Kansas State defense wary of preseason expectations

Dante Barnett says he doesn’t care about preseason rankings or awards, even when they are kind to him and his team.

Barnett, a senior defensive back at Kansas State, proved that much Tuesday at Big 12 media days when asked about the Wildcats placing four defensive players on the preseason all-conference team. K-State hasn’t gotten that kind of respect since it last won a Big 12 championship in 2012.

Voters are high on senior defensive end Jordan Willis, junior linebacker Elijah Lee, junior defensive tackle Will Geary and Barnett – the four all-league selections – and K-State’s defense as a whole, which returns nine starters. Yet, Barnett could take or leave the good publicity.

“At the end of the day, it is still just a preseason list,” Barnett said. “It doesn’t mean anything unless you go out during the season and play well so you can earn the postseason awards. You know, the ones that matter for real.”

Willis, who led the team with 9.5 sacks last season, echoed that sentiment.

Could K-State be one of the best defenses in the Big 12 this season? Sure, but he understands nothing is guaranteed.

“With the season we had last year, we can’t even really focus on that,” Willis said. “Even though it is a great honor there is just so much we have to do between now and the first game to be where we want to be as a team. It would be disrespectful of us with all that happened last year to focus on that. We can embrace it somewhat, but we don’t have time to sit back and say, ‘Yeah, it’s a big accomplishment that we put guys on the preseason team.’ There is just so much we have to do.”

One thing is certain: the Wildcats need to improve on defense to reach their preseason hype.

Though K-State will have one of the most experienced defenses in college football this season with starters returning at nearly every position, those experienced players were part of a mediocre defense a year ago. The Wildcats are coming off a season in which they allowed 31.5 points and 452.2 yards per game. They surrendered 50-plus points in three losses and struggled mightily against the pass, allowing 285.5 yards.

The unit started strong with a shutout against South Dakota and kept it going in a 30-3 victory at Texas-San Antonio, but opponents got the better of it as the season went on. With injuries mounting, including the loss of Barnett, opponents shredded K-State for 406 points in its final 11 games.

“We have nine starters back on defense, and that’s nine starters from a defense that wasn’t as productive as we wanted it to be,” K-State coach Bill Snyder said. “We have got to improve. Nine returning starters or not, we need to get better. That means those nine returning guys need to get better.”

Snyder expects improvement to take place. He liked what he saw from K-State’s defense during spring practices, and he thinks players have worked hard in the summer to get even better.

The return of Barnett to the secondary will help. Duke Shelley made big strides at cornerback as a freshman. And Charmeachealle Moore came on strong at linebacker near the end of his junior year. There is no doubting the team’s defensive potential.

Still, Snyder realizes the team must battle complacency. That’s why he urges his returning contributors to strive for more.

So far, that message has been received.

“We realize the expectation of our defense,” Willis said. “Last year, when we played bad on defense it was always, ‘We don’t have Dante and other guys are injured.’ Now the guys that were young are mature and older, and Dante is back. What excuse will we use if the defense goes out and blows it? There is no excuse. That stuff is long gone.

“We have to come ready the first day, ready to go and be consistent the whole way through. As far as being the best defense ever, we need to hold off on that for a while.”

Barnett will be happy to address the topic again in December.

“Respect is great,” Barnett said. “People thinking you can do something it is good. But it doesn’t mean anything unless you go out there and prove yourself. That’s what we need to do.”

This story was originally published July 19, 2016 at 7:16 PM with the headline "Kansas State defense wary of preseason expectations."