So… Saturday was not fun.
One could compare it to a roller coaster that was fun throughout the first half; you hit some twists and turns, and you go up and down big hills.
Then, suddenly, about halfway through, your harness comes undone and now you’re clinging for your life, praying not to be thrown from the metal behemoth.
Right when you think you’ve made it safely back to the docking station without falling out, Trevone Boykin throws a 55-yard touchdown pass to Josh Doctson, and you fall, lying spread eagle next to a lost flip-flop and five-day-old vomit.
To paraphrase Alec Baldwin in “Glengarry Glen Ross,” “Coffee is for closers and wins are for closers,” and right now, after falling to two currently top-20 teams (one of which was on the road) by a combined nine points, the Wildcats are 0-2 in Big 12 play and have a caffeine deficiency.
Even with how the events of Saturday shook out, however, there are plenty of silver linings that weary K-State fans can ponder as they await another matchup with a top-20 team.
First of all, the injuries this K-State team has endured are nothing short of a biblical plague.
Except, while swarming locusts or frogs might actually help K-State close out a conference game, a never-ending list of injuries will not.
Last weekend, with the exception of sophomore safety Kaleb Prewett, the Wildcats were working with almost an entirely new secondary team from what they started with in August.
Needless to say, it was easy pickings for two Heisman candidates to exploit.
The secondary is still not where it needs to be, and schools like Oklahoma, Texas Tech and Baylor will abuse them more than Boykin and company did.
The point is that while the maturation of a young cornerback or safety is rough to watch, it will be worth it in the end.
If the progression of Dante Barnett has shown us anything, it’s that Duke Shelley, Sean Newlan and Prewett’s maturation processes might be painful at times, but the results will be overwhelmingly positive.
Switching to the offensive end, quarterback Joe Hubener is improving game by game, and while Bill Snyder has once again tailored his offense to Hubener, in that first half they were rolling.
The wide receivers are getting more confident, running backs are starting to help carry the load, and the offensive line (now that senior Boston Stiverson is back) is getting a great push up front, giving Hubener room and time to operate.
Eventually this team will fully turn the corner. Before the injuries even happened, the start of the Big 12 schedule was still incredibly daunting.
Don’t be surprised if K-State falls to 3-3 after befalling an angry Oklahoma team, but at the same time, don’t be surprised if they pull off the win.
This team has arrived and come hell or high water, or Baylor, they might be here to stay. They just have to find a way to stay in their roller coaster.
