MANHATTAN, Kansas (Kansas State Athletics) – Helping lead Kansas State to a 41-34 victory at No. 6 Oklahoma on Saturday night, quarterback Adrian Martinez has been named the Big 12 Offensive Player of the Week and safety Kobe Savage has been named the Big 12 Newcomer of the Week, the conference office announced Monday.
It is the first Big 12 weekly honor for both players. Martinez is K-State’s first offensive player of the week since Skylar Thompson earned the nod following the 2020 Oklahoma game, and Savage’s honor marked the third-straight season a Wildcat has been named the newcomer of the week. The Wildcats now have three Big 12 weekly honors this season as Phillip Brooks earned the nod on special teams following the Missouri game.
In addition to his Big 12 weekly honor, Martinez was also named a Manning Award Star of the Week, and fans can vote for the Manning Award Quarterback of the Week via its Facebook page.
Martinez accounted for 382 yards of total offense and five touchdowns, throwing for 234 yards and a touchdown on 21-of-34 aim with no interceptions and rushing for 148 yards and four scores. He set a new career high in rushing touchdowns, while it was the most by a Wildcat since Skylar Thompson’s four against Oklahoma in 2019. Martinez led the Wildcats to 509 yards of offense, their most since the 2019 Bowling Green game (521 yards) and the most in a Big 12 game since the 2014 Texas Tech game (535 yards). Martinez’s 148 rushing yards were the second-most in his career behind the 157 yards he had at Rutgers in 2020 while playing for Nebraska.
A product of Fresno, California, Martinez teamed with running back Deuce Vaughn (116 yards) to give K-State two 100-yard rushers in the same game for the first time since the 2017 Cactus Bowl against UCLA and for the first time in a Big 12 contest since the 2017 Oklahoma game.
Savage, a transfer from Tyler Junior College, led the Wildcats with 11 tackles, the most by a K-State player this season. He helped the K-State defense hold the Sooners to eight points under their points-per-game average and 15 points less than the Sooners scored the previous week at Nebraska.
The duo was part of a host of players that led K-State to its 11th all-time victory against an Associated Press top-10 team, while it was the fifth in a road game. The Wildcats have now defeated a team ranked in the Associated Press Top 25 in four of the last six seasons, including the third time under head coach Chris Klieman. The Wildcats handed Oklahoma just its ninth home loss since 2012 with four of those coming to K-State.
The Wildcats return to Bill Snyder Family Stadium on Saturday to take on Texas Tech in an 11 a.m., contest that will be shown on Big 12 Now on ESPN+. There are less than 1,000 tickets remaining for the contest, and fans can purchase tickets online at www.k-statesports.com/tickets or by phone at 1-800-221-CATS.
