Friday Musings - Week 1

The fall sports season kicks off for me in earnest tonight with the return of high school football to the state. The crazy hours, the pandemonium spreading throughout the sports office and ingesting more statistical information in one night than anyone should ever be subject to; it’s all back.

Frankly, that’s just fine with me. Quite simply, it means football is back.

Last year K-State entered the season with more questions than answers. Mainly, who’s going to play quarterback? This year things appear to be a little less cloudy, but doesn’t one assume that someone else will make a run at the starting spot and possibly push Collin Klein to the wayside before season’s end?

The Brown Brothers’ return to their home state caused quite a stir on many levels. This year, Wildcat fans will finally get to see the brothers put on the purple and try and live up to the lofty expectations put before them.

Many pundits expect Bryce Brown to have an all-league worthy season. While the potential is there, I’m not sure if his mind is in the right place yet. For K-State to be successful this year, Bryce needs to have a solid season. Klein’s ability to pass the ball is still in question, so another dominant force in the backfield to compliment Klein is a must.

The addition of Arthur Brown to the defense couldn’t have come at a better time. Wait…actually, K-State really could have used him last year. The Wildcat defense can’t get any worse than it was a year ago. The unit had no presence along the line or at the linebacker spot, constantly putting the pressure on the safety’s to pick up the slack. Arthur brings his much-needed skill to the linebacker spot and will, in my opinion, have a bigger impact than his brother this year.

Perhaps the thing that stands out most is the number of Kansas athlete’s on the roster since Bill Snyder’s return. Several local kids were either scared off by Ron Prince’s tactics or just ignored by the coaching staff which did nothing to help the school’s in-state recruiting ties. Snyder has since mended those fences, finding a way to keep Kansas kids in their home state.

A lot of K-State’s success was built on the junior college players Snyder lured into the program. Equally as important though were the in-state athletes who molded the program into a perennial power for more than a decade.

Maybe it’s just the preseason kool-aid talking, but who’s to say Snyder can’t do it again.