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Kansas State’s Defensive Coordinator Offers Praise for Arizona Star

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Kansas State’s Defensive Coordinator Offers Praise for Arizona Star


Two of the top-20 teams in the country will battle it out on Friday night as the Kansas State Wildcats host the Arizona Wildcats.

Both teams enter this contest at 2-0, and while this isn’t a conference game due to the programs agreeing to this matchup before Arizona joined the Big 12, it should have major College Football Playoff implications.

If Arizona were to win this game, their resume would drastically improve.

Winning the Big 12 championship is the focus because the victor gets an automatic bid to the CFP, but due to how tough that is, they need to build their resume in regular-season games as well.

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Similar to Arizona, Kansas State hasn’t exactly been dominant.

They beat UT Martin 41-6 and snuck out a win against a good Tulane team on the road.

However, their game against the Green Wave saw them trailing for much of it, and a few questionable calls helped Kansas State escape with the much needed win.

Looking at that game, there’s reason for optimism as Arizona heads into the contest.

Tulane’s quarterback Darian Mensah threw for 342 yards on just 19 completions. He also added two touchdowns to his state line.

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With Noah Fifita under center and an explosive wide receiver in Tetairoa McMillan, Arizona should be able to get going offensively if last week is any indication on the state Kansas State’s defense.

They gave up multiple big plays, and K-State’s defensive coordinator, Joe Klanderman, addressed that potential issue.

“I think the big thing for us is you can’t give up explosive plays,” he said according to Heather Dinich of ESPN. “We gave up a ridiculous amount of yards, and 80% of those yards – I think more than that, actually – came off of 10 explosive plays.”

When asked about McMillan, he has some high praise.

“He’s different, he’s special,” Klanderman said. “His catch radius is as good as I’ve ever seen.”

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Klanderman told reporters that he wants to make Arizona’s offense “one-dimensional,” highlighting the need to keep them from having big plays.

Their focus will be on Arizona beating them on the ground.

If they execute that game plan, Arizona could be in for a long night. This team is at its best when they make explosive plays in the passing game.

However, with the McMillan and Fifita duo, it’s almost impossible to slow them down that much. Perhaps McMillan won’t have a 300-yard game, but he could still put up 150-plus yards and multiple touchdowns, no matter the defense he faces.

It’s a big week for the future first-round pick, as impressing against a top-20 opponent would not only raise his draft stock, but it would also help his current program in their goal of winning a national championship.

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Kansas

Search for missing Reno County man ends, Silver Alert still in effect

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Search for missing Reno County man ends, Silver Alert still in effect


WICHITA, Kan. (KWCH) – After three full days of searching on land and in area waters, the search for 80-year-old Gary Foster has been put on hold.

The Reno County Sheriff’s Office said Foster’s family decided to postpone the search until after the holidays, when efforts will resume as a recovery mission.

Over the last 72 hours, crews launched a large-scale effort involving over 200 people combing a five-mile radius around where he was last seen. The Kansas Highway Patrol searched the area via aircraft, and Saline County provided a water rescue team and sonar to scan nearby ponds.

The Silver Alert for Foster remains in effect.

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Kansas man charged after leading an Osceola, Mo. police officer on a high-speed chase on Highway 13

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Kansas man charged after leading an Osceola, Mo. police officer on a high-speed chase on Highway 13


ST. CLAIR COUNTY, Mo. (KY3) – A Kansas City, Kansas man has been charged after leading Osceola police in a high-speed pursuit while under the influence.

According to court documents, 43-year-old Marvin Ruiz is charged with DWI and resisting arrest.

Court documents show that on December 21, around 5:30 p.m., an Osceola police officer noticed a Jeep driving south on Highway 13 at 110 miles per hour in a 65-mph zone. The officer then pulled out of the median and saw the Jeep go through it and start driving north on Highway 13.

The officer started chasing the suspect, at one point reaching speeds nearing 121 mph. He was then able to stop the car as it tried to turn back around and go south. The officer got out of his patrol car and drew his gun as he approached the Jeep.

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According to court documents, the officer saw Ruiz behind the wheel and noticed his eyes were bloodshot and in a daze.

Moments later, Ruiz put the Jeep in reverse, almost causing several accidents before driving south in the northbound lanes. The officer followed Ruiz going about 70 mph and noticed Ruiz nearly hit other cars head-on.

The officer tried a PIT maneuver in the median to stop Ruiz, but it did not work. Ruiz then went south in the southbound lanes, and the chase speed reached near 110 mph. The officer says Ruiz then slammed on his brakes, causing him to hit the Jeep and spin out. The chase continued through the Lowry City city limits before Ruiz lost control and wrecked near a curve.

According to the officer, he got out of his patrol car and was able to arrest Ruiz. The officer tested Ruiz for alcohol, and his BAC came back to be 0.169.

According to the Osceola Police Department, the officer involved in the chase was Officer French and his K9 Officer Beck.

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The St. Clair County Sheriff’s Office and Missouri State Highway Patrol worked the crash since Ruiz hit the officer’s patrol car.

Ruiz appeared in court on December 23 and entered a not-guilty plea for the incident. He is being held in the St. Clair County Jail without bond. He is set to appear in court again on January 8, 2025.

To report a correction or typo, please email digitalnews@ky3.com. Please include the article info in the subject line of the email.



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Steelers Get No Favors Before Chiefs Matchup

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Steelers Get No Favors Before Chiefs Matchup


PITTSBURGH — The Pittsburgh Steelers host the Kansas City Chiefs in Week 17, in a game they hoped carried a different meaning. Heading into their three-games in 11 days stretch, the black and gold had an opportunity to compete for the top seed in the AFC and claim the AFC North crown.

Now, things aren’t different. They’re fighting to remain the division crown, and will need to beat the Chiefs to keep themselves at the top of the race instead of banking on help from the Baltimore Ravens.

The Buffalo Bills didn’t make that challenge any easier. After going down early in Week 16 against the New England Patriots, it looked as if the Bills were going to give Kansas City and early Christmas present. A loss and the Chiefs claimed home-field advantage in the AFC, which would’ve taken a lot of pressure off them to play injured players like Patrick Mahomes and Chris Jones.

Instead, Buffalo climbed their way back and won, keeping the AFC race alive. And heading into Week 17 against the Steelers, it gave Kansas City every ounce of motivation to keep their winning ways alive and beat the Steelers.

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The Steelers are 2.5-point underdogs against the Chiefs heading into Week 17. They’ll be looking to get names like George Pickens and DeShon Elliott back on the field, while monitoring a list of Chiefs injuries that includes Jones and offensive tackle D.J. Humphries.

Nothing will come easy this Christmas for Pittsburgh, and thanks to the Bills, their hopes of Carson Wentz and some backups starting at Acrisure Stadium won’t happen. It’ll be good on good for those tuning in for the holiday showdown.

Make sure to bookmark Steelers On SI to get all your daily Pittsburgh Steelers news, interviews, breakdowns and more!



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