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As Oklahoma goes boom, Kansas State goes poof
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He didn’t know the score.
Ron Prince had a lot of other things on his mind. Not concerns, because the Kansas State coach wasn’t unhappy with his team’s effort in a 58-35 loss Saturday to No. 4 Oklahoma, an outcome that wasn’t particularly surprising.
And not issues, either, because Prince doesn’t believe his Wildcats, 4-4 and 1-3 in the Big 12, have any. Nothing major, anyway. Nothing that can’t be shored up or addressed.
“I’m trying to take a positive attitude with this team,” he explained. “I don’t think being negative with anybody helps. I want to win the games. We all do. We want to win the North, that’s how you get into the championship game. That’s what all of our efforts are towards. I’m not going to be pleased … until we get to that place.”
He continued.
“With that said, as a teacher, you have to be able to be honest with the kids and tell them where we’re making improvements and validate that and work like crazy on the things you can improve. I feel like some of the things we’re having issues with we can improve … From that standpoint, yeah, I want to say we’re doing some improving and getting better, but ultimately, until you get the wins, it’s not validated.”
For the second consecutive week, there is no validation for K-State. And conveniently enough, next week’s foe, Kansas, is in the same predicament after losing 63-21 to Texas Tech Saturday, although Prince hadn’t heard the Jayhawks’ fate until he was informed late Saturday afternoon.
“OK,” he said. “They’ve gotten the best of us the past two years, so we’ll have our jaw set and be ready to go.”
He and the Wildcats gleaned enough from Saturday’s showing at Bill Snyder Family Stadium against the Sooners, 7-1 and 3-1 – a national championship-caliber team, per Prince – to emerge with elevated self-esteem. They may not be in Oklahoma’s class, but neither are the remaining four teams on the schedule, and if the Wildcats hung with the Sooners for the first 22 minutes, when the score was tied at 28.
“We should all take positives from this,” junior wide receiver Deon Murphy said. “I think a lot of people will watch film on us and say, ‘Hey, K-State is a threat.’”
Maybe, if the five turnovers can be overlooked. Junior quarterback Josh Freeman, who threw for a career-high 478 yards – second-best in K-State history – was responsible for four, including three interceptions. But Freeman also tossed three touchdown passes, setting the K-State career record with 38.
“If we’re not playing aggressive, then you really have no shot against a team this good,” Prince said.
And what about the sloppy tackling that allowed DeMarco Murray, who finished with 104 yards and four total touchdowns, to rack up 99 by the halftime break?
“Our tackling wasn’t necessarily that bad,” senior linebacker Reggie Walker said. “I’m encouraged.”
Or the lapse on special teams before the end of the first half, when Oklahoma’s Ryan Broyles returned a punt 68 yards for a touchdown, pushing the Sooners’ first-half point total to 55, a school record?
“We’ve got to get all playing well at the same time,” Prince said.
On the flip side, Prince was buoyed by how much better his defense fared in the second half, when Oklahoma managed only 129 of its 528 yards. .
Freeman said he was proud of the Wildcats for how they were resilient, despite being down 28-7 in the first quarter. He engineered three consecutive drives that ended with touchdown passes, and the 47,054 fans came alive, sensing something might be happening.
And there was – Oklahoma roared back to life, ripping off 27 unanswered points in about six and a half minutes.
“There was no question, no doubt left as to who the more physical football team was at 28-28,” Prince said. “That’s where we must improve. That’s where we’ve had our issues about beating and competing with teams in this conference, particularly in the North.”
The four remaining opponents all dwell in the North, beginning with next Saturday in Lawrence.
McClatchy-Tribune
