Monthly Archives: August 2012

The Royal Sampler: Football predictions, Jacob Pullen vs. Curtis Kelly, a punt return gone horribly wrong and links

Aug. 31, 201212:16 p.m.

PREDICTIONS
Kansas State’s football season will start tomorrow against Missouri State. So it’s time to make a prediction on the game.

I’m going with K-State 40, Missouri State 14.

Bill Snyder has won 19 straight season-openers, and that streak will easily continue. True, K-State had some problems against Eastern Kentucky last year before winning ugly 10-7, but the Wildcats were breaking in a new starting quarterback, running back, linebacker and a few offensive linemen. By comparison, 17 starters return for this game. Those players remember last year’s close opener, and want to win by a much more comfortable margin this time around. Motivation is on their side.

Missouri State is coming off a 2-9 season and is expected to finish last in its FCS conference this year. The Bears will be platooning quarterbacks and don’t look like the sort of the team that can play with a top 25 opponent for four quarters. The last time they came to Manhattan, in 2010, K-State won 48-24 behind 280 passing yards from Carson Coffman and 137 rushing yards from Daniel Thomas.

With Miami coming up next week, Bill Snyder will try to keep the gameplan as simple as possible. So that could prevent K-State from piling up points against Missouri State. But I still think the Wildcats will hit 40 … Much to the chagrin of this guy:

“Fifty-five points … Not good enough. 60 points … Not good enough … I want 70 points on Saturday.” Classic stuff there. You can follow this fan on twitter @KstateMask.
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By Kellis Robinett | Filed under Basketball, Football, The Royal Sampler | Comments Off

The Royal Sampler: The worst country song of all-time comes from Missouri, Carson Coffman is a poster boy and links

Aug. 30, 201212:56 p.m.

The only thing that can beat a Royal Flush is The Royal Sampler

VIDEO OF THE DAY

I hate to bring added attention to this song, which comes from the same Missouri fans who put out a weird rap song about their beloved Tigers a few months ago, but anytime Deadspin writes “When people say they hate country music, this video is probably what they’re thinking of,” you can’t not watch the video.

Anyway, the video has nearly 60,000 views on YouTube with 152 likes (really?) and 987 dislikes.

All I can really say about it is: If you were upset about Missouri leaving the Big 12, this song makes you miss the Tigers a little less.
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By Kellis Robinett | Filed under Basketball, Football, The Royal Sampler | Comments Off

A few minutes with … Angelo Pease

Aug. 30, 201210:49 a.m.

At about this time last year, Angelo Pease was just happy to be at Kansas State. After spending two years at Hutchinson Community College, he was thrilled to finally be playing at the Division I level.

He entered his first season with the Wildcats as a backup running back and finished with 144 rushing yards and two touchdowns. Not bad considering he only got 36 carries, and was battling a nagging injury.

Pease is still the backup running back today, behind John Hubert, but he is looking to make a larger impact in his senior season. He says he is healthy now, and ready to help K-State out of the wildcat formation (he lined up at quarterback a few times last year) or by taking traditional hand offs.

How excited are you for the season to start?

I’m very excited. I can’t wait. Every practice I go to is a day closer to the moment, this Saturday. I’m ready and excited to come out here and play in front of the fans now that I am 100 percent and healthy.

What was the hardest thing about playing with an injury last year?

It was hard. Some of my teammates needed me, but I couldn’t give 100 percent, so I just stayed back. A year ago I was fresh. I was new into it. It was a lot coming at me all at one time. But now I have a year under my belt. Things still come at me fast, but I’m more mature now. I’m more level. I can handle more things now. It’s not as hard.

Can you say anything about the specifics of your injury?

I ain’t going to talk about my injury. That’s just something we don’t do here.

Fair enough. What is the biggest difference in your running style now that you are healthy?

It’s going to be a big difference because I can come out here and use all of my talents. Last year, I was limited. This year I can come out and show the fans and my teammates that I really can play. I can live up to all the hype and not let my teammates down. Letting my teammates down is probably the worst thing you can do. My injury, it affected a lot of stuff. But I’m a competitor, whatever I go through I am still going to try as hard as I can.
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The Royal Sampler: Justin Tuggle or Jarell Childs at linebacker? Missouri State will use 2 QBs on Saturday and links

Aug. 29, 201211:15 a.m.


DAILY TAKE
Kansas State’s most intriguing position battle of the preseason will carry over into the regular season.

Justin Tuggle and Jarell Childs are both listed as possible starting linebackers on the Wildcats’ depth chart, and football coach Bill Snyder says both will play against Missouri State on Wednesday.

The tight competition isn’t a surprise.

Tuggle switched positions from quarterback, because he saw an opening for playing time. Childs is a former starter who once made 15 tackles in a game against Kansas, but he has struggled to find consistency. Both players are eager to win the starting spot.

One of them will eventually emerge as K-State’s third primary linebacker next to Arthur Brown and Tre Walker. It just may take a while for that to happen.

Right now, I’ve got to think Childs is slightly in the lead. He has more experience at the position, and is capable of making big tackles. But Tuggle is listed first on the depth chart (that could mean nothing or something with the letters OR next to his name) and is one of the best athletes on the team. In time, it’s not hard to see him start even if he doesn’t take the field first against Missouri State.
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Power forward Matt Atewe to visit K-State

Aug. 29, 20129:48 a.m.


Matt Atewe, a 6-foot-9 power forward from Canada with scholarship offers from eight Division I basketball programs, will take his first official visit at Kansas State.

Notre Dame Prep basketball coach Ryan Hurd said he will be in Manhattan to tour campus on Sept. 14 and take in the Wildcats’ football game against North Texas the following day.

Atewe plays for Hurd’s basketball team in Massachusetts, but is originally from Toronto. It will take a long plane ride to get him to K-State, but Hurd said he is looking forward to the trip.

K-State assistant coach Chester Frazier is handling Atewe’s recruitment, and he has a strong relationship with Hurd. He used to play for him at Notre Dame Prep before Bruce Weber recruited him at Illinois.

“Matt is smart enough to look for good people, because recruiting is about relationships,” Hurd said. “I coached Chester for a little while. He’s a great guy. I know he would look after Matt.”
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The Royal Sampler: K-State hopes for three more sold out football games, Missouri State isn’t very good and links

Aug. 28, 201211:05 a.m.

It’s time for another Royal Sampler.

PICTURE OF THE DAY

DAILY TAKE
It seems like all Kansas State does these days is announce sold out football games.

The Wildcats are up to four as of Tuesday morning with only three more to go. Games against Missouri State, North Texas, Oklahoma State and Kansas will all be played in front of capacity crowds at Bill Snyder Family Stadium.

Never before has K-State sold out so many games prior to the start of a season.

Coming off a 10-3 campaign, excitement has been high for the Wildcats since the Cotton Bowl ended. But K-State athletic officials deserve credit for selling so many seats.

They combined Snyder’s team with a creative Internet video series and sold discounted tickets in many different ways. With a reduced stadium capacity (some seats have been removed to make way for renovations) K-State could play all seven of its homes games in front of jam-packed crowds this season.

Scott Garrett, K-State assistant athletic director of Ticketing and Fan Strategies, says to expect more sellouts. In an e-mail, Garrett indicated K-State has 140 tickets remaining for the Texas game on Dec. 1 and 250 remaining for the Texas Tech game on Oct. 27.

“Those two will definitely sell-out,” Garrett said.

The only game that might not sellout is the Sept. 8 matchup against Miami. That might sound odd, because it is one of the best games on K-State’s schedule. But Tickets are being sold for $75, and it is a morning kickoff. Garrett said there are approximately 1,600 tickets remaining.

“We’ve been selling about 700 a week since the beginning of the month,” Garrett said. “So at that pace it will be very, very close.”

K-State has never sold out all of its football games before. That might happen this year. It all depends on how many fans purchase tickets for the Miami game over the next two weeks.
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Basketball recruits Jeff Carroll, Marcus Foster, Wesley Iwundu and Jordan Mathews ready to visit Kansas State

Aug. 27, 201211:48 p.m.

The start of football season brings with it the start of official recruiting visits in other sports. That means Kansas State basketball coaches are lining up as many visits as possible over the next few weeks.

After working the phones for a few hours Monday, I confirmed four official visits that are taking place in the next two weeks. Four-star guard Jordan Mathews and shooting guard Wesley Iwundu will be in Manhattan this weekend for the Wildcats’ season-opening football game against Missouri State. Three-star small forward Jeff Carroll and his Dallas Mustangs teammate Marcus Foster will visit Manhattan the following week.

Here is a look at all four players:

Jeff Carroll, 6-foot-6 small forward, Rowlett, Texas

Jeff Carroll has no idea what to expect during his official visit to Kansas State next weekend, and not just because the three-star prospect who plays AAU basketball for the Dallas Mustangs has never been to Manhattan.

“I’m just really excited to go on this visit,” Carroll said. “This is going to be the first college visit I have ever been on.”

He has received plenty of interest from college coaches, though. Carroll has scholarship offers from K-State, TCU and Oklahoma. He is also expecting an offer from Oklahoma State and is actively talking with Texas. Right now, he says he is considering all five, but …

“If I had to narrow it down to a top three,” Carroll said. “Kansas State, Oklahoma State and Texas would be my top three.”
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By Kellis Robinett | Filed under Basketball | Comments Off

The Royal Sampler: Depth chart predictions, Jacob Pullen’s buzzer beater and links

Aug. 27, 201212:18 p.m.

Before we get started with the debut offering of “The Royal Sampler,” allow me to explain what it is. The Internet is filled with cool stuff, and some of that cool stuff is dedicated to Kansas State athletics. It comes out every day and it is always new and different. Sometimes you find great stories to share. Other times you stumble across an entertaining video. After big games pictures are always worth an extra look. Sure, you can find all that on Google or on Twitter, but from now on you can also find it here.

“The Royal Sampler” will feature the best K-State offerings the Internet has to offer, sprinkled in with a few thoughts and predictions of my own. I can’t promise it will always be the same or even a daily feature. Hey, sometimes there isn’t much out there. It might be random and won’t always match, but I hope “The Royal Sampler” turns out the same way it did for Homer Simpson. When he played poker with the Stonecutters. Enjoy!

DAILY TAKE
Kansas State released its weekly game notes leading up to the season-opener with Missouri State in traditional fashion. On the page labeled depth chart, there are only three letters to be found: TBA.

Wildcats football coach Bill Snyder waits until his first weekly news conference to release his depth chart to the public. That comes Tuesday, so check back here for updates on who ended up where. In some years the first depth chart is a big deal. When Snyder first came out of retirement, everyone wanted to know who the starting quarterback was going to be. Last year, everyone wanted to know who won the starting running back job.

This year, there aren’t nearly as many compelling position battles. I guess that’s what happens when you return 17 starters, and most of them are skill players. Collin Klein will start at quarterback, John Hubert will start at running back, Chris Harper, Tyler Lockett and Tramaine Thompson will be the main guys at receiver. The only big questions remaining are on the offensive and defensive lines, and a few spots on defense. I suppose the backup quarterback battle could have been compelling, too. But now that Snyder has confirmed Tavarius Bender is gone, that job will belong to Daniel Sams.

Here’s how I predict a few of the positions will shake out:

Starting offensive line: Cornelius Lucas OR Tavon Rooks at left tackle, Nick Puetz at left guard, B.J. Finney at center, Keenan Taylor at right guard, Cody Whitehair OR Tavon Rooks at right tackle.

Starting defensive line: Meshak Williams and Adam Davis at defensive end, Vai Lutui and Hakeem Akinola OR John Sua at defensive tackle.

Starting safety: Jarard Milo will win the job opposite Ty Zimmerman

Starting linebacker: Justin Tuggle will start as the third linebacker next to Tre Walker and Arthur Brown.
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By Kellis Robinett | Filed under Football, The Royal Sampler | Comments Off

Bob Bowlsby confident in future of Big 12

Aug. 24, 20122:57 p.m.

Before Big 12 commissioner Bob Bowlsby spoke with reporters during his tour of Kansas State on Friday, Wildcats athletic director John Currie thanked him for all he has already done.

Though Bowlsby has been on the job a very short time, he represents a new beginning for the Big 12. That’s something that was badly needed following two years of conference realignment.

Nebraska, Colorado, Texas A&M and Missouri are gone. But West Virginia and TCU have arrived. For now, everything appears stable.

Currie has always believed in the Big 12, and uses an analogy about meat on a grill to describe why he thinks the conference is capable of big things: “We feel like we have got a lot of steak. We just haven’t been able to get the sizzle right at some times.”

Maybe former commissioner Dan Beebe deserved blame for that. Maybe he didn’t. But in Bowlsby, Currie sees a commissioner that “certainly brings both steak and sizzle to our league.”

“He has really done a tremendous job of stepping right in and providing some instant credibility to our league,” Currie said.

Bowlsby hopes he can continue helping the Big 12 as his career moves forward. He has plenty of ideas, and hopes to put them into action. On Friday, he talked about many of his plans and the status of the conference.
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By Kellis Robinett | Filed under Football | Comments Off

Wednesday K-State links

Aug. 22, 20129:40 a.m.

You’re awake. Now that you’re up, here are a few links to help you start your day:

– George Schroeder wrote a feature on Collin Klein for SI.com.

– Here’s my story from today’s paper about senior defensive back Nigel Malone. He is coming off a big year and has a reputation to uphold for the first time in his life. But he’s not letting that change his approach.

– Rather than move all his belongings with him to his new home in Phoenix, former K-State basketball star Michael Beasley had an estate sale at his former Minnesota home.

Joan Niesen, of Fox Sports, checked it out and came away wondering why Beasley owned so much strange stuff.

Why does Michael Beasley need a copy of the Physicians’ Desk Reference? Or a book of Ingmar Bergman screenplays? Or giant glass grapes? What use does Beasley have for a floral headboard? Why does he love tasseled pillows so much? Whose handbags are those?

– Around the Big 12, Steele Jantz is once again the starting quarterback at Iowa State. He started off hot last year, but served as the team’s backup as the season came to an end.

– Big 12 commissioner Bob Bowlsby stopped by Ames, Iowa yesterday and talked about the status of the league. According to this story he suggested the best way to ensure long-term stability for the league is to make it into a conference so strong no school will ever want to leave again.

By Kellis Robinett | Filed under Links | Comments Off