Kansas State opens the season tonight against UMass
at Bill Snyder Family Stadium (Michael Krueger)
It’s the opening weekend of the college football season and it couldn’t have come soon enough for Kansas State fans. After a rough spring and summer that included secret deals and audits in the athletics department, the Wildcat faithful have been looking for something to take their mind off a string of bad news.
Today’s ballgame should do just that.
A sell-out crowd of 50,000 purple clad Wildcat fans are expected to spill into Bill Snyder Family Stadium for a family reunion you actually want to go to. The hype surrounding the return of football season is always high, but the excitement level is off the charts in Manhattan coming into tonight’s game.
The reason for this renewed since of excitement? Bill Snyder. The man who turned around the worst program in college football and then made them a perennial national power is back at the helm trying to right the ship that Ron Prince ran ashore during his three year stint.
So before you roll back into Manhattan to fire up the grills and partake in K-State’s great tailgating experience, here’s the breakdown of today’s match-up between Kansas State and UMass out of the Colonial Athletic Association.
Offense:
• Carson Coffman rode the coattails of Josh Freeman the past two years and will now get his shot to lead the Wildcats. Backing up Coffman in the backfield is newcomer Daniel Thomas, who should rack up some big numbers today. To open up the passing game, the Cats need only to look to Brandon Banks, who will keep the Minutemen secondary busy in this one.
• Like the Wildcats, UMass was charged with choosing between two quarterbacks with little to no experience in a starting role. Kyle Havens, a transfer from Diablo Valley College will get the start over resident back-up Scott Woodward. Tony Nelson paved the way in the backfield last year after rushing 1,356 yards and 12 touchdowns, and is looking for bigger numbers this year. Strengthening the offense is the return of the Minutemen’s five leading receivers. An experienced receiving core will have a struggling Wildcats defense on their heels.
Who's got the edge? K-State’s receiving core of Banks, Attrail Snipes, Tramaine Thompson, Lamark Brown and Jeron Mastrud will allow the Wildcats to spread the field. On the ground, look for Thomas to put up some big numbers.
Defense:
• K-State will roll out a battered and bruised defensive line and unit that was ranked 117th in the nation last season. The defense is obviously the biggest question mark going into the season, and tonight’s game will give the Wildcats a small indicator on what progress has been made in the offseason. K-State’s secondary will match-up against an experienced receiving core, but should be able to handle the load with veterans Joshua Moore, Tysyn Hartman, and Courtney Herndon providing coverage.
• Experience won’t be an issue along the front lines and in the secondary for the Minutemen. The front four for UMass offers starting experience across the board and will challenge an offensive line for K-State that includes just one senior. In the secondary, the Minutemen bring back three starters who saw action in all 12 games last season. The linebacking unit is the biggest area of concern for UMass. The top three linebackers returning did not start a game last year and recorded just 72 tackles.
Who's got the edge? UMass is the more experienced squad, and no team that finishes 117th in the country as a unit can expect to have the upper hand coming into a new season. K-State should be better this season, but they still have a lot of holes to fill and a even more to prove.
Special Teams
• The Wildcats have excelled in special teams for a long time, including this past season where K-State led the nation in blocked kicks. On the returning end will be senior Brandon Banks who averaged 28.0 yards per kickoff return, including a 98-yard return for a touchdown against Nebraska last year. The Cats are working in a pair of players in seldom used kicker Josh Cherry (two kickoffs last year) and freshman punter Josh Doerr.
• UMass returns senior kicker Armando Cuko who was 6-8 last year on field goals. Cuko was 4-4 on kicks under 40 yards, and 50 percent beyond that (2-4) with a long of 44-yards. Like the Wildcats, the Minutemen will use a freshman punter.
Who’s got the edge? K-State’s reputation in this department is too good to give the advantage to the visiting Minutemen. The Cats have had great success against non-conference foes in this department, so expect something big from the special teams unit in the opener.
Coaching
• Bill Snyder is back for his 18th season as the head man after a three year break. Snyder has surrounded himself with an ultra-experienced coaching staff which should be able to put together a solid game plan to pick up a win tonight. Don’t look for anything too fancy, and it’s safe to say the trick plays that Wildcat fans enjoyed under Prince likely won’t see the light of day in this one, or maybe ever.
• Kevin Morris will lead UMass onto the field for the first time as a head coach this season. Morris spent the past five years serving as the Minutemen’s offensive coordinator. During his time in Amherst, the Minutemen have experienced their winningest period in school history posting a 49-13 overall record. During that span, UMass has won 30 of 40 conference games and two conference championships.
Who’s got the edge? K-State takes this one easy. No offense to Morris or what UMass has done in the past five years, but anytime your taking over the head coaching role for the first time, you’re going to be at a competitive disadvantage…especially when you are going up against Bill Snyder.
Prediction
• Bill Snyder is making his return to the sideline and the emotions swirling around this ballgame will be too much for UMass to handle. Over 300 former players will be in attendance, along with a sell-out crowd of 50,000. The Wildcats, however banged up or inexperienced, are the better team and should walk out with the win. If K-State gets the offense rolling early, the Wildcats should win comfortably. Just don’t expect the blowouts that were the norm during the late 90’s.
Kansas State 31, UMass 17
Comments