K-State football tends to recover from slow starts. Can these Wildcats do the same?
The Kansas State football team is off to a 2-2 start, and it’s going to be hard for the Wildcats to live up to preseason expectations from here.
With only Big 12 games remaining on the schedule, K-State might have to get used to life as an underdog.
Advanced statistical data from SB Nation college football writer Bill Connelly projects K-State as a favorite in just one of its eight remaining games — against Kansas at home — and as a double-digit underdog in every other matchup. Connelly’s numbers suggest the Wildcats have better odds to lose out and finish 2-10 (16 percent) than they do to win four more games and become bowl eligible at 6-6 (3 percent).
Talk about a grim outlook.
It’s not all doom and gloom in Manhattan, though. This is familiar territory for Bill Snyder and his players, who have made a tradition out of slow starts in recent seasons. As frustrating as their first four games may have been, the Wildcats can take solace in knowing that they have been here before and rallied.
Look back at the K-State teams from 2013, 2016 and 2017. Each of them dipped below .500 when the calendar turned to October, yet went on to win bowl games. In 2013, Jake Waters and Tyler Lockett led the way to an 8-5 finish after a 2-4 start. Three years later, Jesse Ertz took the Wildcats from a 2-2 start to 9-4. Last year, K-State won five of its final six games and finished 8-5.
How can this team follow that same path?
“We do a lot of the same stuff,” running back Alex Barnes said. “There is a lot of resilience in this team that we had back then. It’s just about us being able to control what we can control and to just come back each and every day and do our best in practice and games. We’ve got to do a little bit more, and we are realizing that.”
K-State’s home game Saturday against Texas may tell us a lot. The Wildcats have only looked good in one game this season (a 41-17 home victory over Texas-San Antonio) and appeared completely over matched in their two losses (a 31-10 home loss to Mississippi State and a 35-6 road loss at West Virginia).
Beating the No. 18 Longhorns, or maybe even losing close, would signal progress.
“If were able to come back and get a victory this week in Manhattan against a ranked opponent, that would be huge for our guys going forward, confidence and everything,” Barnes said. “We’re going to do everything we can to play our best football and get that the ultimate goal we’re looking for.”
If another mid-season turnaround is in the cards, it probably needs to happen soon. Four of K-State’s final seven games are on the road, and most other Big 12 teams are currently playing above expectations.
Top priority for the Wildcats will is to get going on offense. They have only scored one touchdown against power-conference teams this season and struggled to cross midfield last week against the Mountaineers.
A quarterback switch to Alex Delton could help. But there are other players, including drop-prone receivers and a shaky offensive line that is playing well below its capabilities.
K-State coach Bill Snyder has seen some encouraging signs on that front.
“One of the highlights of our practice (Monday) was the offensive line,” Snyder said. “There was some spirit with them and communication that I have not seen during the course of the season so far.”
Center Adam Holtorf insists K-State’s front five is close to a breakthrough.
“It’s a consistency thing,” Holtorf said. “We each sometimes take our turn having a bad play here or there, and eventually those bad plays add up. I think that’s what’s been holding us back lately.”
Now is the time to fix those issues.
A history of strong finishes doesn’t guarantee another one is coming this season.
“Each year when we hit that low point it is kind of low,” running back Alex Barnes said. “Right now, we are obviously at a low point with our struggles and stuff like that. It does feel similar in that regard. But it’s about how we respond. I can’t really compare the few years I have been here and playing, because of that. They are different players and different guys are in different leadership roles. We will see.”