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Before getting into this morning's Cat news, a moment to acknowledge a fallen foe. Will Smith, former New Orleans Saints defensive end and star member of the Ohio State Buckeyes team which beat K-State in the Fiesta Bowl following the 2003 season, was senselessly murdered Saturday night in New Orleans. Smith was rear-ended in the Lower Garden District of the Crescent City. A subsequent altercation with the other driver, identified as Cardell Hayes, resulted in Hayes firing shots into Smith's vehicle. Smith died on the scene, and his wife Racquel suffered a wound to the leg.
Utterly senseless, and by most accounts a tragic loss. Smith was beloved not only in Columbus and New Orleans, but also in San Antonio, where he quickly made his mark in the community during the Saints' brief stay there after Hurricane Katrina. Our thoughts and prayers go out to the Smith family and the Buckeye and Saints communities.
The skid is over, as reported by Ken Corbitt. K-State (14-19, 1-9) finally won a Big 12 game, knocking off the Texas Longhorns (14-18, 5-4) yesterday in a tight 3-2 decision. The BatCats get a few days off before heading to Morgantown for a three-game weekend set starting Friday.
Cody Whitehair is all over the place this morning, apparently. Lyle Graversen at Arrowhead Addict (Fansided's Chiefs site) asks if he's worth a first-round pick. Nick Fierro of the Morning Call (Allentown/Bethlehem) is mock-drafting from an Eagles perspective; he has Whitehair tabbed as the 18th pick overall, going to Indianapolis. And our colleagues over at the Daily Norseman, SB Nation's Vikings site, have been running a crowdsourced Big Board; their readers have pegged Whitehair as the 27th best player in the draft.
After falling at Iowa State on Friday, the Wildcats invaded Morgantown and finally came away with a Big 12 win. K-State (9-10, 1-5) took a 4-2 win over West Virginia (6-10, 0-5), preventing the Mountaineers from earning their first-ever Big 12 match win. Next up: Saturday at home to face the Jayhawks.