2008 Kansas State Wildcats Preview

The greatest stretch in Kansas State football history was built in part by junior college transfers who made a difference. It looks like the Wildcats are banking on similar results a decade later. K-State signed 19 junior college players, and if that sounds like a lot, it is.

Two Minute Drill

A Quick Look at the Wildcats

K-State took a step backward in coach Ron Prince’s second season. After he guided the Wildcats to a bowl as a rookie, Prince’s team fell to 5–7 in 2007, betrayed by a defense that must vastly improve if K-State wants to be in the bowl conversation for 2008. The Wildcats will be hard-pressed to win six games, largely because of a road schedule that has them playing at Louisville, Texas A&M, Colorado, Kansas and Missouri. Bottom line: The defense stunk. Nebraska exposed it as much as anyone with 73 points and 702 yards. Moving standout Ian Campbell from linebacker to his old position of defensive end will help, but stopping the run is where K-State has to improve if it plans on going bowling. The offense will rely heavily on junior quarterback Josh Freeman to guide a unit that lost its best player (wide receiver Jordy Nelson) and still has some question marks along the line. New offensive coordinator Dave Brock, who is known to like the spread offense, could open it up. He’ll use speedy receiver Deon Murphy in many ways. Running back Leon Patton has to produce because he may be all there is at that spot. The special teams issue is finding a new punter. That, however, is the least of K-State’s worries. The defense will dictate how far the Wildcats go.

It could be construed as coach Ron Prince pushing the panic button for a program that lost its final four games en route to a 5–7 finish. Or, it could be seen as copying previous coach Bill Snyder’s blueprint, an idea that in time elevated K-State to the threshold of the national championship game in 1998. Snyder signed 12 junior college players in 1997, one of them quarterback Michael Bishop, who propelled the Wildcats to new heights.

As for any criticism that he is seeking a quick fix or taking a major gamble, Prince isn’t fazed one bit.

“I don’t care what people say or think anyhow,” he says. “My obligation is to put the team together and what’s coming down the road.”

Which incoming junior college players are expected to make the greatest impact immediately?

Defensive lineman Daniel Calvin from Bakersfield (Calif.) College could provide much-needed help for a unit that was too elastic up the middle last year. He was a junior college All-American. Wide receiver Adrian Hilburn has speed similar to current Wildcat Deon Murphy. Hilburn starred at City College of San Francisco. Linebacker Ulla Pomele from Santa Rosa (Calif.) Junior College recorded 11 tackles for a loss in 2007. Another linebacker who might help is Hansen Sekona from College of San Mateo (in California).

One of the newcomers, offensive lineman Wade Weibert from Butler County (Kan.) Community College, hopes those who question Prince’s recruiting strategy give him a chance.

“People have this negative image about jucos. I don’t see it as a bad thing,” Weibert says. “I got to play against a defensive tackle (Troy Epps from Coffeyville Community College) that’s going to Florida. I practiced every day against a guy that’s going to Louisville (Tyler Jessen). I’m not worried.”

Quarterbacks

No doubt here who is No. 1. That’s the guy who wears No. 1. Junior Josh Freeman set a school record with 3,353 passing yards last season. He completed 63.3 percent of his passes with 18 touchdowns, and perhaps more important he reduced his interception total to 11 after getting picked off 15 times as a freshman. Freeman could discover just how good he is this season. He won’t have All-America wide receiver Jordy Nelson to throw to any longer. Freeman, though, doesn’t feel any added pressure. “It doesn’t come down to me. It comes down to what the whole offense is doing,” Freeman says. It will be interesting to see how Freeman responds to new quarterbacks coach Warren Ruggiero. He comes from Elon, where he served as offensive coordinator. “We’re analyzing the things he needs to do to go from being a good player to a great player,” Ruggiero says. “He knows what he has to work on to get to the next level — and I think that is to just be a pure and comfortable footwork quarterback. When you have the physical talent to throw the ball the way he does, you can get away with certain things fundamentally with the rest of your body and still get the ball where it needs to go at times. Whereas if you discipline yourself to make yourself perfect fundamentally, you can even be that much better and hit more throws and be more accurate. And that’s what we’re working on.” K-State has three other signal-callers on scholarship, including sophomore Carson Coffman, who saw action in four games. Redshirt freshman Tysyn Hartman is considered very athletic and could push Coffman.

Running backs

Junior Leon Patton took a step backward last season, but K-State hopes he plays more like he did as a freshman. Patton enters this season as K-State’s only running back with experience. As a sophomore, he often played behind James Johnson, and rushed for 390 yards and four touchdowns. As a freshman, Patton rushed for 609 yards. Incoming junior college transfer Daniel Thomas could put the heat on Patton, and redshirt freshmen Dee Bell and Justin Woods are speedy players who might have a say in what happens in the backfield. Prince hopes somebody makes some noise. “I’m not settled at all on the position,” Prince says. “I don’t feel we have any answers there from a competitive standpoint. I know you can’t go through a season with just one running back.”

Receivers

How do you replace a consensus All-American like Nelson? Freeman believes K-State can. “Not having Jordy, I mean, people come, people go. Nobody even thinks about Jordy anymore,” Freeman says. “I mean, he’s doing his thing. We’re all proud of him. But as far as our team now, I feel like our receiving corps overall is going to be better than it was last year.” Freeman exudes confidence in Deon Murphy, who did not participate in spring football in order to improve his academic standing. Murphy is the top returning receiver with 57 catches for 605 yards and five touchdowns. Other options include Lamark Brown, Ernie Pierce and Cedric Wilson. Hilburn and fellow junior college transfers Aubrey Quarles, Attrail Snipes and Brandon Banks could make an impact. Tight end Jeron Mastrud had 30 receptions for 316 yards and is a big target.

Offensive linemen

A question mark a year ago, the offensive line actually has experience this time around. Senior center Jordan Bedore is the anchor with 22 career starts. Tackle Alesana Alesana got the hang of it after a slow start, and tackle Ben Liu showed as much improvement as anybody. Gerard Spexarth started all 12 games last year. Penisini Liu started 10 games at right tackle. Weibert may step right in after helping Butler County go undefeated. Trevor Viers played center when Bedore was out, and could help just about anywhere on the line.

Defensive linemen

If there is an area of concern on this side of the ball, it’s on the line. No wonder Ian Campbell, one of the Wildcats’ top defensive players, is returning to his old spot at defensive end after spending much of 2007 at linebacker. He hopes to get assistance from promising sophomore tackle Xzavier Stewart and senior Brandon Balkcom. Calvin will be counted on to contribute soon. Senior Chidubamu Abana and sophomore Gabe Crews have some experience and need to take it up a notch.

Linebackers

Two players who saw significant action last year, John Houlik and Reggie Walker, may find themselves in a battle for playing time. That’s because Pomele and Sekona are projected standouts who could make names for themselves. The comeback of Antwon Moore, who played only the first two games last season before being injured, is worth watching. He was a solid contributor in 2006, and if he’s back to form, may be a force. Eric Childs is back after making nine starts. Don’t be surprised if Virginia transfer Olu Hall is a starter. Chris Patterson, if he gets his grades in order, brings experience.

Defensive backs

There’s potential at cornerback. There better be. K-State lost three key players at that spot, so it’s up to Josh Moore, who was academically ineligible last year, and junior college transfers Blair Irvin and Billy McClellan to step right in. Safeties Chris Carney (team-high four interceptions) and Gary Chandler (54 tackles) had their moments in 2007. The secondary should get a lift from Andrew Erker, Ray Cheatham and Courtney Herndon, all of whom have experience.

Specialists

The big question is, who will be the punter? It appears junior college transfer George Pierson, who was scheduled to arrive in the fall, may be that guy. Senior kicker Brooks Rossman tied the single-season record with 22 field goals. He made 18-of-19 from 40 yards or closer. K-State ranked first in the nation in punt returns (22.53 yards per) but 90th in kickoff returns (19.73).

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