John Rieger-USA TODAY Sports

Standing at five feet, six inches, the NFL’s Darren Sproles set the standard for small, shifty backs coming out of the backfield to bust huge runs for K-State. Senior John Hubert isn’t much taller at 5’7″. Yet despite their diminutive height, both names have become legend across the state (in fact, as a sophomore Hubert was named the starter over current Eagles running back Bryce Brown in 2011). So it should be no surprise that the player emerging to back up Hubert this only reaches 64 inches on the measuring tape (that’d be the 5’4″ senior Robert Rose).

Rose was the featured back during the team’s annual spring game last Saturday as Hubert was held out with an undisclosed leg injury. Filling in as starter, Rose averaged 8.3 yards/carry by gaining 141 yards on 17 attempts against the second team defense. His long run was 33 yards.

Rose is a different runner than Hubert, and provides some opportunity to serve as a change-of-pace back. Weighing in at 176 pounds, he is much shiftier and looks juke defenders out of tackles – Hubert is more suited to plow through them. Should he see much playing time this year, Rose would provide a different look to opposing defenses.

Rose is among a handful of returning running backs with very little experience looking to replace 2012 back up Angelo Pease. Rose played in the first two games last season but did not see any further action while gaining nine yards on four attempts. He was slightly more productive in 2011 with 35 yards on nine carries for 3.9 yards/attempt.

Hubert was not the only running back held out of the Purple-White game – redshirt freshman Jarvis Levertt and junior DeMarcus Robinson also spent the scrimmage on the sidelines. Robinson was slightly more productive than Rose in 2012 with 25 yards on six carries, with both players getting three carries against Miami as their most active of the season. Robinson, who stands at just 5’6″, is a step behind Rose on the depth chart this year but would love nothing more than to make himself the next great yet compact K-State running back.

Mark J. Rebilas-USA TODAY Sports

Kansas State fans are used to bringing back a bevy of talent yet having their favorite written off in the preseason and watching the Wildcats gradually ascend the rankings. In an absolute role reversal, K-State currently finds itself having lost almost every starter from last year’s defense, a quarterback that finished third in Heisman voting, and a wide receiver that was taken in the fourth round of the NFL draft (in fact, 13 members of the 2012 squad were drafted or signed as undrafted free agents over the weekend). That’s why it was a pleasant surprise to find the Wildcats at #20 in ESPN’s way too early preseason rankings yesterday.

It’s obviously not all doom and gloom in Manhattan. One of the conference’s best rushers – John Hubert – returns for his senior season behind the most formidable line in the Big 12. Stepping in for Collin Klein will be either Jake Waters or Daniel Sams, each of whom appear extremely competent replacements. And the linebacking corps looks to be another three-man wrecking ball similar to past K-State units.

Interestingly, an SEC school was not the top-ranked institution – that accolade went to Ohio State. Texas was the top Big 12 school at #13, with Oklahoma State at #15, Oklahoma at #17, TCU at #18 and K-State at #20. Tells that 1. Mark Schlabach is an idiot because Texas will not win the Big 12 this year; and 2. this conference is going to be an absolute beast with half its teams ranked in the top 20. Looks like there’s some good football to look forward to this fall, with the Wildcats right in the thick of it. EMAW!

Denny Medley-USA TODAY Sports

If there’s a rush to lock up talent early in the NCAA, you can count on an equally strong push to rank that talent. And with a total of five verbal commits in its 2014 recruiting class, K-State’s haul is currently ranked 26th in the nation following the decision of DE C.J. Reese earlier this week. A brief look at these five:

Robert Castaneda (OT), 6’5″ & 318 lbs out of of Round Rock, TX: Castaneda is a big junior, and will be a bigger senior. A three star recruit, he could anchor the left tackle spot for multiple years in Manhattan.

Elijah Lee (DE), 6’3″ & 210 lbs out of Blue Springs, MO: Lee was actually the second player from Blue Springs to commit to K-State after his teammate Dalvin Warmack. He is the #23 DE in the nation.

C.J. Reese (DE), 6’4″ & 260 lbs out of San Ant0nio, TX: Reese was the Wildcats’ latest get and has shown great strength with a bench press of 365. Read more about his decision here.

Dalton Risner (OG), 6’4″ & 285 lbs out of Wiggins, CO: Risner is the #12 guard in the country and had a wealth of offers including Arizona St., Colorado, Missouri, and Wyoming. A three star, he is considered a strong candidate to earn an even higher ranking his senior season.

Dalvin Warmack (RB), 5’9″ & 180 lbs out of Blue Springs, MO: The first to commit to K-State from Blue Springs, Rivals ranks him the #9 all-purpose back in the country.

Reese is a two star player, while the other four are all three star athletes. What’s impressive here is not merely the value of players, but the critical needs being met. DE is one of the team’s biggest questions going into 2013, but Lee and Reese promise to bring some long-term stability to the position. Part of the reason for Klein and Hubert combining for such a devastating rushing attack is what I considered the best offensive line in the Big 12. With Castaneda and Risner, the team is targeting two more athletes to help control the trenches. And Warmack looks to be the next breakout scatback following in the footsteps of Darren Sproles and Hubert.

As expected, Texas is the highest ranked team in the Big 12 and is the early #1 in the nation with 15 early commitments. Oklahoma is #18 and TCU is #20. Trailing K-State are #33 Baylor, #37 Texas Tech, #44 Iowa State, #45 Oklahoma State, #54 Kansas, and #57 West Virginia. No verbal commitment is binding, a lot of time is still on the table, and players can always surprise (both good and bad ways) their senior years. However, K-State was considered extremely late to the recruiting party this year and it’s nice to see some early work being done for the next class.

So readers – what’s the next position Bill Snyder needs to fill for the class of 2014?

Credit: Howard Smith-US PRESSWIRE

The same weekend Kansas State was rolled by Baylor in a 52-24 loss, the Philadelphia Eagles saw starting running back LeSean McCoy carted off the field with a concussion that opened the door for former Wildcat Bryce Brown to assume the starting role for the Eagles. He responded this week on Monday Night Football with 178 yards and two touchdowns against the Carolina Panthers. And while his initial jump to the NFL this past spring seemed more of a joke than serious opportunity (Brown accomplished more in one night for Philadelphia than he ever did with K-State), it’s possible the Wildcats would be even more prolific with Brown in the backfield.

The good
The Brown family of Wichita, KS produces athletes. Bryce’s brother, Arthur Brown, anchors the best linebacking unit in the league and should be an All-Big 12 first team selection for K-State this winter. Bryce was the nation’s #2 running back coming out of high school, behind only Trent Richardson. He generated 460 yards for Tennessee as a freshman before transferring to Manhattan and possessed all the physical tools to be one of the NCAA’s best running backs.

Additionally, Bryce Brown would be the ultimate complement to John Hubert. Hubert stands at just 5’7″ and 191 lbs, and reminds many people of the spry Darren Sproles who measures in at 5’6″, 190 (The Jug remains convinced that, similar to Sproles, there’s a spot for Hubert in the spread-happy NFL once a team gets over his stature and appreciates his speed). Brown is a much bigger creature, with five inches (6’0″) and 32 pounds (223 lbs) on Hubert. The one-two punch these two would have provided would force teams to show more diversified fronts, unsure of whether the Wildcats would attack with speed or power.

The Bad
First, running back is not what cost Kansas State the game against Baylor. An offensive line unable to open holes or protect the quarterback is almost impossible to overcome regardless of the skill positions. Additionally, K-State played from behind throughout the game due to a defense leakier than a Massey sieve. Collin Klein was forced to throw to catch up with all the points the defense gave up, and the running game was largely abandoned in the second half. In a season with only one loss, there were much bigger contributing factors to the hiccup during an otherwise stellar season.

The Ugly
All the physical tools in the world can’t make a player starting material under Bill Snyder. Sure, Alabama, Oklahoma State, USC, and other big name programs have all put up with prima donnas in order to chase wins. Snyder refuses to even recruit these players. There are undeniably cocky players roaming Manhattan’s campus that expect preferential treatment and extra attention; very few 20-year-olds can handle a Sports Illustrated cover photo with the grace and maturity of Collin Klein. Yet in addition to being fast and strong, a player must be able to buy into the team’s system – being cocksure is one thing, but no one is above the team. Bryce immediately got off on a bad foot with the coaching staff, which was reflected in his third string position on the depth chart to begin the 2011 season. When he did get his chance behind Hubert, Bryce logged only three carries while committing a fumble and missing a key block.

Fumbles and missed assignments. These are things that don’t fly in Snyderball. Brown had two more fumbles on Monday night to go along with his two touchdowns, while the Wildcats pride themselves on a double digit advantage in their takeaway:giveaway ratio. And the Wildcats consistently win against more talented teams by doing their jobs and not making mistakes. It’s true, there’s no doubt that Bryce Brown had the potential to add skill and excitement to an already dangerous backfield this year. Klein, Hubert, and Brown may have developed into the most terrifying triple option combo this decade. May have. However, it’s doubtful he could have carried the Wildcats any farther than they’re already gone this year.

Sep 22, 2012; Norman, OK, USA; Kansas State Wildcats running back John Hubert (33) celebrates with fans after defeating Oklahoma Sooners 24-19 at Oklahoma Memorial Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Matthew Emmons-US PRESSWIRE

In the lead up to Saturday’s 24-19 win over Oklahoma, NewsOK.com posted a series of three questions and three goals for the Sooners. K-State provided the answers. Today we’ll be examining these answers, while Tuesday will focus on how K-State managed to bottle the Sooner goals.

Question 1: Can Oklahoma stop Kansas State’s rushing attack?

Answer 1: No.

K-State didn’t necessarily run around, over, and through the Sooner defense, but it certainly did enough to control the clock and pull out the best win in the Big XII so far this year. The team rushed for 213 total yards while averaging 4.8 yards/carry. More importantly, it maintained possession for almost ten more minutes than Oklahoma. This was by no means a dominating performance on the level of the Miami win, but the rushing attack yielded enough to keep pace with Oklahoma’s passing attack.

If OU still plans on contending for the conference title, it’s going to be on the back of its defense. While Collin Klein was an effective runner (79 yards), he at least looked human this weekend. K-State’s linemen did an excellent technical job of pulling and sealing gaps on the outside at times, but were slightly outmuscled at the point of attack. While Oklahoma was kept out the backfield, the Sooners were often able to meet Wildcat rushers at the line of scrimmage. This scenario benefited John Hubert more than Klein. In the open field I love the cornerback v. Klein matchup; Klein will simply bull over the overmatched defender. 250 pound linebackers don’t tip over so easily.

Hubert was extremely impressive with his second-effort production, and accrued much of his yardage after the initial point of contact. His powerful touchdown run while bulling through several Sooners resembled something we’d expect of a Trent Richardson – not K-State’s 190 pound runner. He ended the night with 130 yards and one touchdown while averaging 5.7 yards/carry due to his ability to break tackles.

This was a good overall effort from the offense. Snyder’s game plan – ball control, ball control, ball control – was executed just as intended. This starts with the ability to run the ball, and K-State didn’t disappoint.

To visit part II, click here

Beast Hubert at your service. (si.com)

For the final time in conference battles this season, Kansas State figured out a way to get it done. Farmageddon was closer than anyone would have wished for, but really what game hasn’t been that way this season? Nine victories of 2011 came by 7 points or less. It was the usual mix of gritty play, limited mistakes, and holding on for dear life and with the win the Wildcats completed their first 10-win season since 2003. The reward for their efforts is a trip to the Cotton Bowl to take on a tough Arkansas team who has only lost to the two teams playing for the BCS National Championship. Be watching for plenty of breakdown on that match-up over the next couple of weeks but until then, continue reading for the good, the bad, and the ugly of the Iowa State game. (more…)

Celebrate! (si.com)

At this point, there just aren’t any other ways to play close games. This season has brought more comeback wins than anyone cares for, a game saving tackle at the goal line, a late interception to seal the win, a failed attempt at tying the game as time expired, and now a four-overtime thriller. The Wildcats outlasted Texas A&M on Saturday in the first ever Big 12 football game to go into overtime in Manhattan, KS and moved to 8-2 on the season. Kansas State continues to laugh in the face of all those who doubt their ability to pull out victories. Anytime a game has a combined total of 103 points there’s going to be plenty to discuss so continue reading to see what was good, bad, and ugly in the game. (more…)

(si.com)

The season continues to roll forward with an undefeated K-State and now the schedule gets into teams that will demand absolute excellence for a win. The next two games for the Wildcats will be their hardest, playing an Oklahoma team that is coming off its first lost of the season and then traveling to Stillwater to face Oklahoma State who will most likely still be undefeated and in the top 5. The throttling of Kansas came as no surprise to anyone who has watched K-State play this season and enabled Bill Snyder to continue to use a basic offense, which might be extremely beneficial on Saturday. Kansas State has to continue imposing their style of football on teams to remain unbeaten and that’s a major part of getting another Wildcat victory. Continue reading to see what else needs to take place. (more…)

Sun Life Stadium. Miami, FL. Saturday, September 24 2011,  3:30p.m.

The third quarter saw big play after big play by both teams as this game turns into a Hagler-Hearns bout. Feel free to message me on Twitter @Jug_of_Snyder to join the discussion, or comment below.

Fourth Quarter

[blackbirdpie url="https://twitter.com/#!/Jug_of_Snyder/status/117737045903945729"]

[blackbirdpie url="https://twitter.com/#!/Jug_of_Snyder/status/117736145357504512"] (more…)