SE: K-State Football Starts Spring Period Excited to Build Off Momentum, Experience
Mar 28, 2018 | Football, Sports Extra
By Corbin McGuire
K-State has finished the past two seasons on a high note. The Wildcats won six of their final seven games in 2016 that was capped with a Texas Bowl win over Texas A&M and five of their last six season that ended with a Cactus Bowl victory against UCLA.
What the Wildcats hope to improve on in 2018 is their start, which, in some ways, begins on Wednesday with their first of 14 spring practices.
"We need to build off of it," junior quarterback Alex Delton, Offensive MVP of the Cactus Bowl, said after K-State beat UCLA, 35-17. "Last year we won the Texas Bowl and started the season off a little slow. We just have to build off this in spring workouts. I'm excited for this opportunity. I think we have a great opportunity in front of us."
K-State's spring period will end with the annual Purple/White Spring Game on April 21, at 1:10 p.m., at Bill Snyder Family Stadium. It will be the team's first public display since winning the program's second-straight bowl game for the first time since 1999-2000.
"What matters most is we carry that momentum into the offseason," said junior running back Alex Barnes, who became the second-fastest Wildcat in terms of carries to reach 1,000 career rushing yards last season, behind only Darren Sproles. "We don't want to get our hopes up again, so we're just going to take every day, not take anything for granted and get to work."
Head coach Bill Snyder said he has no doubt that his team, which returns 14 starters and four All-Big 12 performers from last year, better understands that true momentum is not created by simply winning a bowl game. It takes a daily commitment to improving.
"It's just a matter of doing it. It's up to them and not getting too far ahead of ourselves like I think we did," he said. "We'll just have to go back to basics again and understand how to get to where we want to be and what it takes to get it and how to do it."
K-State's offensive line highlights the team's experience.
For the first time in the Snyder era, K-State's offensive line returns all of its combined starts from the previous season. Left tackle Scott Frantz, left guard Abdul Beecham, center Adam Holtorf and right guard Tyler Mitchell started all 13 games for K-State last season, while First Team All-Big 12 right tackle Dalton Risner started the first 12 before missing the bowl game with an injury. Junior Nick Kaltmayer displayed the depth of talent K-State holds at the offensive line, starting in Risner's place against UCLA and earning All-Bowl honors from ESPN.
Behind K-State's veteran offensive line will be a familiar core of playmakers.
K-State brings back 84 percent of its rushing offense, nearly half of it coming from a trio of running backs in Barnes, junior Dalvin Warmack and senior Justin Silmon. Barnes and Silmon will become the first Wildcat running back duo ever to enter a season with more than 1,000 career rushing yards.
The Wildcats are also experienced and deep at quarterback.
Sophomore Skylar Thompson stepped up when injuries forced the third-string quarterback into action, guiding K-State to wins against Texas Tech, Oklahoma State and Iowa State to become bowl eligible.
Delton helped deliver K-State's ninth-straight win over Kansas and returned from an injury to provide a game-changing spark against UCLA.
"It's a blessing to have that depth. Coming into the season, everybody was talking about the depth at running back and now we have great depth at quarterback too," Holtorf said. "It's a blessing to be able to have that many talented guys in the backfield that, no matter whose number gets called, you know they're going to do great things back there."
The biggest change for K-State from a year ago? Coaches and roles.
Andre Coleman (receivers coach) was named the offensive coordinator when Dana Dimel accepted the head coaching job at UTEP. Collin Klein (quarterbacks coach) and Charlie Dickey (offensive line coach) will serve as co-offensive coordinators.
"I am pleased with the direction that they are going right now," Snyder said of Coleman, Klein and Dickey's working relationship. "They are putting us ahead of where we might have been at this point in time a year ago. I am pleased with their capacity and capability to work together. There are no egos involved and it is just three guys that care about the same thing."
K-State's defense underwent some changes as well.
With defensive coordinator Tom Hayes retiring after last season, linebackers coach Blake Seiler was tabbed to take over the coordinator position. Brian Norwood, after three seasons serving as the Tulsa associate head coach, was also added to K-State's staff as a co-defensive coordinator and secondary coach.
Seiler and Norwood will oversee a K-State defense looking to replace its top-two tacklers in Trent Tanking and Jayd Kirby. The Wildcats do return core pieces at several defensive groups, however.
Denzel Goolsby thrived in his first year starting at safety, finishing his sophomore season by earning Defensive MVP honors at the Cactus Bowl. Safety Kendall Adams will also be back from an injury that ended his junior season early, while fellow senior Duke Shelley enters his fourth year as a starter at cornerback for K-State. On the defensive line, Trey Dishon and Reggie Walker bring multiple years of starting experience.
As Snyder stated after the bowl victory, however, experience guarantees very little in terms of improvement. He reiterated his point on signing day in February.
"I'd like to think momentum is created by being enthused about trying to improve your capabilities in order to become the kind of young player that you'd like to be and become the kind of team you would like to be," Snyder said. "Every year is different. It doesn't make any difference who you've got back or how many you've got back, the dynamics are different year in and year out, day in and day out. What we've got to learn to do is to handle each day as it comes, live the day, make ourselves better every day."
K-State has finished the past two seasons on a high note. The Wildcats won six of their final seven games in 2016 that was capped with a Texas Bowl win over Texas A&M and five of their last six season that ended with a Cactus Bowl victory against UCLA.
What the Wildcats hope to improve on in 2018 is their start, which, in some ways, begins on Wednesday with their first of 14 spring practices.
"We need to build off of it," junior quarterback Alex Delton, Offensive MVP of the Cactus Bowl, said after K-State beat UCLA, 35-17. "Last year we won the Texas Bowl and started the season off a little slow. We just have to build off this in spring workouts. I'm excited for this opportunity. I think we have a great opportunity in front of us."
K-State's spring period will end with the annual Purple/White Spring Game on April 21, at 1:10 p.m., at Bill Snyder Family Stadium. It will be the team's first public display since winning the program's second-straight bowl game for the first time since 1999-2000.
"What matters most is we carry that momentum into the offseason," said junior running back Alex Barnes, who became the second-fastest Wildcat in terms of carries to reach 1,000 career rushing yards last season, behind only Darren Sproles. "We don't want to get our hopes up again, so we're just going to take every day, not take anything for granted and get to work."
Head coach Bill Snyder said he has no doubt that his team, which returns 14 starters and four All-Big 12 performers from last year, better understands that true momentum is not created by simply winning a bowl game. It takes a daily commitment to improving.
"It's just a matter of doing it. It's up to them and not getting too far ahead of ourselves like I think we did," he said. "We'll just have to go back to basics again and understand how to get to where we want to be and what it takes to get it and how to do it."
K-State's offensive line highlights the team's experience.
For the first time in the Snyder era, K-State's offensive line returns all of its combined starts from the previous season. Left tackle Scott Frantz, left guard Abdul Beecham, center Adam Holtorf and right guard Tyler Mitchell started all 13 games for K-State last season, while First Team All-Big 12 right tackle Dalton Risner started the first 12 before missing the bowl game with an injury. Junior Nick Kaltmayer displayed the depth of talent K-State holds at the offensive line, starting in Risner's place against UCLA and earning All-Bowl honors from ESPN.
Behind K-State's veteran offensive line will be a familiar core of playmakers.
K-State brings back 84 percent of its rushing offense, nearly half of it coming from a trio of running backs in Barnes, junior Dalvin Warmack and senior Justin Silmon. Barnes and Silmon will become the first Wildcat running back duo ever to enter a season with more than 1,000 career rushing yards.
The Wildcats are also experienced and deep at quarterback.
Sophomore Skylar Thompson stepped up when injuries forced the third-string quarterback into action, guiding K-State to wins against Texas Tech, Oklahoma State and Iowa State to become bowl eligible.
Delton helped deliver K-State's ninth-straight win over Kansas and returned from an injury to provide a game-changing spark against UCLA.
"It's a blessing to have that depth. Coming into the season, everybody was talking about the depth at running back and now we have great depth at quarterback too," Holtorf said. "It's a blessing to be able to have that many talented guys in the backfield that, no matter whose number gets called, you know they're going to do great things back there."
The biggest change for K-State from a year ago? Coaches and roles.
Andre Coleman (receivers coach) was named the offensive coordinator when Dana Dimel accepted the head coaching job at UTEP. Collin Klein (quarterbacks coach) and Charlie Dickey (offensive line coach) will serve as co-offensive coordinators.
"I am pleased with the direction that they are going right now," Snyder said of Coleman, Klein and Dickey's working relationship. "They are putting us ahead of where we might have been at this point in time a year ago. I am pleased with their capacity and capability to work together. There are no egos involved and it is just three guys that care about the same thing."
K-State's defense underwent some changes as well.
With defensive coordinator Tom Hayes retiring after last season, linebackers coach Blake Seiler was tabbed to take over the coordinator position. Brian Norwood, after three seasons serving as the Tulsa associate head coach, was also added to K-State's staff as a co-defensive coordinator and secondary coach.
Seiler and Norwood will oversee a K-State defense looking to replace its top-two tacklers in Trent Tanking and Jayd Kirby. The Wildcats do return core pieces at several defensive groups, however.
Denzel Goolsby thrived in his first year starting at safety, finishing his sophomore season by earning Defensive MVP honors at the Cactus Bowl. Safety Kendall Adams will also be back from an injury that ended his junior season early, while fellow senior Duke Shelley enters his fourth year as a starter at cornerback for K-State. On the defensive line, Trey Dishon and Reggie Walker bring multiple years of starting experience.
As Snyder stated after the bowl victory, however, experience guarantees very little in terms of improvement. He reiterated his point on signing day in February.
"I'd like to think momentum is created by being enthused about trying to improve your capabilities in order to become the kind of young player that you'd like to be and become the kind of team you would like to be," Snyder said. "Every year is different. It doesn't make any difference who you've got back or how many you've got back, the dynamics are different year in and year out, day in and day out. What we've got to learn to do is to handle each day as it comes, live the day, make ourselves better every day."
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