DALLAS (FWAA) – Guard Cooper Beebe has been a versatile and powerful presence along the Kansas State offensive line. The senior led the Wildcats to an offensive showcase with 587 total yards – a program record for a conference game – in a 41-3 home win over TCU. For his efforts in the eye-catching win, Beebe earned the Outland Trophy National Player of the Week honor for games during the weekend of Oct. 21, as selected by the Football Writers Association of America.
For the first time, the FWAA is selecting an Outland Trophy National Player of the Week as part of the NCFAA's weekly national honors from 12 awards. The recipient of the 2023 Outland Trophy will be announced on The Home Depot College Football Awards, live on ESPN on Dec. 8 from 7-9 p.m. (Eastern Time). The official presentation to the winner will be made at the Outland Trophy Awards Dinner sponsored by Werner Enterprises and produced by the Greater Omaha Sports Committee in Omaha, Neb., on Jan. 10, 2024.
Players may be added or removed from the watch list during the season. Beebe was a member of the preseason watch list. Other weekly winners will be part of the Outland Trophy watch list going forward.
Beebe, 6-4, 335-pound senior guard from Kansas City, Kan., has started 39 consecutive times and 42 overall for Kansas State (5-2). He’s a versatile force on the line with starts at guard in each of the Wildcats’ seven games this season but has also played 106 snaps at right tackle and 20 snaps at left tackle. Beebe has not surrendered a sack in his last 1,041 pass blocking plays dating back 36 games to the 2020 Iowa State contest, according to Pro Football Focus.
The details of Beebe’s play along with the rest of the line are exhibited in Kansas State’s offensive surge this season. The Wildcats’ 587 total yards against TCU were the sixth-most in school history. They rushed for 343 yards, a season-high total, and are averaging. 5.62 yards per rush attempt, tied for the eighth-best mark among FBS schools. K-State had 406 total yards at halftime, marking the first time it went over 400 yards in a half since at least 1999.
The Wildcats are third in the nation in rushing offense at 232.7 yards per game. Their 20 rushing touchdowns lead the Big 12 Conference and they have rushed for 200 or more yards in four straight games, the first time they’ve done that since 2016. K-State has 59 rushes this season that have gone for 10 or more yards, including a season-high 16 against TCU.
Beebe was the 2022 Big 12 Offensive Lineman of the Year and a consensus First Team all-conference selection for a second consecutive season.
Kansas State does not have an Outland Trophy winner or semifinalist in its past. In fact, the only Kansas State offensive lineman to earn FWAA All-America status was Dalton Risner, a second-team member in 2018.
The Wildcats host Houston at Noon ET Saturday on ESPN2.
The Outland Trophy, celebrating 78 years since its founding, is the third-oldest major college football award. Created in 1946 when Dr. John Outland presented the FWAA with a financial contribution to initiate the award, the Outland Trophy has been given to the best interior lineman in college football ever since. Dr. Outland, an All-American at the University of Pennsylvania in the late 1890s, eventually took up practice in Kansas City, Mo. An avid outdoorsman, Dr. Outland believed linemen did not get the credit they deserved and wanted an award to recognize them.
The Outland Trophy is a member of the National College Football Awards Association. Founded in 1997, the NCFAA includes college football’s most prestigious awards and its 24 awards have honored more than 900 recipients dating back to 1935. This season, 12 NCFAA awards will honor national players of the week each Tuesday. For more information about the NCFAA and its award programs, visit the redesigned NCFAA.org or follow on Twitter at @NCFAA.
Werner Enterprises, Inc. delivers superior truckload transportation and logistics services to customers across the United States, Mexico and Canada. With 2022 revenues of $3.3 billion, an industry-leading modern truck and trailer fleet, more than 14,000 talented associates and our innovative Werner EDGE technology, we are an essential solutions provider for customers who value the integrity of their supply chain and require safe and exceptional on time service. Werner provides Dedicated and One-Way Truckload services as well as Logistics services that include 1truckload brokerage, freight management, intermodal and final mile. As an industry leader, Werner is deeply committed to promoting sustainability and supporting diversity, equity and inclusion. Werner Enterprises common stock trades on the NASDAQ Global Select Market under the symbol "WERN." For further information about Werner, visit the company’s website at werner.com.
The Greater Omaha Sports Committee, founded in 1977, is a 501(c)3 non-profit organization, consisting of more than 1,300 men and women from the City of Omaha, the State of Nebraska, and others. The Committee serves to communicate, develop, initiate and promote sports activities in the Greater Omaha sports area. In addition to the Outland Trophy Award Events and Dinner, the Greater Omaha Sports Committee promotes high school, college, and professional sports in the Greater Omaha area and the Midwest. For more information contact Bob Mancuso Jr., Chairman at bmancuso@showofficeonline.com or see showofficeonline.com.
Founded in 1941, the Football Writers Association of America consists of 1,300 men and women who cover college football. The membership includes journalists, broadcasters and publicists, as well as key executives in all the areas that involve the game. The FWAA works to govern areas that include game-day operations, major awards and its annual All-America team. For more information about the FWAA and its award programs, contact Steve Richardson at tiger@fwaa.com.