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football Edit

Players of the game: Wildcats open with victory

Deuce Vaughn
Deuce Vaughn

OFFENSIVE MVP: Deuce Vaughn

Deuce Vaughn didn't surprise anyone with his performance against Stanford, but it was impressive nonetheless.

His most impressive scamper and where he accumulated most of his yards was on a draw on third and long in the second quarter to give Kansas State an insurance score and the 14-0 lead.

He handled a large potion of his success on the ground, taking zone-read handoffs most of the game and finding space to keep the chains moving when they needed it.

Vaughn's speed and elusiveness in space is still a threat for defenses. The Wildcats know who their best player on that side of the ball is, and they made sure to feed him when the time was right.

One probably could make the case he could have touched the ball even more, but they won the game and Deuce went for over 100 scrimmage yards. There's not a lot to complain about, and less touches could help his longevity.

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DEFENSIVE MVP: Daniel Green

Two interceptions took place and one was an impressive play by Russ Yeast. He sat on an intermediate route when K-State guessed right that the Cardinal were trying to secure a chunk of yards to give themselves a more manageable third down.

Another one dropped right into TJ Smith's hands where he was at the right spot at the right time to receive an overthrow. Both were results of poor quarterback play for Stanford, and that persisted throughout the day.

The defense can go to the next level if Daniel Green shines, and he did on Saturday. He was all over the field. He held down the second level and kept his eyes on the quarterback, while tracking his man well in coverage.

Green made timely tackles when they needed it the most, flew to the ball and was physical even when Stanford tried to load up on the line of scrimmage.

It should be said that he had some help from Cody Fletcher. They both led the team in tackles, and Fletcher contributed a sack on a perfectly-timed blitz call by defensive coordinator Joe Klanderman.

Sadly, Green was flagged for a targeting penalty in the fourth quarter, and it means he'll miss the first half next week versus Southern Illinois.

Ekow Boye-Doe and Daniel Green making a stop
Ekow Boye-Doe and Daniel Green making a stop

SPECIAL TEAMS MVP: Taiten Winkel

Not a lot went well on special teams, but it didn't go bad, either. In his first start, kicker Taiten Winkel drilled all four of his kicks that included three extra points and a 40-yard field goal.

Phillip Brooks had one long return that was called back due to a holding penalty.

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