Slate: K-State Preps for TCU While Others Contemplate the Future of the Program

Previously

TB got up early to pen a commentary he never thought he would write, outlining the reasons Bill Snyder should step aside, with full respect and gratitude of all Kansas State fans.

Football

The football team appeared to have righted the ship in the second half of the Oklahoma State game, only to have Oklahoma broadside and sink the ship in Norman on Saturday. TB is not the only one contemplating a future without Snyder at the helm. Richard Johnson at the SB Nation mothership (with links to articles by several BotC writers) also suggests time may be up for the legendary coach. With the hum of dissatisfied speculation looming about the program, Snyder says he is thinking about preparations for TCU, not preparations to retire.

After losing to KU Saturday, TCU has its own problems. Gary Patterson even suggested the Horned Frogs might finish 3-9. Not only did they lose in Lawrence; they did it in embarrassing fashion. TCU was down three and inside the KU 10-yard line with about a minute to play when they lost the ball on the dreaded butt-fumble. KU took an intentional safety, making the score 27-26, and after defending a free kick, the Jayhawks had their first Big 12 win since their improbable upset of Texas in November 2016. That win led to an extension and a raise for Coach Beaty. This win alone will not save the KU coach’s job, but you might speculate on what would happen if KU picks up a couple more victories, including one in the 11 a.m. kickoff of the Sunflower Showdown against K-State in Manhattan November 10.

Even in the thrashing OU dealt to the ‘Cats, a small ray of consolation came in the return of Blake Lynch to place-kicking duties. We hope he gets a chance to kick more than a couple of extra points in the TCU game, previewed here by the athletic department.

In news we’d rather not have to report, K-State linebacker Da’Quan Patton was arrested Sunday for failure to appear on a warrant for an unpaid speeding ticket.

K-State alums had a relatively quiet week in the NFL. Tyler Lockett’s touchdown catch and celebration (embedded in the article) are worth a watch, though.

Women’s Basketball

Jeff Mittie’s squad will open exhibition play Thursday evening against the Fort Hays State Tigers. Though these tune-ups are not supposed to cause much drama, the Fort Hays women, led by former K-Stater and Wamego graduate Lanie Page’s 21 points, pushed KU to overtime before falling, 90-83, Sunday in Lawrence.

Today’s K-State Sports Extra features sophomore wing Rachel Ranke, who was a 3-point specialist last year, but is looking to become a threat at all three levels this season.

Women’s Golf

Sophomore Ella Adams is 2-over par after two rounds at the Trinity Forest Invitational in Dallas, good for a 5th place tie. The team is in 8th place in the 12-team field, four strokes back of KU, in 7th.

Samantha Scott

Some additional information has been released about the death of K-State rower Samantha Scott. According to KSNT, she died of a rare condition known as Lemierre’s Syndrome, a bacterial infection in the throat that can travel to the bloodstream. The K-State athletic department has offered support to Samantha’s teammates and friends.