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Kansas
State The Wildcats became a power partly by feasting on
nonconference patsies—a strategy that might come back
to bite them now that they're in the national title
hunt
| |
Simoneau (42), an
All-Big 12 selection last season, is part of one of the
nation's best linebacking
corps.
(Vincent
Muzik)
| The
subject
was
scheduling,
which is often the case in the office of Kansas State coach
Bill Snyder. Give Snyder his props: In nine years he has
turned what had been one of the worst Division I-A football
programs in the country into one of the best. His
rebuilding job ranks with
any in college football's recent history—and that
includes Gary
Barnett's turnaround of Northwestern. (Yes, Barnett has to contend
with his school's
much higher academic standards, but Snyder must recruit
talent to the far-flung
"Little Apple" of Manhattan, Kans., as opposed to a leafy,
lakeside Chicago
suburb.)
However—big however—there is the matter of Kansas State's
schedule, which Snyder has fashioned to provide his team
with three automatic wins each year. The coach calls this
"stair-stepping" into the season, and it has
worked fabulously. Victories over Northern
Illinois, Ohio and Bowling Green in the first three games last
year kick-started an 11-1 season that climaxed with a 35-18
victory over Syracuse in the Fiesta Bowl and a No. 8 final
ranking. This year's schedule fits the same
mold: The Wildcats play their
first two
games against Indiana State (Division
I\!AA) and Northern Illinois (0-11 last year), interrupt this
exhibition season of sorts to face downtrodden
Texas, and then play Northeast Louisiana (5-7). A 4-0 start is a
good
bet.
The problem is,
Kansas State is no longer a dog in need of Alpo. The
Wildcats are an established program with genuine designs on
the national title. But with the new Bowl Championship
Series' reliance on strength of schedule and computer
rankings in addition to Top 25
polls, Kansas State's weak list of out-of-conference
opponents could keep it out of a national championship
game, even if the Wildcats are
unbeaten.
The players are ready to step up. "One soft game is
nice to ease into the season," says junior All-Big 12
linebacker Mark
Simoneau. "After that it might be nice to play somebody
tough." Snyder, though, finds himself on the fence.
"I like the way our
consistency has bred confidence," he says, "but we
are at a point where we would like to enhance our schedule
a little
bit."
That may prove to be a problem. With a capacity of 42,000,
KSU
Stadium is puny by power-program standards, making for relatively
small payouts to visiting teams. An expansion will push the
seating to 49,000 for 1999, but beefing up Kansas State's
slate will be a very slow process. For now, Snyder doesn't
think his team's
schedule is a fatal flaw. "If you put me in a position
to end up arguing with a computer after 11 or 12
games," he says, "I'll feel pretty good about our
program."
He's got the personnel to set the debate in motion.
Eighteen starters return, including six fifth-year seniors,
five seniors who transferred from junior colleges and four
fourth-year juniors. It is the deepest and most experienced
team Snyder has
fielded.
The most vital player is cocky, quicksilver senior
quarterback Michael Bishop. After transferring from Blinn
Community College in Brenham, Texas, Bishop won the
starting job last August and immediately became the team
leader. In the Fiesta Bowl he threw
for 317 yards and four touchdowns, and rushed for 73 yards.
This year he joins Syracuse's Donovan McNabb and Missouri's
Corby Jones as the best double-threat quarterbacks in the
country.
On the other side of the ball, the Wildcats boast a
consistent defense that was built in the early '90s by
current Florida defensive coordinator Bob Stoops and is now
run by his brother Mike. Last year it ranked fourth in the
nation.
After five straight winning seasons, attitude adjustment is
no longer an issue in Manhattan. The players have no
recollection of the program as a doormat. They expect to
win. "I heard they used to be bad back in the [old]
days," says Bishop, "but I
never saw it." Adds All-Big 12 senior linebacker Jeff
Kelly, "We're capable of beating everybody we play,
and that's what I expect us to
do."
One opponent matters more than
the others: Kansas State hasn't beaten
Nebraska since 1968. Last October the Huskers pounded the Wildcats
56-26 in Lincoln, after which Bishop said publicly that
some of his teammates had quit when Nebraska took a 41-6
lead in the third quarter. An incensed Snyder, who is as
controlling as
any coach in Division I-A, muzzled his quarterback for four
weeks.
It seems the truth hurts. During the summer Kelly said,
"We came into the game with the right attitude, but
some guys gave up. As we were coming off the field,
Nebraska fans were so nice to us, [saying], 'Good luck
against everybody else,' like they
knew we couldn't give them a game. It was
sickening."
Snyder, a born underdog who is now cast as a favorite of
sorts, squirms in the face of high expectations and talk of
Nebraska in August. "The important thing," he says,
"is not to skip steps along the
way." —Tim Layden
Fast Facts
1997 record: 11-1 (7-1, 2nd in Big 12 North)
Final ranking: No. 8 AP, No. 7 coaches' poll
| 1997 Averages | Offense | Defense |
| Scoring | 34.8 | 14.5 |
| Rushing Yards | 220.2 | 129.9 |
| Passing Yards | 152.2 | 126.9 |
| Total Yards | 372.4 | 256.8 |
|
Lineup
Coach: Bill Snyder
10th year at Kansas State (66-37-1); career Division I-A record: 66-37-1
| OFFENSE |
| WR | Darnell McDonald | Sr. | 7 catches, 3 TDs in Fiesta Bowl |
| LT | John Robertson | Fr. | Dad played for Houston Oilers |
| LG | Brien Hanley | Sr. | Former Xavier U. point guard |
| C | Randall Cummins | So. | Schoolboy shot put, discus star |
| RG | Jeremy Martin | Sr. | 10 starts at RG, 2 at LG |
| RT | Ryan Young | Sr. | Only married player on team |
| TE | Justin Swift | Sr. | Tabbed "most improved" in '97 |
| WR | Everett Burnett | Sr. | No catches after sixth game |
| QB | Michael Bishop | Sr. | 19.5 yds. per comp., led Div. I-A |
| RB | Eric Hickson | Sr. | Ran for 750 yds., 8 TDs |
| FB | Brian Goolsby | Sr. | 3.9 yds. per carry |
| K | Martin Gramatica | Sr. | Nation's top placekicker in '97 |
| DEFENSE |
| LE | Joe Bob Clements | Sr. | Former walk-on |
| LT | Damion McIntosh | Jr. | Kingston, Jamaica, native |
| RT | Andrae Rowe | Sr. | 46 tackles and 41/2 sacks |
| RE | Darren Howard | Jr. | Second-team All-Big 12 |
| OLB | Travis Ochs | Sr. | Defensive MVP in Fiesta Bowl |
| MLB | Jeff Kelly | Sr. | Led defense with 110 tackles |
| OLB | Mark Simoneau | Jr. | 214 tackles in first two years |
| CB | Dyshod Carter | So. | Broke up 9 passes |
| SS | Jarrod Cooper | So. | 79 tackles as freshman |
| FS | Lamar Chapman | Jr. | Recovered 3 fumbles |
| CB | Gerald Neasman | Sr. | Also standout kick returner |
| P | James Garcia | Sr. | 43.7 yds. per punt |
|
Unless otherwise noted, all statistics are from 1997 season.
Pivotal Players
In the hands of
Michael
Bishop, who passed for 1,557 yards and ran for 566 last year,
Kansas State's conservative offense becomes dangerous,
although Bishop needs to better his 43.2 completion
percentage.... Running back
Eric
Hickson, a rare sixth-year senior who was granted a medical
redshirt after breaking his left leg in '96, needs 630
yards to become the Wildcats' career rushing
leader.... Hickson will often run behind senior right tackle
Ryan
Young, who came to Manhattan as a
360-pound doughboy barely able to bench 270 pounds and will
leave as a 330-pound likely first-round draft choice who
racks
400-plus.... If all else fails on offense, it's nice to have the best
kicker in the nation, senior
Martin
Gramatica (19 of 20
field goal attempts in
'97).... The big-play man on defense is
six-foot,
245-pound senior linebacker
Jeff
Kelly, who had seven sacks and
24 tackles for losses in
'97.... As with all press defense teams, cover cornerbacks are
vital; the Wildcats' best is sophomore
Dyshod
Carter.
Key Games
Schedule strength: 80th of
112
Oct. 10 at Colorado
Last year's 37-20 win in Manhattan ended an 0-11-1 streak
of futility against the Buffaloes, dating to 1985. An
improved Colorado will provide the first real test of
'98.
Oct. 17 vs. Oklahoma State
Kansas State missed the Cowboys in their breakthrough 8-4
season in
'97. This is the toughest home game on the schedule until
...
Nov. 14 vs. Nebraska
The Wildcats weren't scared of the Huskers during last
year's 56-26 loss. "It just took
longer for the anxiety to go away," says Young. Like,
60
minutes.
X Factor
Will tailback Frank Murphy, the '97 junior college player
of the year, be another JC-transfer gem? He ran an
eye-popping 4.21 40 in drills but had just two yards on 13
carries in the spring
game.
Bottom Line
If all goes according to plan—and the schedule doesn't
ruin them in the computer ratings—it's a one-game
season: Beat Nebraska, and the Wildcats have a chance of
playing for the national
title.
Top 25 | The Master List | Conference Rankings | Lower Divisions
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