Kansas State Proves their Worth – Set up Game this Week with Texas Tech?
By Tony George
Again Bill Snyder continues to make me look like an idiot in the capping arena after Saturdays total destruction of a highly touted West Virginia team in Morgantown. Yeah I laid the 2.5 points and the only time I was winning that wager was in the pregame warm-ups! The Wildcats basically put a clown suit on QB Geno Smith and methodically and play by play beat the Mountaineers into total submission. Kansas State made a statement in this game, and nothing flashy about it. QB Collin Klein mounted himself as the leader in the Heisman race with 7 TDs passing or running and strutted his stuff in front of a national TV Audience. This was not even a game, but a total behind the woodshed butt kicking of epic proportions. Last year Bill Synder won coach of the year in the NCAA, and he may do a back to back effort in that regard. The Wildcats also leap frogged Oregon in the BCS rankings to #3 in the nation.
What is it about Kansas State that baffles me? Was it the no name defense or was is Collin Klein’s inability to pass the ball? Both these were issues at the beginning of the season that had me thinking they were a 4 loss team. The 2 games that concerned me early in the season were Oklahoma and West Virginia, both on the road. Well, the Wildcats not only won those games, but dominated them with disciplined and physical, no nonsense type football. No one in college football wants any part of K State right now, and the Texas Tech Red Raiders fresh off a big 3 OT win at so/so TCU get them this weekend in the Little Apple and are over a TD underdog.
The stats do not blow you out of the water but they are solid for K State. The rank 24th on defense in the NCAA in total yards allowed, and 11th against the run. Their offense led by all world Collin Klein is 10th in points scored and 14th in rushing in the nation, and the passing number are just ok. Solid numbers but nothing jumps off the board at you. They are resourceful and extremely disciplined and do everything very well and never step out of their comfort zone.
Just like Nebraska back in the 90’s, you know exactly what they are going to do, it is up to you to stop them, period. Speaking of that, what Bill Snyder has done, and how he has done it reminds me a lot of Tom Osborne at Nebraska back in the day in little Lincoln Nebraska, and no doubt is in rare air with the best coaches in CFB history, as you may all recall Kansas State was not on the map in football ever until this guy showed up. Manhattan Kansas is in the middle of nowhere, and yet he gets solid players, a few superstars from time to time, but on the average gets the most out of what he has with fundamental football than any other coach in recent memory. This team in far better than the one he had years back that played for a Big 12 title with Mike Bishop at QB and have a resume to back it year to date.
Kansas State is a national title contender but you would never know it listening to coach Snyder or any of the players. They are going about their business and have a brutal schedule remaining. They take it one day at a time and just flat out beat your butt with hustle, hard work, mistake free football. Tommy Tubberville has done a nice job at Tech this year, but this is going to be long Saturday for Red Raider backers.
Texas Tech @ K State -7.5
I can look not other way here than K State at home. Going against a team who is off a Triple Overtime win and in a back to back road game scenario. K State does not have down weeks, or look past games, nor do they celebrate wins, they move forward with Bill Snyder clearly leading them with focus and a game plan. Texas Tech is vastly better than I thought but OU destroyed them at home with a physical brand of football, and K State will just flat out wear you down, control the clock and they have numerous weapons on offense to get the job done. A physical brand of football always has been TT’s demise, even back in the Mike Leach era.
Given that K State’s best 3 opponents were all dominated by them, West Virginia by 41 points, Oklahoma in Norman by 5 though the game was not that close, and Miami got it handed to them in here by 39 points. The weather in the Little Apple is suppose to not break 45 degrees on Saturday too, which will not be all that welcome for the Red Raiders who have a stud QB in Seth Dodge and an above average team who also beat West Virginia at home but caught them in a back to back road scenario off a huge upset win the week before against Texas. While Texas Tech’s numbers look good on defense, they have only played 1 power team like K State who can run it, and got their rear end hammered by OU at home. K State’s quest continues in grand fashion on Saturday.
Kansas State by 14 here at home.