Manhattan ? The queasiness many Kansas State fans feel about its defense this season probably can be chalked up to the record-setting numbers Texas Tech’s offense spun on the Wildcats in Saturday’s 59-20 drubbing in Lubbock, Texas.
But another possibility is that all that nausea is the result of a topsy-turvy effort that has had coach Bill Snyder both laud and bemoan his defense at times.
“We have been a good defensive football team over the course of the season, and that wasn’t true this past Saturday,” said Snyder, who added his team still was “shell-shocked” Tuesday. “We have a feeling about ourselves that we can be much better than we were last week.”
It would be difficult to be much worse.
Red Raiders quarterback Cody Hodges completed 44 of 65 passes for a personal-best 643 yards and five touchdowns. Wide receiver Joel Filani hauled in 10 of them for a Big 12 Conference-record 255 yards, and running back Taurean Henderson scored five TDs.
That all came against a Kansas State defense that had been allowing only 268 yards of total offense through its first five games and gave up only three points in a victory against Kansas University a week earlier.
“We didn’t play as well as we’re capable of,” Snyder said. “We gave up an awful lot of big plays, but I also thought Hodges was fantastic. I think you have to understand we weren’t quite as bad as the numbers would indicate.”
Kansas State’s defensive statistics took a hit, though. Its average yards allowed ballooned by nearly 70 and a team that had been allowing 18.6 points per game suddenly is giving up more than 25.
“It hurts, but any time something hurts we’re not just going to lay down,” cornerback Bryan Baldwin said. “We’re definitely going to get over it. Coach Snyder will make sure of that.”
Kansas State (4-2 overall, 1-2 Big 12) could have picked a better opponent to let the healing begin, though.
Texas A&M (4-2, 2-1), which is coming off a 62-23 victory over Oklahoma State, may provide an even more demanding test than Texas Tech.
The Aggie offense is in the top 15 nationally in points per game (38.7), yards per game (491.3) and rushing yards per game (238.5), and features what Snyder called the most prolific dual-threat quarterback in the Big 12 in Reggie McNeal.
“There’s much more to defend against,” Snyder said. “I don’t think we’re in a comfort zone. We have to change directions in regard to our preparation a little bit.”
Fortunately for Snyder, the option offense that Texas A&M employs has many characteristics that are similar to Kansas State’s offensive schemes.
“We’ve got quarterbacks just like Reggie McNeal. We’ve seen it a lot,” Watts said. “It’s the same stuff we’ve been doing all along. I think we’ll be comfortable.”
And being comfortable, Baldwin said, could be the first step toward redefining the Kansas State defense.
“I don’t think we have dropped too low,” he said. “I think we just need to make more improvement. We need to focus more on responsibilities and knowing what you need to do when you go out there.”
