tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-27114757532818069582024-02-19T03:33:18.354-06:00Perspectives of a transient girlEver changing, always moving, rarely logical.Susanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04070254692070287013noreply@blogger.comBlogger218125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2711475753281806958.post-77586003915475379942013-08-28T11:06:00.001-05:002013-08-28T11:06:32.679-05:00Breaking Bad relocatedFor those of you looking for our totally amazing Breaking Bad recaps, they've migrated to our all TV all the time blog, <a href="http://misschanandlerbong.com/">Watching TV with the Millers</a>. We recap a variety of shows, but if you're mainly looking for Breaking Bad coverage, you can go here to see them all: <a href="http://misschanandlerbong.com/category/breaking-bad">http://misschanandlerbong.com/category/breaking-bad</a>/.<br />
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Off you go, now. Scoot, scoot. Susanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04070254692070287013noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2711475753281806958.post-66527705480916046352013-08-18T22:37:00.000-05:002013-08-22T09:11:39.536-05:00Change of address!Looking for 2013 football information? I've migrated to a new site that is hopefully easier to use and understand and love and enjoy, etc, etc, etc. <br />
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The new home is called Third and Short and can be found here: <a href="http://snyderball.wordpress.com/">http://snyderball.wordpress.com/</a>. Hope to see you there!Susanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04070254692070287013noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2711475753281806958.post-66226683788882755702013-07-17T21:33:00.001-05:002013-07-17T21:47:47.852-05:00Big 12 Preseason Ranking Predictions<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiEp39PqCouxJZHJyBQ_3E-r1gvpotGBtRN5bcb3AeQ-PsL31GxjdjJ-G1V83j3Zf7eIKsBeRjBocB5AyLlhkqFQefi_BoKAym-EkcrqpaD7s8DkZ6EYLnIIZarAdf8hUaZbxhZDpn8r0I/s1600/Big12-620x350.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="180" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiEp39PqCouxJZHJyBQ_3E-r1gvpotGBtRN5bcb3AeQ-PsL31GxjdjJ-G1V83j3Zf7eIKsBeRjBocB5AyLlhkqFQefi_BoKAym-EkcrqpaD7s8DkZ6EYLnIIZarAdf8hUaZbxhZDpn8r0I/s320/Big12-620x350.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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<br />
The Big 12 preseason conference rankings come out tomorrow. This ranking is notoriously awful, mind-numbingly stupid and aggressively frustrating. It makes all fans simultaneously stabby for a multitude of reasons. So to prepare ourselves for this day of days, Steven and I have come up with our versions of the rankings. Wouldn't life be better if we ran the world? July 18th certainly would be.<br />
<br />
My rankings:<br />
<br />
1. TCU<br />
2. K-State<br />
3. Oklahoma State<br />
4. Oklahoma<br />
5. Baylor<br />
6. Texas<br />
7. Texas Tech<br />
8. West Virginia<br />
9. Iowa State<br />
10. KU<br />
<br />
Yes, I know, I have TCU ahead of K-State. Yes, I know, that is sacrilegious and wrong. But... I have a good (bad) feeling about TCU this year and there are a lot of question marks on our team. Like, a lot a lot. Like, so many that in August, there will be almost a full month of blog posts breaking down all the new people and positions and units and coaches. A full month devoted to question marks. That's a lot of uncertainty, and therefore, a #2 ranking. I'm sure I'll immediately regret it when Les Miles stomps the horns off the frogs on opening weekend, but for now, this is what I'm sticking with. <br />
<br />
What I think the dummies in charge will do:
<br />
<br />
1. Oklahoma<br />
2. Texas<br />
3. Oklahoma State<br />
4. TCU<br />
5. Baylor<br />
6. K-State<br />
7. West Virginia<br />
8. Texas Tech<br />
9. Iowa State <br />
10. KU<br />
<br />
This is what it always is, but I'm comforted this year by the fact that K-State landed 5 players on the <a href="http://espn.go.com/blog/big12/post/_/id/69375/all-big-12-preseason-team-awards-revealed">preseason all Big 12 team</a> while OU only had 2. That's a big change from 2 years ago when they had 9. Realistically though, Texas and OU will always top this list because they'll always have the best recruiting class. Then in October, we'll realize that they still can't coach worth a lick and the cream (TCU, K-State, OSU, Baylor) will rise to the top. <br />
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Steven's rankings<br />
<br />
What they will say:<br />
1-OU<br />
2-TCU<br />
3-OSU<br />
4-Texas<br />
5-Baylor<br />
6-Texas Tech<br />
7-K-State<br />
8-Iowa State<br />
9-West Virginia<br />
13-KU<br />
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What they should say:<br />
1-K-State<br />
2-OSU<br />
3-TCU<br />
4-Iowa State<br />
5-OU<br />
6-Baylor<br />
7-Texas<br />
8-Tech<br />
9-West Virginia<br />
93-KU<br />
<br />
Join us tomorrow to rant and rave and take a walk through the many, many, many years that the preseason rankings have been horribly, offensively, wrong. Fear not, K-State faithful. This will all get sorted out on the field. Susanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04070254692070287013noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2711475753281806958.post-83949300436239973432013-01-02T23:26:00.003-06:002013-01-02T23:31:07.706-06:00K-State vs. Oregon Preview: Fiesta Bowl 2013Confession: I'm not a big fan of the bowl system. It used to be a fun way to spend the first day of the year, because the first day of the year used to be stuffed with games, all day long. This year we were down to one game by 4 in the afternoon. Bowl season is the only time I really notice how much TV has changed college football. But I digress. My beef with the bowl system is that there are so few good games where both teams feel a sense of accomplishment and satisfaction with their draw. Fans are apathetic, stadiums are empty, games are sloppy and coaches are already looking ahead to the next season and the next job and the next recruiting class.<br />
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Fortunately for us, this is one of the good ones.<br />
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<h2 style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-size: x-large;">Oregon Ducks (11-1)</span></h2>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjlDDCjEqEida9-hkZX8n4e0I4nn5YMVbYY2XhIz7_mvM1XNrje2GRmI3wXb_qVdPaVbKHdGao6GUo3ZbtlP-uYl6PifXgJXQGlDnym966jzUGe9itcSHmJa9ziw_UkyXvlipTcVcR2ESo/s1600/fiestabowl.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="225" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjlDDCjEqEida9-hkZX8n4e0I4nn5YMVbYY2XhIz7_mvM1XNrje2GRmI3wXb_qVdPaVbKHdGao6GUo3ZbtlP-uYl6PifXgJXQGlDnym966jzUGe9itcSHmJa9ziw_UkyXvlipTcVcR2ESo/s400/fiestabowl.jpg" width="400" /> </a></div>
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<i><span style="font-size: x-small;">Yep. I'm putting my bias in the pictures now. You don't even get a whole picture to yourself, Ducks. </span></i> </div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjnYtmO3IKoao-w5vI8ocN1x6JQEdzs7wE0kJSS10e2j6gs2OMwyz7ZVg72x3X9zReBU_2CUX4-xLUsbfnwJhUS1yf3ssN9quqlQDbb-bxdiNgJ5BTWklsbAjQyMZHv9mB3i8_odpVHDec/s1600/snyderstonestreet.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"></a><u><br />Players to watch</u><b> </b><br />
<b>Marcus Mariota</b> - Mariota is one of the freshmen sensations, joining Johnny Manziel in the year of overrated youngsters. He's supposedly good, and all the sports guys are just drooling over the possibility of him having a great night and showing up that old man earnest, Collin Klein. I think Meshak Williams wins this contest, but I might be a teensy bit biased. <br />
<br />
<b>Kenjon Barner and De'Anthony Thomas</b> - So. Much. Speed. Far faster and far more consistent than Miami, these two are the real threats to our happiness, given the recent troubles we've had with speedy running backs against Baylor and Texas. They're game changers. I hope this is the last we hear of them. <br />
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<b>Dion Jordan and Ifo Ekpre-Olomu</b> - In doing my research for this blog, I was shocked - shocked! to discover that Oregon's defense led the nation with 38 takeaways (24 interceptions, 14 fumble recoveries). Why doesn't anyone talk about that? Maybe because they can't pronounce Ekpre-Olomu's name. I get that.<u> </u><br />
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<u>Keys to Victory</u><br />
<b>Win third down</b> - Neither team is spectacular at forcing three and outs, which leads me to think that the offense with more first downs at the end of the game will also be the offense with more points at the end of the game. Call it a hunch.<br />
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<b>Win the turnover battle</b> - If it turns into a shoot-out, turnovers will become vital to victory. K-State has the best turnover margin in the nation, but Oregon has forced more turnovers. Momentum will be huge in this game, and there's no better spark than a takeaway. Watch for it.<br />
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<b>Stay focused</b> - There's a lot of distractions for Oregon, and the Fiesta Bowl is not the shining achievement that it is for K-State. If the <a href="https://sphotos-b.xx.fbcdn.net/hphotos-prn1/155855_470666249646969_749126325_n.jpg">pep rallies today</a> were any indication, Oregon fans are not exactly invested in this ball game. An early deficit or offensive frustration could knock Oregon off course early. A fast start is crucial. <u> </u><br />
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<u>Fun Facts</u><br />
This is the first meeting between Oregon and K-State... ever. That's actually a super uncommon event, so y'know, pay some attention to it. We were supposed to play Oregon to open this season, but luckily, Coach Snyder came back and reason was restored to our non-conference schedule. <a href="http://www.thebiglead.com/index.php/2012/10/26/oregon-says-kansas-state-didnt-back-out-of-the-home-and-home-series-it-was-kind-of-mutual/">Oregon wanted out too</a>, and no one had any beef about it until Oregon and K-State became a controversial #1 and #2 in the BCS standings. Then, all of a sudden, it was our fault that Oregon's strength of schedule was so poor. It only mattered for about a week, because we both lost on that fateful November 17th evening, just 30 minutes apart. And now, here we are, no excuses left, no schedules to rearrange. Our roads were destined to cross. Ron Prince always gets his pound of flesh.<br />
<br />
Chip Kelly is supposedly meeting with three NFL teams this weekend in Phoenix to figure out where he wants to live next year. If I know this, surely his players and coaches know it too. That + Fiesta Bowl fatigue + fan apathy + chronic under appreciation of K-State and SnyderBall = Perfect Cat Conditions. No sports writer outside of Kansas has given K-State any shot of winning this game and Vegas has Oregon by 8. It would be so sweet to send Kelly out on a loss. <br />
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Bowl season always makes me reflect on K-State football history. This <a href="http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/vault/article/magazine/MAG1068750/1/index.htm">article from 1989</a> helps me realize how far we've come, and how long people have been telling us we couldn't. Wouldn't be right if they picked us to win this game. That's just not the K-State way.<br />
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Another fun thing about the K-State way? <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VD63OSzfpgA&sns=fb">It now involves Modern Family</a>. It's fun to have a famous alum.<br />
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<h2 style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-size: x-large;">K<span style="font-size: x-large;">ansas </span>State Wildcats (11-1)</span></h2>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjnYtmO3IKoao-w5vI8ocN1x6JQEdzs7wE0kJSS10e2j6gs2OMwyz7ZVg72x3X9zReBU_2CUX4-xLUsbfnwJhUS1yf3ssN9quqlQDbb-bxdiNgJ5BTWklsbAjQyMZHv9mB3i8_odpVHDec/s1600/snyderstonestreet.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjnYtmO3IKoao-w5vI8ocN1x6JQEdzs7wE0kJSS10e2j6gs2OMwyz7ZVg72x3X9zReBU_2CUX4-xLUsbfnwJhUS1yf3ssN9quqlQDbb-bxdiNgJ5BTWklsbAjQyMZHv9mB3i8_odpVHDec/s400/snyderstonestreet.jpg" width="389" /> </a></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-size: x-small;"><i>I love seeing Coach smile. </i></span></div>
<br />
<u>Players to watch</u><br />
<br />
<b>Collin Klein</b> - I was listening to the K-State HDTV call of the Texas game today and Stan Weber mentioned that watching Collin run for a touchdown at BSFS for the last time almost brought a tear to his eye. Even listening to it made me emotional. Klein's never played his best in the off-season, but I'll just be happy to see him on our side, one last time. <br />
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<b>Tyler Lockett</b> - I know that Chris Harper is the Oregon transfer and has the story, but did you also remember that this is Baby Lockett's first bowl game? He was injured during the Cotton Bowl so the healthy receivers decided to drop 90% of what was thrown at them, as a reminder of the talent left behind on the sideline. This year - he's healthy and ready to go. We'll need his speed and his smarts and his sticky hands to keep the offense rolling.<br />
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<b>Ty Zimmerman</b> - Ty's back! I am so excited. Are you so excited? He also had <a href="http://www.kstatesports.com/allaccess/?media=360388">the funniest line at the pep rally</a> that even made Coach giggle. Oh Ty. I've missed you so.<br />
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<b>Arthur Brown</b> - Last game for big game Arthur in a K-State uniform. Last year he tried to <a href="http://worldonline.media.clients.ellingtoncms.com/img/photos/2012/01/07/Cotton_Bowl_Football_Rals_t640.jpg?a6ea3ebd4438a44b86d2e9c39ecf7613005fe067">climb over that Arkansas guy</a>. This year, I think he'll make it over anyone who dares step to him. People "in the know" keep dismissing K-State because of Oregon's speed. Apparently they've all forgotten about #4. Please tune in for a refresher. <br />
<br />
<u>Keys to Victory</u><b> </b><br />
<b>Defensive swarm</b> - Oregon's offense looks a lot like ours when ours is on fire. Trouble is, Oregon's offense catches fire a little more often than ours. The best way to contain that blaze is to win first and second down. Keep them behind schedule with short gains on first and second down, force them to throw on third down and hope the defense has gotten stronger and faster in the last month. It will require the defense to get off blocks, tackle as a team, and, in general, swarm like mad. We did it against West Virginia - no reason why we can't do it again.<br />
<br />
<b>Win the hidden yardage</b> - Our kickoff coverage unit has given up some huge plays during the second half of the season. Against a team with speed and offense to spare, we'd better have those coverage problems corrected. Winning the hidden yardage makes it that much easier to execute our game plan.<br />
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<b>No penalties</b> - Ever notice how off track we get on offense and defense when a penalty call doesn't go our way? It's the one bit of mental toughness that Snyder teams have never quite mastered. Teams should really just take a shot after we get a penalty. I bet the chances of success go up by at least 75%. The only solution I know of is to eliminate penalties entirely. I'm looking at you, Mueller. <u> </u><br />
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<u>Goal of the Week:</u><br />
<a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2nlTMHUcvtI">#13: Expect to win</a>. It's been 10 years since we've won a bowl game. Even so, I'm pretty sure this senior class expects to go out on a win to become the first 12 win team in K-State football history. <br />
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<u>Prediction: </u><br />
Wouldn't it be fun to win a wild one? Like all those nailbiters in 2011? I can't imagine a more fitting ending. Though I suppose I'd settle for a blow-out. <b>K-State wins it, 42-40.</b> Susanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04070254692070287013noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2711475753281806958.post-86191273712838461662012-12-04T20:46:00.004-06:002012-12-04T20:46:47.995-06:00Texas recap: Champions<div style="text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhlRaVk76DuPB85K8zy735F-pBRKs7n4hDT-Mg2gqerSKNYaT1YN5h38NU9YX4mnyzbl8PsyxfqVurJNfsTEy_PpbGWstrqZzkrvbVIiuXxsbNl8PU9kapoJQN7kUhqT3sMO8N9-9NMNJU/s1600/snyderchamps.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="252" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhlRaVk76DuPB85K8zy735F-pBRKs7n4hDT-Mg2gqerSKNYaT1YN5h38NU9YX4mnyzbl8PsyxfqVurJNfsTEy_PpbGWstrqZzkrvbVIiuXxsbNl8PU9kapoJQN7kUhqT3sMO8N9-9NMNJU/s400/snyderchamps.jpg" width="400" /> </a></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<i><span style="font-size: x-small;">These players love their coach. </span></i></div>
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So 11-1 is how the regular season ends. Back in August <a href="http://transientperspectives.blogspot.com/2012/08/how-well-do-and-why-k-state-football.html">I predicted</a> 13-0 or 11-2. We're still on track toward the second, but I would be perfectly happy to be wrong and end up 12-1. Senior night was a perfect blend of weird and wonderful and ended with <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4Mp8UAOl-0Y&feature=g-all">Willie leading the crowd in a KSU chant from the top of the Dev Nelson press box</a> for the very last time. We rushed the field and looked up at Coach and the Captains and couldn't quite believe it was all over already. How strange it must feel to Collin, who was recruited by Prince but ended up in the exact right place with the exact right coach and the exact right team at the exact right time in college football and the Big 12. What a journey. <br />
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<iframe allowfullscreen='allowfullscreen' webkitallowfullscreen='webkitallowfullscreen' mozallowfullscreen='mozallowfullscreen' width='320' height='266' src='https://www.youtube.com/embed/-RwjKQLaI1o?feature=player_embedded' frameborder='0'></iframe></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><b> </b></span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><b>Things that were good...</b></span><br />
<br />
<u>Great defense. </u> Texas got 1 yard on their first possession, and then threw an interception on the first play of the second possession. After that, things got a little sloppy, but I was proud of the defense for coming out with fire in the first quarter. The defense had the most to prove after the disaster in Waco, and they played like it. There are still a few troubling holes in the line, but all in all, this was a great game for them. And it should be, considering 10 of the 11 guys starting on defense are seniors. <br />
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<u>Great effort on long runs.</u> How many times have we been saved by great effort? In this game it was Dante Barnett who chased down Daje Johnson in the second quarter on the play after the interception. Then, on the next offensive series, Barnett caught up to Malcolm Brown to save another huge play. Jarard Milo caught up with DJ Monroe in the third quarter to save a touchdown too. We've seen it time and time again - if you don't get in the end zone on a big play, chances are you're only getting a field goal. I was so proud of Barnett for continuing to fight, especially after his much maligned performance against Baylor. That shows me he's using the Baylor loss as incentive to work even harder. <br />
<br />
<u>Offensive persistence.</u> The big drive in the first quarter that ended in an
interception in the end zone was really, really pretty. Great
receptions by Harper, Tannahill and Thompson and solid running by Collin
and Pease. It was the typical up and down drive, with two sacks as
well. Great fight, great drive, unfortunate end. It took them the rest of the half to shake it off, but they came out running in the second half and finally got back to their style of offense. They never gave up, and the line executed at a high level all game long. Very impressive stuff. <br />
<b><span style="font-size: x-large;"><br /></span></b>
<span style="font-size: large;"><b>Things that were not as good...</b></span><br />
<br />
<u>Weak pass rush.</u> I know this must have something to do with schemes and the loss of Walker and Zimmerman, but the lack of pass rush is so frustrating to me. Case McCoy is a young quarterback, without much game experience, in a hostile environment, with a weaker arm. Why couldn't we force him to scramble more? We did end up with 4 sacks, so it wasn't terrible... there's just some room for improvement there. <br />
<br />
<u>Third down defense</u>. Oof. That third down defense killed us in the first half. We would win first and second down by huge amounts, and then let them convert on a 3rd and 12, 15, 18? So aggravating. It was disheartening to the defense as well, because once it happened in a drive, they started winning first and second down easily too. We've got to get back on track faster, especially against wicked fast Oregon. <br />
<u><br /></u>
<u>Kick return unit.</u> This unit has been hurting our illustrious special teams tradition all year long and this game was no exception. It's like there's no safe guard built in if the runner gets past the first block. Or maybe we don't get down there in time? Are the kicks too short? Whatever it is, it drives me crazy, and I hope we get it fixed by the bowl game. <br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhnKtIZlIavV1O1jzs6zaQcXnRzf9ahtHkul93GyDBlf1NGE7EJB6TXlc2iSjjVCw2AwrleM1XCQ8hIj70Gcb3KerzpRJgnw3_RpbMyRWpKa6rUQFUcJVdoE2RsKU1rxepAk3n-kbvC-v8/s1600/kleintrophy.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhnKtIZlIavV1O1jzs6zaQcXnRzf9ahtHkul93GyDBlf1NGE7EJB6TXlc2iSjjVCw2AwrleM1XCQ8hIj70Gcb3KerzpRJgnw3_RpbMyRWpKa6rUQFUcJVdoE2RsKU1rxepAk3n-kbvC-v8/s400/kleintrophy.jpg" width="280" /> </a></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-size: x-small;"><i>Champs. </i></span></div>
<br />
<b><span style="font-size: large;">Things that the seniors did...</span></b><br />
<br />
<a href="http://transientperspectives.blogspot.com/2012/11/k-state-vs-texas-preview.html">I wished for quite a bit</a> for the seniors in their last game at Bill Snyder Family Stadium and quite a few of those came true. Even though Braden Wilson still struggled carrying the ball, and Nigel Malone had his touchdown taken away, and Nick Puetz was injured and had to signal from the sideline, it was about as perfect a senior night as you could ask for. Here's a few of the guys who stood out to me:<br />
<br />
<u>Justin Tuggle </u>- finished with a tackle for loss, a sack and a smile on his face. I thought he played with a passion and excitement that has been missing since September. I'm excited to see what he can do against Oregon. He deserves good things. <br />
<u>Jarell Childs </u>- ended the game with 7 tackles and was a huge factor in shutting down the Texas running game. <br />
<u>Vai Lutui</u> - Terrific sack in the second quarter.<br />
<u>Bubba Chapman </u>- Do you know the story of Bubba and Nigel? They were teammates at City College of San Francisco and when Nigel was recruited by K-State, he convinced his friend Bubba to conquer Kansas with him. It's fitting that Nigel would get an interception in the first and Bubba in the fourth. We were so fortunate to have this duo for the past two years. Thanks for coming to Kansas, guys. <br />
<u>Arthur Brown</u> - burned the running game to the ground and ended the game with a team high 11 tackles. He was on a mission and I was inspired.<br />
<u>Nigel Malone</u> - great, 2011-style interception and 2 solo tackles. He was a beast in the open field. <br />
<u>Chris Harper </u>- this was the return to 2011 form I was looking for. He caught 3 passes for 59 yards and they were all clutch. He'll get the send-off he deserves with a game against Oregon and I can't wait to see how he'll avenge the Cotton Bowl disaster. <br />
<u>Travis Tannahill</u> - Tannahill bailed us out multiple times in this game and didn't even have to land on his head to do it. On the Coach's show this week, he said that Tannahill has played hurt his entire K-State career. If that's why we only run 2 tight end plays a game, I guess I can make my peace with it.<br />
<u>Roman Fields</u> - it was a huge day on special teams for Roman and he was ecstatic about the three huge tackles he made. Way to go out on a win, Roman. <br />
<u>Meshak Williams </u>- sack, tackle for loss, all-around hoss. I was so happy that his two for one sack in the TCU game made it into the new Stand Up video. I'm going to miss that Meshak grin more than I realize.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjsvvMlDoHgD5grSoB72npeN69YaekpIr-7uSlyLAM4DhnBKJu5JgxO-K0E1KyfXpfPJImi-WguulAYjoHShYUX2Zd4Xw0TZuEqBMZiXVupph7tJZWpbSy2m_ME81e_8CvIIkavFHjMlqw/s1600/collincoach.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="317" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjsvvMlDoHgD5grSoB72npeN69YaekpIr-7uSlyLAM4DhnBKJu5JgxO-K0E1KyfXpfPJImi-WguulAYjoHShYUX2Zd4Xw0TZuEqBMZiXVupph7tJZWpbSy2m_ME81e_8CvIIkavFHjMlqw/s400/collincoach.jpg" width="400" /></a> </div>
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<i><span style="font-size: x-small;">Two lives changed forever.</span></i></div>
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Last but not least... #7. Optimus Klein. BillSnyder Kleinsdale. Kleinapple Express. Collin didn't play a perfect game, because no one can. But he looked great on short drives, long drives, frustrating drives and scoring drives. That even keel, that constant faith, that ever present leadership, heart, and courage is amazing and dare I say, Heisman worthy. They may not be standard, but here are Collin's Heisman moments as I saw them. 1. In the first quarter, we got pinned at the one yard line and had to fight our way out. At one point, Collin had to tight rope at the back of the end zone to make sure he stayed in bounds. He completed a pass on 3rd and 10 that got called back on a penalty, then completed an even longer pass to Harper on the second chance. To me, it was a drive that perfectly personified his game management skills. 2. Perfect option pitch to Hubert for the first touchdown of the third quarter. No one will ever run the option that well. We should just retire it after the Fiesta Bowl. 3. Beautiful touchdown throw to Lockett on the first play of the 4th quarter. It was the longest passing play since Trujillo's first (and only) reception back in the Miami game. 4. Running touchdown in the 4th quarter off a beautiful block from Harper to make it 42-14. He told reporters later that his teammates wanted him to strike a Heisman pose in the end zone but "<a href="http://cjonline.com/sports/2012-12-04/k-states-klein-living-his-dream-heisman-finalist">that night and that game was about K-State and about a Big 12 championship and it needed to stay that way.</a>” If the world continues to be cruel to K-State, good people and Collin Klein, Johnny Manziel will win the Heisman on Saturday night. Fortunately for everyone, <a href="http://fabuloussportsbabe.wordpress.com/2012/12/04/the-case-for-collin-klein/">Collin will be successful anyway. </a>Susanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04070254692070287013noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2711475753281806958.post-54093413470843175232012-11-30T23:10:00.000-06:002012-11-30T23:10:23.926-06:00The Thing You Never Knew You Needed But Now Can't Live Without - Week 14It's championship weekend and everything is pretty much set. The winner of the SEC championship game will face off against Notre Dame for the crystal ball and we all just have to deal with it. Le sigh. In light of that, I'm changing up the prediction format this week and giving the people what they really want: snarky commentary. Enjoy it while you can. The off-season is darkening our doorstep.<br />
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<h2 style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-size: x-large;">Big 12 Schedule</span></h2>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgI8ghWS9aavlKaAe_gtuLPXPuc2Wb5r8lHmcgek9p6Ocvwbxr-oF2BSiWM6thPWg5Bs-7FZBHFo5nbq-hk6cVaGNpZXYIKnVv95L6mQkiNJeWM1dHz80-Rx6HaGmh7cQIkIOJUBTsKyGI/s1600/snyderklein2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="270" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgI8ghWS9aavlKaAe_gtuLPXPuc2Wb5r8lHmcgek9p6Ocvwbxr-oF2BSiWM6thPWg5Bs-7FZBHFo5nbq-hk6cVaGNpZXYIKnVv95L6mQkiNJeWM1dHz80-Rx6HaGmh7cQIkIOJUBTsKyGI/s400/snyderklein2.jpg" width="400" /> </a></div>
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<span style="font-size: x-small;"><i>Heisman winner. Coach of the Year. </i></span> </div>
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<u>11:00 a.m. ESPN: OU at TCU</u><br />
Because rules are stupid, if OU and K-State both win on Saturday, we have to share a Big 12 title with them, even though we beat them earlier in the season. Does that make any sense? No sir, it does not. Hopefully, this bothers Patterson and the Frogs as much as it bothers me since apparently they're the only ones who can do anything about it. College football is simultaneously the most wonderful and annoying thing in my life. <b>Prediction: OU doesn't win the Big 12. At all. Not even part of it. No soup for you</b>. <br />
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<u>11:00 a.m. FX: OSU at Baylor</u><br />
This game has the potential to be an amazing point-splosion of highlight reel proportions. Doesn't that sound fun? Congratulations on surviving a whole season without threat of Big 12 conference implosion! Enjoy the fireworks. <b>Prediction: Points and happiness for all, but mostly OSU because I like them and Lache Seastrunk ran over our dreams</b>. <br />
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<u>1:30 p.m. FSN: KU at West Virginia</u><br />
Maybe if this game was happening in Lawrence, in mid-October, KU might have a shot. But now that the Mountaineers are bowl eligible and their fans are back and Tavon Austin is everywhere all the time and Geno Smith finally stopped pouting... the Jayhawks are going down. For the 21st conference game in a row. Thanks for playing, guys. Better luck next year? <b>Prediction: Charlie Weis does have a sideline pillow and he will sit down and I am not making this up it did actually happen and I saw it so there.</b><br />
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<u>7:00 p.m. ABC: Texas at K-State</u> (<a href="http://transientperspectives.blogspot.com/2012/11/k-state-vs-texas-preview.html">extended preview available</a>)<br />
We're gonna win so hard that your coach will get fired! (What, too soon?) <b>Prediction: 37-24, K-State. Also, Lane Kiffin</b>.<br />
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<span style="font-size: x-large;">Best of the Rest</span></h2>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhJjSEwhLTax-A4CvVeWW6WJjYar1qPu6Qdd_kdhXq999PMtKXQ79Jy2pl1wYtQfJ9nJbywyEp_lT7dd_n93HozHhjHD5nytbUO8mImd8_etye3dg40_yI0w97kvBFT3cMmqouwnxSGEq4/s1600/wiscy.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhJjSEwhLTax-A4CvVeWW6WJjYar1qPu6Qdd_kdhXq999PMtKXQ79Jy2pl1wYtQfJ9nJbywyEp_lT7dd_n93HozHhjHD5nytbUO8mImd8_etye3dg40_yI0w97kvBFT3cMmqouwnxSGEq4/s400/wiscy.jpg" width="400" /></a> </div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-size: x-small;"><i>It's the battle of the ugly uniforms: part two!</i></span></div>
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<u>3:00 p.m. CBS: Alabama vs. Georgia</u><br />
This game will be unwatchable because the announcers will look for any opportunity to talk about Johnny Manziel. I repeat, do not watch this game with the sound on. Regardless of who wins, this game is a not-so-secret Heisman campaign for Johnny Manziel. Remember that Holiday Bowl in 2009 where Nebraska played Arizona and lost spectacularly? Probably not, because the game was just background noise to the incessant Ndamukong Suh chatter. If you'll recall, he didn't win the Heisman either. Don't say I didn't warn you. <b>Prediction: Manti Te'o wins the Heisman. </b><br />
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<u>7:00 p.m. ESPN: Florida State vs. Georgia Tech</u><br />
Man the ACC is irrelevant. I'm assuming the winner of this game gets to go to a BCS bowl. I'm also assuming that no one would notice if they didn't. If there's ever a time for Florida State to jump to the Big 12, it's now. <b>Prediction: This game will get accidentally pre-empted by a showing of A Charlie Brown Christmas and no one will complain</b>. <br />
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<u>7:17 p.m. FOX: Nebraska vs. Wisconsin</u><br />
The only thing weirder than the start time for this game is that Wisconsin is currently 7-5 and unranked. Bielema is the saddest badger. Then again, the Nebraska players <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=q2CoIrAG6Qg">really, really hate their coach</a>, so maybe they'll throw the game just to see him get fired. Is there a scenario where Nebraska could end up playing Texas in a bowl game? Because that would be the perfect finale for Pelini and Brown's coaching careers. <b>Prediction: Montee Ball deserved better.</b> Susanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04070254692070287013noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2711475753281806958.post-43710210086571619432012-11-29T23:33:00.002-06:002012-11-30T22:30:27.848-06:00K-State vs. Texas previewYou guys, this stinks. Football season just started but somehow it's already time for the final weekend of the regular season. The final College Gameday of 2012. The final finale for our purple seniors at Bill Snyder Family Stadium. How are we supposed to say goodbye to Collin? To Arthur? To Chris and Braden and Nick Puetz and Ryan Doerr and Bubba and Nigel and Jarell and Angelo and Davis and Cantele and Tuggle and Vai and Tannahill and his sweet, sweet tight end plays? Oof. The hits just keep on coming and I am going to flat out weep. <br />
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<h2 style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-size: x-large;">Texas Longhorns (8-3)</span></h2>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjqBNVHjj7b1KI2wAR7HnhNUSJH5LVB4dd6x-9V4menSqIybZrUy5GaTMCZyLVFkcr5mz7rnLmrKSpciIOcYpWUqYDmVhC4arpleOWrKDnfsDVBGzcMZzpvM8frkrmQZ-Gu3hduHGHdbZ0/s1600/mackbrown.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjqBNVHjj7b1KI2wAR7HnhNUSJH5LVB4dd6x-9V4menSqIybZrUy5GaTMCZyLVFkcr5mz7rnLmrKSpciIOcYpWUqYDmVhC4arpleOWrKDnfsDVBGzcMZzpvM8frkrmQZ-Gu3hduHGHdbZ0/s400/mackbrown.jpg" width="400" /> </a></div>
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<i><span style="font-size: x-small;">It might be Mack Brown's last game in Bill Snyder Family Stadium too... </span></i></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjYUrVeSA9C7nsT23gMuohX8FnEpvhsVLTqsqhBX5CWUPyUv7R6uCdJNBR6OHP3FA721MBVIrhPFCLQowA6hnAJRFSa_n3XPHQhIqtGDeFwVEoENV3SVWrVpgn8hMqZ9uVxzw4RWjB4a20/s1600/seniornight.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"></a><br />
<u>Players to Watch</u><br />
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<b>#6, Quarterback Case McCoy:</b> McCoy gets his first start of 2012 due to the fact that David Ash got hit in the ribs last week and didn't tell his coaches. Why are the Texas QBs always such babies? Hopefully Case didn't spend too much time talking to his brother about playing against K-State in Manhattan. Better that he just experience the horror himself and then they can trade war stories after.<b> </b><br />
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<b>#1, Wide Receiver Mike Davis:</b> Davis is the real superstar of this Texas offense, though he becomes marginally less effective with the quarterback switch. Still, we tend to be kind to superstar wide receivers, and Davis isn't one to turn down a favor. I'd feel much more comfortable about this if we had Zimmerman back, but for now, I think we'll just have to hope for a weak offensive line and a renewed pass rush. We didn't sack Nick Florence one single time. That has to change. <b> </b><br />
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<b>#32, Running Back Johnathan Gray:</b> Remember how Texas' running backs were supposed to beat everyone in the league by a million percent? And how their defense was projected to be an unstoppable force that even Nick Saban would drool over? Neither of those things happened, further proving that Mack Brown is in his last year as ball coach of the mighty, mighty Longhorns. Having said all that, Gray is currently their most consistent running back. So... watch out for him.<br />
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<u>Keys to Victory</u><b> </b><br />
<b>Protect your quarterback.</b> Case McCoy is getting the start this week because David Ash is injured. They better hope there's someone backing up McCoy because Texas hasn't gotten through a game against us with just one quarterback since the Vince Young days. That line better be ready to protect him in the pocket, and they better be ready to deal with #4 in the middle linebacker spot. No Longhorn fan wants to see the end result of Case vs. Arthur. <b> </b><br />
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<b>Establish a ground game.</b> Our rush defense is limited without Tre Walker. I'm sure that fact was on full display in film study this week and I'm sure that's the primary offensive strategy. Will the supporting linebackers be enough to stop the running game this week? Can Texas run the ball without turning it over? Texas is 8-0 when rushing for at least 136 yards and 0-3 when held below that number. This war, like all important wars, will be won on the ground. <br />
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<b>Build an early lead. </b> We may have several weapons on offense and the ability to control the game clock, but as we found out against Baylor, we do not play well from behind. Given how fresh the pain from the Baylor game is, if Texas can get out to an early lead and play smart on defense, the pressure and fear may begin to creep in to our sideline and force us into some uncharacteristic errors. We've been notoriously slow starters at home, and the defense might still come out tight. If that happens, it's going to take a monumental amount of leadership and good fortune to get things turned around.<br />
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<u>Fun Facts</u><br />
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I love the poetry of this game. Two
years ago, in Bill Snyder Family Stadium, Collin Klein had his first
career start against the Texas Longhorns. Even though it was senior
night for Carson Coffman, Klein got the start. It surprised everyone, including Mack Brown and his defensive coordinator. On the second
play from scrimmage, Daniel Thomas burst free for a 20 yard touchdown.
The rout was on. I remember, very clearly, two Texas fans in our
section. They didn't seem shocked by their team's 39 point
deficit in the fourth quarter. When Texas finally scored a touchdown
they started cheering and looking around and caught me glaring at them.
Instead of getting angry he looked at me and said, "Come on. You gotta
let us have something." That's when I knew what owning Texas meant.
The fans of the richest and most talented team in college football,
asked me, a K-State fan, to give <i>them</i> something. It was a great
feeling. I didn't give it to them.<br />
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Stan Weber said this week that he thought some people disrespected the 1998 team a little bit because they weren't able to come back and beat Purdue in the Alamo Bowl after the most depressing football game in CFB history. This 2012 team has always been about mental toughness, about Snyder's 16 goals, about unity and teamwork and unselfishness and establishing a culture of winning and leadership and responsibility. In his press conference this week, Collin said that if he had to choose one word to describe this team it would be perseverance. This is the team that fought through so many single digit victories last year and fought tooth and nail for every part of this season, including the game-that-shall-not-be-named. I believe this team will come back, just like Oklahoma State did last year, and win these last two games, making them the first team in K-State history to win 12 games in a season. That 12th win would also make Collin the winningest quarterback in K-State history, which is entirely appropriate.<br />
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We're losing 27 seniors this year. That's a big, big number. Here's what they look like, all in a row: Javonta Boyd, Nick Briney, Arthur Brown, Anthony Cantele, Allen Chapman, Jarell Childs, Adam Davis, Ryan Doerr, Ethan Douglas, Thomas Ferguson, Roman Fields, Chris Harper, Ben Kall, Collin Klein, Brandon Klimek, Vai Lutui, Jared Loomis, Nigel Malone, Zach McFall, Jarard Milo, Angelo Pease, Nick Puetz, John Sua, Travis Tannahill, Justin Tuggle, Meshak Williams, Braden Wilson. There are so many things that I want for these guys in this game. I want Javonta to bat down a pass. I want Nick Briney to play a snap or two. I want Arthur to burn that Texas running game to the ground. I want Cantele to have a perfect night. I want Bubba to get another interception. I want Jarell to get a solo tackle for loss. I want Adam Davis to get a sack. I want Ryan Doerr to kick an 80 yard punt. I want Ethan Douglas to down that punt on the 1 yard line. I want Thomas Ferguson to start for Ty Zimmerman if he's still hurt. I want Roman Fields to play a snap or two. I want Harper to get over 100 yards receiving, and maybe one of those nifty one-handed catches. I want Ben Kall to play a snap or two. I want Collin to have a Heisman winning performance. I want him to have everything he's ever wanted. I want him to never, ever leave. I want Brandon Klimek to play a snap or two. I want Vai Lutui to get a sack. I want Jared Loomis to decimate someone on a kick return. I want Nigel to get a pick 6. I want Zach McFall to play a snap or two. I want Jarard Milo to finish with the highest number of tackles. I want Angelo to start in place of Hubert. I want Puetz to signal a touchdown on a Klein keeper. I want John Sua to play big. I want Tannahill to catch a ball and not end up somersaulting over a defender. I want Tuggle to have his best game since OU. I want Meshak to end up with 3 sacks and leave Case McCoy with nightmares. I want Braden to score a touchdown. It can't all happen that way, of course. But wouldn't it be magical if it did?<br />
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<h2 style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-size: x-large;">Kansas State Wildcats (10-1)</span></h2>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjYUrVeSA9C7nsT23gMuohX8FnEpvhsVLTqsqhBX5CWUPyUv7R6uCdJNBR6OHP3FA721MBVIrhPFCLQowA6hnAJRFSa_n3XPHQhIqtGDeFwVEoENV3SVWrVpgn8hMqZ9uVxzw4RWjB4a20/s1600/seniornight.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjYUrVeSA9C7nsT23gMuohX8FnEpvhsVLTqsqhBX5CWUPyUv7R6uCdJNBR6OHP3FA721MBVIrhPFCLQowA6hnAJRFSa_n3XPHQhIqtGDeFwVEoENV3SVWrVpgn8hMqZ9uVxzw4RWjB4a20/s400/seniornight.jpeg" width="332" /> </a></div>
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<i><span style="font-size: x-small;">So much weeping.</span></i></div>
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<u>Players to Watch</u><br />
<b>#7, Quarterback Collin Klein:</b> I thought saying goodbye to Jacob Pullen was hard. This is unfathomable. Given everything that happened in the death valley of Waco, Klein is <u>the</u> player to watch in college football on Saturday. He had a poor game last year against Texas, and the offense was only able to scrape together 120 yards in the 17-13 victory in Austin. This year he's (slightly) healthier and (greatly) improved in his decision-making abilities on the field. I would love nothing more than to see Klein run up and down the field for 4 quarters, just like he did in 2010.<br />
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<b>#4, Linebacker Arthur Brown:</b> You better believe that big game Arthur will be keyed up for this one. I can't wait to see him on a corner blitz, spying Case McCoy and causing general mayhem for all those speedy, vaunted, Texas recruits. He sees your Rivals rating and he is not impressed. No one escapes judgment in his house.<br />
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<b>#3, Wide Receiver Chris Harper:</b> Harper has taken some heat from me this season, and I'm sure this is not the senior season he envisioned. However, he's been a rock for Collin and I will miss seeing those two buddies on the sideline laughing and talking and scheming. It'd be great to see that old clutch Harper from 2011 return to form on senior night. <br />
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<u>Keys to Victory</u><b> </b><br />
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<b>Don't abandon the running game.</b> The running game is a staple of Bill Snyder football, and I've been missing it these last few weeks. In order to keep our offense moving and their defense off balance, we need to have more success running than throwing. Should be a good game for it too, with Angelo, Collin, and Braden plenty motivated on senior night. Not to mention Hubert, who completely fell on his face during his homecoming visit. <b> </b><br />
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<b>Win at the line. </b> Our defensive line has slowly gotten more porous over the past three games, crippled by injuries and the loss of their vocal leader, Tre Walker. They had a terrible game in Waco and should be highly motivated to return to form. They'll face a tough challenge with Texas' running game, but it's a line that is comprised mainly of seniors, so let's hope they've got one more in them. The offensive line has also suffered quite a few injuries, and the sack numbers just keep growing as the season wears on. They're young, so they'll need to band together to send Collin out injury free and make way for that all important running game.<br />
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<b>Mix it up a bit.</b> Senior night is a good chance for a team to run a few plays that they love in practice, but never got to use in a game. Mack Brown and Snyder go way back, and there are very few surprises when it comes to game plans. It might be useful, in a momentum game like this, to take advantage of the friendly home field and try a few new tricks. <br />
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<u>Trap Level</u><br />
N/A.<br />
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<u>Goal of the Week</u><br />
<a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JUQ0Tx4KjAs">#1 Commitment: </a>To common goals and to being successful. Arthur Brown
doesn't want to talk about senior night. He wants to focus on building a
better program for future K-Staters. He wants the program to go on,
bigger and better every year. He wants to be a part of the foundation,
not the best team in history, but the team that established a winning
culture at K-State. Commitment to success, as a team, for a
greater goal. Senior night done right.<br />
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<u>Prediction </u><br />
I believe this team has what it takes to bounce back, and I think the time off will help a lot of our injured guys get back in the mix. I'm not expecting a blowout, and I'm terrified of an early deficit, but I have faith that this group of seniors has the experience and perseverance to go out on a win. <b>K-State wins the Big 12 championship and secures a BCS bowl berth, 37-24. </b><br />
<br />Susanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04070254692070287013noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2711475753281806958.post-27781808828894345782012-11-21T21:31:00.001-06:002012-11-23T11:25:09.704-06:00The Thing You Never Knew You Needed But Now Can't Live Without - Week 13There are so many good games this week that the fun starts on Thursday. There are so many good games this week that it continues all through Friday. There are so many good games this week that Oregon vs. Oregon State has been relegated to the the Pac-12 network. So many good games! And K-State has a bye week, so we're even safe from heartbreak! Yippee!!<br />
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Though, in case you're wondering, here's what you should be cheering for this week: Notre Dame falls to USC, Oregon falls to Oregon State, Florida falls to Florida State, OU falls to OSU, and <a href="http://www.sbnation.com/college-football/2012/11/17/3658380/lee-corso-braden-pape-video">Braden Pape</a><a href="http://www.blogger.com/blogger.g?blogID=2711475753281806958"> </a>secures a recurring role on GameDay. Hope you packed your comfy pants. It's gonna be a full weekend.<br />
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<h2 style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-size: x-large;">Big 12 Schedule</span></h2>
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<span style="font-size: x-small;"><i>Bedlam! </i></span></div>
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<b>Thursday</b> <br />
<u>6:30 p.m. ESPN: TCU at Texas</u><br />
This game has less importance now that The-Game-That-Must-Not-Be-Mentioned blew up the rest of our season. Since that's the case, I'd like to see the plucky young Frogs ruin Thanksgiving for Mack Brown and company. <b>Prediction: Pete Carroll. </b><br />
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<b>Friday </b><br />
<u>2:30 p.m. ABC: West Virginia at Iowa State</u><br />
West Virginia, you're dead to me. On a night when everything went wrong, you had the perfect opportunity to add to the chaos by knocking off Oklahoma and getting your first win since October 6th. But you blew it, and no one was watching and now you have to play in this game that really no one is watching and you'll probably win because Iowa State has unraveled spectacularly. But, you're dead to me, so it wouldn't make any sense if I picked you. So there. <b> Prediction: 45-42, Iowa State.</b><br />
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<b>Saturday</b><br />
<u>1:30 p.m. Fox: Texas Tech vs. Baylor</u><br />
Would you believe me if I told you that Baylor is still playing for bowl eligibility? The pain... it comes in waves. <b>Prediction: 55-45, Baylor.</b><br />
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<u>2:30 p.m. ESPN: OSU at OU</u><br />
Bedlam! No matter the year, no matter the situation, no matter the ranking, this game always ends up being important for just about everyone in the Big 12. OSU has played better than anyone else in the Big 12 in the past month and OU's hallowed ground has gotten a whole lot shakier this season. Finish 'em off, pokes. <b>Prediction: 38-30, OSU.</b><br />
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<span style="font-size: x-large;">Best of the Rest</span></h2>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjfBXntu07TH7S38YTL7dB7lsHdhB5YjjAdtD_rJLjnLfHuCPkD3KnMg0bSJMPMPokgF78FFAsITVrbnS3svN5EoRtC0v2OSteimH1u1oQIFsgOr1jTFtP9a2FvvMExTkKGhFK6U_0jeXg/s1600/notredame.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjfBXntu07TH7S38YTL7dB7lsHdhB5YjjAdtD_rJLjnLfHuCPkD3KnMg0bSJMPMPokgF78FFAsITVrbnS3svN5EoRtC0v2OSteimH1u1oQIFsgOr1jTFtP9a2FvvMExTkKGhFK6U_0jeXg/s400/notredame.jpg" width="400" /></a> </div>
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<span style="font-size: x-small;"><i>The last two undefeated teams have their last tests this weekend. Will we end the regular season with one true undefeated and one truly disqualified undefeated? For the love of the game, I hope not.</i></span></div>
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<u>11:00 a.m. ABC: Michigan at Ohio State</u><br />
This is Ohio State's last chance to lose. We cannot let Urban Meyer go undefeated in his first season at Ohio State. It's so fundamentally wrong. C'mon shoelace. Just ignore that old stuffy Brady Hoke and let loose for your last game in the gold and blue. If anyone can out Braxton Braxton Miller, it's the Denard Robinson of 2010. <b>Prediction: 28-17, Michigan.</b><br />
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<u>2:00 p.m. Pac-12 Network: Oregon at Oregon State</u><br />
I still can't believe this game isn't on a major cable network. The last time that happened, Oregon State was upset by Washington for their first loss of the year. Can Oregon State return the favor and ruin the Ducks title hopes for good? All signs point toward... probably? <b>Prediction: 21-18, Oregon State.</b><br />
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<u>2:30 p.m. ABC: Florida at Florida State</u><br />
It's nice to have this game be relevant again, but it seems weird that Bobby Bowden and Steve Spurrier aren't on opposite sidelines. That's how long it's been since this game was relevant to me. This week in schadenfreude features Florida State beating Florida and still being ranked behind all the other one loss teams (plus LSU). Hey K-State fans - look at Florida State and feel better about your situation. It's surprisingly uplifting. <b>Prediction: Florida State gets screwed over. </b> <br />
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<u>5:30 p.m. Fox: Stanford at UCLA</u><br />
So either UCLA got good again, or USC is just really, really bad. Either way, if Stanford wins this game, then I'm pretty sure that they have to have this exact same game again next week for the Pac-12 championship. Can that be right? Has there ever been a better argument against a conference championship game than that precise situation? The chaos this year is delicious. <b> Prediction: 28-24, Stanford.</b><br />
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<u>6:00 p.m. ESPN2: Missouri at Texas A&M</u><br />
Hello, old Big 12 foes. How funny that you meet in this game at wildly different ends of the spectrum. Missouri's lone SEC victories came over the only two schools with zero SEC victories and they are still fighting for bowl eligibility. Oh, and remember that time they lost to Vanderbilt? That was the best. Texas A&M has a Heisman frontrunner at quarterback (disgusting), knocked off Alabama for the biggest win in school history (also disgusting) and is tied with LSU at second in the legendary SEC West division (disgusting and wrong and disgusting). How about a good old fashioned Big 12 upset, just for nostalgia's sake? <b>Prediction: 31-30, Missouri. </b> <br />
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<u>6:00 p.m. ESPN: South Carolina at Clemson</u><br />
Clemson fans are enraged that Gameday chose Notre Dame over them, again. Chances are they'll be even more enraged when they lose this game by a lot and Sportscenter still ignores them. Sorry, Tigers. What did you think would happen when you added a Big 12 coach as your defensive coordinator? <b>Prediction: 40-30, South Carolina.</b><br />
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<u>7:00 p.m. ABC: Notre Dame at USC</u><br />
USC has lost every big game they've played this season. Now they have to play this one without Matt Barkley. Notre Dame is #1 for the first time this season and graced the cover of Sports Illustrated this week. USC has no shot, no shot at all. Sound familiar? I sure hope so. <b>Prediction: 52-24, USC. </b> Susanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04070254692070287013noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2711475753281806958.post-67056374177885451232012-11-18T17:31:00.002-06:002012-11-18T17:54:04.461-06:00Baylor recap: Crushed<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjT74QyaoMJqRPQwwvteso6r3_KPShP0lxqajCfk-49aQjdeh9S8WYcbpNMDrwRwswgXdtC00QjJBv6SIqus7gz6XVSuaJnBKsiaeS5VukyKmw0hL4sk76afIoLJeNHHiAPUIhRvtD_Ugk/s1600/collinbaylor.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="308" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjT74QyaoMJqRPQwwvteso6r3_KPShP0lxqajCfk-49aQjdeh9S8WYcbpNMDrwRwswgXdtC00QjJBv6SIqus7gz6XVSuaJnBKsiaeS5VukyKmw0hL4sk76afIoLJeNHHiAPUIhRvtD_Ugk/s400/collinbaylor.jpeg" width="400" /> </a></div>
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<span style="font-size: x-small;"><i>I hurt the most and the least for Collin. He had the most to lose, and yet I know that he has the best perspective about it. His leadership in the next <span style="font-size: x-small;">two weeks will <span style="font-size: x-small;">sti<span style="font-size: x-small;">ck with the underclassmen on this team for years to come. <span style="font-size: x-small;">Dan<span style="font-size: x-small;">iel Sams - I hope you're taking notes.</span></span></span></span></span></i></span> </div>
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The opening drive of the second half will tell you a lot about a Bill Snyder team. In 8 of 10 games this season, we had scored a touchdown on our opening drive. This time, it ended in an interception at midfield and I took my glasses off so that it was slightly harder to see what was happening. When Baylor scored again to make it 35-17, I leaned the recliner as far back as it would go, content to just listen. When Lache Seastrunk took off for an 80 yard run, I had my eyes shut tight, praying for the Baylor crowd to calm down again, to keep Floyd Casey Stadium as quiet as it was in the good ol days. I'd like to say I watched the fourth quarter but I didn't. I hid in a dark room and listened to Stanford beat Oregon in overtime. Brent Musberger delivered the news. It was all over. This wasn't our year after all.<br />
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It's the missed opportunities that really dig at me. The chance for our first national championship, for Gameday in Manhattan and a Heisman for Collin Klein. For an unbelievable movie ending for a coach who has done things the right way, with good people, in a good town. I like to think that ESPN has it wrong, that it doesn't have to be a money sport and that they over hype the SEC and their overpaid coaches and their storied programs. But last night, our bye week came a week too late. We had too many injuries and not enough depth. Snyder had taught too many people too many things, and in the end, that consistency gave our opponent the competitive advantage. Recaps are a little different after a loss. Fortunately, this is the first one I've had to write. The following are the four things I think happened last night.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjF7Kc4C76i5Ld3OJVm1JtVp3D9quPAFOdFvQa2eiEKiT9Gtf5Xdp9LHDNmOu2KRzHG59a9NC1EvVgYu3SMF2FuI4ASJoPJMK2onjF-VT2EzGoFNi51tCOdIVEFlDp1Wem3WaLv4AmOJk0/s1600/ksubaylor.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjF7Kc4C76i5Ld3OJVm1JtVp3D9quPAFOdFvQa2eiEKiT9Gtf5Xdp9LHDNmOu2KRzHG59a9NC1EvVgYu3SMF2FuI4ASJoPJMK2onjF-VT2EzGoFNi51tCOdIVEFlDp1Wem3WaLv4AmOJk0/s400/ksubaylor.jpg" width="400" /></a> </div>
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<span style="font-size: x-small;"><i>He taught us to care and then gave us something to care about. I just hope we can give him the happy ending he deserves. Someday.</i></span></div>
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<b>1. The defense sustained too many critical injuries.</b> We have had more trouble stopping the run since Tre Walker got hurt. We were able to cover some gaps by overloading the box, and Jarell Childs benefited from the extra support from Arthur and Randall and Tuggle. However, when Ty Zimmerman went down too, we could no longer pull the secondary to stop the run, because then Baylor would throw it over the top and create big plays in the passing game. That left not enough people to stop the run, and inexperience at the safety position. Without Tre, Ty had his finger in the well, which he was able to do because he's a three year starter who trained with Tysyn Hartman. Without Ty, the whole thing fell apart. You could see it in Dante Barnett's eyes on Baylor's first score. Mentally, he never believed he could do it. He knew he was outmatched and he looked frustrated to even be put in that position. You've got to think that he shoulders more blame than anyone, justified or not. He could use a call from <a href="http://espn.go.com/blog/ncfnation/post/_/id/36630/pinstripe-bowl-official-explains-salute-flag">Adrian Hilburn</a> today.<br />
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<b>2. We abandoned our running game.</b> For the past few weeks, we started to see Angelo Pease and John Hubert trading out possessions. No matter, most people said, because Collin has gotten so good at throwing the ball. As Hubert's stats started to slip, so did his blocking. As his blocking started to slip, Pease started to play more. As Pease started to play more, we started throwing even more, or running the wildcat. As our gametime running reps decreased, our O-Line lost traction and started to play less focused. That mental toughness slipped. They stopped creating holes, because they knew that Collin could just convert first downs with his arm. Hubert and Pease stopped getting enough carries to really see the field and read blocks. Without a balanced attack, there's only so much Collin and the receivers can do. Our receivers aren't the fastest or tallest guys around. Harper's never been an every down guy. The offense goes three and out and the exhausted defense has to get back on the field, stretched as thin as ever. This was supposed to be Hubert's happy homecoming. I can't imagine how terrible he feels today.<br />
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<b>3. We forgot to account for Bennett.</b> Everyone (myself included) looked at Baylor's defensive stats and said - no problem. This defense is terrible. Bennett's gone soft. Nothing to worry about. What everyone forgot is that Snyder's system is the same as it ever was, and Bennett would have the inside knowledge to overcome any statistical gap. Why do you think he played OU so well this year and last year? Again, insider knowledge. Why do you think they played us so tight last year? Insider knowledge. Bennett may not be great against his own offense, or the spread offenses of West Virginia and Texas Tech and OSU. But he can beat what he knows and we all forgot about that. You could tell Coach knew. When I saw him on the sideline in the first quarter, I swear he looked nervous, agitated, the way he looked against North Texas. Like a General in a futile battle - he knows when he's beat, and he knows it well before anyone else. <br />
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<b>4. Collin is more hurt than we know.</b> Collin had to rely on his arm in this one, and because there was no running game to respect, the receivers were double covered and couldn't bail him out on underthrown passes. He's been sacked a lot in the past three games and I'm sure his throwing arm is not 100%. But he's also a married man who probably suffered a concussion earlier in the season and has been advised not to take off and run every third down either. Without the variety in the offense, it becomes much simpler to defend. When it becomes much simpler to defend, Collin gets hurt more, our progress slows, we can't manage the clock and the defense gets more and more behind. I thought we tried to rush too much in the second half and tried to force the offensive tempo. We didn't need 3 scores at once. Five minute drives would've been fine. But how can you really do that, mentally, when you're #1 for the first time ever, on the road, down more than you've ever been, with half your leaders in street clothes on the sideline, and all that media talk about SI jinxes and pressure and national championships buzzing in your ears? No 22 year old kid can do that. <br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgSNF9C5-Mlr95vH9UjYeavUI_DBeM-LoXmwD9qaeXRLdj20h6Kn8dmvGztmbibrn-IxwUR-bPCkM_wDs2sLPGXo_0bQYIvFzhbU4Q4j_jAbj_2xBh-B6Ezv0Pxh9otn8oJDoZ875IUetA/s1600/ksucaptains.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="257" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgSNF9C5-Mlr95vH9UjYeavUI_DBeM-LoXmwD9qaeXRLdj20h6Kn8dmvGztmbibrn-IxwUR-bPCkM_wDs2sLPGXo_0bQYIvFzhbU4Q4j_jAbj_2xBh-B6Ezv0Pxh9otn8oJDoZ875IUetA/s400/ksucaptains.jpeg" width="400" /></a> </div>
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<span style="font-size: x-small;"><i>We owe our seniors a loud and supportive environment on December 1st. Let's end this season the right way. </i></span></div>
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There's a reason that recruiting classes matter. It's hard to get a team to stay healthy at the skill positions through November. Especially in the Big 12, where offenses are so potent and defenses are stretched thin every single game. We didn't have the depth we needed in the secondary, or the offensive line, or at receiver or quarterback and we knew that at the beginning of the season. Because of Snyder and his game plan, we were able to make it to the end of November before it became an issue. Sometimes we get lucky in November. Sometimes, we use up all our luck in September.<br />
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The Texas game is still a big one, and it will be senior night for these players that we love so much. Lucky for us, we still have great things to play for. Our first Big 12 championship since 2003, our first BCS bowl game since 2003, a chance to extend our winning streak over Texas and send Mack Brown out with a conference loss. A chance to go out on a win, even if it's not the win we thought it would be. <br />
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Chin up, Cats fans. Maybe it will feel better tomorrow. Susanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04070254692070287013noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2711475753281806958.post-72646581896399653162012-11-17T01:03:00.000-06:002012-11-17T01:03:10.313-06:00The Thing You Never Knew You Needed But Now Can't Live Without - Week 12This week there's not much in the way of action until 6 pm, so take some time to get outside, rake those leaves, and check in on your family. I'm sure they'll be happy and somewhat alarmed to see you on a fall Saturday, but they'll appreciate the undivided attention. Then get ready to do some serious channel flipping from 6 to 10. <br /><br />
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<span style="font-size: x-large;">Big 12 Schedule</span></h2>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhvcw_tPsyHsh8hTp7Cr2-ZF-gqOvRfjU6Ple8dv0rBVgFyfxxXLehyphenhyphen8Exe_fvGprsM6C6M84ZI1YLlOBMgh9SBpjT7E_6Inz2aBS7UfUL38nNxtR1FveTOEhnmbM7Kk8SJPr6px7LO4yc/s1600/KUfball.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhvcw_tPsyHsh8hTp7Cr2-ZF-gqOvRfjU6Ple8dv0rBVgFyfxxXLehyphenhyphen8Exe_fvGprsM6C6M84ZI1YLlOBMgh9SBpjT7E_6Inz2aBS7UfUL38nNxtR1FveTOEhnmbM7Kk8SJPr6px7LO4yc/s400/KUfball.jpeg" width="400" /> </a></div>
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<span style="font-size: x-small;"><i>C<span style="font-size: x-small;">'mon KU. Your <span style="font-size: x-small;">c</span>oach is <span style="font-size: x-small;"><a href="http://collegesportsblog.dallasnews.com/2012/11/charlie-weis-footing-bill-for-kansas-students-wanting-to-go-to-jayhawks-last-home-game-of-the-season.html/">literally paying </a><span style="font-size: x-small;"><a href="http://collegesportsblog.dallasnews.com/2012/11/charlie-weis-footing-bill-for-kansas-students-wanting-to-go-to-jayhawks-last-home-game-of-the-season.html/">students</a> <span style="font-size: x-small;">to watc<span style="font-size: x-small;">h you play. <span style="font-size: x-small;">Don't wast<span style="font-size: x-small;">e <span style="font-size: x-small;">it. </span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></i></span> </div>
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<u>2:30 p.m. FSN: Texas Tech at OSU</u><br />
OSU looks better and better each week while Tech is well into their annual midseason meltdown. The longer Tuberville is in Lubbock, the more he resembles Ron Prince. Try to <a href="http://espn.go.com/dallas/ncf/story/_/id/8624085/big-12-review-texas-tech-tommy-tuberville-outburst">keep your hands to yourself </a>in Stillwater, Tommy. All eyes are on you for the rest of the season. <b>Prediction: 45-27, OSU.</b><br />
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<u>6:00 p.m. Fox: OU at West Virginia</u><br />
Ready for some real talk? West Virginia is going to win this game. OU is back to sleepwalking, now that they're safely out of the national championship race and generally ignored by the rest of America. West Virginia, on the other hand, is a team in desperate need of a big win and a tiny moment of November relevance. Lock up your couches, Morgantown. Holgo and Geno finally have something to smile about again. <b>Prediction: 38-35, West Virginia. </b><br />
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<u>6:00 p.m. FSN: Iowa State at K<span style="font-size: small;">U</span></u><br />
James
Sims has 6 consecutive games of 100+ yards rushing?<span style="font-size: small;"><u> </u></span>Snyder would've turned a team like that with a player like Sims into a
.500 team easily. I love the K-State of Iowa, but without Jake Knott,
on the road, in the creepy, quiet stillness of Memorial Stadium... I
think the Jayhawks finally snap that 19 game conference losing streak. <b>Prediction: 21-17, KU.</b><br />
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<u>7:00 p.m. ESPN: K-State at Baylor</u> (<a href="http://transientperspectives.blogspot.com/2012/11/k-state-vs-baylor-preview.html">extended preview available</a>)<br />
Ok guys, help me out here. Is <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FWWpBSzObfY">this hype video</a> the funniest thing you've ever seen, or is my sleep deprivation officially a problem? Levity is an undervalued quality in fandom. <b>Prediction: 45-24, K-State</b>. <br />
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<span style="font-size: x-large;">Best of the Rest</span></h2>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhGv5AEt82pYxqopt64-j6yDbtOUUnLosJZST8DJwZW4bAgpk_ofJN7-YQKZF9Atu9ngNYhLtAnnO8lJUt1Sq5njrIf1q7z2tgP2BUV4KXko39FZzsBT6XNc7DHTD11n9vz2KJ37hctmdY/s1600/oregonstanford.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhGv5AEt82pYxqopt64-j6yDbtOUUnLosJZST8DJwZW4bAgpk_ofJN7-YQKZF9Atu9ngNYhLtAnnO8lJUt1Sq5njrIf1q7z2tgP2BUV4KXko39FZzsBT6XNc7DHTD11n9vz2KJ37hctmdY/s400/oregonstanford.jpg" width="400" /></a> </div>
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<span style="font-size: x-small;"><i>If anyone can give us a blueprint for slowing down Oregon, it's Stanford. </i></span></div>
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<u>11:00 a.m. ESPNU: Florida State at Maryland</u><br />
Have you heard about what's <a href="http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/terrapins-insider/wp/2012/11/06/maryland-football-fires-back-against-scrutiny-brought-on-by-rash-of-acl-injuries/">happening at Maryland</a>? If that happened to a Mike Leach team, every man, woman and child would swear that he personally forced those boys to tear their ACLs. Leach is an eccentric coach whose love for the game of football might be forever tainted by <a href="http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/2011/writers/the_bonus/07/11/leach.book.excerpt/index.html">recruiting the wrong kid</a>. It makes me sick to see him broken by the evil ESPN empire. Florida State has also been screwed over this year, but that's the ACC's fault. Should've jumped to the Big 12 when you had the chance, 'Noles. <b>Prediction: 30-13, Florida State. </b> <br />
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<u>2:05 p.m. Fox: USC at UCLA</u><br />
UCLA only has 2 losses this year, but one of them was by 30 points to Cal. Cal, as you may recall, is not very good at football. USC was picked by many professional people in the know to be a national championship contender. Since then, they've lost sloppy games to Stanford, Arizona and Oregon and stirred up a boatload of negative publicity. Not much to cheer for here, unless you think it matters who Oregon faces in the Pac-12 championship. For what it's worth, I'd like to see a USC rematch. <b>Prediction: 47-20, USC.</b><br />
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<u>2:30 p.m. NBC: Wake Forest at Notre Dame</u><br />
We are living in a world where Notre Dame could win out and not make it into the national championship, all because of a 3 overtime victory and a slate of victories over a historically good but currently awful Big 10 conference. Football is a cruel mistress, and no one escapes her wrath this year. <b>Prediction: "<a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Eloisa_to_Abelard">The world forgetting by the world forgot.</a>"</b><br />
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<u>2:30 p.m. ABC: NC State at Clemson</u><br />
Hey, remember when we all made such a big deal about Clemson last year? And now they're ranked #11 and no one says anything about them because they're in the ACC and we've all decided to ignore the ACC completely? Tough luck, Dabo. Lose, and you might get some highlights on Sportscenter. What else have you got to play for? <b>Prediction: 21-20, NC State.</b><br />
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<u>7:00 p.m. ABC: Oregon at Stanford</u><br />
I'd love for Oregon to beat Stanford in triple overtime so that everyone can go berserk debating the eye test qualities of Oregon vs. Notre Dame and the quality of their triple overtime games. All that squabbling would divert some of the heat from our little Manhattan family so that we can get down to the business of owning Texas. Let the chaos commence! <b>Prediction: 48-45, Oregon.</b>Susanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04070254692070287013noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2711475753281806958.post-4657045374535009292012-11-16T00:15:00.001-06:002012-11-16T22:06:34.566-06:00K-State vs. Baylor previewLast year's Baylor game in Manhattan was the most pure, unadulterated joy I have ever experienced. Being in that stadium as it erupted, yelling and screaming and hollering and contributing to the hysteria was the best experience I've ever had as a K-State fan. <br />
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Now, it's one year later and we're headed to Waco with a #1 ranking and a bus full of battered warriors. I can't help but hold my breath for the salute penalty in the
end zone or the new helmet rule screwing us over at the worst possible
time. It's all going so well, and it feels like an epic trick. I know I should just be enjoying the ride, but can anyone ever really do that after 1998?<br />
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<h2 style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-size: x-large;">Baylor Bears (4-5)</span></h2>
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<span style="font-size: x-small;"><i>This face is the goal. </i></span></div>
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<u>Players to Watch</u><br />
<b>#2, Wide Receiver: Terrance Williams </b>- Terrance and Tevin are the go-to wide receivers in Baylor's offense but don't get it twisted. Terrance is the one who averages 159 receiving yards per game and leads the NCAA in overall receiving yards. Tevin is just a boy compared to those grown man stats. This is a tough game for the secondary, but I want Bubba on #2. <br />
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<b>#11, Quarterback: Nick Florence</b> - Bad news: Florence passes for an average of 367 yards per game, which ranks second in the NCAA. Good news: he's also last in the Big 12 when it comes to turnovers with 11 interceptions. It took a serious amount of ball hawking to survive OSU, at home, with a healthy Zimmerman. Nigel better be ready to start catching some of those balls that keep hitting him in the numbers. No push-ups, #24. <br />
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<b>#25, Running Back: Lache Seastrunk</b> - In addition to having a super cool name, Lache has really turned it up in the last two games. This is particularly helpful for Baylor since their starting running back, Jarred Salubi, just loves turning the ball over. Seastrunk transferred from Oregon, so it would make sense that he would be the player to give us fits on Saturday. The run defense has looked a little looser without Walker, but Childs has closed the gap quickly. Seastrunk will be a slippery devil, and Baylor's passing game will spread the defense thin. We're going to need solid assignment football from the linebackers in this one. <br />
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<u>Keys to Victory</u><br />
<b>Keep the defense off the field.</b> Baylor is currently allowing opponents to convert on third down 58.9 percent of the time. No bueno. Our defense may not be excellent against the pass, but it's good enough to keep you from scoring every time you have the ball. If you let us convert our third downs 60% of the time, with your woeful rush defense, you'll be lucky to have the ball for 15 minutes.<br />
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<b>Keep the offense balanced.</b> If Baylor's strategy is to throw the ball 72 times, great. It will probably work the first 22 times and then fail miserably in those final 50 that they really, really need. Our secondary gives up some yards at the beginning, but they always adjust and improve and find a way to make stops. They've only given up 3 scores of 20 yards or more and I don't expect that number to suddenly fall off a cliff in Waco. Without the running game, Nick Florence will become way too familiar with Adam Davis and Meshak Williams. Nightmarishly familiar.<br />
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<b>Keep the ball to yourself.</b> Baylor has a bit of a problem with turnovers. I already mentioned that Mr. Florence has 11 interceptions all to himself. The running backs have played their own part in the turnover tale, providing 6 lost fumbles on the season. K-State is #1 in turnover margin. It's not that I don't think Baylor can play mistake-free football, it's just that Baylor wouldn't be Baylor if they played mistake-free football. And, as Baylor fans well know, not even RG3 escapes K-State without an interception. <br />
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<u>Fun Facts</u><br />
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<b>Fun with Math:</b> The Bears have only held one conference opponent (KU) to under 35 points. K-State comes in averaging 42.2 points and has allowed 30 points at most, once this season. Baylor currently averages 42.7 points a game, but were held to just 21 against the two teams with a solid rush defense. Why yes, Mike Stoops. That was directed at you. Please consider yourself insulted. <br />
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Baylor is our 4th opponent that ranks in the top 11 in total offense and scoring offense. We held the other three to an average of 153.7 yards and 21.8 points under their norm. Those other three teams may have passed for an average of 300 yards, but when it comes down to points they ended up with just 6 touchdowns and 9 interceptions. Combined. Think you can reverse that, Bears? It might be hard, considering you are dead last in total defense. (What happened to you, Bennett?) Should be more difficult to score all those points if your defense is too busy hogging all the playing time. Though, you could always try the Joe DeForest approach and just let us score in quick 2 minute increments. Just a suggestion. Collin would appreciate the inflated stats for his Heisman campaign. <br />
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<b>Snyderball stat of the week:</b> The Cats average starting field position is at the 41 yard line, 4 yards better than anyone else in the FBS. Conversely, they hold their opponents to an average starting field position at the 27 yard line. The 14 yard differential is also best in the FBS by nearly 5 yards. Check and mate. <br />
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<h2 style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-size: x-large;">Kansas State Wildcats (10-0) </span> </h2>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhuw9o67OorVTMQ_XL4baFVy6Zf-APr3V18zmfogJos2lkNL9YW2SvqEOZqXG5RUQf-XOqLf5oKeE96MJBHUHtGa94zyaRN7CfDIZ7IVyLyHmtwO7Y4qPMAWhtjmKRJvSCjkjWh8dR_oF8/s1600/meshak.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhuw9o67OorVTMQ_XL4baFVy6Zf-APr3V18zmfogJos2lkNL9YW2SvqEOZqXG5RUQf-XOqLf5oKeE96MJBHUHtGa94zyaRN7CfDIZ7IVyLyHmtwO7Y4qPMAWhtjmKRJvSCjkjWh8dR_oF8/s400/meshak.jpg" width="400" /></a> </div>
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<i><span style="font-size: x-small;">This man is the key.</span></i></div>
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<u>Players to Watch</u><br />
<b>#2, Safety: Ty Zimmerman</b> - The buzz on campus is that Ty will be out for this game with a broken leg. Ouch. However, the last time I predicted that, he played the whole game, so I'm sticking him here just in case. The secondary will be tested, and tested, and then tested some more in Waco and if we don't have Ty coordinating things, it could be ugly for a half. Thomas Ferguson is his back-up, and while he is certainly a talented athlete, this is a very deep deep end for him to jump into. He'll need lots of help from Bubba and Jarard to cut down on the big plays over the middle. Say a prayer or two. <br />
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<b>#33, Running Back: John Hubert</b> - Huuuuubert is a Waco native who was somehow overlooked by Baylor because of his size. Um, what? Recruiting is a fickle beast. It turned out great for us, and Hubert had one of his biggest games last year against Baylor's porous run defense. He's primed for a huge homecoming game this year too. Run free, 33. We'll make sure you hear the cheers. <br />
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<b>#24, Cornerback: Nigel Malone</b> - I think we're going to need a lot of turnovers to keep momentum in our favor this week, especially if Ty is out. Nigel was our most consistent ball hawk last year but has had trouble securing the catch all season long. One step at a time Nigel. Catch, then run. Catch, then run. I promise Baylor is not fast enough to stop your pick 6 if you would only remember to catch. it. first.<br />
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<u>Keys to Victory</u><br />
<b>Avoid the big play</b>. K-State has only allowed 3 touchdowns of 20+ yards. Baylor relies on big plays to keep things moving, especially if we can use our running game to play time of possession football. If we can make them drive the length of the field, or consistently have to get 10 yards three downs at a time, their mistakes will eventually catch up to them. <br />
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<b>Stop the run.</b> Baylor's offense kept them in the OU game far longer than anyone
expected. It held them within a touchdown of upsetting West Virginia.
It allowed them to escape a Friday night upset special with Sun Belt
team of the year University of Louisiana-Monroe. They should be able to
score on anybody. How then, did offensive bottom dwellers Iowa State
and TCU hold them to 21 points? By stopping the run so they could focus on the pass. I say it here every week. Force your opponent to be one-dimensional, protect the ball, win the field position battle and you'll give your defense time to slow down any opponent. <br />
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<b>Diversify the passing game. </b> The other injury reports this week have speculated that Curry Sexton is out with a broken collar bone and Tyler Lockett is out with a high ankle sprain. If that's true, then Chris Harper is going to need to get more than one reception a game and we're going to have to use our tight ends more effectively. I know that Tannahill is banged up, but we still haven't seen Andre McDonald in an offensive formation this season. I hope the back-ups are ready. We might get a Klein to Klein pass after all, god help us. <br />
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<u>Trap Level</u><br />
This one's pretty lethal. Everyone is battered and bloody and bruised and tired and excited and scared and #1 and tired. I know they're all looking forward to that off week, but they have to get through this one first, with energy and enthusiasm and discipline for a solid four quarters. Beware of Baylor's explosiveness and beware of vengeance for last year. I'm sure they'd love nothing more than to erase a 10 point lead in the fourth quarter and steal a 1 point victory from us. That 4th quarter defense needs to tighten up. <br />
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<u>Goal of the Week</u><br />
<a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cXleCKuAxqI&list=PL7972D9E1769F0079&index=14&feature=plpp_video">#15: Leadership.</a> We're #1 in the BCS for the first time ever. We're on the road in Waco, at night, against an underrated and explosive team. Everyone is injured. Back-ups are getting significant playing time for the first time ever. Everyone is worried about the bubble bursting. Everyone is aware of 1998. You can always count on leadership from Arthur, Collin, Ty and BJ. But what if Collin gets hurt? What if Arthur goes down? What if Ty (as expected) doesn't play? Who will step up? Who's ready? Are you?<br />
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<u>Prediction</u><br />
K-State should win this one by double digits. The injuries worry me the most, but when it comes down to execution, I think our players and coaches will be able to make the necessary adjustments to be successful in Waco. It may not always be pretty, but I think we can escape without any last minute Arthur Brown theatrics. <b>K-State lives on: 45-24. </b> Susanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04070254692070287013noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2711475753281806958.post-66244125132115427842012-11-12T23:47:00.002-06:002012-11-12T23:47:55.050-06:00TCU recap: Getting defensivePhew. We survived the defensive battle against Patterson's dreaded 4-2-5. The TCU defense blew us off the field for most of the game and they're loaded with freshmen. We got lucky that Boykin and the offense haven't caught up to the defense yet. TCU is going to be scary in the next couple of years. For now though, we're #1 for the first time ever. We stayed focused and mostly sharp, even with news of Alabama's loss spreading through the stadium. Fortunately, we have plenty of things to work on over the next three weeks.<br />
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<i><span style="font-size: x-small;">After the game, Gary Patterson had three words for his mentor: "Go win it." Let's honor his request. 12 quarters to go.</span></i></div>
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<b><span style="font-size: large;">Some things that were good... </span></b><br />
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<u>Collin Klein</u> - Collin scored our only two touchdowns of the game, which was good. He also had much better vision and patience with the running game than either Pease or Hubert. Also good. Even with all that good, it seemed like a hesitant performance from Collin. He was sacked three times, threw an interception, and weirdly decided to slide in the middle of the field 2 yards short of the first down on an important third down play. Then again, he had that spectacular throw to Chris Harper (which was, admittedly, under thrown) and the last minute toss to Tyler Lockett as he was being chased out of bounds that led to a first down. So mostly good, but not the great that we've grown accustomed to.<br />
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<u>Chris Harper</u> - Harper had the brilliant catch and run in the first quarter that set up our first touchdown. Brilliant, especially because he had to go back and get it and then fight off defenders for extra yardage. But then... he didn't have any more receptions. The entire night. That was it. What gives?<br />
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<u>Tyler Lockett </u>- Tyler looks so pretty and so speedy on those reverse plays when they work. He lands in the good category this week because he went out with an ankle injury in the fourth quarter. Not good. <br />
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<u>Ty Zimmerman</u> - Ty got his 5th pick of the year and was a general force in the secondary this week, bouncing back from an embarrassing performance against OSU. TCU ended with only 178 yards passing... which was still 33 yards more than we produced. Ty went out with some sort of knee/ankle injury in the second half too, and Thomas Ferguson had to come in for him. #5 works hard, but there's a noticeable drop-off there. We'll need Ty back healthy for Baylor's full throttle offense next week in Waco. Get better soon, Ty. <br />
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<u>Offensive play-calling</u> - Why so conservative, Coach? Was Collin more mentally unstable than he looked? Is it a shoulder injury? Is someone on the line hurt? Are you hiding something from Baylor or Texas? It was a bit stuffy, which looked stuffy against TCU's dominant defense. I'm surprised we didn't switch it up more after Fields and Maponga kept reading the hand-offs easily. I think there might be more injuries than we realize. That Thanksgiving bye week can't come soon enough.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhAV4k4DXLbUA7GPgQH7brrcBbRWqPH2JTVGwwolL5Cc9Ek5fQhI-4gg2Tw0rklWOnqpXdBCBDECOFZhC3nsYD2nYupWum_Q2g8IQUFXuJCioG4BpedM335QkFs44mPOD79yyae-M4Awdw/s1600/tcu3.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="236" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhAV4k4DXLbUA7GPgQH7brrcBbRWqPH2JTVGwwolL5Cc9Ek5fQhI-4gg2Tw0rklWOnqpXdBCBDECOFZhC3nsYD2nYupWum_Q2g8IQUFXuJCioG4BpedM335QkFs44mPOD79yyae-M4Awdw/s400/tcu3.JPG" width="400" /> </a></div>
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<i><span style="font-size: x-small;">We will, we will, out run you. (But never out gain you.) </span></i></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><b>Some things that were great...</b></span><br />
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<u>Meshak Williams</u> - The defense had a big day, and no one contributed more than Meshak. He had a couple of tips at the line of scrimmage and caused general mayhem in the backfield all game long. My favorite Meshak play came in the third quarter, when he managed to take out two guys at once. He was pursuing the quarterback, knocked him down, then realized Boykin pitched the ball to the running back, so Meshak turned around and grabbed him by the ankle to make sure the play was dead. Keep it up. <br />
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<u>The rest of the Defense </u>- The defense kept TCU to 96 yards rushing, and 274 yards of overall offense. Every single stop was needed, as TCU still managed to outgain us on offense by 14 yards. After a suspect performance against OSU, this was a huge improvement. However - TCU does have one of the worst offenses in the Big 12, so they'll need to continue to work hard this week to get those kind of numbers against Baylor.<br />
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<u>Ryan Doerr</u> - Ryan is so consistent. He bails out the offense. He bails out the defense. He flips the field. He gives the return units time to get in place. He kicks it high and spinny so that receivers have a harder time handling it. He does it all, and he does it every single time. We are so lucky to have him, and in a game like this, when our offense sputters more often than not, he's invaluable. <br />
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<u>Tramaine Thompson</u> - Man, teams really have nowhere to kick these days, do they? He and Tyler work so well together and take such pride in blocking for each other. It's so sweet to watch and they're both improving dramatically from game to game. His consistency on punt returns has given us good field position all season long. <br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj6mIYU7zFsh8PPHjpf62lYUDI9yHXPnJ-VEKaPu__YmJsZfruifoZB2yW-1qEJhzfftyCCHVfpyIdDEibSWbiJCJsiEKD5tBEWULK09JSH5vCJ3C-sL4i85KVxepN5E3eRP778MS4LctI/s1600/tcu2.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="268" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj6mIYU7zFsh8PPHjpf62lYUDI9yHXPnJ-VEKaPu__YmJsZfruifoZB2yW-1qEJhzfftyCCHVfpyIdDEibSWbiJCJsiEKD5tBEWULK09JSH5vCJ3C-sL4i85KVxepN5E3eRP778MS4LctI/s400/tcu2.jpeg" width="400" /></a> </div>
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<i><span style="font-size: x-small;">See, Ryan? Just fall on it. Look at the ball, square up, secure it. That's all you need to do.</span></i></div>
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<b><span style="font-size: large;">Some things that were puzzling... </span></b><br />
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<u>Arthur Brown</u> - Arthur looked like he forgot his contacts for this one. He executed a perfect sneaky blitz and then forgot to wrap up and let Boykin slip by him. On a run play, he lost sight of the ball and let the running back slip right around him before he even noticed. Running lanes have been slightly more open in the middle since Tre went out and I think Arthur is missing his vocal counterpoint. Coach said this week on his show that Tre is out for the season, so he and Jarell and Justin better start gelling soon. We'll need them at their sharpest against Baylor and Texas.<br />
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<u>Fourth Quarter Defense</u> - So, I said before that the defense had a great day. I still agree. But what the heck happened in the fourth quarter? All 10 of their points came in the fourth quarter and their touchdown came in the last minute. To add insult to injury, the touchdown was the first points we've surrendered off a turnover all season long. They've been letting up the last few weeks in the fourth quarter and I don't like it. Everyone remember '98. We can't get soft in the fourth.<br />
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<u>Offense's inability to finish drives</u> - Of the four times we reached the red zone, we only managed one touchdown. Two of those red zone opportunities came off turnovers and started with excellent field position. I don't know if this was a result of the conservative play calling, or the offensive line, or Collin being banged up, but it's weak and won't cut it against better Big 12 offenses. We knew going in that 3rd down conversions would be a battle, but we still only finished at 5 of 13. Definite step back.<br />
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<u>Ryan Mueller</u> - Another game, another huge mistake for Ryan. This time he tried to pick it up instead of falling on it and the turnover went back to TCU. It ended in 4th down and a shanked punt, but still - we won't always be that lucky. Just fall on the ball, Ryan. If it's good enough for Truman, it's good enough for you.<br />
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<u>Nigel Malone</u> - Can you imagine how high our turnover margin would be if we actually caught 100% of the interceptions that we have a chance at? It seems like three times a game we have an opportunity that bounces right off the numbers because guys have their eyes on that wide open end zone. Nigel was the biggest offender this week and decided to call attention to it by doing push-ups on the field. Hard to believe Coach was too thrilled with that. Just catch it next time, Nigel. <br />
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<u>Offensive Line </u>- What's going on with the O-Line? The TCU defense got pressure on Klein all night long and Hubert and Pease had nowhere to go. If Klein wasn't the most brilliant play caller we've ever had in the Snyder era, I don't believe we would have scored any touchdowns against that swarming 4-2-5. The line did not seem prepared for those ends or that formation at all. I know they're banged up and they're rotating in and out and we've been passing more the past couple of games, but still. Time to re-focus, guys. <br />
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Next week we have our last road game and trip to Texas this year, with a visit to Waco to face the enigmatic Baylor Bears. I hope Hubert is getting himself pumped up for his homecoming. He's about to face the worst rush defense in the Big 12. It's time to take advantage. Susanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04070254692070287013noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2711475753281806958.post-70422206809044515802012-11-10T02:19:00.001-06:002012-11-10T02:19:34.761-06:00The Thing You Never Knew You Needed But Now Can't Live Without - Week 11You guys, fair warning, but I'm about to lose my cool with these ESPN trolls. They are quite clearly pissed that K-State hasn't lost by now and that LSU wasn't undefeated heading into the game of the century and that they have to do research on 4 teams instead of 1. They're angry and they're irresponsible and I'm pretty sure they're up to no good. I'm a K-State fan, and that means I'm paranoid all the time. So enjoy the games today, but don't forget to sleep with one eye open. Constant vigilance is key.<br />
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<h2 style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-size: x-large;">Big 12 Schedule</span></h2>
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<i><span style="font-size: x-small;">Rest in peace, Darrell K. Thanks for the wishbone.</span></i></div>
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<u>11:00 a.m. Longhorn Network: Iowa State at Texas</u><br />
Do you think that Chip Kelly could be wooed? He has to put up with this monkey business of the weak Pac-12 every year, and has the super high flying offense that is so popular in the Big 12 these days. Austin is kind of the midwest version of Eugene, right? I think Dodds would be smart to make a play, especially if Oregon ends up stumbling or getting left out of the championship picture. Oh, and Texas needs to win this game to help K-State. <b>Prediction: Chip Kelly. </b><br />
<u><br />11:00 a.m. FSN: KU at Texas Tech</u><br />
The experts seem to think that this is a bad match-up for KU. I think it is a good match-up for KU, but a bad one to play in Lubbock. James Sims is the best running back in the Big 12, hands down. Unfortunately, he's got a lot of knuckleheads on his team that get in the way. Texas Tech will do their best to lose this game, but I don't think KU can shock someone on the road. Similar to last week, Tech will pull away in the second half. <b>Prediction: 35-21, Texas Tech.</b> <br />
<u><br />2:30 p.m. ABC: West Virginia at OSU</u><br />
Man, West Virginia really needs to win a game again. I imagine this one will look like the slop that earned them so much praise in September in victories over Texas and Baylor. However, I think OSU is the better finisher. There are health issues at quarterback, but Chelf looked amazing and it won't take much against WVU's "defense." I don't see West Virginia getting this victory in Stillwater. Sorry, guys. <b>Prediction: 49-45, OSU</b>.<br />
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<u>2:30 p.m. FSN: Baylor at OU</u><br />
It's still hard for me to believe that RG3 essentially won the Heisman in this game last year after needing overtime the week before to beat KU. How is that possible? Collin doesn't play for 15 minutes in a game because of an injury and all of a sudden, AJ McCarron and Kenjon Barner are nipping at his heels. Ugh. I am reaching saturation levels of disgust with ESPN at this point. Oh, and OU will win this game. Baylor's been just dreadful this year. <b>Prediction: OU. By a lot. </b> <br />
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<u>6:00 p.m. Fox: K-State at TCU</u> (<a href="http://transientperspectives.blogspot.com/2012/11/k-state-vs-tcu-preview.html">extended preview available</a>)<br />
Why is it that all the games that should be blowouts end up giving you ulcers and heart palpitations? Even if the final score doesn't reflect it, I'm predicting this one will be more brutal than the Iowa State game. Get your tums ready. <b> Prediction: 35-21, K-State.</b><br />
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<span style="font-size: x-large;">Best of the Rest</span></h2>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhflpPsmlfgPHcvw6WSlZbr60mq4XyZb3nyBqvEoK59BpA8FMqTSdm7Wx-6DFmFNrVcS5G6MaQ0LRRGjt-bss0CQqvo91DvYWPbKxVAMwp0toT-fmKifH7IrEQ7nbvwlzIotynEvA5-aLo/s1600/manziel.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" height="257" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhflpPsmlfgPHcvw6WSlZbr60mq4XyZb3nyBqvEoK59BpA8FMqTSdm7Wx-6DFmFNrVcS5G6MaQ0LRRGjt-bss0CQqvo91DvYWPbKxVAMwp0toT-fmKifH7IrEQ7nbvwlzIotynEvA5-aLo/s400/manziel.JPG" width="400" /></a></div>
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<i><span style="font-size: x-small;">C'mon Aggies. You owe us one.</span></i></div>
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<u>2:30 p.m. CBS: Texas A&M at Alabama</u><br />
Okay guys. You can't go on and on and on about how good Johnny Manziel is all year long and then give him no chance whatsoever against Alabama's defense. You can't do it. It's not fair. It doesn't make sense. Why do you insist on being so infuriating? Personally, I think that a former Big 12 team with an actual quarterback and a basic understanding of offense is the perfect team to keep the SEC out of the national championship for the first time since 2005. <a href="https://twitter.com/jworcester/status/266934303471054849">Clearly, other Kansans agree with me</a>. <b>Prediction: 28-24, Texas A&M. </b><br />
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<u>2:00 p.m. Fox: Oregon State at Stanford</u><br />
This game is a must-see for K-State fans, as Stanford and Oregon State are the best possible options for knocking pesky Oregon out of the national championship race. I'm partial to Mike Riley and the Beavers, but Steven loves <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iXhYYb5Qyug&feature=related">that happy, dancing tree</a>. I'll be interested to see if defense does exist in the Pac-12 after all. I have my doubts. <b>Prediction: Oregon really needs to lose soon. </b><br />
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<u>7:00 p.m. ABC: Notre Dame at Boston College</u><br />
It took Notre Dame 3 overtimes and an insane amount of luck to beat Pitt, the absolute LAST in the epic tragedy that is the Big East Conference. (Seriously, have you seen their <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=V3uRusLkfSE">league ads</a>? They're all about sportsmanship. Yikes.) Top story on College Football Final? Notre Dame is a championship team because they WIN CLOSE GAMES. Last year, K-State set an FBS record for winning close games. Top story in the off-season? K-State is not a championship team, they just got lucky because they won ALL THOSE CLOSE GAMES. I just... I can't... It's not.... GRRRRRRRRRRR. <b>Prediction: 20-13, Notre Dame. </b><br />
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<u>9:30 p.m. ESPN: Oregon at Cal</u><br />
Cal is so very, very bad. Chip Kelly is a mean, mean man and will beat this team by 60, by the end of the first half. Or <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=C8lMW0MODFs&feature=related">he'll pull a Penny</a> and just wait until the last 5 minutes of the 4th quarter to dump 50 points on them in 5 minutes. It doesn't matter. They'll get just as many votes no matter when it happens. Voters are 100% not watching these late games and it's making me crazy. <b>Prediction: 63-17, Oregon. </b>Susanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04070254692070287013noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2711475753281806958.post-6780448752432636722012-11-09T00:24:00.002-06:002012-11-29T23:33:47.379-06:00K-State vs. TCU previewIt was this weekend last year that K-State ended a 2 game losing streak in spectacular fashion against Texas A&M. Steven and I were in the best sports bar in New Orleans that day, watching 5 games at once. One of those games was <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BTxzGY9Xoa0&feature=related">TCU's epic victory over undefeated Boise State</a>. TCU is great at forcing teams to win games with their kicker, and then hoping that kicker cracks under the pressure. It's a strategy that's served them well over the years. Let's make sure it doesn't come down to that this year. <br />
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<span style="font-size: x-large;">TCU Horned Frogs (6-3)</span></h2>
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<span style="font-size: x-small;"><i>I don't know how to say this, but... your mascot looks like Bowser. From Mario. Sorry. It was just awkward that you didn't know.</i></span> </div>
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<u>Players to Watch</u><br />
<b>#95, Defensive End: Devonte Fields</b> - Little known fact: TCU is the Big 12's sack leader. Devonte Fields is the head of the sack crew, and I'm sure Patterson and his goons will be gunning for Klein, now that the injury reports are swirling. Our O-Line looked a little weak at times against OSU. They'll need to be steady in a hostile environment against this crew. <br />
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<b>#82, Wide Receiver: Josh Boyce</b> - I know that wide receivers can't win games on their own, because they require a quarterback to throw them the ball. That being said, Josh Boyce won that West Virgina game for TCU last week. He ran the 94 yards for the touchdown in the 4th quarter to send the game to overtime. <a href="http://scores.espn.go.com/ncf/video?gameId=323080277">He "caught" the 2 point conversion</a> that gave TCU the victory in double overtime. He is their go-to guy, and he will get to know Nigel and Bubba and Ty very, very well on Saturday.<br />
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<b>#2, Quarterback: Trevone Boykin</b> - Once you get past the name, Boykin's actually been a pretty reliable freshman QB for the Frogs. When Pachall entered rehab last month, everyone wrote off TCU for the year and turned their attention elsewhere. Boykin seemed to appreciate the lack of pressure and quietly put together excellent numbers against Texas Tech and West Virginia. He's young, throws interceptions, has a low completion percentage, and is fairly inconsistent. But he has Boyce. And he won't give up. We weren't great against Chelf last week when he decided to scramble. Look for Boykin to do the same.<br />
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<u>Keys to Victory</u><br />
<b>Hope for Sams. </b> With Klein healthy and ready to go, there's very little anyone can do to stop him. With Sams in, there's very little anyone can do to calm the nerves of thousands of terrified K-State fans. Without Klein, these teams suddenly look very competitive. <br />
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<b>Avoid the penalties.</b> TCU is a very, very young team. The first key to making that an asset instead of a liability is to avoid the stupid penalties. They'll need to play a perfect game to get their first Big 12 victory at home. <br />
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<b>Out scheme Snyder.</b> We already know that Patterson has ice in his veins. But does he know when and where and how to pull the trigger against the silver fox/wizard/doctor/miracle worker? I wouldn't put money on it. <br />
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<u>Fun Facts</u><br />
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TCU Head Coach Gary Patterson is a K-State alum. This will be the first time he's coached against K-State or Bill Snyder. Way back in the day, after Prince was fired, he was briefly rumored to have accepted the K-State job. The media broke the news and caused all manner of ruckus, as it coincided with TCU's Thursday night heartbreaker against Utah. Patterson, understandably pissed, took to the radio to dispel the rumors and dispense some harsh words for Bob Krause and K-State. We found out later that the Bob Krause criticism was warranted, but I, for one, started to lose a little bit of respect for Patterson that day. Were we really that close to losing the chance at Snyder 2.0? I have no idea. But I'm glad it worked out the way it did. <br />
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The last time these two teams met was 1986. Because it was 1986, TCU won that day, 35-22. TCU has played better on the road (3-1), than at home (0-2) in Big 12 play. This is partly because they built a brand new stadium without stopping to think about how they would fill it up. It's routinely half empty (half full?) but should, hopefully, be rocking on Saturday night as they welcome the highest ranked team they've faced at home since 1970. Also, they're doing a black-out, since both teams rep the purple. <br />
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Here's a fun game for those of you out there who are being forced to watch this football game against your will. Take a drink/eat an M&M/do a push-up every time Gary Patterson pulls up his pants. Take a gulp/eat 5 M&Ms/do 5 push-ups every time he ties his shoe. I promise you'll be busy.<br />
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<span style="font-size: x-large;">Kansas State Wildcats (9-0)</span></h2>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjlZoEM0gxxkY0B3RwFN5tdxh3X5HjICq-o0DO_MgljeMa-2F3qQDbOlBAkfuI5D3mWc4o6T_Q65h0HBIteQ2wg1D3z5WvlV3HGB-tmVXTa2-3euEjZf4EUgSwR05YXgtaZb7IUKIcrUSw/s1600/Willie-the-Wildcat.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="235" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjlZoEM0gxxkY0B3RwFN5tdxh3X5HjICq-o0DO_MgljeMa-2F3qQDbOlBAkfuI5D3mWc4o6T_Q65h0HBIteQ2wg1D3z5WvlV3HGB-tmVXTa2-3euEjZf4EUgSwR05YXgtaZb7IUKIcrUSw/s400/Willie-the-Wildcat.jpeg" width="400" /></a></div>
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<i><span style="font-size: x-small;"><span style="font-size: x-small;">Man, we're just better than you at <span style="font-size: x-small;">everything</span>.</span> </span></i></div>
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<u>Players to Watch</u><br />
<b>#7, Quarterback: Collin Klein</b> - Even without a formal injury report from Coach, Klein will be targeted on Saturday. They'll go for his wrist, they'll go for his head, they'll go for him. They've seen the drop-off between Klein and Sams and Patterson excels at stealing victories. If Klein can read the blitzes, we'll be fine. If he gets rattled early, watch out. Fortunately, K-State is a family and <a href="http://vimeo.com/53106002">families protect each other</a>. <br />
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<b>#2, Linebacker: Justin Tuggle</b> - Tuggle has gone cold since the OU game. I'm not sure if it's the rise of Childs, or the pass happy offenses, but I'm surprised I haven't heard his name more often in the past month. With Walker still out and Childs taking on his role, I'm looking for Tuggle to step up and return to form. The more pressure we can put on Boykin, the better off we'll be.<br />
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<b>#8, Running Back: Angelo Pease</b> - It was a beautiful thing to see Pease run the wildcat so effectively last week. TCU's run defense is more formidable than OSU's, but it's always helpful to add another variation to our ground attack. Plus, if Pease is reliable in the wildcat, we have yet another safety net in the event that Klein needs to sit. He's gaining confidence at the right time. Now let's see if he can put it together on the road.<br />
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<u>Keys to Victory</u><br />
<b>Protect the ball.</b> Our turnover ratio and points off turnovers has been well documented. Any time something gets well documented, I expect it to turn on us in dramatic fashion. We needed every last turnover last week to beat OSU. We'll need to maintain that pristine record on both sides of the ball to avoid an upset-minded TCU. <br />
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<b>Don't let up.</b> TCU came back from 10 down in the 4th quarter to force overtime with Texas Tech. Then, a week later, they fought back in the 4th against West Virginia to force overtime and then stole the victory on a 2 point conversion. This team won't quit, and they make a living on upsetting overly confident teams. They're like Iowa State, with a better offense. Scary. <br />
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<b>Be ready for the trick play.</b> TCU isn't afraid of the trick play. They'll run the reverse, the flea flicker, the onside kick, the fake field goal, the fake punt, the statue of liberty, the fumblerooski, the jump pass and/or any other kind of ridiculousness they can find in the back of the playbook. We don't have a great track record defending the trick play (remember the KU game?) so we'll need to stay alert to stay ahead. <br />
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<u>Trap Level</u><br />
High. We've never played TCU, we've never played at Amon G. Carter stadium, and we've never played Gary Patterson. I don't know if practice changed at all with Collin's injury, and I don't know how nervous the players are. I'm nervous. I'll be nervous until January. As far as I'm concerned, they're all traps now. Have I mentioned Patterson is tricky? Nervous-nervous-nervous.<br />
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<u>Goal of the Week</u><br />
<a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vsFhWbsiooc&list=PL8D16212A5B462E09&index=8&feature=plpp_video">#7 Great Effort.</a> Miami gave up in the fourth quarter. Texas Tech broke down on defense in the second half. Geno Smith fought with a tarp instead of communicating with his receivers. Though I'm confident in our ability to confuse and infuriate TCU, they won't give up. We'll need great effort all game long. <br />
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<u>Prediction</u><br />
Logically, we should be able to handle TCU easily. However, with Klein's injury, Patterson's sneaky skills, and TCU's defense, I think it might look more like the Iowa State game than the West Virginia massacre. In the end, I think the most disciplined team wins. <b>K-State survives, 35-21. </b><br />
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<br />Susanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04070254692070287013noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2711475753281806958.post-69427175048079102822012-11-06T00:01:00.001-06:002012-11-09T00:25:03.675-06:00OSU recap: We Came, We Vowed, We ConqueredThe
curse has been broken! It was one of the sloppiest performances of the
year, but at least we didn't need 3 overtimes to do it. A win is a
win, but let's go ahead and work on improving this week anyway. Just
for kicks.<br />
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<i><span style="font-size: x-small;"> One is the loneliest number</span></i></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><b>Some things that were good</b></span><br />
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<u>Chris Harper </u>- Chris had another great day, making catches out of bad passes, making plays when we needed them, and sealing off the edges for Pease and Sams later in the game. His part in the trick play was magnificent too. This is the second week in a row that he's ended the game as our top receiver. Slowly but surely, he's putting together that senior season he dreamed about.<br />
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<u>John Hubert </u>- Hubert's star is continuing to fade a bit, but he helped when we needed him the most. I'm a little bit concerned that Pease did more for us this week, especially with Collin out, but his option chemistry with Collin is unmatched. I'm starting to wonder if he's a little bit banged up.<br />
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<u>Daniel Sams</u> - Sams has looked more mediocre as the season goes on, but I am impressed with his throwing motion. I think he suffers from conservative play calling more than anything else, but those spin moves are frustrating. It's probably a good thing for him to get more game experience, but probably a bad thing for opposing teams to see just how steep the drop-off is without Klein in the game.<br />
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<u>Angelo Pease </u>- Pease was a beast tonight and seemed to get stronger as the game went on. I was impressed with him in the wildcat and thought he showed tremendous vision in the first half when Hubert couldn't get anything going in the run game. He's becoming a very reliable option on offense. If he hadn't come to life in the fourth quarter and converted third downs and got us into field goal position, the game would've been a lot closer.<br />
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<i><span style="font-size: x-small;">I love that Quinn Sharp sprinted out of the way. I'm happy for Tyler, but I'm mostly thrilled with Sharp. </span></i></div>
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<b><br /><span style="font-size: large;">Some things that were great</span></b><br />
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<u>Run defense </u>- The pass defense had a tough day, but the run defense came up huge, holding Joseph Randle to only 43 yards and forcing a fumble. Oklahoma State had plenty of firepower, but they never really fell into a comfortable rhythm because they couldn't get the running game going. If they had... I'm not sure we could have won this game.<br />
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<u>Jarell Childs </u>- Jarell ended up handling most of Tre Walker's duties this week (in lieu of Johnathan Truman, as previously predicted). He did a great job with the extra playing time, ending the game with 8 tackles and 1.5 for loss. He was a presence all day long and didn't make the big mistakes. Since the OU game, he's really taken Tuggle's place as the rising star of this linebacker group.<br />
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<u>Bubba Chapman</u> - Bubba had an insane game, ending with 3 interceptions that came at opportune times. His second looked a little like he stole it from Zimmerman, but there seemed to be no hard feelings. For the second year in a row, Bubba took a pick six from OSU and made sure the momentum stayed with the Cats. His interception in the end zone in the fourth quarter effectively iced the game and helped the fans, coaches and players breathe a sigh of relief. He made his mistakes, and plenty of those long scores were made because he was out of position, but when we needed a big play - he was there.<br />
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<u>Tyler Lockett</u> - Lockett could've easily had two kick-off returns for touchdowns in this game. The second one would've been harder, because I think Quinn Sharp would have been required to at least attempt to tackle him, but he would've made it. He looked about a million times faster running the kick-off back this year than he did in last year's game, didn't he? He beat up Justin Gilbert all day long and looked like a fifth year senior doing it. Baby Lockett is something special.<br />
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<span style="font-size: large;"><i><span style="font-size: x-small;">Cantele picked a bad time to miss.</span></i><b><br /></b></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><b>Some things that were bad</b></span><br />
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<u>Pass rush </u>- We got one half sack the entire game. Now, OSU's O-Line had only given up 3 sacks prior to this game, so I knew it would be tough. But most of the time they didn't even get close. Randall had a couple of tips at the line of scrimmage and Adam Davis led the team in tackles, but Lunt still had way more time than he should have. We'll need to tighten that up this weekend against TCU. Our defense is certainly better than West Virginia's, but I don't want to take any chances against Gary Patterson and Josh Boyce.<br />
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<u>Special Teams</u> - For the first half of the game, the kick-off coverage unit was embarrassing. OSU's kick-off return for a touchdown was the result of an extremely short kick, into sleepy coverage, that simply got blown out of the way. Sloppy play by the whole unit. As for Anthony Cantele, he had several short kick-offs, a kick out of bounds to start the third quarter and then he missed a field goal in the fourth that could've been a huge momentum swing for OSU, if not for Bubba's epic day. They all need to wake up and prepare a little better. It's only going to get harder.<u> </u><br />
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<u>Pass Defense </u>- Oh dear. Here I go again, quibbling with the secondary. I'm sorry guys. I would've loved to give you credit last week for shutting down Doege and Torres and Zouzalik, but you gave up more than 21 points. Then, in this game, you gave up a 50 yard TD pass on OSU's first offensive possession of the game. You did a good job of creating turnovers, which is nice, considering you left the middle of the field open all day long again. And you didn't rise to the challenge in the third quarter, when your quarterback went out and you realized it would be up to you to preserve the type of beat downs you've grown accustomed to. No, Chelf came in and you all relaxed, and at the end of the day, you gave up 417 passing yards. 417! Don't you remember we're playing for tenths of a point in a BCS poll that determines your fate? This was bad, and unfocused, and selfish, and sloppy and bad. Never again.<br />
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<u>Collin's injury</u>. From everything I've read and seen and puzzled over, it seems to me that he had some sort of head/neck injury that kept him out of the game. If it were a simple wrist/knee/shoulder/hand/internal organ other than his head or neck, he would've stayed in the game. My guess is that he'll be fine for Saturday and we can all breathe easy again. I didn't like how rushed he was in the pocket and how long it took for them to get plays checked and communicated in the first quarter. The O-Line needs to give him a bit more time and everyone needs to be more focused at the beginning of the game. Still, there's no way to protect Collin all the time, and the hits are sure to keep on coming. We just have to get him through 4 more games. <br />
<br />Susanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04070254692070287013noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2711475753281806958.post-41927332148283996572012-11-03T00:04:00.002-05:002012-11-03T10:20:38.277-05:00The Thing You Never Knew You Needed But Now Can't Live Without - Week 10If TV was really about improving college football for the fans, you'd have Notre Dame at 11, K-State at 2:30, Oregon at 6 and Alabama at 8. You know I'm right. Altogether now: ESPN is the enemy. I will not believe their baloney talk. <br />
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Rant of the weekend: why does everyone think it's so cool to see two teams who do the exact same thing play each other? Wouldn't you rather see a really good defensive team match up with a really good offensive team? SEC slugfests just seem like a bunch of guys in fancy cars, sitting at a stoplight, revving their engines. At least in the Big 12, we put the car in gear. <br />
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Enjoy the day, fans. Enjoy it to spite them all.<br />
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<h2 style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-size: x-large;">Big 12 Schedule</span></h2>
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<u>11:00 a.m. ABC: OU at Iowa State</u><br />
Oh Iowa State. You poor, poor, unfortunate Cyclones. You got an angry OU team last year, a week after their loss to Baylor. Now you get an angry OU team this year, a week after their loss to Notre Dame. That, plus Jake Knott's shoulder injury means this will be a very, very long day for the home team. <b>Prediction: 42-17, OU.</b> <br />
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<u>2:00 p.m. FOX: TCU at West Virginia</u><br />
It's been a month since West Virginia won a game. It's been a month since West Virginia played West Virginia offense. It's been a long, sad, month for ESPN analysts who spent all of August and September drooling over Geno Smith. But we play TCU next week, so they'll have a huge day and beat West Virginia too. Maybe next week, Holgo. Maybe next week. <b>Prediction: 45-40, TCU.</b><br />
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<u>2:30 p.m. ABC: Texas at Texas Tech</u><br />
Things are sad in Austin. Lubbock won't help. Any chance we can get Saban to take over Texas next year? That'd be fun and terrifying. I think I'll just predict future Texas coaches instead of scores for the rest of the season. <b>Prediction: Dan Mullen.</b><br />
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<u>2:30 p.m. FSN: KU at Baylor</u><br />
KU plays much, much better at home than they do on the road. Is it the sleepy, peaceful feel of Memorial Stadium or are the Jayhawks actually improving? Both teams need a conference win. One team can't score. The other team can't stop scoring. Unfortunately, I don't think the Jayhawks have the firepower to keep up in this one. <b>Prediction: 31-21, Baylor.</b> <br />
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<u>7:00 p.m. ABC: OSU at K-State</u> (<a href="http://transientperspectives.blogspot.com/2012/11/k-state-vs-oklahoma-state-preview.html">extended preview available</a>)<br />
For the past two years, I've been distracted by an engagement and a wedding and we lost both years. This year, I'm back and I'm focused. Let's do this. <b>Prediction: 35-21, K-State. </b><br />
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<span style="font-size: x-large;">Best of the Rest</span></h2>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEitQVgXUycpBmtTyo0YsNEoofTvbMv-8SKneC2hA2yGY8dSoCVL2InYCZ_QimHpDgR7loeya2VKpDFqUY0AzwHeg__lCcLZjUPVO51tRS9vZx3-iTx0I2ykarYoa_mIdqvl_s1HLd3dpVo/s1600/oregon.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEitQVgXUycpBmtTyo0YsNEoofTvbMv-8SKneC2hA2yGY8dSoCVL2InYCZ_QimHpDgR7loeya2VKpDFqUY0AzwHeg__lCcLZjUPVO51tRS9vZx3-iTx0I2ykarYoa_mIdqvl_s1HLd3dpVo/s400/oregon.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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<u>11:00 a.m. ESPN: Texas A&M at Mississippi State </u><br />
I can't believe I have to cheer for the Aggies now. The SEC is the worst thing ever. <b>Prediction: 42-35, Texas A&M.</b><br />
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<u>2:30 p.m. NBC: Pittsburgh at Notre Dame</u><br />
I really think this is the best chance for a Notre Dame loss this month. Pitt is sneaky, <a href="http://triblive.com/sports/college/pitt/2882162-85/players-graham-pitt-street-charged-football-pitts-pittsburgh-university-defensive#axzz2B88xEprG">but they might also be a little distracted this week by their extracurricular activities</a>. Cheering for Pitt is a terrible situation to be in. <b>Prediction: 24-13, Pitt. </b> <br />
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<u>6:00 p.m. FOX: Oregon at USC</u><br />
Oregon is finally playing a real team. It's 8 weeks into the season and they're playing their <i>first real game</i>. They deserve to flame out spectacularly, but I don't think USC is the team to make it happen. It'll be close, but Oregon will survive this one. <b>Prediction: 41-38, Oregon. </b><br />
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<u>7:00 p.m. CBS: Alabama at LSU</u><br />
You know who's super duper annoying? Mark May. In his "<a href="http://espn.go.com/college-football/story/_/id/8557260/college-football-oregon-ducks-usc-trojans-alabama-crimson-tide-lsu-tigers-own-week-10">Mayday Minute</a>" this week he raved about how impressive Alabama is because they have no real superstars on offense. They win all these games without having a single offensive player (other than McCarron) in the top 50. I believe this is the EXACT SAME ARGUMENT used to invalidate K-State's entire football team. Grrrrrrr. At least LSU made this <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MxbI75agBBU">amazingly intense trailer </a>to make up for it. <b>Prediction: 16-9, LSU.</b> <br />
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<u>9:30 p.m. ESPN2: Arizona State at Oregon State</u><br />
Oregon State lost last week because the silly networks decided to put their game on the Pac-12 network. This week, they're back where they belong. Get it going, boys. You're my best hope for knocking off Oregon. <b>Prediction: 28-14, Oregon State. </b> Susanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04070254692070287013noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2711475753281806958.post-24222615433308549572012-11-01T23:40:00.001-05:002012-11-01T23:40:51.456-05:00K-State vs. Oklahoma State previewK-State lost this game last year in a heartbreaker, falling short in the final seconds, on the 5 yard line. To the casual observer, it was a success, a sign of life and hope after the embarrassing OU beat down the week before. To Klein and company, it was painful, but gave them the confidence they needed to believe they were an elite program. The week after, they won a 4 OT battle with A&M, even though Klein was essentially held together with band-aids and spit. This year it's OSU looking for validation, after penalties, youth, and injuries at the QB position have kept them inconsistent and stuck in the middle of the Big 12 pack. It's bound to be a good day for someone. <br />
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On a personal note, I'd really rather it be a good day for me. Steven and I got engaged before the OSU football game in 2010, and we lost. Then we got married before the OSU game in 2011, and we lost. Now that we're all legit and stuff, isn't it our turn to win? I'm pretty sure we've earned it. That's got to count for something. <br />
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<span style="font-size: x-large;">Oklahoma State Cowboys (5-2)</span></h2>
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<i><span style="font-size: x-small;">Is it Cowboys or Cowpokes? What's the difference? </span></i></div>
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<u>Players to Watch</u><br />
<b>#1, Running Back: Joseph Randle</b> - Randle already has 891 yards and 9 touchdowns for the season. Explain to me again how we let this Wichita kid get away? He's fast and patient and skilled and strong and knows Arthur Brown very, very well. The two have played against each other since high school, and it's a match-up that will be crucial on Saturday. If anyone can show Randle the error of his ways, it's Judge Brown.<br />
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<b>#11, Quarterback: Wes Lunt </b>- Lunt has had a scary season already, getting knocked out in the third game of the season and staying out until J.W. Walsh suffered a season-ending injury two weeks ago. Since then, Lunt carried his team to a comeback victory against a defensive-minded TCU. He looked a little rusty in the first half last week, but seemed to have his timing back by the end of the game. We'll see if Meshak can disrupt that timing on Saturday.<br />
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<b>#37, Linebacker: Alex Elkins</b> - I'm sort of afraid that I'm underestimating the OSU defense, and Elkins and Cooper Bassett are two big reasons why. They play hard and smart and they could give our running game fits. They really only gave up one touchdown to TCU last week in the first quarter and then locked it down for the rest of the game, giving Lunt and the offense plenty of time to get things going. We'll need to play hard for all four quarters. This team won't quit. <br />
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<u>Keys to Victory</u><br />
<b>Protect the quarterback</b>. The offensive line has only allowed 3 sacks on the year, but
their back-up QB, J.W. Walsh is already out for the season and Lunt has
been banged up too. If Meshak and Adam get their hands on him early, we could be seeing Clint Chelf for the first time this season. You don't want to resort to your third string QB, on the road, against the #2 team in the country. Unless you're a fan of the #2 team in the country, of course.<br />
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<b>Third down conversions.</b> Oklahoma State is second in the nation in third down defense. They will need to keep the K-State offense on the sidelines if they hope to spring the upset. No one is better than the Cats in close games and no one is better at winning those close games on third down. Good luck. <br />
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<b>Keep the offense balanced.</b> If the run game isn't working and Lunt is forced to throw, the pass defense will create turnovers. If the pass game isn't working and Randle is forced to carry the load, the rush defense will find a way to get stops on third and short. In order to have any chance of keeping the Cats defense off-balance, OSU will need an extremely balanced attack on offense. <br />
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<u>Fun Facts</u><br />
<br />
Oklahoma State has
the series lead at 36 wins to our 22. They've also won 3 of the last 4
and remain the only Big 12 team that Snyder hasn't beaten since his
triumphant return. In fact, Snyder hasn't beaten OSU in Manhattan since 2002. No one on the current K-State roster has beaten
Oklahoma State and they've been practicing all week with last year's
score (52-45) on the scoreboard.<br />
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Oklahoma State has had a scoring drive of less than 2 minutes in the last 34 games. K-State has allowed 4 scoring drives of less than 2 minutes this season. 3 were field goals, 1 was a Miami touchdown. Oklahoma State is the third straight team the Cats have faced that rank in the top ten in scoring offense. I can't wait to play an SEC team in the national championship. That'll be such a nice break for our defense. <br />
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Player connections. Cooper Bassett initially committed to K-State back in the Prince days and became fast friends with Collin Klein and Travis Tannahill. He's now the starting Defensive End for OSU and says he <a href="http://newsok.com/oklahoma-state-football-cooper-bassetts-friendship-with-collin-klein-will-be-forgotten-for-at-least-three-hours-on-saturday/article/3724590">won't help Collin up if he manages to sack him during the game</a>. But he won't take a cheap shot. Arthur Brown and Joseph Randle have lined up against each other since their high school days. Tyler Lockett suffered a season ending kidney laceration last year against the team that didn't try to recruit him. Tramaine Thompson and Andre McDonald are two other overlooked Okies who have found a successful home with the K-State family. There's plenty of motivation on both sides, and Oklahoma State would love to give K-State the Iowa State treatment. <br />
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<h2 style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-size: x-large;">Kansas State Wildcats (8-0)</span></h2>
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<i><span style="font-size: x-small;">Our flags are cooler than your flags.</span></i></div>
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<u>Players to Watch</u><br />
<b>#26, Linebacker: Jarell Childs</b> - Jarell has been a beast lately and I haven't given him the proper credit. He had an amazing game last week and would've scored his second defensive touchdown of the year, if not for Ryan Mueller's unfortunate lapse in judgment. With Walker gone and Arthur a little banged up, Childs will need to play hard and smart to contain Randle. <br />
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<b>#33, Running Back: John Hubert </b>- It's about time for Hubert to break 100 again. Klein's been showing him up the last couple of games and he seems to be losing some ground to Pease. Oklahoma State's pass defense looked strong against Boykin and the Frogs last week, and the ground game may be crucial in this one. Look for Hubert to get his swag back. <br />
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<b>#21, Linebacker: Jonathan Truman</b> - Now that Tre Walker is out for (potentially) the season with a knee injury, it's Truman's time to shine. He's had some positive plays throughout the season, but he's never played against a team in the first half and he's never played every snap. Walker plays most often against running teams, so I'm sure it cuts even deeper that he has to sit this one out. Hopefully Truman's ready.<br />
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<u>Keys to Victory</u><br />
<b>Contain Randle.</b> Oklahoma State has the best offensive yardage in the Big 12, led by the top rushing attack in the league. A large percentage of that rushing attack comes from Joseph Randle. If we can shut down Randle and force Lunt to pass all night, we'll be in great shape. <br />
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<b>Turnovers.</b> When these two teams met last year, Oklahoma State had the best turnover margin in the league. This year, K-State holds that record and will need to protect it to stay out of trouble. Oklahoma State caused multiple turnovers last week against TCU and they have enough speed on defense to make it hurt. So far this season, teams haven't been able to score a single point off a K-State turnover, while K-State has scored 90 points off the turnovers they've caused. That's a tradition worth preserving. <br />
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<b>Protect the middle. </b> In the second half of last year's game, Brandon Weeden destroyed our pass defense by completing long passes over the middle whenever he wanted. In last week's game against TCU, freshman QB Wes Lunt looked his best connecting passes over the middle whenever he wanted. If we want to avoid another shoot-out, we need to be better in the middle. <br />
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<u>Trap Level</u><br />
K-State should win all of the games left on their schedule. Therefore, each week becomes a big, gaping, tragedy-filled trap. This one is at home, in a late kick-off, without Tre Walker, against a team that has been impossible to predict. K-State surprised everyone by staying in the game until the last second last year. OSU has the potential to return the favor. DANGER-DANGER-DANGER. <br />
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<u>Goal of the Week</u><br />
<a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Wx-EArwhFk8">#9 Eliminate mistakes.</a> From here on out, it's all about consistency and unity and improvement and smart football. Take nothing for granted, stay humble, stay hungry and above all, stay focused on the family. We win and we're in. We lose and we're screwed. <br />
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<u>Prediction</u><br />
I think this game will be uncomfortably close in the first half, much like last week against Tech. If we're not ahead at half, be worried. But not too worried. I think we have the toughness to win it in the fourth, hopefully by double digits. <b>K-State wins, 35-21. </b><br />
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<i><span style="font-size: x-small;">This is the year we'll honor our vows. </span></i></div>
<br />Susanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04070254692070287013noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2711475753281806958.post-13001553387265110032012-10-29T22:48:00.001-05:002012-10-29T22:48:16.805-05:00Texas Tech recap: Gunned DownThe better our wins get, the more the media tells us how much we're going to get left out, how insignificant our early wins actually were, how "lucky" and "flukey" our record has been. It's that time in the season where the blogs and tweets and articles that I look forward to all year long start turning on our team and I have to go into media black-out. I'll try not to get sucked down into the pit of negativity that is November college football speculation. But I'm hoping you guys can keep me accountable.<br />
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So! Let's talk about that victory!<br />
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<h2 style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-size: x-large;">Some Things I Liked</span></h2>
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<i><span style="font-size: x-small;">I like Arthur. </span></i></div>
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<b>-Opportunistic defense.</b> The defense gave up a ton of yards (442) but got the turnovers (3) and scored points (17) off them. They had trouble with the pass coverage, didn't get a ton of pressure on Doege and didn't always get back in time to impede Tech's hurry up offense, but Tech's no slouch offensively. It's kind of inconceivable that we gave up 442 yards and still beat them by 31. It's even more inconceivable that they outgained us by 16 yards. Snyder Ball.<br />
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<b>-Meshak Williams.</b> Meshak had a huge day, just like I asked him to. He forced a fumble in the first quarter, he knocked down passes at the line of scrimmage, he sacked Doege and he blocked a field goal in the second quarter. He was huge and now I want him to be just a little bit better next week. And the week after that. And the week after that. Etc.<br />
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<b>-Chris Harper.</b> Harper is alive and well! He had 99 receiving yards, set up huge blocks for the running game and continues to be our most clutch receiver. Lockett may have the sideline hands, but Harper is big and tough and strong and will get it done in double coverage. The receivers just keep getting better.<br />
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<h2 style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-size: x-large;">Some Things I Loved</span></h2>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjYzB319gDQAopz-9AjYLpaG6r3gMsJB7I88Gr8XdQb6-4AXDeWf0QJ0CkmtN1uZdcuOgtCtNgN3t9vQrGmWFkwrIyLkkh7WSj8rQtNgauDtZJM_Vjsn1S3pn9gMFA8-WZnNZKOvRBRgkg/s1600/techarthur2.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="290" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjYzB319gDQAopz-9AjYLpaG6r3gMsJB7I88Gr8XdQb6-4AXDeWf0QJ0CkmtN1uZdcuOgtCtNgN3t9vQrGmWFkwrIyLkkh7WSj8rQtNgauDtZJM_Vjsn1S3pn9gMFA8-WZnNZKOvRBRgkg/s400/techarthur2.jpg" width="400" /></a> </div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<i><span style="font-size: x-small;">I love Arthur.</span></i></div>
<br />
<b>-Collin Klein's rushing touchdowns.</b> Klein advanced his running game this week to include 20 yard touchdown runs instead of the 5 yard sneak we're so used to. You know what? The long run is even prettier than the short run. The refs that botched so many calls in the first half made up for it in the second by throwing a block for Klein on his second rushing touchdown in the third quarter. All is (mostly) forgiven.<br />
<br />
<b>-Arthur Brown's touchdown.</b> There is no one more deserving of a pick 6 than Arthur Brown. It warmed my heart to see him get to the end zone, and then I saw how happy the rest of the team was for him. This team! They're something special.<br />
<br />
<b>-Randall Evans.</b> Randall finally got his big moment this week and put away the game for good with his fumble recovery. Not only did he cause the fumble, but he scrambled around the side to pick it up, and then ran down the field 20 yards, and then got a face mask penalty which gave us another 15. He's been so good this year at pursuing and blocking and tackling in space and never giving up and I was so happy to see him finally break through with this big time play. <br />
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<h2 style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-size: x-large;">Some Things I Could Have Lived Without</span></h2>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEii2R2s-eN8jePGaqnAhir8AU5vpjGU4r8WxsVQTMku40ogQUVBXKM64rJBPkoNVVfSLdV2MC1_zB2_ON_Gfu9QpMjViYGH0DlCkFLwBjDQq5wp_wwGy-VSE0hYdL_YMB6HWMg4S09GJ4U/s1600/tech-arthur.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="301" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEii2R2s-eN8jePGaqnAhir8AU5vpjGU4r8WxsVQTMku40ogQUVBXKM64rJBPkoNVVfSLdV2MC1_zB2_ON_Gfu9QpMjViYGH0DlCkFLwBjDQq5wp_wwGy-VSE0hYdL_YMB6HWMg4S09GJ4U/s400/tech-arthur.jpg" width="400" /></a> </div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<i><span style="font-size: x-small;">I can't live without Arthur.</span></i></div>
<br />
<b>-Ryan Mueller's senseless chop block on Jarell Childs fumble recovery.</b> Did you guys watching at home notice how far away from the play he was? Did you notice that he was blocking a guy who had no chance of impeding the touchdown? Did you notice how late in the play he made the block? Mueller had to go back upfield to block the guy, and the only thing I can figure is that he was excited and running on adrenaline and made a bad mistake. It was a 4 point mistake, and took away a hard fought touchdown run from Jarell. Bad on every front, but at least it didn't cost us the game. I'm sure he'll be hearing quite a bit about that in film study.<br />
<br />
<b>-Questionable officiating on that whole series.</b> Okay, so Mueller should never have been near that guy, but it was a pretty suspect chop block to call. To make matters worse, Thompson got pushed down in the end zone two plays later, the refs threw a flag for the obvious pass interference, then picked it up after deciding that their feet got tangled. Two calls led to 3 points instead of 7. Thankfully the game didn't come down to 4 points.<br />
<br />
<b>-First quarter play.</b> The guys looked stiff and slow throughout the whole first quarter. The offense didn't seem to call plays that matched the defense. The throws came late, and the runs came against a loaded box. The defense took a few Tech possessions to really get the hang of Tech's rhythm and allowed a touchdown on the first offensive possession for the first time this year. They only allowed one field goal after that in the first half, which is miraculous when you consider how many yards they racked up. A little scary, but they did enough to give the offense time to warm up and get rolling. <br />
<br />
Next up - Oklahoma State Cowboys. Did you know that Oklahoma State is the only team Snyder hasn't beaten since his triumphant return? Did you also know that the last second loss last year was one of Collin's lowest moments? <a href="http://kansasstate.rivals.com/content.asp?CID=1397341&PT=4&PR=2">Every article I read about this team makes me like them even more</a>. See you Friday. Avoid the media. Expect to win.<br />
<br />
<br />Susanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04070254692070287013noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2711475753281806958.post-7831105023614116612012-10-27T00:10:00.000-05:002012-11-03T10:20:19.136-05:00The Thing You Never Knew You Needed But Now Can't Live Without - Week 9Wouldn't it be great if Alabama, Florida and Notre Dame all lost today? Then we could finally stop talking about the canceled game with Oregon and get back to being #1 in the country. It's going to be a good day. <br />
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<h2 style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-size: x-large;">Big 12 Schedule</span></h2>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg8N5xiZeimjiEkUk442nZ1O3c6WOLP1xAyW_Ars1pgH9GGhkjAKAdPHWZGj50Z0VazMm971r-gmhQbrih3ixjmM-4dBeUBU_8HdmM6ufkxRy5CkxDrjHnVUIg78xgDo4dlP-gsXnrENL0/s1600/manti.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg8N5xiZeimjiEkUk442nZ1O3c6WOLP1xAyW_Ars1pgH9GGhkjAKAdPHWZGj50Z0VazMm971r-gmhQbrih3ixjmM-4dBeUBU_8HdmM6ufkxRy5CkxDrjHnVUIg78xgDo4dlP-gsXnrENL0/s400/manti.jpg" width="400" /> </a></div>
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<i><span style="font-size: x-small;">It's a weird feeling to cheer for OU. </span></i></div>
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<u><br />11:00 a.m. FSN: Texas at KU</u><br />
KU is getting closer to beating teams at home, due to the fact that their defense is improving and teams never, ever take KU seriously. Will Texas be the team to fall? Their defense is certainly dreadful enough, and it will be cold and quiet in Lawrence. I think KU will have a chance, but I don't think they're disciplined enough to pull it off. <b>Prediction: 31-28, Texas.</b><br />
<br />
<u>2:30 p.m. FOX: Texas Tech at K-State</u> (<a href="http://transientperspectives.blogspot.com/2012/10/k-state-vs-texas-tech-preview.html">extended preview available</a>)<br />
Tech has only given up 10 plays of 20+ yards. However, 4 of those came last week against TCU. K-State's offense will prevail, as long as we protect the ball. <b>Prediction: 35-27, K-State.</b><br />
<u><br />2:30 p.m. FSN: TCU at OSU</u><br />
I
can't figure out these two teams. TCU looked miserable at home against
Iowa State, then took Texas Tech into triple overtime with their
freshman QB. OSU looked great against Texas, then escaped Lawrence with a
6 point victory. They're currently ranked 7th in overall passing
yards, so I'm guessing they'll have a monster day and move up to 3rd,
just in time to visit Manhattan next week. <b>Prediction: 52-35, OSU. </b><br />
<br />
<u>6:00 p.m. FSN: Baylor at Iowa State</u><br />
Terrifying
fact of the week for Iowa State: Baylor has scored 45 points in 9 of
their last 10 games. Iowa State hasn't scored 45 points since 2010.
The Cyclones defense went missing in the second half of their game last
week but I think the home crowd will keep them in this one.
<b> Prediction: 30-24, Iowa State. </b> <br />
<br />
<u>7:00 p.m. ABC: Notre Dame at OU</u><br />
OU
has scored 32 of 33 times they've been in the red zone this season.
Notre Dame is the only team in the country that hasn't given up a
rushing touchdown this year. In the battle of Belldozer vs. Manti Te'o, who will emerge victorious? My money's on the Klein clone. <b>Prediction: 20-10, OU.</b><br />
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<h2 style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-size: x-large;">Best of the Rest</span></h2>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhvM1uOcx41GAQJ519TumRUDeEdzGrKgzn8mzNu1h8Nywxlv4NcPb3rSfLXy8oi6FDlpxXPlYYab3ClOk23msC-8xdRHn4j10ABpZcmWIZJCprvaPFczgwSLPQFAuZh4fYH0Lspb6vPd_c/s1600/johnathanbanks-miss.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="250" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhvM1uOcx41GAQJ519TumRUDeEdzGrKgzn8mzNu1h8Nywxlv4NcPb3rSfLXy8oi6FDlpxXPlYYab3ClOk23msC-8xdRHn4j10ABpZcmWIZJCprvaPFczgwSLPQFAuZh4fYH0Lspb6vPd_c/s400/johnathanbanks-miss.jpg" width="400" /> </a></div>
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<i><span style="font-size: x-small;">Johnathan Banks, meet <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kMFQmw1b4Wg">Jonathan Banks.</a> You're our only hope now. </span></i></div>
<br />
<br />
<u>11:00 a.m. ESPN: South Carolina vs. Tennessee</u><br />
South Carolina sure fell hard and fast, didn't they? Derek Dooley really needs to win this game so that he can get another job next year. South Carolina really needs to win this game so that Spurrier will stop destroying visors and headsets and quarterbacks. Whatever happens will be sad. They both had it so good! And then they played Florida. <b>Prediction: 27-20, South Carolina.</b><br />
<br />
<u>2:30 p.m. CBS: Georgia vs. Florida</u><br />
Georgia has only won 4 of the last 22 games against Florida. Yuuuuuck. Florida keeps getting better and more consistent and well-rounded. Yuuuuuuck. I really want Georgia to win. But then I remember that they played even with Mizzou for a half, and we all know that Mizzou lost to Vanderbilt (<i>Vanderbilt!</i> <i>Tee hee hee</i>) <b>Prediction: 35-12, Florida. </b><br />
<u><br />2:30 p.m. ABC: Arizona vs. USC</u><br />
Everyone really, really wants to believe that Rich Rodriguez is succeeding at Arizona. They're not, and USC only reacts poorly to teams who play defense. Enjoy your Saturday, Trojans. The real fun begins next week. <b>Prediction: 41-20, USC. </b><br />
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<u>2:30 p.m. ESPNU: Duke vs. Florida State</u><br />
Duke's
been on kind of a hot streak this year and Florida State messed around
with Miami for 3 quarters before deciding to play football. This kind
of game is the entire reason that ESPNU exists and it makes me sad all
over again that we can't have DirecTV. Watch it for me, tree-less
football fans. You don't know how good you have it. <b>Prediction: 38-35, Florida State.</b><br />
<u><br />4:30 p.m. ESPN: Ohio State vs. Penn State</u><br />
The
Big 10 is so embarrassing this year. These are the top two teams in
their division and neither of them are eligible for the postseason. Or
even the conference championship game. Just go away for a couple of
years and let the MAC take your place. Y'all look silly.
<b>Prediction: Disqualified.</b><u> </u><br />
<br />
<u>7:30 p.m. ESPN: Alabama vs. Mississippi State</u><br />
Dan
Mullen is currently beating Bill Snyder in the Coach of the Year poll. If Dan Mullen beats Nick Saban this weekend, that will start to make a
tiny bit of sense. If he doesn't, can we all stop fooling around and
voting for anyone other than Snyder and Mike Riley? C'<span class="Object" id="OBJ_PREFIX_DWT44_com_zimbra_date"><span class="Object" id="OBJ_PREFIX_DWT45_com_zimbra_date">mon</span></span>
people. Also, I love that Mississippi State's cornerback is named
<a href="http://replygif.net/i/695">Johnathan Banks</a>. It's the most topically appropriate name for a
cornerback in 2012. <b>Prediction: 35-21, Alabama.</b><br />
<br />
<u>9:30 p.m. Pac-12 Network: Washington vs. Oregon State</u><br />
The only good thing about ESPN not showing this game is that College Football Final will start before midnight. I can't wait to hear Lou's thoughts on the Notre Dame game, and Mark May's flippity-flop. I give ESPN a fair amount of grief, but starting my day with GameDay and ending it with College Football Final is the perfect combination. Oh! I was supposed to talk about the game. It'll be close, since it's in Washington, but without the benefit of practicing with a live beaver, I think Oregon State retains the upper hand. <b>Prediction: 24-14, Oregon State</b>.Susanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04070254692070287013noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2711475753281806958.post-90145160295815374122012-10-26T00:04:00.001-05:002012-10-26T00:26:58.075-05:00K-State vs. Texas Tech previewI'm going to say something controversial and slightly dumb. Are you ready? I kind of hate blow-out victories. It's not because I think close games are more exciting. Close games are physically, emotionally and spiritually exhausting. It's just that K-State, as a team, historically, has a super annoying habit of playing really poorly after a blow-out victory. We've had one other huge blow-out this season against Miami. The
next week we came out flat, at home, against a fundamentally sound North
Texas team. We couldn't get off the field on defense and struggled to
get anything going offensively until the end of the third quarter. Last year we were coming off a huge victory over KU (of all people!) and thought we would just walk all over OU.<br />
<br />
I think it's about a lack of hunger that makes us lose focus, take things for granted, and then get pouty. We
really can't afford that against Tech. The offense and defense better
have
extremely short memories and stay conservative. This is a much, much
better team with plenty to prove, led by a Coach who has made a career
out of shocking ranked opponents. I'm confident, but also scared. The
longer we stay undefeated, the more restless I sleep. I'm not ready for
that to end. <br />
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<h2 style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-size: x-large;">Texas Tech Red Raiders (6-1) </span></h2>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjP8DIzKMLPnK5sNS0-eFnDzsVVgk9VwtxOUIbHRqaj8pFd3z_dVkFlYTwoKl6txlBUfvP9QBmtIxc-Uo1dYfgI38AKEeMAO5q4c9MYQkGvESWo_oIWkwLcPiCC2Rs5SVBJpYXU5PhLEz4/s1600/tech-torres.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjP8DIzKMLPnK5sNS0-eFnDzsVVgk9VwtxOUIbHRqaj8pFd3z_dVkFlYTwoKl6txlBUfvP9QBmtIxc-Uo1dYfgI38AKEeMAO5q4c9MYQkGvESWo_oIWkwLcPiCC2Rs5SVBJpYXU5PhLEz4/s400/tech-torres.jpg" width="400" /> </a></div>
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<span style="font-size: x-small;"><i>Yikes. I thought the worst was over after West Virginia. Turns out it's just the beginning. </i></span></div>
<br />
<br />
<u>Players to Watch </u><br />
<b>#7 Quarterback, Seth
Doege</b> - We spent all that time worrying about Geno Smith, only to be rewarded with Seth Doege. Despite Geno's mind-boggling stats, it's Doege who has the touchdown record with 28 on the year. West Virginia was ranked 6th in passing yards when we played them and Tech is ranked 4th. How is it possible that they're even more statistically impressive? The Big 12 is just a minefield of Heisman quarterbacks and super prolific offenses. Hear that, ESPN? A MINEFIELD. <br />
<br />
<b>#16 Safety, Cody Davis</b> - The truly terrifying thing about Tech this year is that they have a legitimate defense. Tech last year was basically West Virginia this year. That means that Tech this year is like OU last year. Still with me? Cody Davis is the leader of the Big 12's top defense with 56 tackles and 3 interceptions. He's also a finalist for the <a href="http://espn.go.com/blog/big12/post/_/id/58243/tw-from-big-12-up-for-academic-heisman">Campbell trophy</a> so he's a defender with a brain. That's a truly lethal combination. He'll be tested by our three offenses at once, but I expect him to get better as the game goes on. Our offense will need to improve too. <br />
<br />
<br />
<b>#86 and # 6 Wide Receivers, Alex Torres/Austin Zouzalik</b> - If you watched any of the TCU/Tech game last week, you probably saw the Alex Torres highlight reel. He and Zouzalik had an amazing day, catching everything Doege threw up, especially in high pressure situations. TCU has a decent defense, and these two torched them all day long. Our poor secondary will need to have an even better game than they did last week. <br />
<br />
<u>Keys to Victory</u><br />
<b>Score more than 21 points. </b> K-State is 1 of 4 teams in the country to hold their opponents to 21 points or less in every game this year. If Tech wants to pull off this upset on the road, they're going to have to score a lot more than 21 points.<br />
<br />
<b>Stop the run.</b> Now that Klein has proven himself as a legitimate passing threat, defenses have quite a bit more to do. If Tech can stop the run first and keep Hubert, Pease, and Klein in the backfield, they should have enough time to create havoc with the offensive line and disrupt the passing game. Sounds simple, but no team has been able to do it yet. <br />
<br />
<b>Avoid turnovers.</b> Last year's game appeared to be in Tech's favor well into the fourth quarter. Then Tech turned the ball over 4 times in 5 plays and K-State escaped Lubbock with the win. Zimmerman is on a hot streak and Nigel gets closer every week. With Randall Evans roaming around ready to tip balls and the pass rush gaining strength and confidence every week, Doege is going to have to be very careful on Saturday. <br />
<br />
<br />
<u>Fun Facts</u><br />
<br />
If K-State wins this game, they'll be 8-0 for the first time since 1999. Part of our trouble with getting to 8-0 is that we've lost 9 of the past 11 games against top 25 opponents at home. Texas Tech is currently ranked 14 (or 15 or 17 - there are too many polls). No pressure though. It's not like there's a national championship on the line. Or a chance for redemption for our beloved coach who had his heart shattered 14 years ago. Nothing like that. Walk in the park.<br />
<br />
Texas Tech may not seem like the season's scariest opponent, but history is not in our favor. We haven't defeated Texas Tech in Manhattan since 2000. That means that we have a total of 2 home victories over the Red Raiders since the Big 12 began. Texas Tech came to Manhattan for the first time in 1996, as the first game of the Big 12. The Cats won that year, then again in 2000, and then... never again. Our victory over Tech last year in Lubbock snapped a 5 game losing streak against the Raiders. If you have K-State HDtv, go ahead and<a href="http://www.kstatesports.com/allaccess/?media=271367"> rewatch the game from last year</a>. It was the luckiest we've ever been. <br />
<br />
Spooky stat line of the week: Texas Tech and K-State have IDENTICAL scoring stats. They've each played 7 games. They've each scored exactly 300 points. They've each had 39 touchdowns. They've each had 9 field goals. Spoooooooooky.<br />
<br />
Last week, Stephen A. Smith made a name for himself as dum-dum ESPN
analyst of the week by saying that Collin Klein only looked good because
the rest of the team were a bunch of scrubs. According to Smith, that
made Geno Smith all the more impressive, because he wasn't surrounded by
a stable of mediocrity. After K-State thrashed West Virginia, the
players wasted no time in tweeting Stephen Smith and others about their
supposed mediocrity. I appreciate the fire, but I think it's directed
at the wrong person. ESPN analysts are paid to be dumb. It's the only
way they get any attention. The real anger has to be taken out on the
opponent. If not, you're just as bad as the analysts. I'm anxious to
see if we can do more showing than telling on Saturday. <br />
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<h2 style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-size: x-large;">Kansas State Wildcats (7-0)</span></h2>
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<i><span style="font-size: x-small;">If it doesn't happen this year, can it ever really happen? </span></i></div>
<br />
<br />
<u>Players to Watch</u><br />
<b>#42 Defensive End, Meshak Williams</b> - Meshak and Adam had a great game against West Virginia, but they're going to have to be even better against Texas Tech. Doege is coming in with confidence after two huge passing games and he has great rhythm and timing with Torres and Zouzalik right now. Our secondary will do what they can in the first half, but Meshak must get to the backfield and disrupt Doege in the second to prevent a shoot-out. <br />
<br />
<b>#3 Wide Receiver, Chris Harper</b> - Are you finally ready, Chris? We need you and Tyler and Tramaine to be equally lethal to make sure Collin has plenty of options. <a href="http://www.kansas.com/2012/10/20/2539710/wildcat-report-k-state-55-west.html">You made sure the media heard all about your thoughts on mediocrity</a>. Now it's time to prove it. <br />
<br />
<b>#24 Cornerback, Nigel Malone</b> - Poor Nigel has had about 10 almost interceptions this year and you can see his blood pressure rise a little more with each one. He's such a ball hawk, and it drives me crazy to see him so close to breaking through. He came up huge for us last year, scoring on a pick 6 in Tech's first offensive series. A repeat might be necessary. <br />
<br />
<u>Keys to Victory</u><br />
<b>Defend the pass.</b> Did you know that the secondary I'm always complaining about has only given up 7 passing touchdowns this year? Did you also know that they've recorded 8 interceptions? Sorry about that, guys. I promise that if you keep up your streak of only allowing opponents to score 21 points or less, I will sing your praises in the recap blog. I'm not worried about the offense suffering a mental letdown, but I'm a little worried about the secondary facing the two most prolific passing offenses back to back. <br />
<br />
<br />
<b>Be special on special teams.</b> Have you ever noticed that Coach only shows emotion when the special teams unit screws up? If they get a penalty, or miss a block, or allow a 100 yard return, he gets downright scary. They owe him and the team and themselves after last week's debacle. In last year's victory, the special teams unit blocked two field goals (Raphael Guidry), returned a kick for a touchdown (Tyler Lockett), and then blew an onside kick (Tysyn Hartman). They need to play big on Saturday.<b> </b><br />
<br />
<b>Grind it out.</b> Turns out, when you play perfect football on the road, and your opponents are a bunch of undisciplined babies, time of possession doesn't really matter all that much. However, against a quality Tech defense, at home, after a blow-out victory, I think we're going to need to return to our grind it out style of time suck football.<br />
<br />
<u>Trap Level</u><br />
Coach said in the press conference this week that the idea of a trap game shouldn't exist in the Big 12 because anyone can beat anyone, on any given Saturday. I was almost shamed into taking it out of the blog, but I still believe in that little bit of superstition. I think that Texas Tech has played well enough to earn the player's attention and respect, but I have no idea if the players showed up to practice this week with the same level of attention and focus and effort that they did for the West Virginia game. The possibilities for this team are staggering. Can they handle the pressure?<br />
<br />
<u>Goal of the Week</u><br />
<a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4NEFcWiTkpA&list=PL8D16212A5B462E09&index=13&feature=plpp_video">#12 No Self-Limitations</a>. Coach has been saying it all week and I'll repeat it here. Just because we were good last week, doesn't mean we can't be better this week. Sage advice, considering our opponent will definitely be better than last week.<br />
<br />
<u>Prediction</u><br />
I really have no idea what this one will look like. We had no business winning in Lubbock last year, but magically did. They have no business winning in Manhattan, but will they? They looked terrible against an angry OU team and great against a sluggish West Virginia. We both played Iowa State about the same. We both have the exact same scoring stats. We both have Heisman caliber quarterbacks and somewhat inconsistent defenses. Are they tired from the 3OT battle in Fort Worth? Are we tired from the cross country trek to Morgantown? I think this one is bound to get a little sloppy, and frustrating for both fan bases, but in the end, you can't pick against K-State at home. <b>35-27, K-State.</b> <br />
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----<br />
<i>Insider tip</i><u>:</u> Do
you all still have your K-State HDtv subscription that I advised you to
get for the Missouri State game? If you're like me, you do, and it's
the best $10 you'll spend every month. They have the weekly press
conferences from Coach and Collin, the radio calls with pre-game,
halftime and post-game shows, and the whole televised game up by <span class="Object" id="OBJ_PREFIX_DWT46_com_zimbra_date"><span class="Object" id="OBJ_PREFIX_DWT48_com_zimbra_date">Wednesday</span></span>.
I have learned so much from re-watching
these games and listening to Wyatt and Stan. They've been following
this team from the early Snyder days and <a href="http://www.kansas.com/2012/10/23/2543059/confidence-becomes-key-to-kleins.html">they know their stuff.</a> Susanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04070254692070287013noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2711475753281806958.post-86836774253483916292012-10-22T23:07:00.000-05:002012-10-22T23:07:15.650-05:00West Virginia recap: Primetime Domination<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<i><span style="font-size: x-small;">The Predator strikes again. </span></i></div>
<br />
Well, that was unexpected. I should've had more faith in the Cats, and I have to admit that I was almost as shocked as the Mountaineers at how good K-State was in every facet of the game from beginning to end. This was a dominating performance, against a very good offense, in a match-up that, on paper, didn't seem to highlight our strengths. We came in with a swagger I've never seen before and left with limitless opportunities. The rest of this season just got terrifying.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiXsaWPoqxhPf1oARlo6L10B7Tc1xojovQoWyzEs1lAA79-anA7o2OaaRIrkka16pz4avak3ThUFPHFIbQFZ-dZyXapiJR_F-X0uqVZkxCGqs03FJzWQg5mbb73tRhB5rmR72DdUrYhVbk/s1600/wvudefense.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"></a> </div>
<b>Some Things I Liked:</b><i> </i><br />
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<i>Angelo Pease!</i> Getting it done and serving as a viable back-up to Hubert. I'm not sure if Hubert missed a block or why he was pulled in favor of Pease in this game, but for the first time since inferior competition (Miami, KU) Pease blocked and ran and read things effectively. If he can improve his tackling, I think he'll be another great weapon in our running game.<br />
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<i>Chris Harper.</i> Chris catches with style, doesn't he? That TD catch to start the second half was epic and showed some of that fight that was missing in the early season games. I still think Klein forces it to him a little too often, and he is responsible for Klein's only two interceptions this year, but he's definitely improving. Now if we can just get him to show a little more humility in front of the media, we'll really be cooking. <br />
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<i>Meshak Williams/Adam Davis.</i> Our big Defensive Ends had a huge day and continue to improve in getting off their blocks and bursting into the backfield at the most opportune moments. They seem to get better as the game goes on, which is great for us in close games and blowouts. I was proud of their continued effort into the fourth quarter. These guys are hungry and I like it.<br />
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<b><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhUgiGXRYxJdgoQ_DL31xPxmB7QvC3kXcJanDEUtJV2P35u01m2lDEZPPLZXOjj8V6UJyZkvkaD-lutnoQoanR8TrgbGa58a07eQOmcW5YerIr1L229bO6R758dgaFy3gOMgLxz9xjygVk/s1600/wvuzimm.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhUgiGXRYxJdgoQ_DL31xPxmB7QvC3kXcJanDEUtJV2P35u01m2lDEZPPLZXOjj8V6UJyZkvkaD-lutnoQoanR8TrgbGa58a07eQOmcW5YerIr1L229bO6R758dgaFy3gOMgLxz9xjygVk/s400/wvuzimm.jpeg" width="227" /></a> </b></div>
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<span style="font-size: x-small;"><i>The only thing more beautiful than this catch was the final score.</i></span><b><br /></b></div>
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<b>Some things I loved:</b><i> </i><br />
<br />
<i>Collin Klein's passing game.</i> Yowza. I had no idea he could throw like that. And throw like that. And throw like that again. He and Lockett have incredible timing and his confidence should be way, way up after this game. If it were anyone other than Collin, I would worry, because West Virginia's pass defense is the worst I've ever seen in college football. It was a nice opportunity for him to be able to show that facet of his game without repercussion. Even with the new confidence, I expect to see more of the grind it out style next week against Tech. <br />
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<i>Tyler Lockett.</i> What a day! He's so good on the road, in the passing game, when we need a big play, or a little play, or a first down, or a throat punch. He's clutch, and if he can clean up his blocks a little bit (he's had two holding calls in two weeks) he'll be our most efficient offensive weapon. Can you believe this kid is only a sophomore? Coach got so lucky when he signed Kevin some 20 odd years ago.<br />
<br />
<i>Randall Evans.</i> He is slowly but surely filling David Garrett's shoes and doing a terrific job in our nickel package. He's progressed so much since the non-conference games and has really caused some major chaos on defense. Like Ryan Mueller, if there's a big play breaking on defense, chances are that Randall had some hand in it. Keep it up, Randall. We see you. <br />
<br />
<i>Arthur Brown's interception.</i> It was an interception off a tip ball, of course, because Arthur is nothing if not a team player. I love that he was able to break both RG3 and Geno's interception streak in back to back seasons. I loved his instincts against the run. I loved his unimpeded corner blitzes. I loved that every time I heard a helmet crack, it was Arthur leading the judgment. Big game Arthur never lets me down.<br />
<br />
<i>Ty Zimmerman's interception.</i> Ty had a great game, just like I asked him to. Did you know that he now has interceptions in 4 straight games? That's a Bill Snyder record. Can he make it 5 this weekend? We'll need him to, and I'd like to see just how far this record can go. His 4th interception sure was a thing of beauty though, wasn't it? <br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg5M8IhO-dJhfnBWSBXsegEYL8gP9dIbpoegYFy0KQ9_n2n1CedNt5HHK3ZYlcZdxuUGYv-w84BxLfkAD5FuJYOSSwGPhFm2qcU_ypujmn6RDjs0n6ZgJzPq3n_Gtgmgp_IXJtxAsAh1RI/s1600/wvulockett.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="270" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg5M8IhO-dJhfnBWSBXsegEYL8gP9dIbpoegYFy0KQ9_n2n1CedNt5HHK3ZYlcZdxuUGYv-w84BxLfkAD5FuJYOSSwGPhFm2qcU_ypujmn6RDjs0n6ZgJzPq3n_Gtgmgp_IXJtxAsAh1RI/s400/wvulockett.jpg" width="400" /> </a></div>
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<i><span style="font-size: x-small;">I can't imagine K-State football without the Lockett family tree. </span></i></div>
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<b>Some Things I Could Have Lived Without:</b><br />
<br />
<i>Tavon Austin's 100 yard kick return.</i> I'm pretty sure he was untouched. Untouched for 100 yards, against the finest special teams unit in the land. What happened, Sean? It was an embarrassing moment in the middle of a perfect game and it sticks in my mind that much more because of it.<br />
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<i>Collin's last offensive drive.</i> The line had been doing so well all game long and then suddenly, up 52-14 in the fourth quarter, they just stopped playing. Hubert couldn't get past the line of scrimmage and Collin was sacked on third down in what looked like a vicious hit. There's no way he should've been in the game that late anyway, and I hope he didn't get hurt because of it. <br />
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Susanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04070254692070287013noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2711475753281806958.post-9698427195760736832012-10-20T00:20:00.003-05:002012-10-20T00:20:21.147-05:00The Thing You Never Knew You Needed But Now Can't Live Without - Week 8<h2 style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-size: x-large;">Big 12 Schedule</span></h2>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhE-PLpsqD9TEK0nMnBNhPaR6K-xxKFs_eLowygEQQ4WCWTKXv-7jkdkMxW75p4fNDCztkePxHULBYtb5mJIghsQBVNcGGML-6FqVmn2n14TLvXkuUjBXD9KRFOz76xpkF9_WBqRUpglbg/s1600/arthurbrown2.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="265" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhE-PLpsqD9TEK0nMnBNhPaR6K-xxKFs_eLowygEQQ4WCWTKXv-7jkdkMxW75p4fNDCztkePxHULBYtb5mJIghsQBVNcGGML-6FqVmn2n14TLvXkuUjBXD9KRFOz76xpkF9_WBqRUpglbg/s400/arthurbrown2.jpg" width="400" /></a> </div>
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<u>11:00 a.m. FX: Iowa State at Oklahoma State</u><br />
Can Iowa State make it two in a row? Iowa State looks much better this year and Oklahoma State looks much worse. Joseph Randle is OSU's most consistent weapon, but Iowa State's run defense is no joke. This one should come down to the final minutes. <b>Prediction: 24-20, Iowa State. </b><br />
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<u>2:30 p.m. ABC: Texas Tech at TCU</u><br />
Texas Tech won big last week, which means they're ready for their annual implosion. TCU is weak, plays poorly at home and is young and inexperienced at nearly all the skill positions. The middle of the Big 12 is predictably unpredictable. <b>Prediction: 28-17, TCU. </b><br />
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<u>6:00 p.m. FOX: K-State at West Virginia</u> (<a href="http://transientperspectives.blogspot.com/2012/10/k-state-vs-west-virginia-preview.html">extended preview available</a>)<br />
Class vs. Flash. Klein vs. Smith. Defense vs. Offense. Nausea everlasting. <b> Prediction: 42-38, K-State.</b><br />
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<u>6:00 p.m. FSN: KU at Oklahoma</u><br />
Oklahoma woke up and decided to play football the past two weeks. Think the coaches can get them excited about KU at home? Not a chance. Think KU will be able to capitalize on it? Not even a little bit. <b>Prediction: 41-20, OU. </b><br />
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<u>7:00 p.m. ABC: Baylor at Texas</u><br />
Things are looking pretty bleak for Mack Brown and the Longhorns after last week's Red River rout. Luckily Baylor's coming to town dead last in total defense. Unluckily for Texas, they're also bringing the #1 overall total offense. It's a sad day in the neighborhood when Texas has to win a shoot-out to beat Baylor. It's an even sadder one when they can't do it. <b>Prediction: 35-30, Baylor.</b><br />
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<span style="font-size: x-large;">Best of the Rest</span></h2>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgkez3GhsSfKJ6pF-S-uNgfdXm2rJXLlhyk7KHuSL2mIjslMVYWgZOsA_Ay3ReaelVK3nzyLqc7R4lU9XB-p-lj7XT2L_dmmqt7hyphenhyphen7lhd7c7w_0IoB5vnU1tupSRqTf7PUS2vPZ1-MDv1M/s1600/johnnyfootball.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgkez3GhsSfKJ6pF-S-uNgfdXm2rJXLlhyk7KHuSL2mIjslMVYWgZOsA_Ay3ReaelVK3nzyLqc7R4lU9XB-p-lj7XT2L_dmmqt7hyphenhyphen7lhd7c7w_0IoB5vnU1tupSRqTf7PUS2vPZ1-MDv1M/s400/johnnyfootball.jpg" width="400" /></a> </div>
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<u>11:00 a.m. ESPN: LSU at Texas A&M</u><br />
I can't wait to see the vaunted LSU defense take on Johnny Football at Kyle Field. LSU has no idea the freak show they're about to enter. God rest their souls. <b>Prediction: 30-20, Texas A&M.</b><br />
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<u>2:30 p.m. CBS: South Carolina at Florida</u><br />
Ugh. Almost all of South Carolina's playmakers are out for this game due to injury or flu. Do I really have to pick Florida? That's my only option? Fine. But I'm not rooting for them. <b>Prediction: Gators win. The world weeps.</b> <br />
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<u>2:30 p.m. NBC: BYU at Notre Dame</u><br />
This could be the ugliest game of football all year. It's not so much that their defenses are solid as their offenses are completely inept. Make Notre Dame play West Virginia and then talk about their amaaaaaazing defensive prowess. If BYU were at all kind, they would beat Notre Dame this weekend so that OU doesn't get the credit for "exposing" them next week. <b>Prediction: 17-14, BYU.</b><br />
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<u>6:00 p.m. ESPN: Alabama at Tennessee</u><br />
Alabama is finally playing a team with an offense and Derek Dooley has nothing to lose except his job, orange pants, and future happiness. Nothing to see here except destruction and weeping. Lots and lots of weeping. <b>Prediction: 49-28, Alabama.</b><br />
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<u>9:30 p.m. ESPN2: Utah at Oregon State</u> <br />
Did you guys see that <a href="http://espn.go.com/blog/pac12/post/_/id/46923/video-life-of-mike-riley">feature on Mike Riley last week</a>? Oregon State is just precious. <b>Prediction: 35-10, Oregon State. In-N-Out for everyone!</b>Susanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04070254692070287013noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2711475753281806958.post-47802642559226953172012-10-19T00:26:00.001-05:002012-10-19T00:26:41.586-05:00K-State vs. West Virginia PreviewLast weekend during Texas Tech's dismantling of the Mountaineers I finally figured out why I can't seem to take West Virginia football seriously. I watched <a href="http://www.grantland.com/story/_/id/8450199/the-magical-realism-wvu-bearing-witness-dana-holgorsen-maniacal-mountaineer-offense">Dana Holgorsen chug a Red Bull</a> on the sideline right before kick-off. I stared in amazement at Joe DeForest in his sloppy polo and backwards baseball cap. I looked at Geno Smith and Tavon Austin and Stedman Bailey and wondered why they weren't talking to each other. And then it hit me. They're essentially a group of frat guys playing video game football. Their offense is all run and shoot. Their defense is non-existent. Their team goals? Winning. Scoring. Stat lines. They're aggressive, excessive, unrelentingly confident and insufferably entitled. <br />
<br />
Perhaps that's why I'm so intrigued by this match-up. You can't find two more diametrically opposed teams in all of college football. West Virginia is flashy, shiny, fast. K-State is strategic, disciplined, slow. Is a Stedman Bailey one-handed reception more impressive than a pancake block by tiny Tyler Lockett? Is a 60 yard Geno Smith touchdown pass prettier than Collin's incredible patience on an option read? Sportscenter says yes. This football fan says no. My college football heart needs the tortoise to beat the hare. The frat guys shall not inherit the Earth. <br /><br />
<h2 style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-size: x-large;">West Virginia Mountaineers (5-1)</span></h2>
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<span style="font-size: x-small;"><i>Geno Smith: the man with the impossibly long arm </i></span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiioTfjERu1s4C8PxawNLZOqEquxb52q1vE6SAEsRGymdWUboMttpfZEsIxGPGqCF3YbyZUUd0GX7OwekDptL8pTHITOA1N5og5OcOtnu7_GqlBZHtS3RPZs1jo2DqzBYWvvR9HnnzVy7E/s1600/tyzimmerman.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"></a><br /><u>Players to Watch</u><br /><br /><b>#12, Quarterback: Geno
Smith</b> - I don't know if you've heard, but Geno's pretty good at
football. His passing stats are insane, as most video game QBs are.
75% completion percentage, 2,271 yards and 25 touchdowns and we're only
halfway through the season. He's also the lone Big 12 QB without an
interception this season. Is it too much to ask to get an interception
on the first play of the game? Fine, I'll settle for the first
offensive series. <br /> <br /><b>#13, Running Back: Andrew Buie</b> - West Virginia relies on Andrew
Buie to run the ball occasionally so that they can make their long,
vertical passes seem surprising. They're not surprising, but Andrew
Buie has been a surprisingly effective running back in the West Virginia
points machine. We'll need to do what we always do and stop the run
first to make West Virginia one-dimensional. Of course, we're forcing
them into their scariest dimension, but when you can't stop it, you've
just got to lean into it and hope for the best. It's the Midwest way.<br /><b> </b><br />
<b>Wide Receivers, #1: Tavon
Austin and #3: Stedman Bailey</b> - Geno may be the straw that stirs the drink, but these two are the key ingredients in West Virginia's offense of pain and destruction. They catch with style, they catch with substance, and they catch absolutely everything. As if that weren't bad enough, they're also West Virginia's return specialists. It's really only a matter of time before Joe DeForest finally figures out how to install them in his secondary so that they can catch everything on all sides of the ball. Essentially our defensive plan is three fold. 1. Stuff the run game. 2. Pressure Geno into making bad passes. 3. Force these two to only catch 50% of the bad passes. If we can do that, we should be within spitting distance at halftime. <br /><br />
<u>Keys to Victory</u><br />
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<b>Play video game football. </b> West Virginia got in an early hole last week in Lubbock which led to Geno Smith forcing deep passes when there was no need to hurry. They went for fourth down when they should have punted and kicked field goals when they needed to go for it on fourth down. They were desperately searching for a shortcut instead of just focusing on one drive at a time. If they can reboot and forget all about last weekend, their offense should be fine. And when their offense is fine, generally their team wins.<br />
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<b>Show up on defense.</b> Just a little bit of improvement here would do a lot. Force some three and outs. Don't allow over 300 yards on the ground. Execute some blocks on special teams. Do the bare minimum and stop making it so blatantly obvious that you spend all your practice time on offense. <br />
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<b>Protect your breadwinner</b>. Geno got sacked a lot in the Texas game which could explain why he was so incredibly hesitant to run the ball against Texas Tech. A nervous quarterback is a deadly virus to an offense, so the line will need to protect him for as long as possible to keep the points machine going. <br /><br /><u>Fun Facts</u><br />
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Though this is the first time we've played West Virginia since 1931, the head coaches are very familiar with each other. Dana Holgorsen coached under Mike Leach at Texas Tech from 2000-2007 and Oklahoma State in 2010. Overall, he has a 5-1 record against us, with his only loss coming in 2000. Historically, Snyder teams have had trouble keeping up with Air Raid offenses, and Tom Hayes will have his hands full this weekend. <br />
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Currently K-State is one of four teams to hold their opponents to 21 points or less in all 6 games this season. The other three teams are Alabama, Notre Dame and Florida. If K-State manages to escape Morgantown with that stat intact, I think they deserve to jump Florida in the BCS.<br />
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So far in Big 12 play, the K-State defense has allowed one play longer than 30 yards. That 31 yard play surprisingly came against KU, not Oklahoma. West Virginia should have to work a little bit harder for their highlights on Saturday. <br />
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This game could get chippy as the fan bases have been at war this week. First came the <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IALwo-Z_6qU">K-State Mask video</a>, then the <a href="http://goemaw.com/forum/index.php?topic=23479.0">goEMAW.com controversy</a>. Also keep in mind that West Virginia sells alcohol in their stadium. Fans will be ready, rowdy and roaring drunk by the time the 6pm kick-off rolls around. And you thought Ames was loud. <br />
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<h2 style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-size: x-large;">Kansas State Wildcats (6-0)</span></h2>
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<div style="text-align: center;">
<i><span style="font-size: x-small;">#12 to #12, all day long.</span></i></div>
<br /><br /><u>Players to Watch</u><br /><b><br />#12, Safety: Ty
Zimmerman</b> - Ty has been coming up huge for us this season and we so
appreciate it. Now we need him to have the absolute best game of his
life. He's got to knock down passes. He's got to intercept Geno. He's
got to not get called for pass interference. He must never, ever, ever
be out of position. He's the key and I would not want to be him on <span class="Object" id="OBJ_PREFIX_DWT60_com_zimbra_date"><span class="Object" id="OBJ_PREFIX_DWT61_com_zimbra_date">Saturday</span></span>.<br /><b><br />#4, Linebacker: Arthur
Brown</b> - Is there anything better than big game Arthur? He'll have an
amazing day whether we win or lose and I can't wait to see all the
brilliant things he does. <i>Swoon</i>.<br /><br /><b>#16, Wide Receiver: Tyler Lockett</b> - Tyler played a
huge role in the Texas Tech and OSU games last year and will need to do
the same here. He and Tramaine need to be active early on offense and
special teams. West Virginia's defense is suspect, and we know that
Collin will do his part. Now we just need Tyler to get open and run
fast and we'll have a good shot at keeping up in a shoot-out. <br /><br /><u>Keys to Victory</u><br />
<br />
<b>Time of possession.</b> The key to this game has to be keep away. We held the ball for over 40 minutes last week against Iowa State and had multiple drives of 7 minutes or more but still only managed to score 27 points. That won't cut it against the Mountaineers. They've got to be long, sustained drives and they've got to end in touchdowns. If I was Joe DeForest, I would just let K-State score once the drive went over 3 minutes. Just fully commit to living and dying by offense alone. That's just one of many reasons I'll never be a football coach. <br />
<br />
<b>Defensive positioning.</b> Normally I'm not a huge fan of our super soft zone that allows passes up the middle all day long, but if it means that we can keep their receivers underneath, then I'm all for it. I doubt we can do much in the way of blitzing because Geno is so quick, but with a four man front and Brown, Mueller and Tuggle on pass rush, we should be able to disrupt him enough to keep him slightly off rhythm. It will take awhile, and they'll put up a ton of yards in the first half, but if we stay in position and get a good feel for it, the second half should start turning in our favor. <br />
<br />
<b>Play opportunistic football.</b> We're going to need a few things to go our way in this one. Special teams will need to be huge for both momentum swings and field position. The defense will need to be opportunistic and I would really love to see Geno's interception free season end early in this game to get him good and rattled. Finally, we need to play turnover free football and avoid as many penalties as we can. Morgantown will be incredibly unfamiliar, hostile and loud, so I hope they got all their jitters out last week in Ames. There is very little margin for error on the road, especially against this quick strike offense. Still, I think it will come down to coaching. The key to escaping with the victory will be to trick West Virginia into playing conservative when they should go all-in. It's my favorite SnyderBall trick. <br /><br /><u>Trap Level</u><br />
Nonexistent. The media may have lost interest after West Virginia lost last week but we sure didn't. Beating this type of team, on the road, to stay undefeated, is as big as it gets.<br /><br /><u>Goal of the Week</u><br />
<a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2nlTMHUcvtI&list=PL4F6C22AC6A71E18B&index=14&feature=plpp_video">#13 - Expect to Win.</a> We have all the advantages in this game. All we have to do is execute. We can't get intimidated by the offensive weapons or the environment or the speed. If we play our game and capitalize on their inevitable mistakes, we should absolutely win this game. <br /><br /><u>Prediction</u><br />I
think this game will either be like our win at Texas Tech in 2011 or
our loss in Stillwater in 2011. I can't imagine it would end up like
our OU game, simply because of West Virginia's defense. We can
certainly come up short in a shoot-out, but if we make the halftime
adjustments and start to eat some clock and score frequently in the
second half, I think we have an excellent shot at leaving Morgantown
7-0. <b>K-State wins it, 42-38.</b>Susanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04070254692070287013noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2711475753281806958.post-40150689632222028122012-10-15T23:14:00.002-05:002012-10-15T23:14:26.251-05:00Iowa State recap: Phew!<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<i><span style="font-size: x-small;">Honey Badger, Optimus Klein, Baby Tebow, Kleinapple
Express. You know which one I've always preferred? The BillSnyder
Kleinsdale, because I love that end zone gallop.</span></i></div>
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<br />
I have never been so happy to see a game end. This one was messy, and I
held my breath on every extra point, feeling like the first team to
miss would be the eventual loser. K-State and Iowa State are so similar in what they try to do that the game is usually decided by one or two mistakes and one or two playmakers. In the past four years, we've been on the winning end of that equation, but it can't last forever. Thankfully, we got through this one. Even more thankfully, we only have to play them once a year. <br />
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<h2 style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-size: x-large;">Good</span></h2>
<br />
<b>Loooooooong, sustained drives</b>.
K-State held the ball for over 10 minutes in the second, third and fourth quarters. It didn't always result in points, but the keep away was effective and gave our defense ample opportunity to rest. By the time the fourth quarter rolled around and we absolutely had to have the stops, the defense was rested and ready to go. We crazy
dominated the time of possession in this game, 41:54 to 19:06. And yet we still only won by 6 points! Iowa State is so dangerous. <br /><br /><b>Collin Klein.</b>
Collin scored all of our touchdowns against Iowa State. All of them.
He also had over 100 yards on the ground, compared to Hubert's 82. He
converted third and forevers on his feet and connected with receivers
while the pocket collapsed around him to keep drives going. He called
time-outs that saved us from penalties when there were too many/too few
men on the field. He has so much to do and he does it beautifully. The
patience he shows on option reads is just phenomenal. We should
appreciate it now because Sams is the jitteriest jitterbug I've ever
seen try to run Snyder's offense.<br />
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<h2 style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-size: x-large;">Bad </span></h2>
<br /><b>Pass rush:</b> For the second time this year, we never got the QB to the ground. Not
so good. I like the variety of blitzes that Tom Hayes is calling
though, and Meshak batted down three passes in the second half, so it's
not as if our pass defense is ineffective. I just like sacks. Though, is there anything prettier than an Arthur Brown blitz package? I love that he plays spy for the first two downs and then rushes up the middle, untouched, to wreak havoc. Can you imagine anything more terrifying than Arthur "Predator" Brown running unimpeded straight at you? Nightmarish.<br /><br /><b>Offensive
line:</b> Remember when I warned you to look out for flags flying in the
first half? Once Keenan Taylor got a 15 yard penalty for tripping, I
knew it was going to be a bad day for the O-Line. To their
credit, they got through it, and never had a string of penalties, which
you sometimes see with undisciplined lines. I think the offense
definitely struggled with focus, and I know there were communication
issues from the booth to the sideline to Collin, so overall, they did a
good job of minimizing mistakes in a bad situation. <br /><br />
<h2 style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-size: x-large;">Ugly</span></h2>
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<b>Penalties.</b>
In the first 5 games we had a total of 9 penalties. At Iowa State we doubled that number. Some were good, some were bad, all could have been avoided. Braden was flagged for two holding penalties? Keenan Taylor got a 15
yard penalty for tripping? Off sides calls? Pass interference calls?
Delay of game? It was a mess from start to finish, and though the
officiating was a little suspect at times, you just don't want to start
the second half with two penalties on the kick return to begin at the 4
yard line. Super observant nugget - Coach never reacts when the other team scores, or when there's a turnover, or when we score a touchdown. The only - ONLY - time you'll see a reaction out of Coach is when we get a penalty on special teams.<br />
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<i><span style="font-size: x-small;">This was a family victory, through and through.</span></i></div>
<br />
<u>Rant of the week:</u> why do we call so many offensive plays that start 10 yards behind the line of scrimmage? Is that really how they're designed? Does it work against anyone other than KU? I detected what I thought was a little KU hangover in some of the play calling this week. Take, for example, Angelo Pease. When Hubert was having success running the ball, they pulled him and put in Angelo, who had a great day against KU last week. Not so much against Iowa State. It must be so frustrating to be Angelo Pease. <br /><br /><u>Favorite
play of the game:</u> Collin's 46 yard pass to Tyler Lockett at the end of
the second half. It was a beautiful throw, a great catch and the
perfect play call. After last week's disastrous mismanagement before
the half led to no points despite being on the 2 yard line, I was happy
to see our version of the quick-strike offense get into the end zone.<br />
<br />
<u>Favorite team moment:</u> On a 4th and inches, Collin ran the QB sneak straight up the gut and got buried in a pile. Shortly after the whistle blew, an Iowa State lineman ran around the back of the pile and started tugging at Collin's foot. Hubert, who wasn't involved in the play, saw the lineman and ran over to shoo him away. Family 101. <br />
<br />
<u>Second favorite team moment:</u> After Tramaine muffed a punt on the 20 yard line, Ty Zimmerman saved the day by intercepting Jared Barnett on the very next play. The first person to congratulate him when he got to the sideline was Tramaine. <br />
<br />
<u>Favorite Paul Rhoads similarity:</u> He has a headset guy too! They've got to be the last two coaches in the FBS without wireless headsets. Old school football, clap, clap, clap clap clap. <br />
<br />
Susanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04070254692070287013noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2711475753281806958.post-48018531937092591712012-10-13T08:00:00.000-05:002012-10-13T08:00:04.766-05:00The Thing You Never Knew You Needed But Now Can't Live Without - Week 7<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<h2 style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-size: x-large;">Big 12 Schedule</span></h2>
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<u>11:00 a.m. FX: K-State at Iowa State</u> (<a href="http://transientperspectives.blogspot.com/2012/10/k-state-at-iowa-state-preview.html">extended preview available</a>)<br />
Did I mention that we haven't won in Ames since 2003? I'll be happier when this one is over. <b>Prediction: 27-23, K-State</b>.<br />
<br />
<u>11:00 a.m. ABC: Texas vs. Oklahoma</u><br />
For the first time in years, Texas and Oklahoma are evenly matched, so naturally, no one is talking about the fried food fest this year. I think David Ash is the real deal, and Texas' defense should be disruptive enough to get Landry Jones to start <a href="http://espn.go.com/blog/big12/post/_/id/56004/defensive-redemption-propelled-ksu-upset">jabbing his feet</a> again. If college football makes any sense, Texas will win this one. <b>Prediction: 35-21, Texas.</b><br />
<br />
<u>2:30 p.m. FSN: Oklahoma State at KU</u><br />
Good news KU fans... Basketball practice has officially started! <b>Prediction: 49-17, OSU.</b><br />
<br />
<u>2:30 p.m. ABC: West Virginia at Texas Tech</u><br />
So I have this sneaking suspicion that either K-State or West Virginia will lose this weekend. The match-up is too good, too big, too important not to be ruined right before. West Virginia has won their last two games by 7 and 3 points. They earned a little bit of my respect last weekend against Texas, but I have more faith in the mystical powers of Tuberville in Lubbock. <b>Prediction: 45-42, Texas Tech.</b><br />
<br />
<u>6:00 p.m. FSN: TCU at Baylor</u><br />
TCU is going to have a rough season without Pachall but Baylor isn't a terrible place to regroup. After the 70 point massacre in Morgantown, I'm sure Baylor's defense is ecstatic about the prospect of a running game and a rookie under center. Expect both teams to be kind to each other, whether they mean to or not. <b>Prediction: 28-16, Baylor.</b><br />
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<h2 style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-size: x-large;">Best of the Rest</span></h2>
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<u><br /></u>
<u>2:30 p.m. NBC: Stanford at Notre Dame</u><br />
I might finally be on board with Notre Dame being a good team this year. I've yet to watch them play a single down, but they keep winning and people keep talking and eh, maybe. I'm still not on board enough to pick them though. <b> Prediction: 17-14, Stanford. </b> <br />
<u><br /></u>
<u>2:30 p.m. CBS: Alabama at Missouri</u><br />
I just read that James Franklin is out again for this game. It's going to be a lot harder to be "<a href="http://www.al.com/alabamafootball/index.ssf/2012/10/its_our_opportunity_to_be_an_i.html">the Iowa State of the SEC</a>" without him. Especially when the rest of your team lost to Vanderbilt last week. Teehee. Vanderbilt. Oh you silly Tigers. <b>Prediction: <a href="https://twitter.com/edsbs/status/256879445506396160">Bloodfest</a> or 52-3, if you want to get specific about it. </b> <br />
<br />
<u>4:30 p.m. ESPN2: Boston College at Florida State</u><br />
So... Florida State lost to NC State last week and we're all just not talking about it? College football talking points are so weird. Half of the Gameday crew picked Florida State to be in the national championship. Are we just going to ignore that and pretend that they picked Alabama all along? The ACC is not a good place to be. Luckily even Miami beat Boston College so the Seminoles should pick up a good win. Not that anyone will mention it. <b>Prediction: 42-21, Florida State.</b><br />
<u><br /></u>
<u>5:00 p.m. ESPNU: Florida at Vanderbilt</u><br />
Can Vanderbilt make it two in a row? I don't know if you know this, but they beat Missouri last week. Can they beat Florida after also beating Missouri last week? They're pretty confident right now, since they beat Missouri last week. Vanderbilt is 2-3 on the season and 1-2 in the SEC with their lone SEC victory coming over the Missouri Tigers last week. <b>Prediction: Can you believe Missouri lost to Vanderbilt?? Bahahahahahahahaah. (Florida still sucks).</b><br />
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<u>6:00 p.m. Fox: USC at Washington</u><br />
Here's another PAC-12 logic wheel for you. USC lost at Stanford, then Stanford lost at Washington, therefore Washington should beat USC by a little more than a lot. However! Washington went down to LSU earlier this season and lost by 40 points, despite <a href="http://www.cbssports.com/collegefootball/blog/eye-on-college-football/20062903">practicing all week with a live tiger</a>. What does this prove? USC is underwhelming and Steve Sarkisian makes bad choices. Also, home field advantage is a factor. <b>Prediction: 31-28, Washington.</b><br />
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<u>7:00 p.m. ESPN: South Carolina at LSU</u><br />
LSU had only one third down conversion against Florida? Really? Wait, South Carolina's defensive end is named Jadeveon Clowney?? How are there so many amazing things happening that I don't know about? Football is the gift that keeps on giving. <b>Prediction: 15-6, South Carolina. That's right. I'm predicting a safety. Boom.</b>Susanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04070254692070287013noreply@blogger.com2