KU Good, Bad, & Ugly
The Sunflower Showdown didn’t continue the late game drama that has accompanied Kansas State’s contests this season but it sure was a nice change. The Wildcats dominated Kansas in every aspect of the game and left no doubt about who would finish with the win by the end of the first quarter. Turner Gill has some serious issues with his football team and if something doesn’t change drastically for them by the end of the season, we may see a new head coach in Lawrence next year. As a polar opposite, Bill Snyder continues to prove why he has to be in the talks of greatest college football coach in history by getting perfection from his players. The win over the Jayhawks was solid and in typical Snyder fashion, didn’t give anything for Oklahoma to study this week. Continue reading for the good, bad, and ugly of the Sunflower Slapdown.
The Good
Lockett Returning… The return team is becoming a constant threat. All season long they’ve provided some solid returns but it’s clicked in the last two games to make it a scary thing for opposing teams. Not only did Tyler Lockett returned the opening kick-off of the second half for a touchdown, but the returns all game long were well blocked and allowed for an average of 38.2 yards per return. That’s the reason Kansas State has started with great field position in what seems like every game so far and will continue to be a major positive each week. On top of that, Lockett is a wide receiving threat pulling in a touchdown and going over the 100 yards receiving mark. Again, he’s only a freshman!
Klein… Colin Klein continues to grow in every aspect of his game. Besides the career high he had in passing yards, his decisions with the zone read and option were crisp and right on. He held the ball an extremely long time, forcing the defense to commit to decisions and then kept or gave just like you’d draw it up. This is exactly where K-State needed him to be moving into the next four crucial games of the schedule. Even if the Wildcats don’t win out, Klein is at the best he can be, which gives the Wildcats the best opportunity to do big things.
In State Destruction… I know Bill Snyder downplayed how a rivalry game influences recruiting, but the way K-State has put it to the Jayhawks over the last two years can only mean good things for the future. One of the Kansas school’s football program is clearly on the rise and gaining major national attention. The other is dying a slow and painful death while becoming the most pitied team in the Big 12. One coach is going to be on the sidelines for as long as he could ever want. The other coach may not make it past today. Which would you choose if you were looking for a place to play? Beating your in state rival not only gives a fanbase bragging rights for the next year, it also helps those in state recruits decide where their future might be.
The Bad
Cantele Kick-offs… As scary good as the K-State return game is, the kick coverage is scary bad. I put most the blame on Anthony Cantele. His kick-offs this year have been sporadic at best. Against KU (and everyone else) the kicks were really short only reaching around the 15 yard line and usually angled to a sideline. The angling part might have been planned but when the kick doesn’t go far it messes up the entire timing of the unit. That free 20 yards takes the coverage team out of their lanes and is what allowed KU to have some solid returns. Thankfully, the Jayhawks couldn’t figure out how to stop getting penalties and they all came back but that can’t happen against the Sooners. Is it really too much to ask to just find someone who can kick the ball straight and deep?
End of Half Defense… KU got the ball back with 2 minutes left in the half down 28-7. They proceeded to drive 78 yards in 11 plays for a touchdown. Every single play they ran was a short pass that K-State decided to sit back and watch. I understand playing a little bit softer at the start of that drive when KU had the ball on their own 22, but we can’t be that afraid to bring a blitz more than once. The end of the 1st half doesn’t need to be that conservative, particularly with a 3 touchdown lead against a much weaker team.
The Ugly
The only thing that fits into this category would be everything KU did on Saturday. I’d have to be pretty nit picky to find anything ugly from Kansas State so instead I’ll just say great job Wildcats and keep on keeping on!