K-State Countdown: Ranking the 10 best individual games in Wildcats history
Editor’s note: In an effort to provide sports content while college athletics are on pause nationwide because of the coronavirus pandemic, beat writer Kellis Robinett will spend some time this summer ranking some of the best and worst games, moments, players and anything else that comes to mind in the history of Kansas State athletics. If you have a suggestion for a future K-State Countdown, let him know by sending an e-mail to krobinett@wichitaeagle.com.
Last week: Ranking the best coaching apparel Bill Snyder ever wore on the sidelines.
What is the best individual game in the history of Kansas State sports?
That’s the type of question that Wildcats fans will debate for hours inside a sports bar whenever the coronavirus pandemic ends.
Until then, here is a look at my top 10:
10. Byron Pringle does it all at Oklahoma State
Skylar Thompson had a heck of a game when Kansas State upset Oklahoma State at Boone Pickens Stadium in 2017. His best receiver made things easy for him. Byron Pringle got open early and often while running routes against the Cowboys’ secondary and caught four passes for 166 yards and three touchdowns. He also returned a kickoff 89 yards for a touchdown. His efforts helped the Wildcats beat a top 10 team on the road 45-40 and proved that he had potential for a NFL future with the Kansas City Chiefs.
9. Michael Beasley’s best double-double
It’s hard to single out Michael Beasley’s best game in a K-State basketball uniform. Was it the time he had 44 points and 13 rebounds against Baylor? Was it the time he had 39 points and 11 rebounds against Kansas? Or was it the time he had 32 points and 24 rebounds against Sacramento State? He may have only played one season for the Wildcats, but he had plenty of memorable games. The time he had 40 points and 17 rebounds against Missouri gets the nod here because he came oh-so-close to the rare double-double of 40 points and 20 rebounds. K-State also won that game going away, 100-63.
8. Four interceptions for Jaime Mendez
K-State fans have seen many dominant efforts from defensive players of the years. Danny Lankas piling up 28 tackles in a 1967 game against Missouri and Chris Johnson finishing with four sacks against Missouri in 2000 come to mind. But Jaime Mendez picking off four passes against Temple in 1992 takes the cake. He is the only K-State player in program history to top three interceptions in a game. No wonder he also owns the record for career interceptions with 15.
7. Tyler Lockett sets all-purpose record vs. Oklahoma
K-State didn’t beat Oklahoma in 2013, but the Wildcats gave the Sooners all they could handle thanks to a memorable game from Tyler Lockett. He proved why he was one of the best receivers in program history by piling up 278 yards and three touchdowns. What truly made his performance special, though, was that he also had 162 yards as a kick returner. By the end of the game, he had shattered K-State’s all-purpose yards record with 440. Second place is 351.
6. Dick Knostman’s 40/20 double-double
How difficult is it for a college basketball player to finish a game with 40 points and 20 rebounds? Well, it’s only been done once in K-State history. Dick Knostman holds that honor. He recorded 42 points and 23 rebounds during a 1953 game against Oklahoma. Bob Boozer (45 points, 16 rebounds vs. Purdue) and Michael Beasley (mentioned above) both came close to the 40/20 double-double. But only Knostman pulled it off.
5. Chad May flirts with 500 yards at Nebraska
The most prolific passing performance in K-State history belongs to Chad May. The gunslinger was at his best during a trip to Nebraska in 1993 when he threw for an astounding 489 yards, which remains a single-game record for the Wildcats today. He completed 30 of 51 passes and threw for a pair of touchdowns. The Cornhuskers were accustomed to steamrolling the Wildcats back then, but K-State made them work for a 45-28 victory that afternoon. Had K-State won that game, May’s big day would rank even higher on this list.
4. Jacob Pullen torches Kansas
When you use the term “Valentine’s Day Massacre” in Lawrence or Manhattan, some will think of the time Jacob Pullen scored 38 points and led the Wildcats to an 84-68 victory on Valentine’s Day back in 2011.
Kansas entered that game as the nation’s top-ranked team, and it seemed like K-State’s season was going nowhere. But the Wildcats pulled off the upset thanks to a special game from Pullen. He scored 38 points on 17 shots and could have had more of each if not for the Wildcats letting up with a big lead in the final minutes.
Still, few players have scored more points against a No. 1 ranked team. And that victory sparked a six-game winning streak for the Wildcats that propelled them to a No. 5 seed in the NCAA Tournament.
3. Collin Klein dominates West Virginia
Kansas State’s first trip to West Virginia for a Big 12 football game in 2012 was one of the most satisfying blowout victories in school history. The Wildcats won huge 55-14 and announced to anyone watching that they were poised for big things that season.
Collin Klein was the main reason why they won so easily. The former K-State quarterback was unstoppable that night, completing 19 of 21 passes for 323 yards and three touchdowns. If that weren’t enough, he also ran for 41 yards and four touchdowns.
Seven touchdowns. Two incomplete passes. That’s a good day at the office for any quarterback.
2. Darren Sproles runs wild vs. Oklahoma
One of the biggest victories in K-State football history occurred in large part because Darren Sproles delivered one of the best single-game performances in K-State football history against Oklahoma at the 2003 Big 12 Championship Game.
Sproles did everything that night. He rushed for 235 yards, caught three passes for 88 yards and returned one kickoff for 23 yards.
At the time, he set the K-State record for all-purpose yards, with 345. Though it has since been broken three times, including once by Sproles himself, the level of difficulty in that performance can’t be ignored. The Sooners were undefeated and ranked No. 1 heading into that game, but Sproles ran through them like a they were a directional school.
1. Askia Jones drops 62 on Fresno State
If you’re a fan of records that are unlikely to ever be broken, you might want to take some time and watch the show Askia Jones put on for K-State fans against Fresno State back in 1994. Everything about his stat line from that game is jaw-dropping. For starters, he scored a school record 62 points. Good luck topping that. His career performance remains 15 points clear of the second highest-scoring game in program history.
And he did in on just 25 shots in 28 minutes of action. That means he averaged 2.2 points per minute and 2.5 points per attempt. Amazingly, he got off to a bit of slow start and didn’t score during the first five minutes of the game, but he finished with 17 points at halftime and then erupted for 45(!) after the break. To say Jones was scorching hot that night might be an understatement. He made 18 of 25 shots from the field, drained 14 three-pointers (another school record) and got to the free-throw line 16 times.
Once the home crowd realized it was witnessing history, fans began cheering every made basket like a game-winner.
It’s just too bad it happened in the NIT instead of the NCAA Tournament. Regardless, it was a game for the ages. Jones led K-State to a 115-77 victory.
This story was originally published July 28, 2020 at 5:00 AM with the headline "K-State Countdown: Ranking the 10 best individual games in Wildcats history."