Valentine thankful for second chance under Snyder

Last season, senior running back and former walk-on Keithen Valentine started the first few games but was later dropped on the depth chart and did not see many carries. This season, he was back as the starter in the spring until junior running back Daniel Thomas came in, forcing him into the backup role once again.

“I’m just thankful,” Valentine said. “I thank God that I have a shot to be out there playing. I thank God that they trust me to be out there and help the team. First string, second string, they give me a chance to play and I just take in every moment.”

Last weekend in the loss against Oklahoma, Valentine scored two touchdowns.

“When we started off it was a little scary, but we went in at halftime and Coach said, ‘Don’t give up. We need a spark. We need people to come out and play. Let’s start off with a touchdown and get another one.’”

Valentine said he wanted to score more and more for the team. He said it was a great atmosphere, and it was fun, but they did not get the win, so it was, as always, bittersweet, when one scores two touchdowns but does not get a victory.

“I was upset after,” Valentine said. “But we’ve just got to build on everything we do and learn from our mistakes.”

Valentine said coming into college he did not understand the benefits of home-field advantage, but he certainly does now, as the Wildcats are 4-0 at Snyder Family Stadium.

“We credit that to our fans,” Valentine said. “I think our fans really get us over that hump, and I’m thankful that we have the next two out of three at home. That’s going to be really helpful.”

Junior offensive lineman Wade Weibert said Valentine is a fun guy to have on the team. He said the team calls him ‘Big Back,’ just to give him a hard time for being so small.

“Keithen has this joke that he always tries to use really big words,” Weibert said. “It’s pretty funny because he just makes jokes at all the right times and knows how to lighten the mood.”

Weibert said Valentine is the perfect complementary back. He said Valentine comes in, knows how to pick up the needed yards and reads blocks well.

Senior offensive lineman Nick Stringer said off the field, Valentine is a very motivational guy with a lot of great spirit, which he brings to the practice field that helps the team.

Valentine, who hails from Baton Rouge, La., began playing football at the age of 9 because he saw his older stepbrother playing several sports and thought he could do that too. In high school he participated in track, basketball and other “regular sports,” he said.

“When one sport’s over, the next one comes up,” he said.

Valentine said out of high school he did not qualify on time, so he ended up attending a junior college: Mississippi Delta. He sat out a semester because of Hurricane Katrina before going there.

“I did okay, but I hurt myself every other game,” Valentine said of that first season, which included problems with his hamstring.

His second season, Valentine earned MVP honors in the Mississippi Association of Community and Junior Colleges All-Star game. After that, he began looking for new opportunities, which included K-State.

“It was only D-2 schools that were offering me stuff, “Valentine said. “I felt like I was a D-1 player, so I talked to them about walking on and if I could earn a scholarship.”

To avoid injuries, such as the one that plagued his first year playing, Valentine said extra stretching, listening to the coaches and doctors, being careful and working hard in preparation before the season have made the difference.

In Louisiana, Valentine first heard about Coach Bill Snyder and the Wildcats when they started winning, he said. He heard about Darren Sproles, who was a smaller back getting a shot at a big level, and when he did his research, he learned about the turnaround.

“It was just impressive what they did, being underdogs, coming from the bottom,” Valentine said. “That’s like my motto: coming from the bottom and getting to the top.”

Valentine said it is an honor to play under Snyder because he is a legend. Valentine said Snyder does not holler or scream; he whispers and gets his point across.

“I haven’t been under too many coaches,” Valentine said. “But I think he’s the best coach in the world. I thank God I play for K-State and am playing for him.”

Valentine said Snyder doesn’t really talk about football. He said you hear a lot of players say that, but he really focuses on the person.

“Never quitting on life because if you quit now, with books and school and not doing the right thing, that carries over to after football,” Valentine said. “So he focuses on making sure you go to class, do your work, not being a failure and not giving up.”

Valentine said the running backs, as a whole, have a good relationship.

“Everybody’s trying to fight for the position, but we help each other,” he said. “We have fun. A lot of people say that they feel like brothers, but we really feel like brothers, and it’s been good playing with them.”

Valentine said withstanding the trials he has gone through has helped me become the person he is. He said he has learned through the ups and downs just to be patient and wait his turn, to be ready when opportunity comes.