Wow!
Has any team ever given up 76 points one week and scored 73 the next? While you’re checking the record books, let me just say that this win now puts K-State coach Ron Prince on the hot seat.
Or at least the warm seat.
Nebraska is awful. I think we all agree on that. Yet Nebraska beat Kansas State on Saturday by 42 points. And Huskers quarterback Joe Ganz passed for seven touchdowns and more than 500 yards.
What to make of it?
Don’t think for a minute that Nebraska fans are going to forgive Coach Bill Callahan for his transgressions. Callahan is a goner and nothing can save him at this point. Not even a lopsided win over Kansas State.
I’m most interested in the reactions that will be coming from K-Staters. Prince inherited a situation that gave him a certain amount of time to grow as a coach. And everyone who follows the Wildcats had to be satisfied with the 2006 season, his first. He led them to the Texas Bowl and seven wins.
This season hasn’t gone nearly as well. Prince had holes to fix on the offensive line and running back and he didn’t fix them. And the defense, which was so good early this season, has imploded. The Wildcats can’t stop anybody. Impressive wins over Texas and Colorado now have little meaning.
It will be interesting to see how Prince handles this week leading into a home game next Saturday against Missouri, a game the Wildcats need if they want to get back to a bowl. But the way K-State is going, Mizzou will score a ton of points next week. This has been an unexpected turn for the worst for Kansas State and I suspect criticism of Prince and the team to be pretty rampant this week.
The new Eagles’ recording has been out a couple of weeks now and, of course, I have listened countless times. It’s a great set of 20 songs _ about 17 are worthy of being talked about in the best work of the band.
But one song _ Waiting in the Weeds _ stands above the rest. It’s a Don Henley song and it’s amazing. I can’t stop listening to the words, the melody, the instruments, Henley’s incredible voice, the harmonies with Timothy B. Schmit.
I have given it a lot of thought, and this song might be the best Eagles song I have ever heard. That’s a bold statement, to be sure. I would love to hear what you think. And this is the place to get your feedback.
My long-time friend and co-worker, Duane Frazier, is leaving The Eagle after 26 years. He takes on a new job at Hawker-Beechcraft on Nov. 26. I just always assumed I would work with Duane _ we sit across from one another in the newsroom and have for many years _ until I retired.
Duane is one of the best people I have ever known and he does a fantastic job covering high schools and motor sports. He is organized beyond belief and has poured himself into his job for a long, long time. But, more important to me, is his friendship. Going into the office day after day is not the easiest assignment for me these days. But knowing Duane was going to be there with his great wit and humor made it easier.
Plus, Duane has an uncanny ability to remember places, dates and times better than almost anyone I know. He can tell me about stories I have written that I have absolutely no recollection of. He knows where I was, and what I was covering, more accurately than I do. He’s just that way.
Duane is a great family man who likes to stay away from the spotlight. He’s unassuming _ I’m sure there are people in our newsroom who do not know who he is. But those of us who work with him closely know and cherish his friendship and depend on him to make The Eagle a better place to work.
I will miss Duane tremendously, but I am also happy that he found this opportunity. He will do a wonderful job for Hawker Beechcraft and become as important to the people he works with there as he has been to those of us who have been fortunate enough to work with him at The Eagle.