Big 12 Report: Kansas State’s discipline paying dividends

There was a stark contrast in matters of on-field discipline on display on Saturday night in Manhattan during No. 17 Kansas State’s 45-13 win over Texas Tech.

On one side, there were the Red Raiders, racking up penalty after penalty to the tune of nine flags for 89 yards.

The Wildcats got nailed once, for 15 yards.

“Well I don’t have the total answer, the complate answer, but work a great deal on that, work very diligently,” K-State coach Bill Snyder said. “It’s that old adage of trying to avoid those mistakes that get you beat.”

Snyder credited the people who throw those flags with helping getting his team ready for the season — and not getting flagged in key situations.

The Wildcats are averaging 34.2 yards in penalties, while K-State opponents have almost double that at 61.2 yards.

“In practice in the spring and in the early season, we have officials with us virtually every day, every practice,” Snyder said. “And they spend a great deal of time working with us on what we’re almost doing or what we should not be doing. There’s also a lot of discipline involved with (not getting penalties), so maybe it’s a combination, I’m not altogether certain.”

Showdown in Waco

TCU coach Gary Patterson knows he won’t be the most welcome opposing coach when his undefeated Horned Frogs travel to Baylor on Saturday for a showdown of Top 10 teams.

“I’m not the most popular guy in Waco, obviously,” Patterson said. “And that’s OK.”

Patterson stirred up some bad blood between the teams’ after TCU lost to Baylor 41-38 last season, ripping Baylor coach Art Briles and safety Ahmad Dixon for what he thought was a cheap shot on TCU quarterback Trevone Boykin, who was playing receiver that game.

“If (Briles) has a problem with me, he can come to where I live,” Patterson said after the game. “I have respect for him and I have respect for his program, but I’m not going to teach my guys that and (Dixon) has been doing that for four years ... that’s not class.”

Patterson blamed some of what he said on frustration with his worst season as a coach — TCU went 4-8 and 2-7 in Big 12 play.

“As a person I like Coach Briles,” Patterson said. “I talked about what I saw in the ballgame, I was obviously frustrated by the season and everything else that was going on.”

Briles gave a clipped response when asked about Patterson’s comments on Monday.

“You’d have to ask him how he meant what was said,” Briles said. “I can’t speak for him.”

Building back up

Texas coach Charlie Strong has been known more for player dismissals than wins halfway through his first season, and acknowledged those departures have hurt the Longhorns on the field. Strong has dismissed nine players from the team.

“We can’t make excuses regarding who isn’t here,” Strong said. “We’re not as deep as we could be, obviously, but we’ve got to move forward.”

Texas’ latest setback came in the form of a 28-7 loss to Baylor on Saturday that dropped the Longhorns to 2-3. At least one other Big 12 coach could commiserate with Strong’s situation.

Oklahoma State Mike Gundy went through a similar experience when he took over in January 2005.

“There happened to be a number of players that didn’t fall in line with what we wanted and they weren’t with us when the started,” Gundy said. “And no question it set us back. It’s hard to overcome when you lose players that can be in your two-deep on game day.”

Power rankings

1. TCU (4-0, 1-0 Big 12): Horned Frogs shocked Oklahoma.

2. Baylor (5-0, 2-0): Waco will be rocking when TCU comes to town.

3. Oklahoma (4-1, 1-1): Sooners have to shake off first loss in hurry with Texas waitin.

4. Kansas State (4-1, 2-0): Wildcats playing great headed into week off.

5. Oklahoma State (4-1, 2-0): Cowboys will cruise to 3-0 in Big 12 with game at Kansas.

6. West Virginia (3-2, 2-0): Tough non-conference schedule could play dividends for Mountaineers.

7. Texas (2-2, 1-1): Win over Oklahoma would turns things around for Longhorns and Charlie Strong.

8. Iowa State (1-4, 0-3): Game against Toledo is no guarantee for Cyclones.

9. Texas Tech (2-3, 0-2): Things could get much worse for Red Raiders.

10. Kansas (2-3, 0-2): Can the Jayhawks muster another win this season?

This story was originally published October 6, 2014 at 4:35 PM with the headline "Big 12 Report: Kansas State’s discipline paying dividends."