We're starting to settle into a routine here at BOTC, as Tuesday brings a lot of newspaper feature stories once the beat writers get back into the groove on Monday. Also, a big thanks to everyone who has been stopping by, traffic and commentary is way up on the site. Keep it up!
First off, big congratulations to wide receiver Jordy Nelson and Ian Campbell for being named the Big 12 offensive and defensive players of the week, respectively. It's high time someone other than this Wildcat homer recognized the efforts of these two players.
In other news from the Big 12 office, the Wildcats' home tilt with Colorado on October 13th will be an ESPN2 national telecast kicking off at 8:15 p.m. I am actually going to that game, and it will mark the latest kickoff I have seen at Bill's House. Perfect culmination to a long day of tailgating.
The KC Star's Blair Kerkhoff reiterates Ron Prince's season-long party line about playing on the road to develop toughness. I like how Prince has emphasized road play because he's right, you have to win on the road to win championships. The team's play on the road has been impressive so far this year, dominating Auburn for most of the game in front of 88,000 hostile fans and putting a convincing beatdown on Texas in front of 86,000 fans.
Kerkhoff's article also contains his weekly ranking of the Big 12. Oklahoma remains at the top despite last week's loss to Colorado, while the Cats move up to No. 2.
In other newspaper-columnist-ranking news, the Omaha World-Herald's Lee Barfknecht no longer has us at No. 4...in the North. We have leapfrogged over Mizzou for the top spot, pending this week's action.
While I'm talking about Nebraska in general, please keep your thoughts and prayers with Nebraska's Maurice Purify, whose girlfriend was killed in a car wreck in California. It has not been a good year for Purify, whose brother was shot and killed in California in late August.
The Topeka Capitol-Journal notes that the "Ron Prince Stomp" is generating quite a few hits on YouTube. For those who didn't see it, the video is below.
Gotta love that fire!
Also from that same article in the TCJ, we get some comments from Justin McKinney that were a waste of the oxygen used to make them.
"I feel like we're tougher than those guys," McKinney said of Kansas. "We're faster than them. We're smarter than them. In my head, I don't see how you can compare us to them."
Let's see it on the field. I don't give a damn what you say on a Monday afternoon to the local media, I care what you do on Saturday in front of the crowd. Last week, McKinney had a very good game, his first this year. If he continues that this week, then by all means, talk away.
The last noteworthy bit from the TCJ article notes that there is no update on Marcus Watts' status for Saturday. Judging by what I saw at Royal-Texas Memorial Stadium last weekend, he could have played if the coaches had wanted him to. I fully expect to see him on the field terrorizing KU this weekend.
There seems to be a bit of a disconnect between the Wichita Eagle's and the TCJ's interpretation of K-State comments Monday. The Eagle has K-State "embracing" its new top-25 ranking, whereas the TCJ calls the Cats "oblivious" to the ranking.
Which one is it, fellas?
That does it for the mainstream media's coverage of the Cats. For more information on this week's opponent stop by Rock Chalk Talk. Today, RCT assesses KU's chances of going to a BCS bowl this year. I'll take issue with his assertion that K-State in Manhattan is a "should-win", but then I'm a Wildcat fan so that only makes sense.