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.
I asked Snyder and a few players at yesterday about Tuggle and Childs. Here is what they had to say:
Snyder: “Jarell just has more experience in the system at the position, which is obvious, than Justin does. Justin has not seen a ballgame environment yet, but he has picked things up reasonably well. Both of them are reasonably physical players for the position that they play. Both of them bring good size and the ability to run to the ball.”
Brown: “You can’t lose with either one. They both bring great elements to our defense … Jarell, he’s definitely explosive and quick. He has a knack for getting to the ball. Same with Tuggle. He is explosive as well. Coming from the offensive side of the ball, he has a good understanding of what is going on.”
Everyone seems confident in both Tuggle and Childs. So players may not pay much attention to how they play on Saturday. But I sure will. I think Tuggle, given his athleticism and all the knowledge he gained from his father (who was a NFL linebacker), will ultimately be the starter. But we won’t know for sure until the season starts. This is definitely a position worth keeping an eye on.
LINKS
– Missouri State will play two quarterbacks against K-State.
“Sophomore letterman Kierra Harris and junior Ashton Glaser, a Missouri transfer, are battling it out to fill a vacancy that came open last spring when the talented Trevor Wooden was kicked off the team. Harris is listed atop the depth chart, but both are expected to play in Saturday’s opener at No. 22 Kansas State.
It all revolves around the quarterback position. There’s little doubt about that,” said coach Terry Allen. “They’ll both play in the first two games.”
– Here is a link to my story from today’s paper on Randall Evans. The sophomore cornerback is listed as a backup, but he says he will follow in David Garrett’s footsteps and play several different roles in K-State’s nickel defense. He has high goals for himself, and his friends with Michael Beasley. If nothing else, he should be fun to watch.
– Kansas State will host a 6-foot-9 power forward from Canada in two weeks. It will be his first official visit.
– Missouri State football coach Terry Allen’s contract is up in 2014. Question is, can he win enough games this season to earn an extension?
– Texas hopes the Longhorn Network will be available on major cable and satellite providers soon, you know so people can actually watch, but it sounds like nothing more than hope at this point.
– Texas A&M was supposed to play Louisiana Tech tomorrow. Now, they will play in October because of Hurricane interference. That’s got to be annoying for fans on both teams.
– The first Bottom 10 rankings are out. ESPN always has fun with these.
– Does sophomore running back DeMarcus Robinson need to be more selfish?
VIDEO OF THE DAY
It’s an oldy, but with the football season about to start why not share a movie clip that mentions Kansas State and “Coach Snyder” as Adam Sandler and Chris Rock are trying to start a season of their own?