MANHATTAN, Kansas – Kansas State junior defensive end Felix Anudike-Uzomah landed on his second watch list in as many weeks, as the Maxwell Football Club put out the Chuck Bednarik Award watch list on Monday.
Anudike-Uzomah was also on the Bronko Nagurski Trophy watch list, which was announced last Tuesday. The Bednarik Award has been presented to the College Defensive Player of the Year since 1994. It is the 24th time a Wildcat is a candidate for the award, with 17 of those coming since 2011.
A native of Kansas City, Missouri, Anudike-Uzomah earned All-America honors last season in addition to being the Big 12 Defensive Lineman of the Year and a First Team All-Big 12 performer. He tied for the national lead in forced fumbles per game (0.46), ranked 11th nationally in sacks per game (0.85), and his 11.0 total sacks tied for fifth in school history. Additionally, he totaled six forced fumbles to tie the school record.
Anudike-Uzomah posted a career-high eight tackles against TCU, four of those being sacks en route to Walter Camp National Defensive Player of the Week, Bednarik Award Player of the Week, Bronko Nagurski Trophy Player of the Week and Big 12 Defensive Player of the Week accolades. One of his biggest plays of the year came at Texas Tech when tallied a safety to pull the Wildcats to within 24-12, giving K-State life in a game in which it came back to win, 25-24, and vaulted the Wildcats into a four-game winning streak.
Anudike-Uzomah enters the 2022 season ranked second nationally in forced fumbles per game (0.33) and third in sacks per game (0.67). He is also just three forced fumbles shy of tying the school’s career record, and he is 6.5 sacks away from entering K-State’s career top-10 list.
With the two watch list accolades from Anudike-Uzomah, K-State is now up to 10 in the 2022 preseason. Others to earn nods are running back Deuce Vaughn (Maxwell Award, Walter Camp Award, Doak Walker Award), cornerback Julius Brents (Jim Thorpe Award), offensive lineman Cooper Beebe (Outland Trophy), punter Ty Zentner (Ray Guy Award) and quarterback Will Howard (AFCA Good Works Team, Wuerffel Trophy).
Kansas State opens the 2022 campaign on Sept. 3, when the Wildcats take on South Dakota in a 6 p.m., contest inside Bill Snyder Family Stadium. K-State remains at home for non-conference tilts against Missouri on Sept. 10 and Tulane on Sept. 17.
K-State Athletics announced last week that the only remaining single-game tickets for the matchup against Missouri are scattered single seats or standing room only ticket. However, fans can still get reserved seats together for all seven home games – including the Missouri game – by purchasing a full season ticket package or a flex season pass. Fans can purchase tickets online at www.kstatesports.com/tickets or by phone at 1-800-221-CATS.
