We decided to mix it up this week. Instead of going behind the scenes of an athlete’s life, we caught up with junior quarterback Joe Hubener during Tuesday’s weekly press conference to get his opinion on his performance and the state of his team during a very trying time for K-State coaches, players and fans.
Collegian: What do you guys need to do offensively to make sure you can keep up with all of the points other teams are scoring?
Hubener: It just comes down to execution. We have to be disciplined in what we’re doing.
Collegian: How nice is it to have two of your last three games at home?
Hubener: Well, I mean it’s great. Coach is always talking about keeping the game between the lines, but it’s nice to have your home fans and not have to worry so much about the noise factor. Just knowing that the people in the stadium are supporting you, not the other way around.
Collegian: What would it mean to snap that losing streak here at home in front of these fans?
Hubener: Oh, it’d be great. Like I said, we’re down to three games that are must-wins for us. Our goal is to make a bowl game at this point. It starts this weekend. We need to end the streak this weekend.
Collegian: What do you see in this team that lets you know it has it in them to run the table to close out the season?
Hubener: I mean, it’s just the fight. Right now we’ve lost six straight. That’s heartbreaking. That’s tough on anybody. Even after five straight, we still showed fight. Down 28-7 (last week against Texas Tech), we essentially made it a game. We showed that we weren’t quitting and that’s just the mentality of these guys. We have three more chances to prove ourselves and end the season on a high notes.
Collegian: What does coach Snyder say to you guys to keep you motivated and keep your heads up?
Hubener: He’s still preaching the 16 goals. He knows that if we buy into those, success is going to pay off. The other day he said, “The vast majority of us that didn’t quit this past weekend, those people will be successful in life. Life is going to throw you situations where you’re losing and you’re down in life. If you continue to fight, you’re going to be successful.” That’s how he handles things. We know if we continue to work and we’re putting in the effort, it’s going to pay off. It’s just a matter of time.
