Carr hurt as Chiefs shut down Saints 

NEW YORK (AP) — Salvador Perez homered leading off the fourth inning to spark a four-run rally against Carlos Rodón, and the Kansas City Royals beat the New York Yankees 4-2 on Monday night to even their AL Division Series at one game apiece.

Four relievers held New York in check after an inconsistent&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/mlb-playoffs-ragans-royals-yankees-central-park-42adddaee4675c8a204b14873548dd2a">Cole Ragans lasted four innings.</a>&nbsp;Tommy Pham, Garrett Hampson and Maikel Garcia singled in runs for the Royals.

Garcia, moved up from ninth to first in Kansas City's batting order, had four hits.

Game 3 in the best-of-five playoff is Wednesday night at Kansas City, the Royals’ first postseason home game since the 2015 World Series.

“It’s basically like a brand-new series when we get to the K,” Ragans said, referring to Kauffman Stadium.

Yankees slugger&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/mlb-playoffs-yankees-royals-judge-rodon-db7f25b5abe73eba553ee18d1974b14f">Aaron Judge went 1 for 3 with an infield single and is 1 for 7 with four strikeouts</a>&nbsp;in the series. Kansas City star Bobby Witt Jr., expected to finish second to Judge in AL MVP voting, was 0 for 5 with three strikeouts, dropping to 0 for 10 in the series.

All four Division Series opened 1-1 for the first time since the round started in 1995.

Giancarlo Stanton put the Yankees ahead with an RBI single in the third, but New York went 1 for 6 with runners in scoring position and is 3 for 19 in the two games.

“They were making their pitches when they needed to,” Judge said. “We've got to come through in those situations to kind of break it open.”

Ragans allowed just the one run and three hits, striking out five and walking four. Winning pitcher Angel Zerpa and John Schreiber each followed with a hitless inning before Kris Bubic threw two scoreless innings. Lucas Erceg worked the ninth for his third save this postseason.

Erceg gave up a leadoff homer to Jazz Chisholm Jr. and a two-out single to Jon Berti but retired Gleyber Torres on a grounder to end it with slugger Juan Soto on deck. Chisholm's homer was the first off Erceg since June 12, when he was still pitching for Oakland.

Perez, at 34 the only remaining Royals player from their 2015 championship team, tied the score when he drove a 2-0 slider into the left-field seats. The nine-time All-Star entered 12 for 26 (.462) with three homers off Rodón, an old AL Central rival when he pitched for the Chicago White Sox.

“He falls behind him, and from there started making some mistakes with his secondary (pitches) just in the heart of the plate," Yankees manager Aaron Boone said.

Yuli Gurriel singled, advanced on a wild pitch and scored on Pham’s one-out single for a 2-1 lead, prompting cheers from NFL fans at the Kansas City Chiefs' home game against New Orleans at Arrowhead Stadium. Pham stole second and scored on a two-out single by Hampson.

Garcia greeted Ian Hamilton with an RBI single that put the Royals ahead 4-1.

Rodón, lined up to pitch a potential Game 5, gave up four runs and seven hits in 3 2/3 innings with seven strikeouts and no walks. Twenty-four of the 32 home runs he has allowed this season have been solo shots.

“Obviously, I want to be better than that — especially how the first three innings went,” Rodón said. “I wouldn’t say I tired out. Just got to be better with those pitches, just more fine with them and get to better spots.”

Yankees: LHP Nestor Cortes (left flexor strain) took a step forward when he played catch Sunday, Boone said.

Yankees RHP Clarke Schmidt (5-5, 2.85 ERA) makes his first postseason start Wednesday. He was 0-2 with an 11.75 ERA in three relief appearances during the 2022 playoffs.

Seth Lugo (16-9, 3.00) is scheduled to start for the Royals. He struck out 10 over seven innings of three-hit ball in a 5-0 win at Yankee Stadium on Sept. 10.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2024/10/1728355383355.png" alt="Photo Kansas City Royals" />
 <figcaption>Photo Kansas City Royals</figcaption>
 </figure>NEW YORK (AP) — Salvador Perez homered leading off the fourth inning to spark a four-run rally against Carlos Rodón, and the Kansas City Royals beat the New York Yankees 4-2 on Monday night to even their AL Division Series at one game apiece.Four relievers held New York in check after an inconsistent&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/mlb-playoffs-ragans-royals-yankees-central-park-42adddaee4675c8a204b14873548dd2a">Cole Ragans lasted four innings.</a>&nbsp;Tommy Pham, Garrett Hampson and Maikel Garcia singled in runs for the Royals.Garcia, moved up from ninth to first in Kansas City's batting order, had four hits.Game 3 in the best-of-five playoff is Wednesday night at Kansas City, the Royals’ first postseason home game since the 2015 World Series.“It’s basically like a brand-new series when we get to the K,” Ragans said, referring to Kauffman Stadium.Yankees slugger&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/mlb-playoffs-yankees-royals-judge-rodon-db7f25b5abe73eba553ee18d1974b14f">Aaron Judge went 1 for 3 with an infield single and is 1 for 7 with four strikeouts</a>&nbsp;in the series. Kansas City star Bobby Witt Jr., expected to finish second to Judge in AL MVP voting, was 0 for 5 with three strikeouts, dropping to 0 for 10 in the series.All four Division Series opened 1-1 for the first time since the round started in 1995.Giancarlo Stanton put the Yankees ahead with an RBI single in the third, but New York went 1 for 6 with runners in scoring position and is 3 for 19 in the two games.“They were making their pitches when they needed to,” Judge said. “We've got to come through in those situations to kind of break it open.”Ragans allowed just the one run and three hits, striking out five and walking four. Winning pitcher Angel Zerpa and John Schreiber each followed with a hitless inning before Kris Bubic threw two scoreless innings. Lucas Erceg worked the ninth for his third save this postseason.Erceg gave up a leadoff homer to Jazz Chisholm Jr. and a two-out single to Jon Berti but retired Gleyber Torres on a grounder to end it with slugger Juan Soto on deck. Chisholm's homer was the first off Erceg since June 12, when he was still pitching for Oakland.Perez, at 34 the only remaining Royals player from their 2015 championship team, tied the score when he drove a 2-0 slider into the left-field seats. The nine-time All-Star entered 12 for 26 (.462) with three homers off Rodón, an old AL Central rival when he pitched for the Chicago White Sox.“He falls behind him, and from there started making some mistakes with his secondary (pitches) just in the heart of the plate," Yankees manager Aaron Boone said.Yuli Gurriel singled, advanced on a wild pitch and scored on Pham’s one-out single for a 2-1 lead, prompting cheers from NFL fans at the Kansas City Chiefs' home game against New Orleans at Arrowhead Stadium. Pham stole second and scored on a two-out single by Hampson.Garcia greeted Ian Hamilton with an RBI single that put the Royals ahead 4-1.Rodón, lined up to pitch a potential Game 5, gave up four runs and seven hits in 3 2/3 innings with seven strikeouts and no walks. Twenty-four of the 32 home runs he has allowed this season have been solo shots.“Obviously, I want to be better than that — especially how the first three innings went,” Rodón said. “I wouldn’t say I tired out. Just got to be better with those pitches, just more fine with them and get to better spots.”TRAINER’S ROOMYankees: LHP Nestor Cortes (left flexor strain) took a step forward when he played catch Sunday, Boone said.UP NEXTYankees RHP Clarke Schmidt (5-5, 2.85 ERA) makes his first postseason start Wednesday. He was 0-2 with an 11.75 ERA in three relief appearances during the 2022 playoffs.Seth Lugo (16-9, 3.00) is scheduled to start for the Royals. He struck out 10 over seven innings of three-hit ball in a 5-0 win at Yankee Stadium on Sept. 10.

⚾ Perez's homer lifts Royals over Yankees in Game 2 to tie ALDS

<a>MANHATTAN, Kan.&nbsp;–</a>&nbsp;The Big 12 Conference and FOX Sports announced Monday that Kansas State’s October 19 game at West Virginia will kick at 6:30 p.m. (CT) and will be shown on either FOX or FS1.

<a>MANHATTAN, Kan.&nbsp;–</a>&nbsp;The Big 12 Conference and FOX Sports announced Monday that Kansas State’s October 19 game at West Virginia will kick at 6:30 p.m. (CT) and will be shown on either FOX or FS1.

FB: K-State at West Virginia to Kick at Night

TEMPE, Ariz. (AP) — Sam Leavitt threw four touchdowns passes, including&nbsp;<a href="https://twitter.com/ASUFootball/status/1842776268573446194">a 3-yard strike to Jordyn Tyson with 16 seconds left</a>, and Arizona State rallied for a thrilling 35-31 victory over Kansas on Saturday night.

The Sun Devils (4-1, 1-1 Big 12) outlasted the Jayhawks in a back-and-forth game that featured six lead changes in the second half. Cam Skattebo ran for a team-high 186 yards, including a crucial 39-yard dash on the game-winning drive.

“Good job by our guys just executing,” Sun Devils coach Kenny Dillingham said. “That was it. We just played the next play. We didn't get rattled. We just responded.”

Leavitt completed 14 of 24 passes for 157 yards. His consistent play helped the Sun Devils bounce back from their first loss of the season, a 30-22 setback to Texas Tech on Sept. 21.

“It was just back to what we do,” Leavitt said. “The last game we played wasn't our brand of football, so we got back to that.”

Kansas (1-5, 0-3) has lost five straight, including four by a touchdown or less. Jalon Daniels threw for a season-high 260 yards and two touchdowns. Devin Neal ran for 71 yards and a touchdown.

The teams battled each other along with some record-setting heat in front of a sellout crowd of 54,639 on Saturday. The temperature at kickoff was 107 degrees, which set the mark for the hottest October game in Tempe dating back to 2000.

The Jayhawks didn't seem fazed by the heat, pushing ahead 31-28 with 2:04 left when Daniels hit Quentin Skinner for his second touchdown catch of the night, this one on a diving completion that went for 34 yards.

But the Jayhawks couldn't close it out, allowing the Sun Devils to drive eight plays for 75 yards in less than two minutes.

“At the end of the day, our job is to stop the offense,” Kansas defensive end Dean Miller said. “Unfortunately, we came up short. We've got to do better as a team and as a unit.”

Leavitt capped the decisive drive by floating the 3-yard touchdown pass to Tyson, who had slipped past a defender. It was Tyson's second touchdown catch of the night and a proud moment for the sophomore, who missed all of last season with a knee injury.

Kansas took a 24-17 lead with 10:49 left in the game when Neal made a nifty cut before running untouched for the 31-yard touchdown.

The Sun Devils went up 21-17 early in the fourth quarter on a direct snap to Skattebo, who ran for the 1-yard touchdown. Leavitt converted on a crucial third-and-18 during the drive, rifling a precise pass over the middle to Tyson.

Arizona State tied the game at 14-all just before halftime when Leavitt threw a short pass Chamon Metayer, who ran 20 yards for the end zone. Kansas was hurt by two penalties over a three-play stretch on cornerback Cobee Bryant, who was flagged for holding and pass interference.

Arizona State's Keyshaun Elliott and Clayton Smith were ejected in the second half for targeting. The two — who are among the Sun Devils' best defensive players — must also miss the first half of Friday's game against No. 18 Utah.

Kansas: It's another brutal loss for the Jayhawks, who had high expectations entering the season but have just one win midway through the schedule. Kansas was ranked No. 19 in the nation after their season-opening win just five weeks ago.

Arizona State: It's another galvanizing win for the Sun Devils, who are much improved under coach Kenny Dillingham in Year 2. They'll have their biggest test of the year on Friday against No. 18 Utah.

Arizona State: Host No. 18 Utah on Friday.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2024/10/1728200068762.jpeg" alt="Kansas wide receiver Quentin Skinner (0) had six catches for 130 yards and a touchdown in a 35-31 loss against Arizona State -photo courtesy KU Athletics" />
 <figcaption>Kansas wide receiver Quentin Skinner (0) had six catches for 130 yards and a touchdown in a 35-31 loss against Arizona State -photo courtesy KU Athletics</figcaption>
 </figure>TEMPE, Ariz. (AP) — Sam Leavitt threw four touchdowns passes, including&nbsp;<a href="https://twitter.com/ASUFootball/status/1842776268573446194">a 3-yard strike to Jordyn Tyson with 16 seconds left</a>, and Arizona State rallied for a thrilling 35-31 victory over Kansas on Saturday night.The Sun Devils (4-1, 1-1 Big 12) outlasted the Jayhawks in a back-and-forth game that featured six lead changes in the second half. Cam Skattebo ran for a team-high 186 yards, including a crucial 39-yard dash on the game-winning drive.“Good job by our guys just executing,” Sun Devils coach Kenny Dillingham said. “That was it. We just played the next play. We didn't get rattled. We just responded.”Leavitt completed 14 of 24 passes for 157 yards. His consistent play helped the Sun Devils bounce back from their first loss of the season, a 30-22 setback to Texas Tech on Sept. 21.“It was just back to what we do,” Leavitt said. “The last game we played wasn't our brand of football, so we got back to that.”Kansas (1-5, 0-3) has lost five straight, including four by a touchdown or less. Jalon Daniels threw for a season-high 260 yards and two touchdowns. Devin Neal ran for 71 yards and a touchdown.The teams battled each other along with some record-setting heat in front of a sellout crowd of 54,639 on Saturday. The temperature at kickoff was 107 degrees, which set the mark for the hottest October game in Tempe dating back to 2000.The Jayhawks didn't seem fazed by the heat, pushing ahead 31-28 with 2:04 left when Daniels hit Quentin Skinner for his second touchdown catch of the night, this one on a diving completion that went for 34 yards.But the Jayhawks couldn't close it out, allowing the Sun Devils to drive eight plays for 75 yards in less than two minutes.“At the end of the day, our job is to stop the offense,” Kansas defensive end Dean Miller said. “Unfortunately, we came up short. We've got to do better as a team and as a unit.”Leavitt capped the decisive drive by floating the 3-yard touchdown pass to Tyson, who had slipped past a defender. It was Tyson's second touchdown catch of the night and a proud moment for the sophomore, who missed all of last season with a knee injury.“It means everything,” Tyson said.Kansas took a 24-17 lead with 10:49 left in the game when Neal made a nifty cut before running untouched for the 31-yard touchdown.The Sun Devils went up 21-17 early in the fourth quarter on a direct snap to Skattebo, who ran for the 1-yard touchdown. Leavitt converted on a crucial third-and-18 during the drive, rifling a precise pass over the middle to Tyson.Arizona State tied the game at 14-all just before halftime when Leavitt threw a short pass Chamon Metayer, who ran 20 yards for the end zone. Kansas was hurt by two penalties over a three-play stretch on cornerback Cobee Bryant, who was flagged for holding and pass interference.Arizona State's Keyshaun Elliott and Clayton Smith were ejected in the second half for targeting. The two — who are among the Sun Devils' best defensive players — must also miss the first half of Friday's game against No. 18 Utah.<h2>The takeaway</h2>Kansas: It's another brutal loss for the Jayhawks, who had high expectations entering the season but have just one win midway through the schedule. Kansas was ranked No. 19 in the nation after their season-opening win just five weeks ago.Arizona State: It's another galvanizing win for the Sun Devils, who are much improved under coach Kenny Dillingham in Year 2. They'll have their biggest test of the year on Friday against No. 18 Utah.<h2>Up next</h2>Kansas: Home vs. Houston on Oct. 19.Arizona State: Host No. 18 Utah on Friday.___

🏈 Leavitt throws 4 TDs to lift Arizona State past Kansas

NEW YORK (AP) — Alex Verdugo hit a tiebreaking single in the seventh inning and saved at least one run with a sliding catch along the left-field line, boosting the New York Yankees over the Kansas City Royals 6-5 on Saturday night in their AL Division Series opener.

New York’s Gleyber Torres and Kansas City’s MJ Melendez hit two-run homers in a back-and-forth game in which the Royals wasted leads of 1-0, 3-2 and 5-4 and the Yankees failed to hold 2-1 and 4-3 margins. It was the first postseason game with five lead changes, according to the Elias Sports Bureau.

Kansas City pitchers tied their season high with eight walks, forcing in a pair of runs in the fifth inning. The Yankees were just 1 for 11 with runners in scoring position before Verdugo lined a single off loser Michael Lorenzen.

Verdugo’s hit scored Jazz Chisholm Jr., who singled leading off and stole second on a play allowed to stand following a video review. Yankees manager Aaron Boone started Verdugo in left over rookie Jasson Domínguez in a defense-influenced decision. Verdugo entered the game in a 2-for-34 skid at the plate

With the Yankees trailing 3-2, Verdugo made a sliding catch on Michael Massey’s fourth-inning fly just inside the line to strand two runners. The ball hit Verdugo’s right wrist just below his glove and bounced off his chest before he grabbed it with his bare left hand.

Chisholm, playing third base this year for the first time after the Yankees acquired him from Miami at the July trade deadline, made three fine defensive plays, two with the help of first baseman Oswaldo Cabrera, starting because of Anthony Rizzo’s fractured fingers.

Four Yankees relievers combined to allow only an unearned run over four innings after ace Gerrit Cole came out, unhappy with his performance. Clay Holmes, dropped from his closer’s job last month, worked 1 2/3 innings for the win. Luke Weaver got four straight outs for the save in his postseason debut.

Yankees star Aaron Judge went 0 for 4 with three strikeouts, and Royals standout Bobby Witt Jr. was 0 for 5, barking at plate umpire Adam Hamari after a called third strike in the ninth.

Juan Soto went 3 for 5 and threw out Salvador Perez in the second inning trying to score from second on Melendez’s single to right. Kansas City first baseman Yuli Gurriel threw out runners at the plate on grounders in the first and fifth.

After a day off between Games 1 and 2, the series between the AL-best Yankees and wild-card Royals resumes Monday night. These teams met in four playoffs from 1976-80, with the Yankees winning the first three and getting swept in the last.

Cole allowed four runs — three earned — and seven hits in five-plus innings. Royals starter Michael Wacha gave up three runs, four hits and three walks in four-plus innings.

Tommy Pham hit a second-inning sacrifice fly, and Torres put the Yankees ahead 2-1 in the third with a 339-foot home run just over the right-field short porch.

Melendez’s two-run homer in the fourth gave Kansas City a 3-2 lead, but Royals pitchers issued four seven-pitch walks in the fifth, forcing in runs with walks by Angel Zerpa to Austin Wells and by John Schreiber to Anthony Volpe. The Yankees had not gotten a pair of bases-loaded walks in a postseason game since Bullet Joe Bush and Joe Dugan against the New York Giants’ Rosy Ryan in Game 6 of the 1923 World Series.

Volpe's throwing error at shortstop set up pinch-hitter Garrett Hampson's two-run, sixth-inning single through a drawn-in infield that put the Royals ahead 5-4. Wells’ two-out RBI single off Lorenzen tied the score in the bottom half.

New York's Carlos Rodón (16-9, 3.96 ERA) starts against the Royals' Cole Ragans (11-9, 3.14) in a matchup of left-handers. Rodón made a pair of postseason appearances for the Chicago White Sox, in relief against Oakland in 2020 and a start against Houston in 2021 which he pitched 2 2/3 innings, allowing Carlos Correa's go-ahead, two-run double. Ragans won the Wild Card Series opener at Baltimore on Tuesday with six scoreless innings of four-hit ball.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2024/10/1728181357575.jpeg" alt="New York Yankees' Alex Verdugo reacts after driving in a run on a double against the Kansas City Royals during the seventh inning of Game 1 of the American League baseball division series, Saturday, Oct. 5, 2024, in New York. (AP Photo/Adam Hunger)" />
 <figcaption>New York Yankees' Alex Verdugo reacts after driving in a run on a double against the Kansas City Royals during the seventh inning of Game 1 of the American League baseball division series, Saturday, Oct. 5, 2024, in New York. (AP Photo/Adam Hunger)</figcaption>
 </figure>NEW YORK (AP) — Alex Verdugo hit a tiebreaking single in the seventh inning and saved at least one run with a sliding catch along the left-field line, boosting the New York Yankees over the Kansas City Royals 6-5 on Saturday night in their AL Division Series opener.New York’s Gleyber Torres and Kansas City’s MJ Melendez hit two-run homers in a back-and-forth game in which the Royals wasted leads of 1-0, 3-2 and 5-4 and the Yankees failed to hold 2-1 and 4-3 margins. It was the first postseason game with five lead changes, according to the Elias Sports Bureau.Kansas City pitchers tied their season high with eight walks, forcing in a pair of runs in the fifth inning. The Yankees were just 1 for 11 with runners in scoring position before Verdugo lined a single off loser Michael Lorenzen.Verdugo’s hit scored Jazz Chisholm Jr., who singled leading off and stole second on a play allowed to stand following a video review. Yankees manager Aaron Boone started Verdugo in left over rookie Jasson Domínguez in a defense-influenced decision. Verdugo entered the game in a 2-for-34 skid at the plateWith the Yankees trailing 3-2, Verdugo made a sliding catch on Michael Massey’s fourth-inning fly just inside the line to strand two runners. The ball hit Verdugo’s right wrist just below his glove and bounced off his chest before he grabbed it with his bare left hand.Chisholm, playing third base this year for the first time after the Yankees acquired him from Miami at the July trade deadline, made three fine defensive plays, two with the help of first baseman Oswaldo Cabrera, starting because of Anthony Rizzo’s fractured fingers.Four Yankees relievers combined to allow only an unearned run over four innings after ace Gerrit Cole came out, unhappy with his performance. Clay Holmes, dropped from his closer’s job last month, worked 1 2/3 innings for the win. Luke Weaver got four straight outs for the save in his postseason debut.Yankees star Aaron Judge went 0 for 4 with three strikeouts, and Royals standout Bobby Witt Jr. was 0 for 5, barking at plate umpire Adam Hamari after a called third strike in the ninth.Juan Soto went 3 for 5 and threw out Salvador Perez in the second inning trying to score from second on Melendez’s single to right. Kansas City first baseman Yuli Gurriel threw out runners at the plate on grounders in the first and fifth.After a day off between Games 1 and 2, the series between the AL-best Yankees and wild-card Royals resumes Monday night. These teams met in four playoffs from 1976-80, with the Yankees winning the first three and getting swept in the last.Cole allowed four runs — three earned — and seven hits in five-plus innings. Royals starter Michael Wacha gave up three runs, four hits and three walks in four-plus innings.Tommy Pham hit a second-inning sacrifice fly, and Torres put the Yankees ahead 2-1 in the third with a 339-foot home run just over the right-field short porch.Melendez’s two-run homer in the fourth gave Kansas City a 3-2 lead, but Royals pitchers issued four seven-pitch walks in the fifth, forcing in runs with walks by Angel Zerpa to Austin Wells and by John Schreiber to Anthony Volpe. The Yankees had not gotten a pair of bases-loaded walks in a postseason game since Bullet Joe Bush and Joe Dugan against the New York Giants’ Rosy Ryan in Game 6 of the 1923 World Series.Volpe's throwing error at shortstop set up pinch-hitter Garrett Hampson's two-run, sixth-inning single through a drawn-in infield that put the Royals ahead 5-4. Wells’ two-out RBI single off Lorenzen tied the score in the bottom half.UP NEXTNew York's Carlos Rodón (16-9, 3.96 ERA) starts against the Royals' Cole Ragans (11-9, 3.14) in a matchup of left-handers. Rodón made a pair of postseason appearances for the Chicago White Sox, in relief against Oakland in 2020 and a start against Houston in 2021 which he pitched 2 2/3 innings, allowing Carlos Correa's go-ahead, two-run double. Ragans won the Wild Card Series opener at Baltimore on Tuesday with six scoreless innings of four-hit ball.

⚾ Verdugo's go-ahead single lifts Yankees over Royals in ALDS opener

By MIKE COURSON Great Bend Post

There may be no standard definition of a sports "superfan," but everyone knows one when they see one. Cleveland's John Adams comes to mind. The Guardians fan attended every home baseball game from 1973 until his death, at the age of 71, in 2023. He literally beat the drum from the stands for 48 seasons, or more than 3,500 games.

Kansas City has its own Superfan. Chris Coats, a United States Postal Service employee from Raytown, Mo., has been attending Royals games for most of his life, including 31 of the team's 33 playoff games since 2014. Coats attended the two American League Wild Card games in Baltimore earlier this week and is sticking around on the east coast for the Divisional Series that begins Saturday at Yankee Stadium. The goal is to make it back to Kauffman Stadium for Wednesday's game three in the series.

"It's going to be about 18 hours after Monday night to try to get back by Wednesday," Coats said in a Friday appearance on 1590 KVGB/95.5 FM's "Sports Day" show. "I think we can manage. We did 16 to Baltimore and we did okay. I've got a home-game streak going of over 1,600 games. I've got to make it."

With 81 home games a season, Coats' streak dates back more than 20 seasons. Things picked up around 2009 when Coats began following the Royals to other stadiums. Wearing a promotional Royals flag as a cape, he made the Fox Sports Kansas City broadcast at a game in Houston. The nickname "Superfan Chris" was christened.

"I was walking back and I found Ryan Lefebvre," Coats said. "We just got to talking. I had driven to Houston and I told him I was driving to Pittsburgh. He said, 'Oh wow, we'll have to get you on TV there, too. That's a heck of a drive.'"

Coats became a regular on Royals broadcasts as the team continued to struggle with losing seasons from 2004 to 2012. The Royals finished the 2013 season at 86-76, then made it to Game Seven of the 2014 World Series. Coats was one of several fans that postseason featured on the side of buses in downtown Kansas City.

Coats has now been to all 30 Major League Baseball cities but has yet to visit the new Truist Park in Atlanta or LoanDepot Park in Miami. Also a Kansas City Chiefs and Missouri Tigers fan, he frequently attends football games in the fall.

"I get five weeks off every year but I've been saving a lot of that every year for something like this," Coats said of the MLB playoffs. "I asked for the whole month of October off and they gave it to me. I told them I'd come back as long as the Royals aren't playing. I don't expect to use all the time, but I guess I will if they make it to the World Series."

During his streak, Coats has married and had two boys. The youngest son, at just five years old, has attended between 50 and 60 Royals games this year and made the 16-hour trip to Baltimore with his father.

"I wanted to include him on the ride," Coats said. "I worked Monday, then I packed up the car and we drove. We had about 24 hours to get there. We made it work and what an incredible series to watch."

Coats has watched games from the old Yankee Stadium and the new park that is already 15 years old. As discussion in Kansas City turns to a new downtown stadium, Coats said there are plenty of good examples to choose from.

"A lot of the National League ballparks are pretty good," he said. "Pittsburgh and San Diego, there's just something about the background. Even St. Louis, with the Arch in the background, the downtown atmosphere is pretty cool. I know the Royals are pushing for it and the fans don't like it but it's something else."

Kansas City will play games one and two of the American League Divisional Series at Yankee Stadium on Saturday and Monday evenings. Game three moves to Kansas City with a time to be determined.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2024/10/1728052435978.jpeg" alt="Royals "Superfan" Chris Coats (left) has attended more than 1,600 consecutive Royals games at Kauffman Stadium, and has attended 31 of the team's last 33 playoff games dating back to 2014." />
 <figcaption>Royals "Superfan" Chris Coats (left) has attended more than 1,600 consecutive Royals games at Kauffman Stadium, and has attended 31 of the team's last 33 playoff games dating back to 2014.</figcaption>
 </figure>By MIKE COURSON Great Bend PostThere may be no standard definition of a sports "superfan," but everyone knows one when they see one. Cleveland's John Adams comes to mind. The Guardians fan attended every home baseball game from 1973 until his death, at the age of 71, in 2023. He literally beat the drum from the stands for 48 seasons, or more than 3,500 games.Kansas City has its own Superfan. Chris Coats, a United States Postal Service employee from Raytown, Mo., has been attending Royals games for most of his life, including 31 of the team's 33 playoff games since 2014. Coats attended the two American League Wild Card games in Baltimore earlier this week and is sticking around on the east coast for the Divisional Series that begins Saturday at Yankee Stadium. The goal is to make it back to Kauffman Stadium for Wednesday's game three in the series."It's going to be about 18 hours after Monday night to try to get back by Wednesday," Coats said in a Friday appearance on 1590 KVGB/95.5 FM's "Sports Day" show. "I think we can manage. We did 16 to Baltimore and we did okay. I've got a home-game streak going of over 1,600 games. I've got to make it."<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2024/10/1728051719002.jpeg" alt="" />
 <figcaption></figcaption>
 </figure>With 81 home games a season, Coats' streak dates back more than 20 seasons. Things picked up around 2009 when Coats began following the Royals to other stadiums. Wearing a promotional Royals flag as a cape, he made the Fox Sports Kansas City broadcast at a game in Houston. The nickname "Superfan Chris" was christened."I was walking back and I found Ryan Lefebvre," Coats said. "We just got to talking. I had driven to Houston and I told him I was driving to Pittsburgh. He said, 'Oh wow, we'll have to get you on TV there, too. That's a heck of a drive.'"Coats became a regular on Royals broadcasts as the team continued to struggle with losing seasons from 2004 to 2012. The Royals finished the 2013 season at 86-76, then made it to Game Seven of the 2014 World Series. Coats was one of several fans that postseason featured on the side of buses in downtown Kansas City.Coats has now been to all 30 Major League Baseball cities but has yet to visit the new Truist Park in Atlanta or LoanDepot Park in Miami. Also a Kansas City Chiefs and Missouri Tigers fan, he frequently attends football games in the fall."I get five weeks off every year but I've been saving a lot of that every year for something like this," Coats said of the MLB playoffs. "I asked for the whole month of October off and they gave it to me. I told them I'd come back as long as the Royals aren't playing. I don't expect to use all the time, but I guess I will if they make it to the World Series."During his streak, Coats has married and had two boys. The youngest son, at just five years old, has attended between 50 and 60 Royals games this year and made the 16-hour trip to Baltimore with his father."I wanted to include him on the ride," Coats said. "I worked Monday, then I packed up the car and we drove. We had about 24 hours to get there. We made it work and what an incredible series to watch."Coats has watched games from the old Yankee Stadium and the new park that is already 15 years old. As discussion in Kansas City turns to a new downtown stadium, Coats said there are plenty of good examples to choose from."A lot of the National League ballparks are pretty good," he said. "Pittsburgh and San Diego, there's just something about the background. Even St. Louis, with the Arch in the background, the downtown atmosphere is pretty cool. I know the Royals are pushing for it and the fans don't like it but it's something else."Kansas City will play games one and two of the American League Divisional Series at Yankee Stadium on Saturday and Monday evenings. Game three moves to Kansas City with a time to be determined.

Kansas City 'Superfan' looking to keep attendance streak alive during playoffs

BALTIMORE (AP) — Bobby Witt Jr. beat out an infield single to drive in the go-ahead run and send the Kansas City Royals into an AL Division Series with a 2-1 victory over the Baltimore Orioles on Wednesday for a two-game sweep of&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/royals-orioles-al-wild-card-b1a51520c564ba2d18ce0c95d6761758">their Wild Card Series</a>.

With two outs and runners at the corners in sixth inning, Witt hit a grounder to the edge of the dirt behind second base, where Jordan Westburg made a diving stop and throw to first. Witt was already there after zooming 90 feet in 4.14 seconds, allowing Kyle Isbel to score from third.

It was the second consecutive game in which the&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/hub/bobby-witt-jr">AL batting champion</a>&nbsp;provided the decisive hit. Witt's RBI single in Tuesday's series opener plated the only run&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/mlb-baseball-playoffs-2024-royals-orioles-088619707dc5aed035f49ee0fbbce578">in a 1-0 victory</a>.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2024/10/1727914133285.png" alt="Kansas City Royals' Bobby Witt Jr. (7) hits a single as home plate umpire Ben May, left, and Baltimore Orioles catcher Adley Rutschman look on during the third inning in Game 2 of an AL Wild Card Series baseball game, Wednesday, Oct. 2, 2024 in Baltimore. (Stephanie Scarbrough/AP)" />
 <figcaption>Kansas City Royals' Bobby Witt Jr. (7) hits a single as home plate umpire Ben May, left, and Baltimore Orioles catcher Adley Rutschman look on during the third inning in Game 2 of an AL Wild Card Series baseball game, Wednesday, Oct. 2, 2024 in Baltimore. (Stephanie Scarbrough/AP)</figcaption>
 </figure>BALTIMORE (AP) — Bobby Witt Jr. beat out an infield single to drive in the go-ahead run and send the Kansas City Royals into an AL Division Series with a 2-1 victory over the Baltimore Orioles on Wednesday for a two-game sweep of&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/royals-orioles-al-wild-card-b1a51520c564ba2d18ce0c95d6761758">their Wild Card Series</a>.<div><blockquote class="twitter-tweet">🗣️ This never gets old! <a href="https://t.co/SiSDUcYYBA">pic.twitter.com/SiSDUcYYBA</a>&mdash; Kansas City Royals (@Royals) <a href="https://twitter.com/Royals/status/1841646441241968641?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">October 3, 2024</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></div>With two outs and runners at the corners in sixth inning, Witt hit a grounder to the edge of the dirt behind second base, where Jordan Westburg made a diving stop and throw to first. Witt was already there after zooming 90 feet in 4.14 seconds, allowing Kyle Isbel to score from third."I just had to try to run," Witt said.It was the second consecutive game in which the&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/hub/bobby-witt-jr">AL batting champion</a>&nbsp;provided the decisive hit. Witt's RBI single in Tuesday's series opener plated the only run&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/mlb-baseball-playoffs-2024-royals-orioles-088619707dc5aed035f49ee0fbbce578">in a 1-0 victory</a>.“You never know when this opportunity ever is going to happen again, so got to make the most of it while you have it,” Witt said. “That’s the fun part of this game. This is why we do it, these situations here.”Kansas City, which endured two seven-game losing streaks over the final month of the season, advanced to face the AL East champion New York Yankees. Game 1 is Saturday in the Bronx.Cedric Mullins homered for the Orioles, who fell to 0-5 during two quick playoff exits the past two years. Baltimore has dropped its last 10 postseason games.The new-look Royals lost 106 games last season but used a&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/97e7e58c4c2257c95fa0bebe10cc7144">30-win improvement</a>&nbsp;to get back to October for the first time since winning the 2015 World Series.Second baseman Michael Massey, who led off the game with a double and scored on a single by Vinnie Pasquantino, said the front office bringing in experienced veterans with playoff experience like Tommy Pham, Yuli Gurriel, Michael Wacha and Will Smith made this possible.“They’ve been there before, they’ve done it, so I think it’s helped a lot of guys,” Massey said. “It’s helped us, for sure me, to be around those guys and just watch them, more than anything, and see how they go about their business, has been — I think that’s helped us stay even keel.”The Royals left 12 runners on base and got through another close game with a razor-thin margin for error thanks to some masterful managing by Matt Quatraro, himself a postseason rookie like Witt, Game 1 winner Cole Ragans and so many others.Quatraro let starter Seth Lugo get an out after loading the bases with nobody out in the fifth before spinning up bullpen roulette, starting with winning pitcher Angel Zerpa, who got KC out of that jam and then got the first out of the sixth. John Schreiber got three more outs, Sam Long two, Kris Bubic three and Lucas Erceg the final three to earn his second save of the series.“It’s so impressive that they believe in themselves and they trust their stuff and they just come after some of the best hitters in the world,” Quatraro said.Cionel Pérez took the loss.The Orioles were swept in their only playoff series for a second consecutive year, going 1 for 13 with runners in scoring position this time and 5 for 32 combined. They face numerous offseason questions, from the future of manager Brandon Hyde to the possibility of losing&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/2c5a9a7c148b2c2d84994ab3fcc705fd">pending free-agent starter Corbin Burnes</a>.“Especially when you lose like this, there’s frustration, there’s anger, there’s disappointment because you felt like there was opportunities there in those couple games to change the score, and it didn’t happen,” Hyde said.TRAINER’S ROOMOrioles: LF Colton Cowser broke his left hand when it was hit by the ball as he struck out swinging in the fifth. He exited after six innings.UP NEXTThe Royals face&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/carlos-rodon-yankees-alds-ed2934c198986eff681314996cc63641">Yankees ace Gerrit Cole</a>&nbsp;in the opener of their ALDS, with any starter but Ragans or Lugo rested and ready to go. Wacha had been in line to start Game 3 against Baltimore.___