Big 12 Schedule: Looking at Kansas State

Bill Snyder didn’t lose his touch in the return tour with Kansas State last season. Nearly nabbing a BCS bid, the Wildcats shocked everyone with a 10-3 record and kept up with teams like Oklahoma State and Texas A&M offensively while not having the weapons. Quarterback Colin Klein returns for his senior season, the only question is what else does Kansas State bring to the table?

What happened last season? The team came a long way from a 10-7 opening victory against Eastern Kentucky. They railed off six straight victories (including Miami (FL) and Baylor) before getting smacked by Oklahoma 58-17.

Offensively, the team’s best showing was the next two games in a 52-45 loss to Oklahoma State and a 53-50 win over Texas A&M in four overtimes. After narrow victories over Texas and Iowa State (30-23), the team finished with a 29-16 loss to Arkansas in the Cotton Bowl.

What’s most shocking about the 10-3 campaign was how it happened. This team was ranked second-to-last in total offense in the Big 12; dead last in passing. Klein did make as much as he could happen with his arm, but it was both him and running back John Hubert leading the offense with over 2,000 rushing yards combined with 30 touchdowns (Klein had 27).

Expectations for this season? Two things helped the poor offense last season – a strong offensive line that gave Klein time to develop and the balanced defense that didn’t have any major problems. If Kansas State is able to have the same production from both squads, the offense will be better. Both of the best contributors on the offense besides Klein – Hubert and wide receiver Chris Harper – will be returning.

A lot of things also went well for the team last season. Their turnover margin was at +12, had the least amount of penalties in the Big 12 while their opponents combined as the most of any other team in the conference, and were the best at time of possession in the Big 12 averaging over 33 minutes a game. It’s likely that a few more breaks will have to go their way for this team to excel as much as they did a year ago.