MANHATTAN, Kan. – For the second time this week, Kansas State junior defensive end Felix Anudike-Uzomah has landed on a semifinalist list for a major college football award as he is one of 12 players nationally and the lone representative from the Big 12 to make the cut for the 49th Rotary Lombardi Award, the award’s committee announced Wednesday.
Anudike-Uzomah, who was also named a semifinalist for the Bednarik Award, is the first Wildcat to move past preseason candidacy for the Rotary Lombardi Award since defensive tackle Tim Colston was a semifinalist in 1995.
Entering play this week ranked second in the nation with 7.5 sacks, Anudike-Uzomah also leads K-State with 9.0 tackles for loss as 32.1% of his 28 tackles this year have been for lost yardage. He had a three-sack game against Texas Tech, which tied for the fourth most sacks in a game in school history, while he became the second Wildcat ever to tally three games with three or more sacks (Nyle Wiren, 1994-96).
Anudike-Uzomah, a product of Kansas City, Missouri, has at least a half TFL in seven of K-State’s eight games this year and at least a half sack in six contests. He now has 19.5 career sacks to rank 10th in K-State history. He also has a pair of forced fumbles this season to give him eight in his career, which is tied for fourth in school history and one shy of tying the school record.
Further balloting for the Rotary Lombardi Award will take place November 4 through November 14, and the Final Four will be announced on November 17. Those four individuals will be invited to attend the gala award presentation in Houston on December 7 when the winner of the 49th Rotary Lombardi Award will be announced live.
Kansas State, ranked 13th in the first addition of the College Football Playoff rankings, hosts No. 24 Texas on Saturday inside Bill Snyder Family Stadium in a 6 p.m., contest that will be televised by FS1. Standing-room only tickets remain for the game against the Longhorns and the Wildcats’ final home game on November 26 against Kansas. Those can be purchased online at www.k-statesports.com/tickets or by phone at 1-800-221-CATS.
