It’s hard to believe, but Kansas State is one of the nation’s 10 remaining undefeated teams entering Saturday’s action. There’s a good chance the Wildcats will move to 7-0 after playing rival Kansas.
Why? Well, K-State mastermind Bill Snyder is 15-4 all-time against KU and he’s won 14 of the last 15 meetings.
I like those odds.
So does Andrew Lawson, who is better known as the BracketCat on the K-State website Bring On The Cats. I would encourage you to follow Andrew and his other bandmates at the site on Twitter at @BringOnTheCats.
Now let’s see what insight Andrew can offer us on another round of “Five Burning Questions.”
1. While Clemson has received a lot of attention as being one of the best (and most surprising) stories of the 2011 season, I’d argue that what Kansas State is doing is even more impressive. Should we have seen this coming or is this a shock to even the most ardent K-State fan?
I doubt even the most heady K-State fan thought we still would be undefeated this late into October. Back in August, I was one of the more optimistic fans among those making public predictions on the Internet, and even I had the Cats pegged for around an 8-4 season at best, plus or minus a game. But I was fully expecting a loss at Miami and was fairly worried about a trip to Lubbock, which has been a house of horrors for us every time we’ve played down there. Most thought 7-5 was the team’s ceiling and 6-6 was in play.
2. The comeback wins and winning four straight as an underdog is fun and exciting, but it won’t mean much if the Wildcats were to slip up against Kansas this week. Help us understand the rivalry between Kansas and Kansas State?
I can’t speak for the KU side because I just don’t understand those people, but K-Staters generally dislike all things KU. K-State is a more complex university and fan base than the agricultural stereotypes assigned to it by our “brethren” to the east, so K-Staters understandably bristle when subjected to the arrogance, myopia, general disinterest in any sport that isn’t men’s basketball, condescension, ignorance, disdain and elitism displayed by your average KU fan — most of whom seemingly never actually attended or graduated from the university itself, having simply bought a T-shirt off the rack at Walmart because they like to root for a perennial winner in March. With a win Saturday, K-State will be 15-1 versus KU in major sports since 2009. We’re pretty darn proud of that fact.
3. When you look at a stat sheet for Kansas State, the name that jumps off the page is quarterback Collin Klein. Tell us a little about what makes him special, but also give us another player on the roster that we should learn more about and why?
We were calling Collin Klein the “Honey Badger” weeks before LSU fans stole the moniker for Tyrann Mathieu. The meme was born after his gutsy performance at Miami, which ended with him covered in mud, blood and glory. Simply put, he’s a winner. He’s a big, physical kid who takes countless hits, but always seems to net positive yardage. His speed is underrated. He always makes the right decision when running K-State’s complex system of audibles and zone reads. His throwing motion is one that only a mother could love, yet he always seems to make plays in the passing game when K-State needs them most. He’s a reluctant, but effective and inspirational, leader. He is a devout Christian who was home-schooled, never curses, doesn’t drink and plays at least three musical instruments, including the mandolin. What’s not to love?
As for who else to pay attention to, there are numerous candidates on the defense, including defensive tackles Ray Kibble and Vai Lutui, defensive ends Adam Davis and Meshak Williams, linebackers Arthur Brown and Tre Walker, and defensive backs David Garrett, Tysyn Hartman and Nigel Malone, each of whom has contributed significantly to a massive improvement on that side of the ball. But in the interests of “What have you done for me lately?” I’ll highlight a breakout performer from the Texas Tech game. With a 100-yard kickoff return for a touchdown in the second quarter, true freshman wide receiver Tyler Lockett single-handedly kept K-State in the game while the offense was struggling and awoke echoes of his famous uncle’s return abilities. Similarly, his first career receiving touchdown came at a key point in the Miami game and gave us hope that he can become as good a receiver as his father, Kevin, who holds most of K-State’s career receiving records. Lockett appears to be a budding star on an offense that could use a little more juice.
4. When you look at the rest of the K-State schedule, it’s easy for an outsider like myself to say the Wildcats might lose four of their final six games. How do you envision the second-half of the season going (please, no coach speak), and what is considered successful?
Before the season, I would have said getting back to a bowl. Now, I’m setting my sights a little higher. I’m under no delusions that the Cats will finish the season unbeaten, but they’ll pretty much have to in order to have any chance at winning a conference title. I suspect that honor will go instead to one of the Oklahoma teams, both of which appear pretty strong favorites to beat K-State. But the Cats ought to be able to at least split games against Texas and Texas A&M, teams that Snyder has whipped since his return in 2009, and take care of business against KU and Iowa State. 9-3 should be the goal, with a possible chance at 10-2. That could be good enough for our first Cotton Bowl appearance in 11 years if OU and OSU hold up their end of the BCS bargain.
5. Is Bill Snyder bigger than The Beatles and Elvis in Manhattan, Kan.?
Yes. The man is a rock star. He has a stadium and a highway named after him, for crying out loud. And just when you think his legend can’t possibly grow any more larger than life, he goes and pulls a season like this out of his bag of tricks. I don’t know where this ride will end, but it’s going to be pretty fun from now until then, I suspect. K-State returns a ton of players in 2012, so stay tuned…
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