Wildcats Happy to Be Back In Phoenix
Dec 26, 2001 | Football
Dec. 26, 2001
Phoenix, Ariz. -
Some K-State football players find themselves in a familiar place this week, Arizona. Among the Wildcats' nine straight bowl appearances was a matchup with Syracuse in the 1997 Fiesta Bowl.
The Wildcats (6-5), who defeated the Orangemen, 35-18 four years ago, again face Syracuse (9-3). This time, however, the two teams will face off across town in the Insight.com Bowl on Saturday.
"(Phoenix) is awesome," said senior guard Andy Eby, who was a redshirt freshman in 1997. "Every time we think about going to a bowl game, Phoenix is on the top of our list. This is one of the best places to play in the country."
The team arrived in Phoenix Sunday and when not practicing has been enjoying the balmy winter weather.
After a Tuesday morning practice session, the team spent the rest of the day celebrating Christmas with its football family. Players, coaches, staff members and their families then enjoyed dinner and some entertainment at their Tempe hotel.
"It's a pleasure to be here," said senior running back Josh Scobey of his second bowl game. "We couldn't be in a better place at this a particular time. Everything is great and we've really enjoyed our stay.
"It's a little different not being at home for Christmas with the family, but we (the team) were together as a family yesterday. This team has really grown to be a family."
With Christmas behind them, the 'Cats now turn their focus to a tough Syracuse squad, which has won nine of its last 10 games and is ranked No. 18 in both the Associated Press and USA Today Coaches polls.
K-State will likely lean on its power rushing game to set the tone.
"We want to establish are running game real early in the game and make that our strong point in the game," said Eby. "That is our goal as an offensive line."
That goal will not be an easy one easy as the Orangemen will likely crowd the line of scrimmage and boast one of the top defensive linemen in the nation.
Senior defensive end Dwight Freeney was a consensus AllAmerican and recorded an NCAA-record 17.5 sacks this season.
"They have one of the best defensive ends in the country," said Scobey of Freeney. "If you let him get going early and let him disrupt what you are doing, it will be a long day."
Big plays by an offense or defense can certainly swing momentum.
The Wildcats, who started their nine-year bowl run with a win over Wyoming in the 1993 Copper Bowl, will certainly try to establish the running game, but also hope to get a few big plays from their passing game.
"We try to control the line of scrimmage," said senior wideout Aaron Lockett, who also accompanied the 'Cats to Phoenix in 1997. "We have overpowered a lot of teams this year, but when we've had an opportunity to throw the ball we've made some plays.
We've shown flashes of brilliance and other times we've struggled. For the most part, we?re a team that gets first downs. We're not really a top big play team. However, we may lull you to sleep and then go deep."
Kickoff for Saturday's game is set for 4:30 p.m. (Central) and the game will be televised nationally on ESPN2.
WILDCAT PRACTICE NOTES -- 12/26/01
* Kansas State practiced in full pads for the second day on Wednesday in preparation for the Insight.com Bowl on Saturday. On Christmas Eve, the Wildcats held a workout on a Monday of game week for the first time since the middle of the season. Monday's workout was in shoulder pads and helmets.
* Former Arizona State Coach Frank Kush was among the people who briefly visited the Wildcats at the beginning of practice. Also there were K-State President Jon Wefald, Vice President Bob Krause and Athletics Director Tim Weiser.
* Kansas State is making its ninth straight bowl appearance. The Wildcats have won their last two bowl games, beating Washington in the 1999 Culligan Holiday Bowl and Tennessee last year in the 2001 Southwestern Bell Cotton Bowl Classic.
* Linebackers coach Jim Gush is also working with the secondary during drills. Former defensive coordinator Phil Bennett was responsible for the defensive backs before he left K-State to become the head coach at SMU. Gush and defensive ends coach Bob Fello are sharing defensive coordinator duties for the Insight.com Bowl.
* Also briefly visiting practice in the past few days were 2000 Wildcats Jonathan Beasley, who attended high school in the Phoenix area, and Mario Fatafehi, who was a draft choice of the Arizona Cardinals.
* Kansas State will attend the Game Works this evening before Thursday's workout. The Wildcats will attend the NBA game between the Phoenix Suns and Boston Celtics on Thursday night.
* Running back Josh Scobey needs just 11 yards to become the career leader in bowl-game rushing yardage at Kansas State. Scobey had 147 yards in the 2001 Cotton Bowl win over Tennessee. Eric Hickson gained 158 yards in bowl games for the Wildcats and currently stands as the leader on the career bowl-game list at K-State.
