K-State Basketball
Fred Hoiberg has loaded up on transfers and is starting to see the results. Iowa State is 5-3 in conference play and fourth in the Big 12 standings nearly halfway through the season.
After its second-straight loss to Oklahoma, K-State fell out of the AP Poll.
K-State Football
National Signing Day is tomorrow, and among K-State's signees will be Lincoln, Neb. (Southwest) quarterback Tavarius Bender. Bender chose K-State over Nebraska, who wanted him to play defense.
With National Signing Day looming, this is your yearly reminder that while signing a highly ranked recruiting class is no guarantee of success, your odds of winning improve as you move up the rankings.
Big 12 Basketball
Missouri held on for a 67-66 win over Texas in Austin last night. The Tigers led by as much as 13, but Texas took a lead with less than one minute left before Michael Dixon hit the game-winning shot with about 27 seconds to play.
0 recs | 38 comments
I may be over optimistic
but I am freaking excited that Bender is already on campus and working. He already has his sights set on QB1, and while there is nearly no way that will happen this year, its good to see he has drive. Quality competition like that (in Snyder’s system) only make everyone better. Plus, he gives the team a (fairly) smart and athletic QB to run the scout team for a year, which should help the D out.
Plus, looking through many of the additions, especially the greyshirts, I am becoming more convinced that there will be less letdown than we initially thought. The O should be vastly improved with the addition of competition, depth, and playmakers; and the D should at worst hold-serve. While I know nothing will be too flashy tomorrow, I am excited to see the official list of new guys so I can get fully over-excited for the Spring Game! :-)
jtarkman - January 31, 2012
The future is very bright at QB with Sams and Bender.
Competition will only make them better and love how each is a good enough athlete to be useful at other positions until their turn to start comes.
yeahboozin - January 31, 2012
It's just nice to read about football with our basketball team floundering
It’s a long time till September but it should be a fun ride.
mjk7166 - January 31, 2012
I'm not sure floundering is the word
Sure the OU losses were bad, but isn’t the kinda team we expected this year?
MeatGeek - January 31, 2012
Pissing away big leads against Baylor, UT, OSU, and ISU? No, not what I expected.
Sean T - February 1, 2012
This UT team has to be killing their 6 basketball fans
They play so hard and so well to consistently fall just barely short. Ow.
I’m excited about Bender, and I love this quote “"Game day down here is amazing," Bender said. "I like how the fans are actually really supportive. They’re not in it for, ‘You suck, you do this wrong, you do that wrong.’ "” – ha ha ha ha! I hope Bender red-shirts, and Sams will be the top back-up to Optimus Klein. I wouldn’t mind a steady vet (Tuggle?) as a 3rd option to keep Bender on the side-lines as long as possible.
Welcome to K-State Bender!
Sean T - January 31, 2012
Tuggle switched to defense.
Catbacker98 - January 31, 2012
Source?
k-stater86 - January 31, 2012
Nevermind...
Got it here.
That is a good move in my opinion. It’s a lot to learn in one year, but if he can pick it up that would add some good depth and athleticism to our D.
k-stater86 - January 31, 2012
His dad should be able to provide some assistance.
Catbacker98 - January 31, 2012
Like I said, as a 3rd option.
I don’t know of any other QBs on the team besides Optimus, Sams, Bender, and Tuggle.
Sean T - January 31, 2012
Sam Johnson
who holds the Topeka city passing record
jtarkman - January 31, 2012
#TeamSamJohnson
MeatGeek - January 31, 2012
I watched the end of that Texas MU game
Texas completely blew it. They looked like they had absolutely no plan for the last shot. Rick Barnes is another Mack Brown, given all the talent in the world to be mediocre and occasionally have success despite their head coach.
IndianaCatFan - January 31, 2012
While I agree with your post,
I will defend Barnes this year simply because he lost 2 lottery pick players he did not expect to…that is one young team – one Senior, right?
mac attack ict - January 31, 2012
Two, Chapman (the big white kid) and Wangmene (whose first name is Alexis...)
but your point still holds. Barnes lost three players to the NBA, and that’s tough, plus having only 11 on the roster, with 6 (!over half!) freshman. They should be a force next year, but this year they are just too young and inconsistent (remind you of anyone?)
jtarkman - January 31, 2012
Some credit should be given
to Haith’s call to go to a zone out of the TO. It completely threw Texas for a loop and denied Brown the ball.
MU'97 - January 31, 2012
It was a good call by Haith...
…but Barnes was an idiot not to call a timeout and prepare his team for a zone look, too.
TB - February 1, 2012
He claims he did.
He claims that he called one play for man and one play for zone in the huddle. But from what I’ve been hearing on DFW sports radio, not many people believe him.
Collin's Bloody Elbow - February 2, 2012
News on the DC on hold until after signing day?
rjd27 - January 31, 2012
Looks that way
jtarkman - January 31, 2012
A nice little write-up about perhaps the most expectation-laden recruit in this class, Clark the JUCO WR
http://cfn.scout.com/2/1153908.html.
Too bad the Cats have missed on the stud at Hutch JUCO, but he’s heading to SEX conference country.
Sean T - January 31, 2012
Sounds like Tramaine Thompson
only with better hands…
Should be a stud receiving corps, especially if little Lockett gets back safely. Lots of good size (Harper, Brod, Tannahill/McDonald) and speed (Thompson, Lockett, Clark)
jtarkman - January 31, 2012
Think Snyder should employ more 2-TE sets like the NE Patriots?
Involve Tannahill and McDonald more.
rjd27 - January 31, 2012
Yes
plus it helps set up the running game. Those guys can block and catch, so if they are both out you can run more play-action and Klien would have more protection when he runs after the passing lanes break down
jtarkman - January 31, 2012
It's in the playbook. Iowa ran 2 TE all the time in the 80's.
Catbacker98 - January 31, 2012
I would like to see more wildcat formation and jumpasses next year
Sams could be a decent WF QB and it sounds like clark could be good in short range
EMAW 4 Ever (iphone) - January 31, 2012 via iPhone app
I would like to see some trick plays
with both Klein and Sams on the field.
jtarkman - January 31, 2012
I would like to see a line that could dictate whatever we wanted to do on offense.
Looking back the other night on the KSU site at the golden years with Bishop and Ell our line just dictated the game offensively.
Catbacker98 - January 31, 2012
And it looks like I might have been wrong -
Rooks may be the most expectation-laden recruit as he’s coming into a position without nearly as many established players as Clark – http://rivals.yahoo.com/ncaa/football/news?slug=mh-huguenin_recruiting_early_enrollees_012912
Sean T - January 31, 2012
A little more evidence Prince didn't know what he was doing, or perhaps no one did -
http://rivals.yahoo.com/ncaa/football/news?slug=mh-huguenin_how_top_teams_fared_recruiting_012912 – I had no idea Prince’s classes were so highly rated.
Sean T - January 31, 2012
07 had three 4-star recruits
with two from JUCO- Lamark Brown (who Snyder ran off), Gary Chandler (who Snyder recruited out of HS and would have probably loved to have), and Chris Patterson (how did he turn out??)
08 was more of the same, 4 4-star recruits all from JUCO-Daniel Calvin (who was OK), Ulla Pomele (who was OK), and Aubrey Quarles (who was OK) who didn’t do much until Snyder came back. the fourth was Daniel Thomas, and thank God that Prince couldn’t screw him up as he didn’t actually arrive on campus until Snyder got back.
jtarkman - January 31, 2012
It contiunes to depress me
with how many JUCO kids were in that class… best player to (actually) come out of that class=Collin Klein, followed closely by Braden Wilson. There were 33 reported in that class, 6 didnt make it to campus in any form, 2 didnt show up until the next year, and only 8 were still on the team last year. The RS Sr class for next year (5th years guys from that group): Klien, Wilson, Boyd, Slaughter, Childs. Thats 5…normal 5th-yr classes in Snyder’s system are closer to the 10-15 range. And of those 5, only 2 are starters or even contribute significantly. I dont have the stat sheet up for Childs or Slaughter, but they didn’t play much last year
jtarkman - January 31, 2012
Everyone knew that was a sign of desperation.
What no one knew is that Snyder and his staff would be able to get even average teams from such a hail-mary group. But for that baffling loss to LaLa in 2009 (or the silliness of two 1AA speedbumps), Snyder would have taken that team to a bowl game. I was disappointed in Pomele and Calvin.
Anyway, looking at the numbers, that class was #27 just because of the huge number of people. Thanks, I’ll take my 60+ class ratings and 8+ win seasons every time.
Sean T - January 31, 2012
Agreed
jtarkman - January 31, 2012
Remember this kids.
Texas signs the best recruiting classes
K-State signs less heralded recruiting classes.
K-State beats Texas.
I think Snyder identifies players who can become excellent players regardless of the perceptions. And they improve a little bit each day, which results in effort and often times positive results.
Anon_the_younger - January 31, 2012
Improve a little each day...
where have I heard that before? ;)
Jeremy Sharp - January 31, 2012
Probably while you were paddling...
Catbacker98 - February 1, 2012
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