This team isn’t it

Who seeks, and will not take, when once t’is offer’d, shall find it no more.

Kansas State squandered several opportunities to finally win a Big 12 game and lost to Baylor 37-34 on a last-minute field goal. The team falls to 2-4, is still at the very bottom of the conference standings, and a bowl game—once almost a certainty—now seems like a distant possibility.

If you’re looking for a silver lining, look no further than Alex Barnes. He ran roughshod over Baylor, amassing 250 yards on just 22 carries and found the end zone three times. He did more than enough, but had the grace to suggest his individual performance meant little in the face of a loss.

The rest though? This team is not it. This team is not enough. Skylar Thompson, playing the entire game for a change, had his own 52-yard scamper to paydirt. But in view of his two interceptions and his missing a wide-open receiver for an almost-certain touchdown, it was not enough. Kansas State’s usually solid special teams were not enough, what with Nick McLellan missing a field goal and having a PAT blocked. The defense, which gave up almost 500 yards total and racked up unnecessary penalties and an ejection for Reggie Walker, was definitely not enough.

For those of you who have been watching Kansas State for a long time, the inability to finish games strong, the teasing fourth quarter rallies that ultimately end in disappointment, these things will be all too familiar. It’s 1989 all over again.

The rest of Kansas State sports—volleyball, soccer—have also been disappointments. Much like the football team, the VolleyCats and the SoccerCats have won exactly zero Big 12 matches in 2018.

Save us, basketball. You’re our only hope.