The Wildcats take on the Bearcats on Senior Night in Manhattan
Last time out certainly did not go as planned for Kansas State. An abdominally slow start turned what should have been a good game into a bit of a laugher, even if the Wildcats managed to make it close late.
The Wildcats currently have issues on offense with playcalling, effort, and decision making – especially from sophomore QB Avery Johnson. On defense, the Cats haven’t been able to get as much pressure as they did early in the season, and the secondary has been beaten much more consistently in the past three games than in the first seven. And special teams has been just awful, through no fault of the guys actually kicking the balls (when they actually get to kick the ball).
But there’s still time to get things turned around. We’ve seen this team make adjustments this year, and we’ve seen these coaches make late-season adjustments before. We know they’re capable, the question is now can they make the adjustments necessary to get back to winning and get the Wildcats to a good bowl game. K-State is already bowl eligible, but a losing streak headed into the postseason is no way to end things, and certainly won’t set up the Cats well for a good postseason destination.
So while, barring a bunch of help, the Cats are effectively eliminated from the Big 12 title game discussion, there’s still plenty to play for. Plus, it’s Senior Night in Manhattan. Eight of these guys are super-seniors, playing a 5th season with their extra eligibility from the Covid season of 2020. There’s 22 in total that will be honored tonight.
That list of seniors includes a bevy of long-term players and starters like Austin Moore, Brendan Mott, Carver Willis, Cody Stufflebean, Hadley Panzer, and Keenan Garber, as well as transfers Easton Kilty and Marques Sigle. It also includes 6th-year senior Taylor Poitier, a member of Klieman’s first recruiting class at K-State, who stuck with the Cats after a series of injuries delayed his progression. These guys have faced adversity before and responded. These guys have won a Big 12 Championship and played in the Sugar Bowl. These men are Wildcats, forever. Thank you, Seniors.
Now it’s time for the whole squad to go out and be Wildcats; time to go out and win one for the old guys.
But really, just win. Please.
We’ve got an 7:00pm CT kickoff for tonight’s game from Bill Snyder Family Stadium, and you can catch the action on ESPN2 (or online via WatchESPN.com) with Brian Custer (Play-by-Play), Rod Gilmore (Analyst), and Lauren Sisler (Sidelines) on the call.
If you don’t have ESPN or can’t access the stream, the game can be heard across the 28-station K-State Sports Network with Wyatt Thompson (play-by-play), former K-State quarterback Stan Weber (analyst), and Matt Walters (sidelines) calling the action. The game will also be on SiriusXM Satellite Radio Ch. 160 or 198, and available online at K-Statesports.com. Live stats are also available at k-statesports.com, and social media updates (@KStateFB) will also be a part of the coverage.
Go Cats!