Winners and losers: Kansas State boosted by in-state players

KSO covers the biggest winners and losers in the world of Kansas State and college athletics

Winners

1.) Howard: Was there any doubt who the No. 1 winner would be this week? Kansas State quarterback Will Howard threw three touchdown passes in the thrashing of Baylor. It brought him to 45 for his career, passing Josh Freeman for the K-State record. Next up for Howard could be the single-season touchdown passing record of 24. The senior is just three shy from tying the record.
2.) Sunflower State products: How about the game Kansans had against the Bears? Cody Stufflebean had two sacks and a forced fumble, Desmond Purnell was the leading tackler for Kansas State and had a scoop-and-score, Keenan Garber had a pick six for his first career touchdown, DJ Giddens had over 130 scrimmage yards and Avery Johnson threw a touchdown pass. It was a banner day for those from the Sunflower State.
3.) Senior Bowl invites: Cooper Beebe and Ben Sinnott were both invited to the Senior Bowl in Mobile, Alabama. The Senior Bowl is the most prominent showcase ahead of the NFL Draft. Last season we saw K-State cornerback Julius Brents explode in the draft process because of his work at the event.
4.) Volleycats: The Kansas State volleyball team continues to have a tremendous home court advantage. K-State has swept BYU twice and Texas once in the last three conference matches at home. Jason Mansfield has been impressive in year one in Manhattan.
5.) Dai Dai: True freshman Dai Dai Ames popped off in his first game at Bramlage Coliseum. The Chicago native had 12 points and six assists in the win over Bellarmine.

Losers

1.) Special teams: If there was one glaring issue for K-State against Baylor, it was special teams. The Bears had two big returns, got an onside kick and should have had a successful fake field goal.
2.) Oklahoma State: I was pretty vocal in thinking Oklahoma State was going to lose to UCF. However, I never in a million years would have thought the Knights would win by 42 points. Ollie Gordon getting injured could be a big deal in the Big 12 title race.
3.) Houston: Is there a more confusing team in the Big 12 than Houston? After beating Baylor, the Cougars turned around with a dud against a terrible Cincinnati team.
4.) Washington State: Remember when Washington State started 4-0? Well, it is six weeks later and the Cougars are 4-6. Last season Washington State started 4-1 and limped to a 7-6 finish as well. Don’t forget Kansas State also hosted Cougar commit Trae Davis on an official visit this weekend, too.
5.) WVU: It may be a rough year for West Virginia hoops. The Mountaineers only have eight scholarship players currently and have not played well in their first two games. Friday night West Virginia lost to Monmouth who was picked to finish 11th in the CAA this season.