Twenty-three years ago, Sports Illustrated deemed Kansas State the worst college football program in the country; “Futility U” according to at least one writer.* Bill Snyder had yet to coach a game in purple, the Powercat was nonexistent, and the only question surrounding K-State football was whether the team would win a game.
*I highly recommend taking the time to read the story found at that link. Now, hurry. I’ll wait here.
Today, the Wildcats are ranked No. 1 in the BCS; the best team in the nation according to a computer-brewed stew of human opinions and digital equations. Bill Snyder is cementing his status as a coaching legend, you can’t walk eight feet in Manhattan without seeing a Powercat, and the question surrounding the program is whether the team can run the table. Adding a flourish to this 180-degree spin is this – quarterback Collin Klein on the cover of Sports Illustrated, capped off with the heading that refers to the Cats as “the nation’s best team.” Not a bad turnaround.
With the nostalgic whirl in mind, this week we take a brief look back at Saturday’s 23-10 victory over TCU (and more) with a little help from a 23-year-old Sports Illustrated story.
Privately Snyder says, “These kids expect so little of themselves now. They came here hoping for so much, and they have gotten so little. That’s bad, because if you don’t succeed at what you think is important, then it becomes less important.”
Welcome to Bizarro World. Snyder has turned Manhattan into a place where players come hoping for much, but leave with even more. Collin Klein arrived as lightly recruited quarterback. On Saturday he scored two touchdowns, pushing his career total to 52, good for fourth-place all-time in the Big 12. Safety Ty Zimmerman, had he not grayshirted at K-State, was looking at scholarship offers from Northern Iowa and Northern Illinois. Before leaving with an injury, the Junction City-native compiled four tackles and grabbed an interception, helping limit TCU to their lowest scoring output of the season. Zimmerman is tied for the conference lead in interceptions and – even if he doesn’t play another snap – is in line to earn All-Big 12 honors in the defensive backfield.
“The thing about tradition at Kansas State is, there is none.” – Vince Gibson
The funny thing about tradition is that, now matter how hard you try, you can’t manufacture it. It just happens. During Ron Prince’s run, he touted the pregame Wildcat Walk. He hawked Power Towels in one of the worst videos to ever grace the Internet. He pushed a “We are… K-State” chant that was such a blatant ripoff of other schools around the country that the phrase “intellectual property” fell over in agony. He did all of this in attempt to put his footprint on the K-State football program.
It didn’t work.
It didn’t work because K-State already had naturally formed tradition in place, nurtured by the success of Snyder’s first run. The hypnotic waves cascading during the Wabash Cannonball didn’t form because Bill Snyder asked students to start the motion. Nor did Snyder teach his defensive players the proper way to display the “Lynch Mob” hand signal.* These formed from success; from wins on Saturdays; from packed stadiums.
*That is an awesome visual, however.
Today, tradition continues. K-State has seen its best days with a dual-threat quarterback at the helm. Enter: Klein’s battered-and-bruised run at the Heisman. Snyder’s squads have always emphasized the importance of special teams. See: The quick-twitch kick return talents of Tramaine Thompson (the Big 12’s No. 1 punt returner) and Tyler Lockett (who leads the conference with two kickoffs brought back for scores). The Wildcats’ best teams have used that Mob mentality on defense to leave opposing offenses tempted to run the wrong direction. Against TCU, K-State allowed just 2.9 yards per rushing attempt and tallied six sacks. Meshak Williams leads the Big 12 in sacks, while his bookend on the defensive line has force more fumbles than any player in the conference.
Tradition? That’s no longer an issue.
Still, Snyder travels around the state saying, “If you fill the stadium, these kids will play so hard it will make you cry.”
Yes, some things remain as they were 23 years ago. While Kansas State may not field the most talent, few will ever argue that the opposition put forth more effort. One week after leaving a game with an apparent head injury, Klein was back under center, rushing 15 times against one of the strongest defensive fronts the Wildcats have seen. His numbers were far from staggering, but he performed well enough to ensure the team had a four-score edge heading into the fourth quarter. Defensively, the passion was evident on every hit, but was perhaps best exemplified on a play where Williams (who finished with seven total tackles, including three for loss) forced his way through the offensive line and – unsure whether the quarterback or running back would be toting it on the play – took down two players simultaneously.
Last year, average attendance at 42,000-seat KSU Stadium was a horrendous 18,200 (next-worst in the Big Eight: Kansas, at 31,950). Season-ticket sales were 7,200.
Estimated number of Wildcat fans who attended Saturday’s game at Amon G. Carter Stadium in Ft. Worth: 10,000.
Read those 1988 numbers again… And now the number from Saturday. Enough said.
Glen Stone, a former K-State publicist who’s now at TCU, says of the Wildcats’ plight, “I don’t think there is a solution. But just because there are no answers is no reason to quit trying.”
I know nothing of Glen Stone, but his last sentence sounds like something straight out of the Book of Snyder. When Nebraska and Colorado bailed on the Big 12 and the powers that be determined that the conference would move forward with ten teams, popular opinion deemed that future conference championships would be up for grabs… between Oklahoma and Texas. With a round-robin format and no conference championship game, how was a program like K-State – picked to finish sixth in the conference prior to this season – supposed to have a chance to compete with the big guns for conference glory?
One answer. Keep trying.
Says former linebacker Will Cokeley, who played for State from 1980 to ’82, “The problem is, every time we think we are good, we remember we are Kansas State.”
Today, the Wildcats know they are good. They’re No. 1. They featured in national publications, shown across national networks, and dissected by national sports pundits. By some accounts, they’re the best. With a victory over Baylor on Saturday, K-State would earn its second-ever Big 12 championship.
To this generation, however, it’s not enough. Sunday evening, wide receiver Chris Harper tweeted “#1 only matters at the end of the season.” Arthur Brown followed with “preparation today leads to success tomorrow.” And Klein, the magazine coverboy and current Mr. All-Everything? He addressed appearing on SI in the same way someone might talk about getting a coupon for a half-price taco. “It is pretty cool. You always see that kind of stuff growing up. At the same time, I am just trying to take care of mine and our business here. Just trying to take one more step.”
Why? Why the rigidity? Why not take a chance to breathe; to enjoy the largely unexpected success that has come their way?
They remember. They are Kansas State.
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