The Slate returns today to take a look at what is being said about K-State football and what the other fall sports teams are accomplishing in Manhattan.
Ouch: In his weekly local sports column, the TCJ's Tim Bisel examines (among other things) Ron Prince's decision to kick the extra point, rather than going for two, with the score 14-12 in the third quarter against Colorado. I have to admit that, when Josh Freeman ran into the end zone, my thought was that the extra-point was the correct call, but the more I thought about it, the more I realized that was a bad decision. There was nothing to lose at that point. So what if we miss the extra point? We still could have won the game with a field goal in a game that clearly wasn't going to turn into a shootout. Let me give credit to Panjandrum -- who texted me immediately after that asking "Why kick?" and mystman995, who immediately decided that going for two was a wiser course of action. Y'all would be better football coaches than I.
Bisel also picks up on what has been a weekly feature here, namely the "Jocques Crawford - for - 2,000 - yards" watch. As Tim correctly notes, Crawford now stands a mere 1,876 yards short of his goal, but he has plenty of time to get there with five regular-season games remaining on the schedule.
The Bengals of the Big 12: Over at K-Stated, Jeffrey Martin compares us to the Cincinnati Bengals. OK, that's not quite accurate, he actually uses the Bengals' struggles to illustrate the mentality of this team and coaching staff right now, but he pretty much compares us to the Bengals. And it's not an undeserved comparison.
Volleyball: The K-State volleyball team is having an oustanding season, with an overall record of 20-3, and a Big 12 conference mark of 7-2. Those marks are good for a No. 13 national ranking (AVCA poll) and sole possession of third place in the Big 12, behind the only two conference teams to which coach Suzie Fritz's team has lost this season, Nebraska and Texas. The Cats have home matches remaining with Texas A&M, KU, Oklahoma, Texas and Iowa State this season, so get over to Ahearn Fieldhouse and see one of the top volleyball teams in the country in action.
Incidentally, we need an official BOTC nickname for the volleyball team. Burnt Orange Nation refers to the Texas volleyball team as the "Gregory Gazelles" because they play in Gregory Gymnasium and because, well, I'm guessing you can figure out the rest. Use the comments below to brainstorm a nice shorthand for the volleyball team.
Men's Golf: It's shaping up to be a special season for Tim Norris' men's golf team in 2008-09. Through three tournaments this fall, the Cats have yet to finish outside the top five, and won their home invite at Colbert Hills Golf Course. They also nearly won the Cardinal Intercollegiate in Louisville, Ky., by firing a final-round 281, which is 17 shots under par. For those of you who don't know anything about team golf, that's really, really good. Individually, Mitch Gregson took home medallist honors at the Colbert Intercollegiate with an impressive even-par total for three rounds.
The Links Cats are in action today and tomorrow in San Jose, Calif., at the Santa Clara Invitational.