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Sports, of course. But first, a digression.
I had the pleasure of watching Ben Folds perform with the Kansas City Symphony last night and was reminded that, while hard work and study can elevate people to great achievement, there is a plane of excellence in all endeavors that only a few are graced with the capacity to achieve. It’s the same feeling I had watching Joe Bonamassa perform as one with the acoustic guitar a few years back. The same feeling I had watching Darren Sproles read the field as if by pure instinct and make direction changes with suddenness and explosion that would have shredded the knees of mere mortals in his time at K-State.
Does anyone on the current K-State roster possess that kind of ability—that innate and special gift that emerges through diligence and devotion but seems to transcend mere excellence? We may need some of that to get the season on track.
Previously
Drew Schneider gave his thoughts on the Wildcats’ performance in Morgantown, and many of you chimed in with your thoughts on the direction of the season and the program.
Football
In the Big 12 Coaches Teleconference, Coach Snyder walked back his earlier comments about quarterback play in the West Virginia game, saying that video review revealed that both Skylar Thompson and Alex Delton played at about the same level. Perhaps because of that statement, NewsOK’s Berry Tramel questions whether the quarterback derby at K-State is on again.
Also on the teleconference, Snyder indicated that the team had practiced poorly on Tuesday and Wednesday, and that the poor performance in Saturday’s game was the result.
Let’s hope the practice and play issues get resolved, because Texas comes to town this week. The Longhorns have not won in Manhattan since 2002. “We own Texas” bravado alone won’t win the game this year. After embarrassing TCU in Austin last week, Texas is riding a wave of confidence and will be looking to show that their game travels, too.
The athletic department ran its weekly recap of K-State players in the NFL, this week highlighted by a 6-catch, 173-yard, one touchdown receiving performance by Jordy Nelson in the Raiders’ latest loss, and a 52-yard touchdown catch by Tyler Locket for the Seahawks.
Corbin McGuire penned a retrospective for Mark Simoneau as he prepares to be inducted into the K-State sports hall of fame. Highlights for Simoneau included the 1997 Fiesta Bowl win over Donovan McNabb’s Syracuse squad and the 40-30 victory over Nebraska that ended a 29-year run of futility in front of a national television audience.
The league has announced that K-State’s October 6 game against Baylor will kick off at 2:30 and air on Fox Sports 1.
Coach Snyder’s weekly press conference begins at 12:30 today and can be watched here.
Volleyball
The K-State volleyball squad (10-3, 0-2 Big 12) hits the road tomorrow for a 5:00 match against West Virginia (7-7, 0-2). The Wildcats have suffered consecutive losses for the first time this season and look to right the ship against an opponent they should be able to match.
Women’s Basketball
The athletic department’s social media arm has been teasing a “big announcement” in women’s basketball today. Women’s basketball and “big announcement” are not normally terms that walk arm-in-arm, so it will be interesting to see what all the hype is about, and whether the reveal justifies the buildup. Is one of the legends (Ohlde, Wecker?) joining the staff?