Some more quick Kansas State notes as I ponder whether or not a Sun Belt team will upset a BCS school this year…
- IT’S obvious I believe, or I’m “confirmed” in my thoughts that Josh Freeman is going to be the most compelling K-State football figure this year, and really, isn’t it about time? Isn’t this what we expected from the first day he arrived in Manhattan? Shouldn’t the starting quarterback expose his personality?
Instead, he was shielded by Ron Prince in his first two season, which was probably the right move.
Those days are obviously over.
Have to love those stories that play up his self-confidence, which I find comical. Find me a Division I quarterback lacking confidence, and I’ll bet that quarterback sits the bench.
Anyway, I spoke with Freeman again yesterday, when he was relaxed as can be.
I asked about Prince’s assertion that he might be the team’s most improved offensive player, and this was Freeman’s response:
“It’s been physical and mental. Coach (Warren) Ruggiero has done a great job of breaking down things. He’s always grinding on footwork, and it’s been steady improvement. Just a lot of reads, progressions, knowing where to go with the ball. You can always improve. No one knows it all.”
The last thing I asked about was who he thought the most impressive defensive player had been during camp. Without hesitation, he said, “Josh Moore — he’s really good.”
A shutdown corner?
Freeman’s eyebrows arched and his eyes widened.
“I wouldn’t call him a shutdown guy, necessarily. We’ve completed some passes on him, but he’s definitely had a great camp.”
- FOR those of you obsessed with where coaches are positioned during games, get a life. Seriously, though, this is for you: Defensive coordinator Tim Tibesar will be on the field. Offensive coordinator Dave Brock will call the game from the box above the Bill. Assistant head coach/offensive line coach Tim McCarty will be in the box as well, joined by linebackers coach Cornell Jackson and assorted graduate assistants. Defensive line coach Mo Latimore, quarterbacks coach Warren Ruggiero and running backs coach Ricky Rahne will work from the sideline.
- NINE Wildcats were placed on scholarship Monday, including presumptive starting running back Keithen Valentine. Where those scholarships came from, though, was a question I should have asked Prince yesterday — thanks, Kenny — but it slipped my mind.
The explanation, according to Mr. Lannou, K-State’s sports information director, is the departure of players like Ross Diehl, Davyon McGhee, Jeremy Mack, Jack Hayes and assorted other non-qualifiers, all who have vacated or abandoned their scholarships.