K-State was unaware of coach's grief
BY LEVI WOLTERS
Wichita Eagle correspondent
MANHATTAN - In the wee hours of Sunday morning, with Kansas State's 47-20 win over Colorado solidified, the news began to spread through the Vanier Football Complex.
Offensive coordinator James Franklin's mother passed away Saturday morning, hours before kick off at Snyder Family Stadium. Franklin stayed in Manhattan to coach and, according to coach Ron Prince, prepared to leave to be with his family in Philadelphia sometime Sunday.
Most K-State players had no idea of Franklin's loss and were informed by the media after the game.
Quarterback Josh Freeman, who spent much of the night on the sideline phone connected with Franklin in the press box between offensive possessions, seemed startled by the news.
"No, I didn't know that," he said. "I mean, Coach Franklin, that's just a testament to the kind of man he is. He stayed here and got his job done. I'll be praying for that man."
K-State policy prohibits assistant coaches from speaking to the media, so there was no comment from Franklin.
But Prince offered this in his post-game news conference:
"It's been a very hard week for us and Coach Franklin. His mother has been battling cancer for a long time, and passed away this morning. He called the game with a really heavy heart and I thought he did a great job. My hat's off to him, and I think he deserves a lot of credit for this win."
Sorrow and all, Franklin conducted K-State's best offensive output in nearly a month before.
The Wildcats piled up 463 yards of offense with no turnovers. They had a 100-yard rusher (James Johnson, 159 yards and two touchdowns) and a near 100-yard receiver (Jordy Nelson, 93 yards on four receptions).
Trick plays worked -- Deon Murphy taking a misdirection option from Freeman 20 yards for a touchdowns -- and so did the simple ones, like Murphy catching a short pass and darting 28 yards around several defenders for a score.
The performance had the offensive stars feeling good, as expected, but the word of their coach's loss left a cloud on the night.
"I think it's good we were able to perform well for (Franklin)," Nelson said. "I think it takes a lot of pressure off him. But right now, it's definitely not a good situation. He's going to take care of his situation.... We've just got to do what we're able to do around here; keep preparing well and just take as much pressure and work away from him as possible in this situation."
