MANHATTAN, Kan. – Thanks to a 4-for-4 effort last week in Kansas State’s 21-6 victory over Texas Tech, sophomore place kicker Blake Lynch has been named the Big 12 Special Teams Player of the Week, the conference office announced Monday.
It is Lynch’s first-career weekly conference honor, while the Wildcats now have four player-of-the-week accolades this season. Isaiah Zuber was the special teams player of the week following the South Dakota game, while Alex Barnes (offensive) and Duke Shelley (defensive) were honored following the Oklahoma State win.
Lynch tied his career high and tied for second in school history with his four field goals against the Red Raiders, which came from distances of 20, 34, 41 and 22 yards. He is the third player in school history to make at least four field goals in a game twice in a season, joining Jamie Rheem (vs. Texas and Utah State in 1999) and Martin Gramatica (vs. Texas A&M and Kansas in 1998).
This season, the Goddard, Kansas, product is 13-of-15 on field-goal attempts, including a perfect 13-for-13 mark from under 50 yards. His current 86.7-percent mark ranks third in school history for a season, while he is four field goals shy of entering K-State’s top-10 list for field goals made in a season.
Kansas State travels to Ames, Iowa, on Saturday to take on Iowa State inside Jack Trice Stadium. The Wildcats, who are in search of their all-important sixth win of the season to extend their bowl streak to nine-straight seasons, and Cyclones kick off at 6 p.m., and the game will be shown nationally on FS1.