Improvement remains elusive for Wildcats
A win over Kansas did not quiet the rumblings regarding the effectiveness of veteran coach Bill Snyder.
Yes, the Wildcats claimed their 10th consecutive victory in the series, a streak that dates to the season (2009) Snyder came out of retirement for his second stint as coach. The victory also provided no conclusive evidence the Wildcats are not backtracking.
Their special teams, once a certifiable strength of the program, were again miserable. Kick returns were mishandled, a hold could not be executed on a field goal attempt and a kickoff into a stiff south wind was never fielded and prevented the Wildcats from engaging in an offensive possession.
At the end, the Jayhawks’ incompetence allowed Kansas State (4-6, 2-5 Big 12) to close out a 21-17 win and improve to keep its dim bowl hopes alive. Kansas committed two penalties to wipe out long gains on its final possession, but still drove to the Kansas State 32 before quarterback Peyton Bender inexplicably lost the ball while winding up to pass. Kansas State defensive end Bronson Massie recovered the ball to seal the win.
Yet Kansas, playing for a coach (David Beaty) who was told earlier in the week would not be retained because of his shortcomings, almost snapped a 43-game road losing streak in Big 12 play. The outcome was the second closest of any during that skid, which dates to the 2008 season.
“Probably improvement is in conflict with consistency right now,” Snyder said. “We’re not consistently getting better or we’re inconsistent about which segment is getting better.”
The inconsistencies contributed to an appreciable differentiation in talent in losses to Mississippi State, West Virginia and Oklahoma. Inconsistencies also contributed to key letdowns at specific moments in narrow defeats against Baylor, Texas and TCU.
A frank of evaluation of any improvement the program is gaining, however, is a key issue for Kansas State moving forward, and could factor into whether Saturday’s game against Texas Tech (5-5, 3-4) is the last Bill Snyder coaches in a stadium named after him.
The Wildcats actually went scoreless in the first half against the Jayhawks but trailed just 3-0. If any unit could be held mostly responsible for the win it would be the Kansas State defense, though it was on the field 33-plus minutes, a statistic the Wildcats typically dominate when they are at their best in Snyder’s system.
Whatever the issues, no Kansas State players were allowed to speak to the media at the weekly press conference the program conducts. This included seniors preparing for their final home games as Wildcats.
Another interesting move by Snyder, who did not specifically address injuries, as his longtime policy, but said the list requires two pages.
Among those injured is cornerback Duke Shelley, perhaps the Wildcats’ top defender and a lockdown cover man who could help immensely against Texas Tech. The Red Raiders rank second in the Big 12 in both total offense (529.4) and scoring (41.8).
