Slate: Autumnal Doldrums and Weekly Awards

It’s a second straight day of nothin’ much happening. But we can still talk about last week. And the mess visited on Tennessee by our former AD. Tee-hee.

Previously

The Big 12 again honored Skylar Thompson as the conference’s Newcomer of the Week, after his tough-as-nails game-winning drive against Iowa State. AMS brought you the details, noting that K-State won more weekly conference honors this season than any other school, except Oklahoma.

Football

Skylar Thompson has already made memories for K-State fans. A third-string quarterback no more, he has emerged as the future of K-State football. (AP, via FoxSports) Ken Corbitt also covered the Skylar’s conference honor. (Capital-Journal)

After a slow start, K-State got it together for two big wins, and now rides into bowl season with “all the momentum in the world.” (Kellis Robinett, Wichita Eagle) With the late surge, the Wildcats’ bowl stock is ticking upward. (Robinett, KC Star) Alas, after the ‘Cats won against Oklahoma State and Iowa State, we may always wonder what might have been, if only they had put the pieces together sooner. (Ryan Black, the Mercury)

K-State safety Denzel Goolsby leads Big 12 safeties in solo tackles, with 61. He has applied all that he has learned in his transition from running back, to receiver, to defensive back to gain a “big picture” view of the game. (Corbin McGuire, kstatesports.com) Maybe the most remarkable fact about his performance as a first-year starter: He had never played any defensive position before in his life.

Volleyball

Although the Volleycats ended what was, on the whole, a disappointing season, the Big 12 conference recognized two players as bright spots. The team’s lone senior, Brynna Vogel, garnered second-team honors, despite missing the last few games with a knee injury. Meanwhile, Peyton Williams, who is a sophomore on the basketball team but a redshirt freshman in volleyball, earned a spot on the all-freshman roster.

Miscellany

With so little actual sport to divert themselves at the beginning of this week, people far and wide have been making sport of the Tennessee Coaching search, headed by former K-State AD John Currie. Pete Grathoff waded into the fray yesterday, describing the situation as a “hot mess.” Apparently, Peyton Manning was part of Currie’s “small search team.” Wonder when he will issue a disavowal of this disaster.

Who did Grathoff go to for quotes? Why, our very own Benevolent Despot, Jon Morse. Guy is getting big-timey.

Men’s basketball plays Oral Roberts tomorrow night. Until then, we’ll have to find alternative entertainment. That’s okay. We’re good at that.