Monthly Archives: December 2008

More from Chris Harper

Dec. 17, 20084:39 p.m.

He’s a mature “dude,” which is one of his favorite words. There is plenty of extra information I didn’t use in my story on the former Northwest quarterback for tomorrow, so here are some of the nuggets that missed the cut:

- He has several nicknames at Oregon, but the one most intriguing to me was “The Golden Child.”

- He was a pretty good basketball player at Northwest, and basketball was his sport of choice until high school. Harper said he was approached by Oregon’s assistant basketball coaches about the possibility of joining the team late, and he said he spoke to Brad Underwood a few times as well when he was committed to Kansas State.

- Speaking of which, even after James Franklin left to go to Maryland, Harper still thought he was going to K-State. In other words, Franklin’s departure wasn’t the complete deal-breaker it was thought to be.

- Harper believes Oklahoma will cruise in the national championship. “I don’t think Florida can score with those guys,” he said. “I want Florida to win, but I think OU is scoring so much, and how fast they play? They’re so diverse. We’re supposed to be the fastest-paced team in the country, but they’re playing faster than us – under center, spreading you out, the three running backs they use…”

- He believes the difference between K-State’s 5-7 record and Kansas’ 7-5 record isn’t that big because a couple of playmakers can make the difference in two games. “That’s not that hard,” Harper said.

- Harper said he was first offered by K-State after his freshman year at Collegiate, which he attended before Northwest. Well, told he was going to be offered. Snyder was the coach, and the assistant coach making contact was Joe Bob Clements, who has been re-hired by Snyder this season.

- Playing college football hasn’t been a huge adjustment. “It’s real easy,” Harper said. “You just go out and play. Some people make it too complicated. Let the dudes make plays. Make reads and play… After you get accustomed, it’s not a big deal. You see guys like Chase Daniel and Sam Bradford, guys who make it look easy, and they got comfortable playing so it’s just like high school again. When you have great athletes around you, you just throw it to them. It’s the same thing now, just a little more complicated… Once you get to a point where you’re clicking, you make it look easy. The speed isn’t a big difference.”

By J-Mart | Filed under Football | Comments (7)

Brandon Harold

Dec. 16, 200810:46 a.m.

From the Kansas State sports information department:

Kansas State defensive end Brandon Harold has been named to the 2008 Sporting News All-Freshman team, the publication has announced.

Harold, a native of East St. Louis, Ill., was honored as a freshman All-American last week by College Football News and was one of two Wildcat true freshmen to start this past season. The defensive end totaled 45 tackles, 10.5 for loss, with 3.0 sacks en route to honorable mention all-conference honors this past season for the Wildcats.

The 6-6, 265-pounder is currently ranked first nationally among freshmen defensive linemen in tackles for loss, while his 3.0 sacks rank second in the Big 12 Conference among freshmen defensive linemen. His 10.5 tackles for loss also rank 13th overall in the Big 12 and second among all freshmen in the league.

His 45 total tackles in 2008 also rank first in the Big 12 among freshmen defensive linemen, fifth among all freshmen defenders and eighth among all defensive linemen in the league.

Most deserving, I’d say. He’s also a heck of a kid.

By J-Mart | Filed under Football | Comments Off

Ticket update for Sprint Center

Dec. 10, 200810:19 a.m.

Kansas State assistant sports information director Tom Gilbert just said 6,500 tickets have been sold for tomorrow night’s game in Kansas City against Southern Mississippi. Sales are down from last year, Gilbert said, but a large reason why is because the ticket isn’t included in the season ticket package.

Tickets are available at Ticketmaster.

By J-Mart | Filed under Basketball | Comments (2)

Just spoke with Vic Koenning…

Dec. 6, 20085:01 p.m.

DISCLAIMER: A lot of this is my opinion, aside from the actual quotes from Koenning, of course.

The former Clemson defensive coordinator was watching the SEC Championship when I reached him. Did he watch the ACC Championship? “No, it would have pissed me off,” he said.

I dove right in, asking him if things had progressed with Kansas State and where things stood. He said he felt it would be best if he kept all of those conversations and thoughts between he and his wife because these were delicate situations. Interpret that as you will.

He said he expected the staff to be completed by next week mostly because recruiting is in such a pivotal period.

Here’s my theory: In 2004, Greg Peterson was the co-offensive coordinators and also in charge of the wide receivers. Del Miller was the offensive coordinator. A year later, Peterson was just the wide receivers coach and Miller was again the OC. With Chris Cosh’s official appointment this morning as the co-defensive coordinator – and assistant head coach – some fans were likely dismayed that K-State might have lost out on Koenning. I don’t think that’s the case – not yet, anyway. I think Bill Snyder reached out to Cosh, a man he respects but a coordinator Maryland fans couldn’t wait to see leave.

I think Koenning is still the DC next year, and it will be his defense K-State uses. But how long the Wildcats can retain the former Clemson assistant will be worth following.

Anyway, he said he hoped I respected his decision to sidestep my decisions, and I said I did. We chit-chatted for a little, but then he abruptly said he had to get off the phone – there was another call he had to take. It was a recruit, checking in with an (temporarily) out of work defensive coordinator at 5 p.m. on a Saturday.

By J-Mart | Filed under Uncategorized | Comments (8)

Joe Bob is official…

Dec. 4, 20083:28 p.m.

From the Kansas State sports information department:

Shortly after being named the 34th head football coach at Kansas State, Bill Snyder began assembling his coaching staff with the announcement of Kansas native and former Wildcat Joe Bob Clements as an assistant coach responsible for directing the Wildcat defensive ends.

Clements, a 1999 Kansas State graduate who previously served on Snyder’s Wildcat coaching staff, has spent the past season at Kansas, where he coached the Jayhawks’ defensive line and tutored All-Big 12 selections Caleb Blakesley and Jake Laptad. Prior to his stint in Lawrence, Clements was an assistant coach (defensive line) at San Diego State in 2006 and 2007, which included a role as the Aztec’s recruiting coordinator in 2007.

But, Clements will now return to his alma mater where he was a part of 10 bowl games as both a player and coach and served a total of seven seasons on Snyder’s staff, the final three as an assistant coach in charge of the defensive ends from 2003-05. He also served as the Wildcats’ recruiting coordinator in 2004 and 2005.

Read More »

By J-Mart | Filed under Football | Comments (2)

I GOT FIVE ON IT – Vic Koenning

Dec. 3, 20087:35 p.m.

Asked the last time he was back in Kansas, Koenning, the former three-year starting linebacker and team captain at Kansas State, was stuck. “Probably for an alumni game, when Stan Parrish was coaching,” he said. Following his resignation from the defensive coordinator position at Clemson, Koenning might find himself back in the Little Apple. Koenning, 48, was packing up his family’s home in Clemson, S.C., when he took about 25 minutes to talk about a variety of topics, including the “secret” to attacking the prolific offenses currently populating the Big 12.

1. What happened at Clemson?

I didn’t feel, for what we accomplished… Nine weeks in a row of not allowing 200 yards of passing, four seasons in the top 20 in total defense and the top 16 in scoring defense? For them not to be able to make a commitment to me, I didn’t think that was right. But it’s the new coach’s call, 100 percent, to make his call, and I’m not spiteful. But I would have hoped the administration would have said something… It’s like when you have beautiful roses in the garden. If you have a few weeds, you don’t cut down the rose bushes along with the weeds, too.

Read More »

By J-Mart | Filed under Football, I GOT FIVE ON IT | Comments (9)

Did the Big 12 coaches get it right?

Dec. 2, 20083:43 p.m.

The All-Big 12 selections are out.

For the second year in a row, a Kansas State wide receiver/kick returner was named Offensive Newcomer of the Year. Last year, it was Deon Murphy. This year, it’s Brandon Banks.

Seems fair to me, but what about the rest? Were any of the other Wildcats – Brandon Harold? Josh Moore? – deserving of more than honorable mention?

By J-Mart | Filed under Big 12, Football | Comments (5)

Bill is on a mission

Dec. 2, 200811:43 a.m.

The new (and former) Kansas State coach just stopped here at Jabara Airport, and Bill Snyder’s prevailing theme was encouraging the fans to come back out and support the Wildcats. He hammered the point home, which was received well by the 125 or so fans in attendance.

Of course, there was also the obligatory shot at the media. Asked about his coaching staff, Snyder said it was two-thirds done and because of extended contracts for assistants, it’s more difficult than in the past to simply hire away quality people. But when it’s finished, he said, a release would be circulated.

Until then, Snyder said, “anything else isn’t accurate.”

He also said he’s been busy on the recruiting path, saying he spent Monday evening here as well. Well – and apologies for perhaps “burying the lead” – Bryce Brown, the heralded East running back, confirmed Tuesday that he met with the K-State coach last night. Brown is committed to Miami, but he is still listening to schools, and he liked what he heard from Snyder.

“It went really well,” Brown said via text message. “I enjoyed his company.”

Let me just say this – Snyder, without assessing blame or pointing a finger, is on a mission to rectify EVERYTHING that went wrong during his three-year absence. Don’t be surprised if a few of the kids the previous regime missed out on suddenly resurface in Manhattan, realizing a couple of things: 1) It’s a privilege to play close to home, 2) it’d be a privilege to play for perhaps one of the most accomplished college coaches of all-time, and 3) it’d be a privilege to help restore the K-State program – once again under Snyder – to the heights it once knew.

By J-Mart | Filed under Football | Comments (14)