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Weekly awards roll in for KU, K-State after big wins

LAWRENCE, Kan. — Two big wins from the state of Kansas’ top FBS programs have the awards rolling in for their top players.

In Lawrence, the Kansas Jayhawks are off to their best start in years, and it’s led by head coach Lance Leipold and quarterback Jalon Daniels.

The junior from Lawndale, California picked up awards for a third straight week being named an Allstate Sugar Bowl Manning Award Star of the Week and to the Davey O’Brien Great 8 List.

Daniels logged five touchdowns and 407 yards of offense in Kansas’ 35-27 win over Duke on Saturday. Daniels also completed 19-of-23 passes for 324 yards and four touchdowns, while picking up 83 yards and one score on the ground on 11 carries.

Through four games this season, Daniels has completed 66-of-93 passing attempts for 890 yards and 11 touchdowns, while leading the team in rushing with 320 yards and four touchdowns on 38 attempts. Over the last three games, Daniels has thrown 10 touchdowns and zero interceptions.

In Manhattan, head coach Chris Klieman and senior quarterback Adrian Martinez have the Kansas State Wildcats back in the Associated Press Top 25.

K-State bounced back from a loss to Tulane by upsetting sixth-ranked Oklahoma 41-34 in Norman.

Martinez has been named the Big 12 Offensive Player of the Week for his spectacular performance and safety Kobe Savage has been named the Big 12 Newcomer of the Week.

Martinez is K-State’s first offensive player of the week since Skylar Thompson earned the nod following the 2020 Oklahoma game, and Savage’s honor marked the third-straight season a Wildcat has been named the newcomer of the week.

Martinez also joined Daniels as a Manning Award Star of the Week.

Martinez accounted for 382 yards of total offense and five touchdowns, throwing for 234 yards and a touchdown on 21-of-34 aim with no interceptions and rushing for 148 yards and four scores.

He set a new career high in rushing touchdowns, while it was the most by a Wildcat since Skylar Thompson’s four against Oklahoma in 2019.

Martinez led the Wildcats to 509 yards of offense, their most since the 2019 Bowling Green game (521 yards) and the most in a Big 12 game since the 2014 Texas Tech game (535 yards). Martinez’s 148 rushing yards were the second-most in his career behind the 157 yards he had at Rutgers in 2020 while playing for Nebraska.

Savage, a transfer from Tyler Junior College, led the Wildcats with 11 tackles, the most by a K-State player this season. He helped the K-State defense hold the Sooners to eight points under their points-per-game average and 15 points less than the Sooners scored the previous week at Nebraska.

Kansas State is 2-1 against Oklahoma under Klieman.

Both teams will look to keep up their winning ways as 4-0 Kansas hosts Iowa State and 3-1 K-State hosts Texas Tech.