On Saturday, as I sat in my usual seat in the second level of the press box at Bill Snyder Family Stadium, I saw a school, a team, a coach and a fan base collectively get punched in the mouth during K-State’s 100th Homecoming.
While thinking of ideas for this column, it could be easy to conform to today’s “Sports Hot Take” culture and push the narrative that “Bill Snyder is losing his touch,” or, “Is this team going to make a bowl game?” or, my personal favorite of the things I’ve been hearing and seeing K-State fans say, “Oh man, we’re going to lose to KU.”
Instead, I’m going to take another route. I’m going to tell you why I still believe this team can get it together and still have what some would consider a successful season.
K-State’s start in the Big 12 was expected.
I mean, on the road at Oklahoma State, at home against a second-ranked TCU and then Oklahoma, who’s now won six straight games in Manhattan since 1996?
The first three games were signs of a doomed mission to begin with, but still (aside from Saturday’s biblical butt kicking) K-State is just a few plays away from being 5-1 and most likely on the fringe of being a ranked team.
Keep in mind, the Wildcats are doing all of this while looking like a complete M.A.S.H. unit in purple uniforms.
The starting quarterback that you thought would be there at the start of the season gets hurt on the first play, and your arguably best defender has one of the most mysterious and strangest shoulder injuries in recent memory.
This has also sped up the debuts of many young players and guys we figured that we might not see until next season.
Head coach Bill Snyder apologized to the students for Saturday’s affair, which is very commendable on his part, but how can you thank him and this team for their efforts in this very strange and trying season?
By taking your butt to Bill Snyder Family Stadium and supporting a team that’s worth supporting.
After Saturday, the line in the sand for this season has been drawn; either you are all in or you can get out now, your choice.
So what’s it going to be? K-State sits at .500 and on the road in a possible must-win game against the Texas Longhorns. A win here gets you a step closer to being eligible for a bowl; a loss and you are under .500 with Baylor coming in.
Either you can sit and judge this team for what they aren’t while you sit in the ICAT or GA, or you can get your butt in front of the TV and support this team as they battle their way through a season that has had some good moments and some bad ones, because things could be worse – you could be watching football 86 miles to the east, where there is no happiness around this time of the year.
Andrew Hammond is a sophomore in mass communications.
