๐๐ข๐ก๐๐ฅ๐๐ง๐จ๐๐๐ง๐๐ข๐ก๐ฆ: ๐๐ฎ๐ป๐๐ฎ๐ ๐ฆ๐๐ฎ๐๐ฒ ๐ช๐ถ๐น๐ฑ๐ฐ๐ฎ๐๐ ๐ณ๐ผ๐ผ๐๐ฏ๐ฎ๐น๐น ๐๐ฒ๐ด๐ฒ๐ป๐ฑ, ๐๐ฎ๐ฟ๐ฟ๐ฒ๐ป ๐ฆ๐ฝ๐ฟ๐ผ๐น๐ฒ๐ ๐ต๐ฎ๐ ๐ฏ๐ฒ๐ฒ๐ป ๐ป๐ฎ๐บ๐ฒ๐ฑ ๐ฎ๐ ๐ผ๐ป๐ฒ ๐ผ๐ณ ๐๐ต๐ฒ ๐ญ๐ฌ๐ฌ ๐บ๐ผ๐๐ ๐ถ๐ป๐ณ๐น๐๐ฒ๐ป๐๐ถ๐ฎ๐น ๐ฝ๐ฒ๐ผ๐ฝ๐น๐ฒ ๐ถ๐ป ๐๐ฝ๐ผ๐ฟ๐๐ ๐ฏ๐ ๐ง๐๐ ๐ ๐ญ๐ฌ๐ฌ ๐บ๐ฎ๐ด๐ฎ๐๐ถ๐ป๐ฒ, ๐บ๐ฎ๐ฟ๐ธ๐ถ๐ป๐ด ๐ฎ ๐บ๐ถ๐น๐ฒ๐๐๐ผ๐ป๐ฒ ๐๐ต๐ฎ๐ ๐ฐ๐ฒ๐บ๐ฒ๐ป๐๐ ๐ต๐ถ๐ ๐ฟ๐ฒ๐ฝ๐๐๐ฎ๐๐ถ๐ผ๐ป ๐ฎ๐ป๐ฑ….
๐๐ข๐ก๐๐ฅ๐๐ง๐จ๐๐๐ง๐๐ข๐ก๐ฆ: ๐๐ฎ๐ป๐๐ฎ๐ ๐ฆ๐๐ฎ๐๐ฒ ๐ช๐ถ๐น๐ฑ๐ฐ๐ฎ๐๐ ๐ณ๐ผ๐ผ๐๐ฏ๐ฎ๐น๐น ๐๐ฒ๐ด๐ฒ๐ป๐ฑ, ๐๐ฎ๐ฟ๐ฟ๐ฒ๐ป ๐ฆ๐ฝ๐ฟ๐ผ๐น๐ฒ๐ ๐ต๐ฎ๐ ๐ฏ๐ฒ๐ฒ๐ป ๐ป๐ฎ๐บ๐ฒ๐ฑ ๐ฎ๐ ๐ผ๐ป๐ฒ ๐ผ๐ณ ๐๐ต๐ฒ ๐ญ๐ฌ๐ฌ ๐บ๐ผ๐๐ ๐ถ๐ป๐ณ๐น๐๐ฒ๐ป๐๐ถ๐ฎ๐น ๐ฝ๐ฒ๐ผ๐ฝ๐น๐ฒ ๐ถ๐ป ๐๐ฝ๐ผ๐ฟ๐๐ ๐ฏ๐ ๐ง๐๐ ๐ ๐ญ๐ฌ๐ฌ ๐บ๐ฎ๐ด๐ฎ๐๐ถ๐ป๐ฒ, ๐บ๐ฎ๐ฟ๐ธ๐ถ๐ป๐ด ๐ฎ ๐บ๐ถ๐น๐ฒ๐๐๐ผ๐ป๐ฒ ๐๐ต๐ฎ๐ ๐ฐ๐ฒ๐บ๐ฒ๐ป๐๐ ๐ต๐ถ๐ ๐ฟ๐ฒ๐ฝ๐๐๐ฎ๐๐ถ๐ผ๐ป ๐ฎ๐ป๐ฑ….
At a developmental program like Kansas State, there are always going to be years where the team has plenty of talent but far from the requisite amount of on-field experience. That combination certainly played a factor in the Wildcats winning nine games last season but also struggling in enough spots to cost them a trip to the conference title game and maybe turning a solid season into a much better one. Unforced errors contributed to some games becoming closer than they should have been and loomed as a big factor in struggles on the road in the Big 12 or while losing three of their last four to take themselves out of the College Football Playoff conversation.
The flip side is this can be used as a platform to build upon this season, which features another difficult slate of opponents but also enough returning starters to be optimistic.
โOur offensive line we really like, but thereโs some new faces, thereโs some transfers. Weโve got to clean that up. Then in the secondary, we lost two kids that got drafted in the NFL, so weโve got to shore those spots up,โ coach Chris Klieman says. โSkill [positions] on offense, the D-line, linebackers, we feel really good about. Tight ends we feel really good about. Weโve just got our work cut out for us in a couple of positions that are key positions.โ
Figuring those spots out is balanced out by pieces the Wildcats have coming back. QB Avery Johnson is primed to take a huge leap forward and has several All-Big 12โcaliber players around him in the likes of wideout Jayce Brown and tailback Dylan Edwards. Any questions about the backend of the defense can be mitigated somewhat by what might be the best defensive line in the league, combined with a terrific leader at linebacker in Austin Romaine.
