Tag Archives: Manhattan

Kansas Football Preview 2014: Hey, There’s Hype To Live Up To

JakeWatersKCCGD

Hey it’s another year of football for Kansas State and it’s a weird time to be a fan.  Usually Kansas State comes in underpicked, underestimated, and just generally dumped on.  Welp this year is different.  The Wildcats ended the year strong with an even stronger win over Michigan in the bowl game.  Now all of the sudden the pundits and spineless sports media are picking Kansas State to finish well.

It’s a weird feeling.  If any fan, and team, watches and plays better with a chip on their shoulder, it’s Kansas State.  So now it’s time to act like we’ve been there.  Yes, we have, but that added extra juice of being the underdog is gone.  What’s a K-Stater to do?  I guess the best thing is to do what got you to this point.

For us fans, that means cheering loud and staying proud.  Pretty easy.  For the football team, that means Jake Waters tossing bombs to Tyler Lockett.  That’s pretty easy, too, actually.  It helps that there’s this sexy stats the pundits refer to that each returning Wildcat quarterback leads the team to 11 wins (minus the early Snyder teams).  So Jake Waters has that going for him.

You know what else he has going for him?  Collin Klein.  No no, he’s not playing for the team again, he’s COACHING them.  While you can’t teach those kind of running instincts, Collin Klein can at least give direction.  And that’s exactly what he’s doing with Jake Waters.  Dark horse Heisman right there.  I expect Jake Waters to do great, great things this year.  More so than Tyler Lockett, although he’s right up there.

The offense sort of has questions elsewhere.  There’s a decent group of wide receivers coming back, even though Daniel Sams took off after losing the quarterback job.  The running back situation will be a committee until someone shows up.  I hope its fast.  There’s a polarized set of experience on the offense line and I hope they gel fast too.

I’m not sure what’s up on defense.  Ryan Mueller is the man on the defense line (and former St. Thomas Aquinas alum, like me).  That’s about all I know.  There’s a couple of JUCO transfers that will help out immediately and we’ll have to see what the team looks like when they take the field today.  Chances are, they will be fundamentally sound but not the biggest and fasted.  Just like the last couple of years.

So speaking of games, how do I see the Wildcats this year?  After last year’s fist game turd, I expect them to punch the ball in quicker and grow a bigger lead in the first half against Stephen F. Austin and then let up on the peddle a bit.  They won’t be vanilla the whole game.  Not with what’s coming up next.

Right after that, it’s a brutal stretch.  Farmageddon is next, then Auburn.  Iowa State will be better on the offensive side of the ball  now that they got Mark Mangino as the offensive coordinator.  And it’s on the road.  Even though it wasn’t close last year, it will be this year.  Kansas State will win.

Auburn is the big tomato.  At least it’s in Manhattan.  I get the feel from Tigers fans that they are scared about this one.  They should be.  But for some reason, all of the hype surrounding Kansas State this year has at least alerted them to the danger that is the Wildcats.  Which means the team will be ready.  Will Kansas State be ready? Yes.  Will they lose?  Unfortunately, yes.

So what does the rest of the schedule look like?  Let’s run it down.  They come back down to Earth and beat up UTEP.  Texas Tech is in Manhattan so that’s a Wildcat victory.  That Oklahoma game is a toss up because they are getting overrated too.  I’m going with a loss there.  They will beat Texas and Oklahoma State in Manhattan.  They will beat TCU and West Virginia on the road.  They will roll Kansas.

So that leaves Baylor.  On the road.  Hey guess what?  I’m going to the game!  New stadium.  Last game of the year.  Will it be for the Big 12 title?  I sure hope so.   My guess is that it will have huge implications on the Big 12 title.  That’s good enough for me.  Because I just don’t think Kansas State can keep up with Baylor.

Which means I’m pretty much going chalk this year.  Weak, isn’t it?  That’s what happens when the hype matches where I actually think the team will be, which is about 3rd in the conference with 3 losses.  Now what bowl game that will be,  I don’t know.  I hope it’s close to Austin so I can finally see the Wildcats in a bowl.  But until then, I’ll keep cheering loud and staying proud.  Go Wildcats!

Sunflower Showdown Didn’t Slow Down the Wildcats

This is another Monday where I get to talk about a game I saw on Thursday night.  Last time was in Manhattan and this time it was in Lawrence.  Things could not have turned around on a hard 180 degree twist for the Kansas State Wildcats.  For the Kansas Jayhawks, unfortunately, things remained the same.  I didn’t get a chance to take in the Lawrence like I did Manhattan, but the town and the game was great none the less.  For a quick road trip in and out of Memorial Stadium, I can say that the memories will last a long time.

Continue reading Sunflower Showdown Didn’t Slow Down the Wildcats

Stadiumspotting: Thursday Night Lights Part II, Lawrence Edition

We said we had one more trip left in us and I was wrong.  We have at least two!  So tonight starts another familiar trip out west to Stadiumspot.  We’re not going all the way to Manhattan, however.  We are heading to Lawrence to watch the Sunflower Showdown.  Kansas comes off a beating from the Baylor Bears of all teams while Kansas State said goodbye to Nebraska by getting their asses kicked.  Both teams need a win and there’s nothing like notching a rivalry win to pick things up.  I don’t know who’s going to win this one but I hope that it will at least be competitive.

Continue reading Stadiumspotting: Thursday Night Lights Part II, Lawrence Edition

The Send Off Was Beat Down at Bill Snyder Family Stadium

The drive down to Manhattan last Thursday was fairly quick.  The more than likely last ever game between Kansas State and Nebraska took place and it was not all I hoped to be.  But the electricity from the radio on through the fans as well as the pageantry leading up to the game made the trip more than worthwhile.  There’s nothing like revisiting your old stomping grounds and enjoying everything great about what it was like to be there.  The whole day fittingly ended Nebraska’s presence in Wildcat Country.

Continue reading The Send Off Was Beat Down at Bill Snyder Family Stadium

GameDay: Road Trippin’

I’ve been on a ton of road trips the last couple of weeks.  Wichita, Des Moines, Minneapolis, and Manhattan all were recorded in the log book.  I’ve noticed some things on the road and want to share it with you.  From what to eat to how to beat the casino, these tips will help you get more out of your college football road trip.  I’ve heard of people road tripping every week for football and dismissed them as being crazy.   The last month’s events just made me a little crazy for the road.

Continue reading GameDay: Road Trippin’

Manhattan Makes Us Miss The College Life

The Manhattan Miracle was once thought to be just a one time thing.  Fast forward to 2009 and we now know it never left.  Are we talking about football?  Partly.  We’re also talking about the little city of Manhattan and the miracle that it can play with the big dogs when it comes to having a great time.   We revisited some old school places and discovered some new ones.  Then we went to the Sunflower Showdown and witnessed the rise of the miracle on the field.  All in all it was a top notch time and we were happy to see the good ole days just one more time.

Continue reading Manhattan Makes Us Miss The College Life

GameDay: Going Old School

kansasstateoldlogo

Ah, yes the Sunflower Showdown.  I was at the game last year and it was a blowout.  I’m heading to the game this year and it’s a homecoming in a way.  I make no bones about being a K-Stater and while I do my best to be objective, the Purple Pride eeks out ahead.  So when I go to the game today, I will be reliving the days of past when I was a student.  I will also be going back to the source and inspiration for this website.

Continue reading GameDay: Going Old School

Pick It and Stick It: Another Road to Flick On

flickitdontstickit

We’re packing again and heading out west again, but this time it’s a little farther.  A full tank of gas and some pajammy jams are all locked up and we will be hitting the road after work.  Road trips are a big deal to the KCCGD family and we’re happy to take another one for the weekend.  Make sure you have good tunes, some tasty drinks, and the right company for road trips.  Also, bring a camera because you’ll never know what you’ll see.  Hopefully, we’ll get to pick up a pecan log from Stuckey’s on the way.  Here’s the the pick set for the week:

Continue reading Pick It and Stick It: Another Road to Flick On

Crib Sheet: Too Full to Write, Seriously

fullplateoffood

We have a full plate here this week on the Crib Sheet so in the interest of avoiding any more food references we stuffed into the last couple of posts, here’s this week’s Crib Sheet:

  • Steve Spurrier, South Carolina head coach, complained about tape on the field after their shilacking they took from Alabama last week.  So Alabama head coach Nick Saban says they won’t do it again.  The kickers were using to place kicks and now the need some other guide to help the ball find the way.  Southeastern Conference:  Home of the Ticky Tacky Whining.
  • Orrin Hatch is poking an prodding his trident in the direction of the Justice Department and President Obama, trying to get a probe of the BCS system again.  Hey, it’s an easy target in Utah and we hope he gets relected for all of this posturing and grand standing.  Once again, this shows that people from Utah suck.
  • The officiating crew from last week’s Florida and Arkansas game were suspended due to a blown personal foul call against an Arkansas player.  When you are Florida and on top, the calls will go your way.  Southeastern Conference:  Home of Protecting the Frontrunners.
  • While LeBron James is busy kicking out professional football players, he’s also giving advice to Ohio State quarterback Terrelle Pryor.  James says he’s trying to help Pryor handle being a super star athelete.  What?  You have to win games, and more importantly championships, to be a super star.  Right now Pryor is the head guy for a lame-o offense.  An offense that just got upset by Purdue.
  • When Texas Tech loses bad, count on Mike Leech to say something witty about it.  This time, it was something about fat girlfriends.  We love him even though his team usually rolls Big 12 North teams.
  • The Dallas Fort Worth airport and American Airlines are now doing direct flights to Manhattan, Kansas.  What does that mean?  Recruiting trips for Kansas State will be less of convenience.  The Wildcats had to cut costs for private flights which meant planes going to Topeka or Kansas City held recruits.  Will this help?  Who knows.
  • Goldy Gopher got the slap down for mocking prayer at the beginning of a game last week.  I can see that happening if they played Notre Dame or Boston College, but doing it before a Penn State game is a little ridiculous.  His punishment?  10 Hail Marys and a bad football team.
  • Bob Griese will have to sit a game for making a taco joke on a latino NASCAR driver.  Was it because it was racially insensitive or because it was a really bad joke?  Griese did get his education at Michigan, you know.
  • Speaking of Michigan, there’s a letter of inquiry from the NCAA about the whole practicing too long trouble some players kicked up a month ago.  How could the Wolverines be practicing too hard?  They’re terrible.  Maybe if they were undefeated but they stink too much to be practicing too long.  If anything, they are not practicing enough.
  • Much to no one’s surprise, Sam Bradford will have a season ending shoulder surgery and then enter the NFL draft.  It seemed a little awkward when Bradford left the Texas game a couple of weeks ago.  The hit wasn’t as massive as the first injury.  Right then I think we all knew Bradford wasn’t gonna chance it.  So will he do well in the NFL?  Tune in and find out if we ever kick up a KC GameDay blog.
  • Iowa Governor Chet Culver goofed up and congratulated only Iowa in a historic win over the weekend.  Yes, the Hawkeyes are 8-0 for the first time in forever, but it seems he forgot the Iowa State win over Nebraska in Nebraska for the first time since 1977.  If the Cyclones make a bowl, this guy will be elected out of the office.
  • John William Lomax III will be charged in the murder of UConn football Jasper Howard.  He went to the party but his lawyer says he has nothing to do with it.  We’ll find out in court just what happened.
  • The NCAA ruled that Oklahoma State wide receiver Dez Bryant will be suspended for the rest of the season.  He lied to the NCAA when they went sniffing around a visit he had with Deion Sanders.  This seems a little harsh.  With other players punching people and coming back, you’d figure they would let him come back and play.  To bad for the Cowpokes as they could use him against Texas this weekend.

The Crib Sheet: Not Quite Sick Enough

Sick

Wow, we’re still feeling the effects from last week.  As a matter of fact, last week’s festivities led to a nasty little cold.  That’s better than some of the after effects some college football players ran into last week.  Never fear, the Crib Sheet remedy is here!  We’re dropping this in some Sprite and popping some NyQuil so hold on and go for the ride.  Hopefully we’ll be 100% next week.

  • In the descendant department, Joe Montana’s kid Nick tackled some scholarship offers from Alabama, Flordia State, and Notre Dame.  The son of a qb who’s a qb too might get better luck if he goes somewhere other than the Fighting Irish.  The shoes would be too big to fill and so far the quaterbacks coming out of dome town aren’t living up to the past.  Nick Cool doesn’t work, how about Nick Sweet?
  • Somehow Columbia, Missouri landed in the top 10 on Forbes list for top college sports towns.  Well I guess Lawrence was too pretentious and Austin is more of a party town.  Manhattan doesn’t even come close.  I guess it’s cool that they are on the list, but they need to win a championship somewhere to deserve top 10 status.
  • The Bryce Brown saga continues after a couple of swerves.  The NCAA is investigating Brian Butler, the mentor for Brown, to figure out if he’s more of an agent than a mentor.  The former rapper has been representing Wichita football players and pimping them on his website.  Not sure there’s much mentoring there.  Meanwhile, some rumor mongering points to Oklahoma being on the sweepstakes for Brown.  I’m not sure they’ll pull him in late, but the fact that Kansas State is on the list still is laughable.  Maybe Brown will lose so much cred out of this that he’ll walk on to Wildcat territory, only to regain his rep.  In my dreams.   In my dreams.
  • Speaking of Wildcat territory, it seems some old friends are coming back to Manhattan to help Bill Snyder 2.0 out.  Jonathan Beasley and Joe Gordon are coming back  to fill out some spots left open by some movements.  Thankfully, Bill is going to former players to help rebuild the tradition (however small it may be) of the Kansas State Wildcats.
  • So a Division II school in Newberry dropped their mascot name, Indians, under pressure from the NCAA.  That’s fine and all, but where is the pressure for the Notre Dame Fighting Irish?  If the NCAA is going to go with regulating names then it needs to be consistent across the board.  Now Illinois dropped it, but Florida State got the write from Indians to use it.  So is it really worth going after, or is it a PR stunt to make everyone feel good about themselves?
  • Let me tell you somethin’ dude, the Kiffster is gonna run wild over you!  Well, maybe not that but one of the tactics he’s using at Tennessee is encouraging his coaches rip off their shirts a-la Hulk Hogan.  So whatcha gonna do?  WHATCHA GONNA DO?
  • What’s up with all of the football players being arrested in the offseason.  Yeah they’re young and in college, but they’re the leaders of the campus.  There’s a time to party and a time to get ready for some football.  The way I see it, the only players that can party now are the ones from Florida.
  • So we finally figure out why Andy Ludwig left Kansas State after 2 months to go back to Cali.  His family all lives on the coast out there.  I would call shenanigans if Tim Griffin didn’t point out that he’d be eating some salary in the deal (cost of living wise).  Oh well.