Kansas State Spring Football Outlook
Apr 03, 2002 | Football
April 3, 2002
Manhattan, Kan. - If spring is indeed the season of renewal and growth, then the spring of 2002 could offer much of the same renewal and improvement for the Kansas State football team.
The Wildcats open spring football practice on April 3 seeking improvement from last year's 6-6 record and the chance to continue to build on the proud tradition of success that had K-State in its ninth straight bowl game a year ago.
Offensively, Kansas State will seek to improve the balance in its attack between running and passing. In 2001, the Wildcats set school records for rushing as a team, including Josh Scobey's romp to the single-season rushing record. The spring opens with a player who has started at least one game in each position on the offensive line, as well as a pair of experienced quarterbacks.
Defensively, the Wildcats have continued a five-year string of finishing among the top five defenses in the nation. K-State has six of its seven positions in the defensive front manned by a returnee, including All-America candidate Terry Pierce at middle linebacker. Thorpe Award semifinalist Terence Newman is a returning starter for the Wildcats at cornerback.
The Spring Football game will be held on Saturday, April 27. The 2002 schedule includes 12 games, with eight to be played at KSU Stadium. The home schedule includes national powers Southern California, Texas and Nebraska. Kansas State will begin its seventh season in the Big 12 Conference with the second-best record of any school in league games.
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OFFENSE
RETURNING STARTERS - T THOMAS BARNETT, G NICK LECKEY, C STEVE WASHINGTON, G BILLY MILLER, T DRALINN BURKS, QB MARC DUNN, QB ELL ROBERSON.
STARTERS LOST - WR BRANDON CLARK, WR RICKY LLOYD, WR AARON LOCKETT, T MATT MARTIN, OL ANDY EBY, OL JOHN ROBERTSON, OL OSHIN HONARCHIAN, TE NICK WARREN, FB ROCK CARTWRIGHT, TB JOSH SCOBEY.
OFFENSIVE LINE
LETTERWINNERS RETURNING - THOMAS BARNETT***, DRALINN BURKS*, NICK LECKEY**, BILLY MILLER*, BEN RETTELE*, STEVE WASHINGTON***
LETTERWINNERS LOST - ANDY EBY***, MATT MARTIN**, JOHN ROBERTSON***
Despite a rash of injuries that forced Kansas State to use nine different starters and eight different combinations in 12 games, the offensive line led the way for Josh Scobey to rush for a school-record 1,263 yards. Kansas State also added more than 30 yards to its 38-year old record for team rushing offense, finishing with an average of 257.7 yards per game.
Junior Nick Leckey is the lone Wildcat to have started all 12 games in the same position last year, providing some stability at left guard. Leckey played for the Wildcats as a true freshman in 2000 and moved into a starting role in 2001. At the other guard, senior Billy Miller is expected to open the spring at the top spot after starting the final three games of last season at right tackle. Miller redshirted in 2000 after transferring from El Camino (Calif.) College.
Senior Steve Washington started nine games last year at center for the Wildcats, including the final six straight. Washington has already won three letters in football at K-State. Until breaking into the starting lineup as a junior, Washington was a valuable backup at the interior offensive line spots.
At tackle, Kansas State expects to regain the services of Thomas Barnett, who missed the entire 2001 season with an injury. Barnett started all 14 games in 2000, 10 of the 12 games in 1999 and the last five games of his redshirt freshman season in 1998. Barnett, another three-year letterman, has been part of offenses in those seasons that have generated more than 40 points per game.
Opening the spring at the other tackle is Dralinn Burks, who switched from defensive line to offensive line due to last year's rash of injuries. Burks started the Kansas and Iowa State games at right tackle, and was in the starting lineup in the Insight.com Bowl against Syracuse.
Eric Everley, who like Barnett sat out the 2001 season due to an injury, will get some snaps on the offensive side of the ball in the spring after spending the first three years of his K-State career on defense. Everley, Jon Doty and junior-college transfer Peni Holakeituai are listed as backups at tackle during the spring.
In reserve spots at guard as the spring opens are Mike Johnson and JC transfer Jesse Keaulana-Kamakea, with Ryan Schmuecker among the backup candidates at center.
WIDE RECEIVERS
LETTERWINNERS RETURNING - None.
LETTERWINNERS LOST - BRANDON CLARK***, CHRIS DEVORE*, RICKY LLOYD*, AARON LOCKETT****, DREW THALMANN****
The Wildcats begin spring practice in 2002 after losing the top six players on the receptions list from last year's team. Among those graduating were Aaron Lockett, a four-year fixture at wide receiver, Ricky Lloyd, who averaged more than 15 yards per catch on his 20 catches last year, and Brandon Clark, who had 19 catches and an 18.2 average in 2001.
Kansas State will spend time during the spring and fall sessions making some decisions among the wide receiver spots. Leading the returnees are junior Derrick Evans and senior Taco Wallace, the only returnees at receiver who had a catch in 2001.
Evans had two catches last year, including a 72-yarder for a touchdown from Ell Roberson against New Mexico State. It was the longest pass completion by K-State during the 2001 season. Wallace, who was nagged by injuries last year, had both his catches against Texas A&M.
Those two will back tacked up during the spring by sophomore Antoine Polite and senior Jerry McCloud, who spent some of his offseason running on the Wildcats' track and field team. McCloud made his mark on the track record books during the spring 2002 indoor season, running a 6.95 in the 60-meter dash that ranked sixth all-time at K-State.
Davin Dennis impressed coaches with his ability and work ethic during his redshirt season, and he could be one of the most pleasant surprises of the spring. He is expected to battle for playing time with junior LaRoy Bias during the spring. J
TIGHT ENDS
LETTERWINNERS RETURNING - THOMAS HILL*, BRIAN LAMONE**
LETTERWINNERS LOST - NICK WARREN****
Nick Warren filled in extremely well after 2000 starter Shad Meier was taken in that year's NFL Draft by Tennessee. In his senior season, Warren was a steadying influence on a battered offensive line, finished fourth on the team with 16 catches and was one of the Wildcats' most solid senior leaders.
His departure opens the door for an outstanding battle for the starting spot at tight end. Senior Brian Lamone has lettered for two seasons as a mostly special-teams standout. Junior Thomas Hill had one catch last year, but has excellent athleticism and size at 6-foot-5, 255 pounds.
Also among the candidates with great athleticism is junior Travon Magee, who redshirted a year ago but could provide a 6-foot-7, 265-pound target for the Wildcat passing game in 2002. Brian Casey is a sophomore who will also be in the mix for time at tight end in the spring.
QUARTERBACKS
LETTERWINNERS RETURNING - MARC DUNN*, ELL ROBERSON**
LETTERWINNERS LOST - JEREMY MILNE**
Both Ell Roberson and Marc Dunn return in 2002, giving Kansas State a pair of experienced players at quarterback as the new season opens.
Roberson was Kansas State's second-leading rusher a year ago, with his 643 yards ranking second behind only Michael Bishop in rushing yards by a Wildcat QB. Roberson had four 100-yard rushing games last year, the most in a season by a K-State quarterback and tying Bishop for the career mark after only two seasons.
Roberson threw for 855 yards for the Wildcats and started 10 of Kansas State's 12 games in 2001. He led K-State in total offense a year ago, including a 372-yard day at Oklahoma that ranked 10th on the Wildcats' single-game total offense list. He threw for 257 yards in that game against the Sooners.
Dunn enters his senior year with the Wildcats having thrown for 635 yards and four touchdowns in his nine appearances during the regular season. He started two games for Kansas State in 2001, opening games against Texas Tech and Kansas. He threw for two touchdowns and ran for another against the Jayhawks in the Governors' Trophy matchup. Dunn also had a strong effort against Texas A&M when he engineered two fourth-quarter touchdown drives that nearly brought the 'Cats back from a big deficit.
The spring will also be a time to get experience for junior Jeff Schwinn, who has been of great value on the Wildcats' scout teams for two seasons, and redshirt junior Cole Ballard from Garden City Community College.
RUNNING BACKS
LETTERWINNERS RETURNING - NICK HOHEISEL***, LANCE KRAMER*, DANNY MORRIS**, DARREN SPROLES*
LETTERWINNERS LOST - ROCK CARTWRIGHT**, JOE HALL**, JOSH SCOBEY**
The spring opens with the Wildcats having to replace outstanding players at both running-back positions with the graduation of tailback Josh Scobey and fullback Rock Cartwright.
Scobey had the best season ever by a rusher at Kansas State, running for 1,263 yards and 15 touchdowns in the regular season. He led the Big 12 Conference in all-purpose yards a year ago, finishing with a 124.5 average per game. Cartwright was outstanding as a lead blocker for Scobey, but also distinguished himself as an offensive weapon in his own right with 292 yards rushing and 15 catches for 108 yards.
Still, Kansas State had one of its best recruiting years ever at running back a year ago and those candidates, along with the continued improvement of Danny Morris, could keep the Wildcat offense humming in 2002. Morris will battle for the starting spot after averaging 6.2 yards on his 28 carries as a sophomore last year. His best game of last season was a 54-yard effort on 11 carries against New Mexico State.
Darren Sproles was another pleasant surprise in 2001, as he showed amazing potential and speed as a true freshman. Sproles was limited by injuries to only six games in the regular season, but he was able to gain 210 yards by virtue of his 7.5 yards per carry.
Redshirt freshman Carlos Alsup is another outstanding product of the Kansas high-school ranks who could emerge next season. Alsup is an All-State player out of Liberal, Kan.
Travis Wilson had to take 2001 off after transferring from Michigan State. Wilson is atop the depth chart this spring at fullback. Three-year letterman Nick Hoheisel will push Wilson for playing time, as will redshirt freshmen Ayo Saba and Victor Mann.
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DEFENSE
RETURNING STARTERS - DE ANDREW SHULL DE MELVIN WILLIAMS, DT TANK REESE, DT JUSTIN MONGOMERY, LB TERRY PIERCE, LB JOSH BUHL, CB TERENCE NEWMAN.
STARTERS LOST - LB BEN LEBER, CB DeRON TYLER, FS JON McGRAW, SS MILTON PROCTOR, SS DERRICK YATES.
DEFENSIVE LINE
LETTERWINNERS RETURNING - HENRY BRYANT*, ALAX CARRIER*, ERIC EVERLEY**, CORY HOFFMAN*, THOMAS HOUCHIN*, JUSTIN MONTGOMERY*, TANK REESE*, ANDREW SHULL**, COREY WHITE*, MELVIN WILLIAMS***
LETTERWINNERS LOST - JERRY TOGIAI**
A group that returned only one player who had started a game prior to the 2001 season now returns basically intact and very deep for the spring of 2002. Only one senior, Jerry Togiai, leaves a defensive line that allowed just 96.5 yards rushing and six rushing touchdowns in the 2001 regular season.
Headlining the returnees is senior Tank Reese, who was voted the Big 12 Conference Defensive Newcomer of the Year,giving the Wildcats their third straight player to win that award. Reese finished sixth on the team with 49 tackles, tops among defensive lineman last year. Reese also had seven tackles for loss and seven quarterback hurries as a defensive tackle.
Justin Montgomery opens the spring atop the depth chart at nose tackle, having started seven games on the defensive line a year ago. He finished second on the team in quarterback hurries with 11 in the nine games in which he played. Junior Corey White and sophomore Jerad Cowan are expected to battle for the defensive tackle spots this spring.
Henry Bryant was another defensive newcomer who had a strong first season in Manhattan a year ago. He started all 12 games at a defensive end spot and finished the season with 47 tackles, including a team-high 24 assists. He had a season-high six tackles against Nebraska and finished the year with three sacks.
Melvin Williams is back for his senior season after missing four games with injuries last year. Despite playing in only seven games, Williams had seven tackles for loss and led the team with 12 quarterback hurries.
Andrew Shull also missed time due to injury, but had 30 tackles in the five games in which he played. Thomas Houchin started two games for the Wildcats and is the fourth player at defensive end who played well in 2001 and returns for the new season.
LINEBACKERS
LETTERWINNERS RETURNING - JOSH BUHL**, BRYAN HICKMAN*, ANDY KLOCKE***, TERRY PIERCE**, MAURICE THURMOND*
LETTERWINNERS LOST - BEN LEBER****, CHAD WALLERSTEDT*
Two starters return at linebacker for the Wildcats in 2002, but four-year letterman Ben Leber will not return after what was an outstanding senior season. Leber, who looks to be headed for the NFL Draft in April, led Kansas State in tackles (73), tackles for loss (15) and sacks (5.5).
Still, linebacker looks to be one of the strengths of the defense in 2002 with the return of Terry Pierce in the middle and Josh Buhl on the outside. Pierce and Buhl are the leading returning tacklers on the defense, each finishing third on the team with 68 tackles last year.
Pierce has earned enough respect from his teammates in only a short time in Manhattan that they voted him a team captain last year as only a sophomore. He was a freshman All-American in 2000 and is a preseason All-America prospect for 2002. He has outstanding speed and good size at 6-foot-3, 250 pounds.
Buhl saved his best games for the end of the regular season a year ago, having 13 tackles against Nebraska and a team-high 10 against Missouri. Buhl made nine starts for the Wildcats as a sophomore in 2001.
Filling the other outside linebacker spot will be one of the best battles of the spring, as senior Andy Klocke and junior Bryan Hickman compete for the position. Klocke, a three-year letterman, has distinguished himself on special teams as a Wildcat, but had a season-high five tackles against New Mexico State a year ago. Hickman had a start in place of an injured Buhl against Texas A&M and had a season-high four tackles at home against Colorado.
Senior Drew Thon, talented sophomore Maurice Thurmond and redshirt freshman Matt Butler are expected to push the starters at linebacker during the spring and fall.
DEFENSIVE BACKS
LETTERWINNERS RETURNING - BOBBY WALKER*, JAMES DUNNIGAN*, TERENCE NEWMAN***, BRANDON SOLT*
LETTERWINNERS LOST - DeMARCUS FAGGINS**, JON McGRAW****, MILTON PROCTOR****, DeRON TYLER***
Senior Terence Newman caught national attention with his outstanding play in 2001, gaining enough respect to be a late addition as a semifinalist for the Thorpe Award, given to the nation's top defensive back. Newman will return after starting all 12 games at one corner last year and finishing the season fifth on the team in tackles with 51 and leading the team with 14 pass breakups. He also used his speed to block two kicks a year ago.
James Dunnigan could emerge from spring practice with the starting nod at the other corner. He played in nine games last year after transferring to K-State from Garden City Community College. Dunnigan also played at Purdue University in 1999, getting eight starts as a sophomore.
Behind those players at cornerback are sophomore transfer David Rose and junior Travis Horchem.
Kansas State lost both starters at the safety position, including senior free safety Jon McGraw who was a fixture in the defensive backfield the past couple seasons, and strong safeties Derrick Yates and Milton Proctor.
Senior Bobby Walker has shown a great deal of promise both last season and in the off-season. He had a 9-yard interception last year against Iowa State and could open the spring atop the list at free safety. He will be pushed for the job by senior Brandon Solt and redshirt freshman Jesse Tetuan.
Rashad Washington has successfully made the transition from running back to defensive back and opens the spring atop the depth chart at strong safety. Washington had seven tackles a year ago, including four at Nebraska. Redshirt Marcus Patton is a walk-on who could challenge Washington for that spot this spring.
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SPECIALISTS
RETURNING STARTERS - P/K JARED BRITE, P TRAVIS BROWN, K JOE RHEEM.
STARTERS LOST - LS NEIL GOSCH, KR-PR AARON LOCKETT, P/H MIKE RONSICK.
LETTERWINNERS RETURNING - JARED BRITE**, TRAVIS BROWN***, JOE RHEEM*
LETTERWINNERS LOST - NEIL GOSCH***, AARON LOCKETT****
Aaron Lockett became the first Kansas State player ever to gain at least 4,000 all-purpose yards in his career. He gave Kansas State a threat to score on every return opportunity for the past two seasons, getting four kick returns for scores over the past two years.
Terence Newman, whose national-class speed has been witnessed in Big 12 Conference championships both indoors and outdoors in track and field, and Darren Sproles are expected to get a chance to earn the jobs on punt and kick returns.
Joe Rheem, who was called on to solidify the Wildcats' place-kicking job midway through the season, finished his true freshman year in third place on the team in scoring with 32 points. He finished by hitting 4 of 6 field goals and 20 of 22 extra-point kicks over the final six regular-season games. He will be challenged for the kicking job by junior Wade Waltman.
Travis Brown averaged 43.4 yards on 14 punts as a junior for the Wildcats and is one of the players who will battle for the punting job. Over three seasons, Brown has averaged 38.8 yards on 86 punts, with 26 of those pinning opponents inside the 20-yard line.
Junior Jared Brite, who averaged 40.7 on 18 punts and junior redshirt Rick Gerla are also expected to compete for the punting position.
K-State must replace reliable long snapper Neil Gosch for the 2002 season. Sophomores Russ Vanover, Ryan Guthrie and tight-end candidate Brian Casey are among those who will be given the opportunity during the spring.
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