Previously
All quiet again after Jon Morse’s Slate yesterday. Man, this Tuesday gig is a cinch! Well, until we have Big Monday games in hoops. Not many of those, as I recall.
On to Tuesday’s ‘Cats fare.
Football
In the weekly Big 12 media teleconference, Baylor coach Matt Rhule praised K-State at great length, saying, “My kind of football team. If I could think of exactly what I would want a football team to look like, it would be them.” He went on to characterize the Wildcats as “Tough, hard-nosed, physical, disciplined.” Coaches frequently spout accolades about Coach Snyder’s teams, but Rhule seemed especially effusive. Coach Snyder, for his part, appreciated the clear improvement Baylor has made week by week, culminating in a more-competitive-than-expected effort in a 49-41 loss against No. 2 Oklahoma. (Kellis Robinett, KC Star) One thing is certain: This looks like a much different test than it appeared it would be after Baylor lost to Liberty and UTSA.
Rhule also drew a parallel between Snyder and Coach Paterno, which he meant in a good way; but it still makes me squeamish. (Ken Corbitt, CJOnline) It comes as no surprise that after being teased with a potential ABC date in the 2:30 time slot, the Wildcats’ game against Baylor will instead air on ESPN2.
In his recap of the weekend in Big 12 football, Kevin Haskin (CJOnline) notes that the league’s usual upheaval came early this year, in the form of TCU’s road upset of Oklahoma State.
The Texas game on October 7 will kick off at 6 p.m. and air on FS1. (kstatesports.com)
If you are the rarest of all BOTC visitors who reads the Slate, but not the comments, you may not know that Darren Sproles left Sunday’s Philadelphia Eagles game against the New York Giants with both a broken arm and a torn ACL. (Pete Grathoff, Wichita Eagle) Sproles, one of the smallest running backs ever to play in the league, missed all of his second season in 2006 with a broken leg, but has otherwise been remarkably durable. He has appeared in 171 games and is 8th all-time on the all-purpose yards list with 19,155 yards, a mere 25 shy of Steve Smith, who sits in 7th. Anyone who has watched Darren play live can attest that fans hold their breath whenever he touches the ball, then giggle like children when he makes physics defying cuts and changes of direction that leave defenders grasping empty airspace. Here’s hoping the injuries don’t spell the end to his stellar career.
Tennis
After advancing to the second qualifying round of the International Tennis Federation (ITF) professional tournament Sunday in Stillwater, K-State freshman Rosanna Maffei lost a three-set match to Texas Tech’s Felicity Maltby Monday morning. (kstatesports.com) Fellow freshman Margot Decker will represent K-State in the ITA Women’s All-American Championship at the Riviera Tennis Club in Pacific Pallisades, California beginning Friday. The entire squad plays at a three-day event at Wake Forest beginning October 6.
Golf
Ben Fernandez and Jeremy Gandon are both in the top-15 at the Trinity Forest Invitational. Fernandez jumped 32 spots on the leaderboard after carding a 2-under par 69, to bring him to even par overall after two rounds. Gandon is also at even par after carding a 1-over 72 Monday. The team improved by six strokes overall, but is still mired in 12th place, ahead of only Pepperdine, entering Tuesday’s final round. (kstatesports.com)
Women’s Basketball
K-State announced single game ticket promotions for the 50th season of women’s basketball at K-State. Who else here is shocked to be nearly as old as women’s basketball?