Seeing red -- and blue

MANHATTAN -- The Kansas State Wildcats were greeted at the Vanier Football Complex on Saturday morning by a paint job on the front patio.

It seems some Kansas fans had painted both the entry area and some cars in the parking lot in crimson and blue, which only served to fire up the Wildcats.

"We came in here today getting ready for the pregame, and there was paint all over the floor (in front of the building)," said running back Daniel Thomas, who rushed for 185 yards and a touchdown in the Wildcats' 17-10 victory at Snyder Family Stadium. "It was a great motivator for us because coach (Bill) Snyder was mad about it, and he just rallied us and we got fired up."

Linebacker John Houlik, a Kansas native from Wichita, missed the paint but knew something was up.

"I didn't get to see it, but we all wondered why it was wet outside," Houlik said. "It didn't rain last night.

"It wasn't a really classy thing to do, but it fueled us even more to get the win."

Loud and proud

It was a rivalry game with Big 12 North title implications, but still not a sellout, yet it was hard to tell by the sound of the 48,306 fans that did show up Saturday at Snyder Family Stadium.

K-State senior quarterback Grant Gregory, a newcomer to the rivalry after transferring this summer from South Florida, said he didn't need to wait for the crowd's final reaction to know there was something special about the game.

"It didn't surprise me because it had been that way all game," he said. "I knew that when we iced the game they were going to explode.

"The crowd was amazing, and it was awesome to be in front of that atmosphere."

Hillsboro's Wade Weibert, playing in his first game against KU, ranked the feeling of beating the Jayhawks at the top of his list for football moments.

"This is one of my proudest moments as a player," he said. "At Butler (Community College) we won a national championship, but I'd put this above that."

More turnovers

Kansas State got just seven points off three first-half turnovers by KU, but another stopped the Jayhawks deep in Wildcat territory.

The Wildcats, who came in ranked 14th nationally in turnover margin, have 13 takeaways -- seven fumble recoveries, six interceptions -- in the last four games.

"The last three home games we've forced a lot of turnovers, and each game has resulted in our favor," said K-State defensive end Jeffrey Fitzgerald, who stripped KU quarterback Todd Reesing to force one of Reesing's two fumbles. "It has a direct effect on the game, and just being able to get off the field puts our offense in better position."

Houlik recovered one fumble and forced another, which was covered by safety Emmanuel Lamur. Lamur also intercepted Reesing, stalling a Jayhawk drive.

"I thought they did a good job forcing us into some tough positions, and we didn't do a very good job of protecting the football," KU coach Mark Mangino said.

K-State did not turn the ball over.

Worth noting

When Josh Cherry kicked a 47-yard field goal for the game's first three points with 1:12 left in the first half, he extended Kansas State's scoring streak -- the nation's 10th-longest -- to 162 games ... K-State tight end Jeron Mastrud caught three passes for 18 yards, running his receiving streak to 26 games, the longest by a Wildcat tight end since 1990 ... Cherry's 47-yard field goal was a career long ... The crowd of 48,306 was the second-largest this season at Snyder Family Stadium ... Weather conditions for the 11:30 a.m. kickoff were 64 degrees and sunny with a 1 mph wind from the north-northwest.

-- By ARNE GREEN/Salina Journal

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