If Iowa State vs. Kansas State was Farmageddon, what does that make Texas A&M vs. Kansas State? The Aggie Bowl?
Whatever people call it, it is an important game for both sides. Kansas State is looking to go back above .500 and take a run at a 3-1 conference start. Texas A&M is seeking its first Big 12 win and trying to inch closer to bowl eligibility.
The Vegas oddsmakers have the Aggies as a five-point favorite, and the game should be a close one.
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When a win comes as easily as Kansas State’s 49-7 rampage over Tennessee Tech did on Saturday at Snyder Family Stadium, there are inevitably two ways to look at it.
You can walk away heavily impressed by the Wildcats’ big victory. Or you can walk away laughing at the poor play of the Golden Eagles.
But seeing as how Kansas State scored more points than it had all season in this game — and it did so with top playmakers Daniel Thomas, Brandon Banks and Carson Coffman watching from the bench for the final 25 minutes of the second half — the Wildcats did more than enough to deserve praise.
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PASADENA, Calif. — For the first time this season, the Kansas State Wildcats are underdogs.
Going up against UCLA (a 2-0 team that just won at Tennessee) in the Rose Bowl (one of the most picturesque and famous stadiums in America) the Vegas odds makers are predicting K-State to lose by about two touchdowns.
I doubt that matters to anyone on the Wildcats’ roster. They were favorites last week at Louisiana-Lafayette and that didn’t work out so well for them. Their goal this week is to simply put that out of their minds, ignore a large baby-blue clad crowd and try to stay focused all the way through the game, which doesn’t start until 9:15 tonight.
That means they will likely be taking snaps after midnight, and that will be a new experience.
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This is an important game for Carson Coffman.
Kansas State needs better production out of the quarterback position, and the junior quarterback knows it. Completing barely half of his passes won’t be good enough against a tough opponent like UCLA. He knows that, too.
But even though Coffman will be under more pressure than he has been so far this season, and the opposing defense will be much improved from Louisiana-Lafayette, he is trying to take a more mellow approach to his game.
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Sammuel Lamur continues to be a hot topic of conversation at Kansas State.
A week ago, coach Bill Snyder said he was planning on keeping the junior college transfer quarterback on the scout team this year with a redshirt. But that answer meant little when everyone saw Carson Coffman and Grant Gregory struggle to complete easy passes in a 17-15 loss at Louisiana-Lafayette.
People are beginning to wonder if there are more options out there, and Snyder was once again asked about Lamur this week. The question was simple: If Coffman and Gregory continue to sputter, could Lamur ditch his redshirt and play later this season?
On Monday, Snyder said no. But on Tuesday, he said it was at least a remote possibility.
“You never say never,” Snyder said.
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LAFAYETTE, La. — I respect the heck out of the little guy. I respect the heck out of the Sun Belt conference. I even respect the heck out of the teeny-tiny crowd of about 16,000 people who braved the moderately wet weather at Cajun Field on Saturday to watch Louisiana-Lafayette beat Kansas State 17-15.
But despite all that, this was a loss the Wildcats could ill afford.
With a surging UCLA team up next, it’s looking like Kansas State will only come out of the nonconference portion of its schedule with a 2-2 record. And only one of those wins will count toward bowl eligibility because Massachusetts and Tennessee Tech belong to the Football Championship Subdivision.
Not that a whole lot of Wildcats fans were thinking about the postseason after this loss, but reaching a bowl game now looks like quite the chore.
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LAFAYETTE, La. — It’s only the second week of the season, and the opponent is a Sun Belt squad that goes by the nickname Ragin’ Cajuns.
This isn’t your typical time or place for a gut-check game.
This is supposed to be an opportunity for Kansas State fans to watch their beloved Wildcats easily take out a lesser known team and sample some fantastic seafood along the way.
I guess they can still eat whatever they want, but the game will be anything but a holiday stroll. This is no automatic win for K-State. True, it comes in as a touchdown favorite, but many out there are picking Louisiana-Lafayette. In the Star’s weekly college football picks section, ULL was the majority selection.
Using BCS bowl selection criteria, the Ragin’ Cajuns would already be decreed winners.
Not a good sign considering K-State’s bowl hopes may rest on this game.
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Excitement is high and tickets are scarce.
That’s why Snyder Family Stadium will look something like this picture (except only more packed) when the Kansas State football team takes on Massachusetts at 6:10 p.m. Saturday.
Not only will a near-capacity crowd of close to 50,000 fans be on hand to welcome the Wildcats to the field, but more than 300 former players will be there as part of a family reunion celebration cheering them on as well.
K-State athletic officials are saying it will be the largest crowd to ever witness a Wildcats home opener, and by far the largest former player reunion in the program’s history. Throw in the return of beloved coach Bill Snyder and a postgame fireworks celebration, and it adds up to one gigantic purple party.
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I’m not going to pretend that I know everything there is to know about Kansas State’s football team after watching Saturday’s laid back Fan Appreciation Day practice. We talkin’ bout practice, after all.
But I did walk away with a few observations.
So let’s just jump into them. In no particular order …
– Brandon Banks is one of the best short wide receivers I’ve ever seen. Heck, he’s one of the best receivers I’ve ever seen. During an hour of boring practice time, he wowed spectators on several occasions. In passing drills he caught two surefire touchdown passes and he also took a kickoff return to the house. Not that it needs to be said (he’s been good for a long time now) but Banks is going to be fun to watch this year.
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