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Sports => Snyder's Electronic Cyber Space World => Topic started by: catsfan20012002 on December 31, 2006, 11:07:40 AM
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http://www.kansascity.com/mld/kansascity/sports/colleges/kansas_state_university/16353333.htm
BEST WIN
This was supposed to be men’s basketball coach Bob Huggins’ day. His Wildcats were playing their opener in his debut. But Nov. 11 will be remembered more for K-State’s upset of No. 4 Texas 45-42, as quarterback Josh Freeman threw three touchdown passes. K-State showcased its bag of tricks, including a halfback pass by Leon Patton that went for a TD.
WORST LOSS
Nothing hurts worse than losing to your rival. But to get beaten decisively, well, that’s really taking it in the gut. That’s what Kansas did to the Wildcats to the tune of 39-20 on Nov. 18 at Memorial Stadium in Lawrence.
OFFENSIVE MVP
Freeman. He was chosen Big 12 player of the week in back-to-back weeks for leading K-State to victories over Colorado and Texas. The win at Colorado, in which he produced a Big 12-best 84.6 completion ratio, made the Wildcats bowl eligible, and the Texas game was the exclamation point.
DEFENSIVE MVP
Former walk-on Ian Campbell emerged as a force on the front for K-State. From Cimarron, Kan., Campbell etched his name in the school single-season record books with 11.5 sacks, tying him with Nyle Wiren, who set the standard in 1996. Campbell, by the way, was the media darling.
THREE THINGS THAT WENT RIGHT
•The Freeman experiment. Coach Ron Prince turned over the reins of the offense to him after a disastrous loss at Baylor, and the true freshman still managed to steer K-State to a bowl game.
•Special teams. Seven times K-State scored touchdowns because of its special teams, which is a continuation of what former coach Bill Snyder stressed from the day he was hired.
•Learning how to win the close ones. K-State went 3-0 in games decided by four points or fewer, and Prince often pointed to the one-point season-opening victory over Division I-AA Illinois State as an important lesson in how to win.
THREE THINGS THAT WENT WRONG
•Allowing one too many QBs to get away. The emergence of Freeman scared away Allen Webb, Allan Evridge and Kevin Lopina, which left K-State very thin on the depth chart.
•Red-zone offense. K-State brought up the rear in that category among Big 12 teams. The production level has to increase, and maybe with a season under his belt, Freeman will have a better handle of what it takes in those crucial situations.
•The game plan for the Texas Bowl. Where was all that good stuff from the Texas game when the Wildcats needed it? Prince often mentioned being daring, but that approach was absent in the lopsided loss to Rutgers.
THREE THINGS TO ADDRESS
•The offensive line. It was way too inconsistent, although it improved late in the regular season. But you wouldn’t have known it in the bowl game. Losing senior Greg Wafford is a key departure, so you can bet Prince will solidify this unit because he knows Freeman is his prize, and it’s imperative to give him the insulation he needs to be as good as Prince expects.
•Schedule a winnable fourth nonconference game. Missouri State should be a W, but San Jose State, a bowl winner in 2006, and a game at Fresno State aren’t givens. The Wildcats have one game left to add to the schedule. Stay tuned.
•Speed. It was evident against Rutgers that K-State needs to become faster across the board. Losing Yamon Figurs won’t help.
REASON TO HOPE IN 2007
No question — it’s the simple fact that so many players come back with experience. Prince challenged his team for spots on the depth chart on a weekly basis, and 46 players got at least one start. Eight of them were freshmen, including four true freshmen. This will be an experienced group.
REASON TO MOPE IN 2007
The conference road schedule. K-State has to travel to Texas, Oklahoma State and Nebraska. And going to Iowa State isn’t a guarantee. To have a shot at winning the North Division crown, the Wildcats probably will have to win at least one of those. Pulling off upsets in the first three appear to be long shots. Beating Texas in Manhattan, Kan., is one thing. Pulling it off in Texas is quite another.
GRADES
Quarterback: C+. No question Josh Freeman had his moments, like the fourth-quarter comeback against Oklahoma State and the Texas triumph. But he really had his problems against Missouri, ku and Rutgers, with turnovers a troubling issue. The bottom line is there has to be more consistency.
Running backs: C. Remember Thomas Clayton and Parrish Fisher? They were expected to be key contributors, but neither one of them was around at the end. But James Johnson and Leon Patton had their moments, and the future looks peachy for Patton, who also can add an extra dimension in the return game.
Wide receivers/tight ends: B-. Oh, what might have been for this group. Injuries, however, ruined part of the season for Jermaine Moreira and Jordy Nelson. Yamon Figurs also dealt with injuries, so none of them had much to be thrilled about. Perhaps the most pleasant surprises were the play of tight end Jeron Mastrud and wide receiver Daniel Gonzalez.
Offensive line: D. At least it went from bad to somewhat improved. Until the bowl game, that is. Injuries and position shifts created uncertainty, but the Wildcats settled down during the good times, led by Greg Wafford, and did a nice job. Still, it wasn’t near good enough.
Defensive line: C+. Ian Campbell’s breakout season at defensive end as a sack artist was worthy of an A for himself, so he raises the whole grade for this unit. But the interior wasn’t as successful. There were times K-State looked clueless against the run. Ask ku’s Jon Cornish about it. Or Rutgers’ Ray Rice. The Scarlet Knights dominated the trenches, exposing the Wildcats one last time.
Linebackers: C. Brandon Archer was a steady force much of the season, and finished 17th in school history in tackles. Reggie Walker and Zach Diles were OK, although Walker wasn’t as impressive as he was as a freshman.
Defensive backs: B-. This could be the most underappreciated part of the team. Injuries to Marcus Watts, Bryan Baldwin and Kyle Williams didn’t help, but the secondary found a way on many occasions to put a Band-Aid on the problem. Guys like Josh Moore and Andrew Erker had a few moments worth remembering, and that kept this unit afloat.
Coaching: B-. Be honest — how many of you thought Ron Prince would take K-State to a bowl in his debut? It was a welcomed step for a program that was hoping to restore pride sooner rather than later. After the Baylor loss, the program had to weather a rocky road, and Prince maneuvered the ship through rough waters. Even though the Wildcats sunk in Houston, Prince got them there safely, so he doesn’t have to worry about the honeymoon period being over already.
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Best Win? Duh.
Worst Loss? Yeah the ku game was bad but I'm willing to get over it because it came on the heals of the Texas win so if you ask me I'd give this distinction to the Baylor game.
Offensive and Defensive MVP's?
I don't have a problem with either of these two picks.
Three Things to Address?
No question that the OL is something we must address but we also need another WR (preferably one with speed) and help at DT.
The schedule?
The road schedule is going to be brutal and I'm just talking about in the Big XII. We go to Oklahoma State, Nebraska, Iowa State AND Texas.
The grades?
Freeman a C+. I'm not sure about that one but he has to get the turnover issues under control. Alot of that may have been the fact that he was a true freshmen.
Running Backs a C. I'd have to go higher then that. We're good to go for 3 years with Leon Patton.
The WR's were beat up but you gotta love what we got out of our TE's and Daniel Gonzalez.
The OL a D. Definately early but they seemed to get it figured out later in the season.
The DL a C+. Refer to what I said earlier. We MUST get some DT's in here that can help stop the run.
The LB's a C. This kind of surprises me but we have alot to replace in 2007.
The Secondary a B-. I can't say enough about Josh Moore and Andrew Erker.
Coaching a B-. That's right about where I had it.