Backed by a combined 181 yards in returns last week against Central Arkansas, which featured a 62-yard punt return touchdown, Kansas State junior D.J. Reed was named the Big 12 Special Teams Player of the Week, according to a release from K-State Athletics.
It was Reed’s second career player of the week honor but the first of the special teams variety as he was the Big 12 Newcomer of the Week following last year’s Texas Tech victory. K-State now has 44 player of the week accolades since 2011, the second most in the Big 12, while 24 have been special teams honors.
Reed took the opening kickoff 96 yards to the Bear 4-yard line to set up K-State’s first touchdown of the season, which bettered his previous long kickoff return of 76 yards last season at Baylor.
It was just the first of two long returns as Reed took a second-quarter punt 62 yards for a touchdown to give the Wildcats a 31-16 advantage. The score came on the first punt-return attempt of his career as he became the first Wildcat to take their first-career punt return for a touchdown since Thomas Randolph against New Mexico State in 1993.
The next Central Arkansas possession, Reed carded his fourth-career interception to set up another Wildcat touchdown as the Wildcats took a 22-point lead into the locker room en route to a 55-19 victory. With the pick, Reed became the first Wildcat to have an interception and a punt-return touchdown (non-blocked) in the same game since Terence Newman against Missouri in 2002.
