Yardbarker: Kansas State Wildcats

Conference Call: Oklahoma State on the rise in Big 12

Mon, 23 Nov 2009 13:51:43 -0500

Each week, Sporting News' Matt Hayes ranks the Division I-A conferences—and the teams within each league. 5. Big 12 1. Texas 2. Nebraska 3. Oklahoma State 4. Texas Tech 5. Oklahoma 6. Missouri 7. Kansas State 8. Texas A&M 9. Iowa State 10. Kansas 11. Baylor 12. Colorado Rising Oklahoma State: 'Pokes better hope QB Zac Robinson is ready to play this weekend in Bedlam, considering what's on the line: beating Oklahoma for first time since 2002 and earning a BC...

Kansas State Post-Mortem

Mon, 23 Nov 2009 11:51:50 -0500

As the last seconds of the game ticked away against the Wildcats, I looked at the field and counted the Seniors that had impacted the game with their skill and determination on Senior Day. I figure that in the three games left, these thirteen guys will not be looking to pad their stats and improve their draft status, or hope of becoming a rookie free agent, or try to win trophies, or even grasp onto the glory of playing football at the highest level they will ever experience for themselves. T...

Senior Night Goes Right

Sat, 21 Nov 2009 23:34:36 -0500

It was by no means a sure thing. When Kansas State opened with a field goal drive you were concerned. When Zac Lee missed a wide open Mike McNeil in the end zone, you were aggravated. When Lee threw an interception with NU in easy field goal distance and up just one score, you were downright rattled. Then the Huskers got tough and turned it around. NU senior safety Larry Asante picked off a pass and KSU's Josh Cherry missed a 51-yard field goal attempt to preserve Nebraska's 10-3 half...

Pregame Cram: Can Kansas State run on Nebraska?

Sat, 21 Nov 2009 10:22:36 -0500

Inside the day's key match-ups. As a 6-5 team with two wins over I-AA outfits and only one victory over a team with a winning record -- a one-point escape from fellow 6-5 mediocrity Iowa State in the Big 12 opener -- Kansas State probably has no claim to "disrespect" today at Nebraska. Still: You don't see too many 16.5-point spreads in games with the division championship up for grabs. The winner today in Lincoln is heading to Dallas as the North Division's sacrificial...

Hayes' Week 12 picks: Ohio State dominance over Michigan will continue

Fri, 20 Nov 2009 11:54:51 -0500

Sporting News' Matt Hayes picks the 10 best games of the weekend and throws in his upset pick of the week as a bonus. Ohio State 27, Michigan 14: This will be another Buckeyes-Wolverines game in the mold of yesteryear: Neither team can throw the ball, and one team plays better defense. Iowa 20, Minnesota 10: Iowa has gone from the national championship conversation to Capital One Bowl talk in three weeks. A win would significantly improve Iowa's BCS hopes. North Carolina 24, Boston ...

Nebraska and Kansas State Go Back to the Future

Wed, 18 Nov 2009 04:55:30 -0500

From 1991 to 2000 the Big 8 champion or Big 12 North champion was always either Nebraska or Kansas State. That might be giving the Wildcats too much credit as their share of that run was just a pair of division titles in 1998 and 2000. Nevertheless both the schools, the faces (Bill Snyder, Tom Osborne, Ron Brown), and even the styles of play are reminiscient of what we saw in the 1990's. No, Nebraska isn't running the option anymore (at least not nearly like they did in the 90's)....

Conference Call: Mountain West tops non-BCS leagues

Mon, 16 Nov 2009 13:58:51 -0500

Each week, Sporting News' Matt Hayes ranks the Division I-A conferences—and the teams within each league. 7. Mountain West 1. TCU 2. Utah 3. BYU 4. Air Force 5. Wyoming 6. San Diego State 7. UNLV 8. Colorado State 9. New Mexico Rising TCU: The defense has been spectacular, but here's something way overlooked: The offense is fourth in the nation in scoring, and dual threat QB Andy Dalton is having a Heisman-type season. Falling San Diego State: Just when it looked like ...

Versus NCAA Football Odds: Kansas vs Kansas State

Fri, 06 Nov 2009 22:53:00 -0500

The Kansas Jayhawks and the Kansas State Wildcats will both be gunning for a victory on Saturday when they meet at Snyder Family Stadium. Oddsmakers currently have the Jayhawks listed as 3-point favorites versus the Wildcats, while the game's total is sitting at 56. Kansas dropped a huge Big 12 matchup with Texas Tech, losing 42-21 at Jones AT&T Stadium in Week 9. Texas Tech covered as a 6.5-point home favorite while the final score played under the 67-point total. Kansas State fe...

For Kansas State's Grant Gregory, Message Is Never Give Up

Fri, 06 Nov 2009 09:16:00 -0500

by Terrance HarrisFiled under: Kansas State, Big 12The message never changes, but Kansas State quarterback Grant Gregory finds a note in his inbox every week of the college football season. "Find a way to win." The words of encouragement find their way to Manhattan, Kan., from hundreds of miles away in Mobile, Ala., where Grant's father, Greg Gregory, is the offensive coordinator of upstart South Alabama. But even in distance, dad seems to know exactly what his son needs to hear...

Conference call: Aggies back from dead in Big 12

Mon, 02 Nov 2009 13:36:57 -0500

Each week, Sporting News' Matt Hayes ranks the Division I-A conferences and the teams within each league. 5. Big 12 1. Texas 2. Oklahoma 3. Oklahoma State 4. Texas Tech 5. Kansas State 6. Kansas 7. Texas A&M 8. Nebraska 9. Missouri 10. Iowa State 11. Colorado 12. Baylor Rising Texas A&M: One day Mike Sherman is fighting off firing rumors; the next, the Aggies are winning back-to-back games and need to win at Colorado this week to become bowl-eligible. Falling Colorado:...

What We Learned: Apple doesn't fall far from Bowden tree

Thu, 29 Oct 2009 18:18:49 -0500

Sporting News' Matt Hayes analyzes what Thursday's buzz means to college football. The gene pool Coaching and drawing up ball plays wasn't the only thing Terry Bowden inherited from his daddy. Apparently Terry learned the deft art of public relations from Bobby, too. Two weeks ago, Bobby Bowden appeared on The Tony Barnhart Show and not so subtly announced that, yes, his plan was to coach at Florida State next year. Earlier this week, Terry, the coach at North Alabama, not so s...

Conference call: TCU the best of the non-BCS?

Mon, 26 Oct 2009 17:04:33 -0500

Each week, Sporting News' Matt Hayes ranks the Division I-A conferences and the teams within each league. 7. Mountain West 1. TCU 2. Utah 3. BYU 4. Air Force 5. Wyoming 6. San Diego State 7. Colorado State 8. UNLV 9. New Mexico Rising TCU: Another rout of BYU has the Frogs primed to overtake Boise State as the nation's best non-BCS team. Who knows how far it goes after that. Falling Colorado State: No team has fallen harder, faster. That includes the annual elevator-shaft fa...

Conference call: K-State climbing in Big 12

Mon, 26 Oct 2009 17:01:30 -0500

Each week, Sporting News' Matt Hayes ranks the Division I-A conferences and the teams within each league. 6. Big 12 1. Texas 2. Oklahoma 3. Oklahoma State 4. Kansas 5. Kansas State 6. Iowa State 7. Nebraska 8. Texas Tech 9. Texas A&M 10. Colorado 11. Missouri 12. Baylor Rising Kansas State: That's right, everyone. The team that lost at home to Louisiana-Lafayette leads the rock'em, sock'em North Division. Falling Missouri: We knew there had to be a step back...

Hayes' hot seat: Coaches facing the firing squad

Tue, 20 Oct 2009 14:45:06 -0500

Sporting News' Matt Hayes looks at five under fire for Week 8: We begin this week with the foundation of the hot seat: coaches feeling the heat. It's a brutally unfair business with huge rewards (multimillion dollar salaries) and unreal expectations (win or walk). Halfway through this season, there are five clear candidates staring at the inevitable with little wiggle room. Unfortunately for these five programs, the hottest potential coach on the move (Cincinnati's Brian Kelly)...

Conference Call: Utah rising among non-BCS teams

Mon, 19 Oct 2009 20:37:16 -0500

Each week, Sporting News' Matt Hayes ranks the Division I-A conferences—and the teams within each league. 7. Mountain West 1. TCU 2. Utah 3. BYU 4. Air Force 5. Wyoming 6. Colorado State 7. UNLV 8. San Diego State 9. New Mexico Rising Utah: QB Terrance Cain is beginning to play with more presence and awareness, and the offense is gaining confidence. That can't be good news for TCU. Falling Colorado State: Four straight losses highlight your typical CSU season: a first-...

In the name of all that is decent, how can Texas A&M go on?

Sat, 17 Oct 2009 22:52:14 -0500

Kansas State 62, Texas A&M 14. Here is the worst single loss any team has suffered yet this season, and the really morbid aspect of this score -- achieved by the same Wildcat team that was trounced by 52 points last week at Texas Tech -- is that it could have been much worse. K-State led 38 nothing at the half and 59-0 with 10 minutes to play in the third quarter before conceding mercy for the final 25 minutes. Up to that point, it was one of the most miserable nights in Aggie history --...

UCLA Gets To 3-0 By Putting Away Pesky Kansas State

Sun, 20 Sep 2009 00:36:55 -0500

More photos » by Francis Specker - AP about 2 hours ago: UCLA tail back Derrick Coleman, center, runs with the ball past Kansas State's Eric Childs (90) during the first half of a NCAA football game in Pasadena, Calif., on Saturday, Sept. 19, 2009. (AP Photo/Francis Specker) Browse more photos » So the fourth quarter mojo thread worked. lol After an ugly third quarter during which Kansas State ha...

Spaulding Roundup: QB Decision & Respect For Kansas State

Tue, 15 Sep 2009 07:21:09 -0500

More photos » by Orlin Wagner - AP 9 days ago: Kansas State wide receiver Attrail Snipes (81) outruns Massachusetts cornerback Jeromy Miles (5) for a touchdown during the first half of their NCAA college football game in Manhattan, Kan., Saturday, Sept. 5, 2009. (AP Photo/Orlin Wagner) Browse more photos » It's not official yet who will be our starting QB on Saturday. AP reported (HT westwood78) ...

Good Golly Great Grachev

Sat, 21 Mar 2009 05:02:01 -0500

First Star: Evgeny Grachev

Instant replay from yesterday as we wrote about the chances of the Brampton Battalion to make it to the OHL finals:

For Brampton to get that far we believe he has to score that much because honestly there is nobody really big enough to stop him.

We get to say we was right which is always a nice thing because Evgeny Grachev goes out and makes us look really good do in his OHL playoff debut on Friday evening.

All Grachev did was score 2 goals and toss in 2 assists to tie a Brampton single game playoff points record while earning the game's first star as the Brampton Battalion just spanked the Peterborough Petes 5-2. As
crazy as this is going to sound but what impressed us was his everything but his points.

We saw Grachev attacking the Petes physically, playing a rock solid game at both ends of the ice and even better we swear Grachev looked as if he was having a great time doing so. It was as if someone had hit a switch and released the monster upon the unsuspecting villagers.

Grachev got his night going just 2:36 into the first period by setting up Anthony Peluso for Brampton's first goal of the playoffs on the power play. Grachev followed that up by setting up teammate Matt Duchene for Brampton's 3rd goal of the game and eventual game winner also on the power play at 18:58 of the first period.

In the 3rd period at 9:14, Grachev played the role of Undertaker as he put the finishing touches on the Pete's by scoring his first playoff goal from the high slot with a blast for a 4-1 Brampton lead. Then Grachev showed his finesse side but taking the puck stick side high for a 5-1 Brampton lead as well a cap to a 4 point night.

If Grachev plays like this then for sure Brampton is going to have no problem erasing playoff demons of the last 2 seasons.

Second Star Michael Del Zotto

We would like to take this time to thank Michael Del Zotto for making us look smart with his play on Friday evening. Check is in the mail Michael as your 3 assists helped show Ranger fans that if you still are down on this young prospect then nothing is going to change your mind.

Del Zotto and his London Knights spotted Mitch Gaulton and his Erie Otters a 1-0 lead just 9 seconds into their playoff series before coming back with 3 third period goals to win 5-2. Del Zotto got his night going with a secondary assist at 9:57 of the first period which tied the score at 1-1.

In the 3rd period with the score tied at 2, Del Zotto set up Phillip McRae's second goal of the game to give the Knights a 3-2 lead at 6:27 that the Knights never gave back. Then Del Zotto set up Phil Varone for a power play goal at 9:50 and a 4-2 lead that killed off any chance of an Otter comeback.

It was a career playoff high for Del Zotto in both assists and points but more importantly, Del Zotto was as we thought he had to be for the Knights, the leader on the blueline. If Del Zotto plays like he did on Friday during the OHL playoffs then the Knights will have a very long run.

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The Rest of the Prospects

Sticking with the Erie/London game, Mitch Gaulton was used as Erie's 6th defenseman playing limited minutes but credit London's defense for playing a strong game against Erie in the first place. It is going to be hard for Gaulton or any of his teammates to find space.

Derek Stepan and his Wisconsin Badgers saw their NCAA hopes come to an end as the Denver Pioneers shut them out 3-0 to defeat the Badgers in the WCHA semi-finals. Stepan has nothing to feel ashamed about as he led the Badgers with 8 shots on goal.

Given the way the NCAA hockey tournament is set up, it is almost impossible for Wisconsin to earn an at-large bid especially since if Denver does not win the WCHA they will hold a 5-0 season record over the Badgers.

Stepan has one last game to play this season as Wisconsin will play Saturday afternoon against North Dakota who were upset by Minnesota Duluth in the other WCHA semi-final. That upset also killed off any hope of an NCAA bid for Stepan and the Badgers.

On the other hand Carl Hagelin and his Michigan Wolverines are heading to the NCAA tournament with the only things left to be decided is will they earn a 1 seed, will they go as the CCHA champions or will they wind up as an at large bid.

All that because Hagelin and his teammates defeated the Alaska Nanooks 3-1 as Hagelin was scoreless and had for the most part a very quiet game. Next up for Michigan will be Notre Dame in the CCHA final for the 2nd time in 3 years.

Tysen Dowzak and his Kelowna Rockets should be very thankful that they were not the victims of a game one upset as they really did not play all that well as they escaped with a 4-2 win over the Kamloops Blazers. The Rockets may be up 1-0 in the series but if they play like this then this series will go longer than need be.

The score really does not tell the story as we were very disappointed in the efforts of the Rockets who as we feared may have read too much into their 9-0 regular season series sweep of the Blazers.

Dowzak really did not play badly but he also did not like his teammates do anything to remind us of the hottest team in the WHL down the regular season stretch.

Tomas Kundratek and his Medicine Hat Tigers dropped game one of their series with the Swift Current Broncos 4-2. The Tigers actually had a lead in the 3rd period but gave up 3 goals in the 3rd to lose the game.

Kundratek did not play badly but the Tigers need more out of him if they are to have any hope of defeating the Broncos.

In the QMJHL, the results were not at all unexpected but what was unexpected was that the Rouyn-Noranda Huskies did not even dress Antoine Lafleur in thei first game against the Montreal Junior.

The Huskies lost 5-3 but do not let the score fool you as the Huskies waited until they were down 4-1 before scoring a couple of late goals to make the score look respectable. Not sure why Lafleur did not even get to dress but in many ways Lafleur can point the finger at himself because of his play in the latter half of the season.

Who knows now if Lafleur will get to play in this series but if the Huskies drop game 2 then they had better think hard about making a goalie switch.

Chris Doyle and his Prince Edward Island Rocket got whipped 7-1 by the Moncton Wildcats in game 1 of their series. It was the expected result of a series that is a huge mismatch and the only question is will the Rocket even win one game?

Doyle was shut down like his teammates by the best defensive team in the QMJHL and a non-factor.

(Grachev courtesy of the Brampton Battalion, Del Zotto courtesy of the New York Rangers)

We're Going Bowling: Texas Bowl

Thu, 28 Dec 2006 21:51:59 -0500

The Texas Bowl is in its first year of existence, so it should be interesting to see how the game gets off to a start. It doesn't have a lot of promise, as it will face two smaller programs in Rutgers and Kansas State. Not only that, but this game also looks about as one sided as they get.