SE: K-State Takes Preparation for UCLA in Cactus Bowl to Arizona

By Corbin McGuire

The weeks have now turned into days. Before long, the days will become hours.

As the countdown from K-State's last-second win against Iowa State on November 25, and its Cactus Bowl battle with UCLA on Tuesday at 8 p.m. (CT) — 31 days in total — shrinks closer to zero, the Wildcats' excitement will only build.

From the beginning of K-State's bowl preparation, however, head coach Bill Snyder said his team has brought a positive level of focus and energy.

"It can always be better, but I thought our practices have been good," Snyder said, as K-State makes its eighth-straight bowl appearance, a mark that is tied for 13^th nationally. "We haven't practiced every day because we've had final exams and I also wanted to make sure they did get some break time. So they've stayed reasonably fresh. I think the spirit has been positive."

K-State's plane for Phoenix, Arizona, took off from Manhattan a little before noon on Thursday. Upon landing, the Wildcats made their way straight to the practice field to resume preparation for a tough match-up away from Bill Snyder Family Stadium.

Late in the season, however, the Wildcats showed they were plenty capable of winning away from home. K-State won four of its last five games of the regular season, including three-straight on the road.

The Wildcats' strong finish had many highlights and consistently included a dramatic flair.

It started with a come-from-behind overtime victory at Texas Tech — the largest fourth-quarter road deficit (11 points) overcome for a win in K-State history. A 45-40 win at then-No. 10 Oklahoma State followed two weeks later — the Wildcats' first road win over a top-10 team since 2012. To end the regular season, the Wildcats erased a 12-point deficit in the fourth quarter to beat Iowa State on the game's last play — the first K-State victory when scoring on the final play of regulation since 1995.

Snyder said Tuesday's battle with the Bruins, which will be nationally broadcast on ESPN, would be decided by the same key factors the Wildcats brought to their previous road wins.

"It all boils down to if you do it the right way and have the discipline to keep the game between the white lines," Snyder said, as his team will play at the Arizona Diamondbacks' Chase Field in downtown Phoenix. "That field down there is the same size as the one we've got here. It's just a matter of staying disciplined, taking your preparation to the field, staying focused and keeping it between the white lines. If you do that, then good things normally happen."

Skylar Thompson, K-State's third different starter at quarterback this year, showed much more poise down the stretch for the Wildcats than his redshirt freshman classification might indicate.

In three starts to end the season, he threw for 515 yards, four touchdowns and a 63.3 percent completion rate. He also engineered both comeback victories down the stretch.

As Thompson prepares for his first action in a bowl game, Snyder said he's seen more of the same from the native of Independence, Missouri.

"He's just a young guy that maintains his poise, has an appropriate level of confidence about him. His execution is very consistent," Snyder said. "None of that has changed."

K-State will look to slow down an elite quarterback in UCLA junior Josh Rosen, a projected top-three NFL Draft pick who's thrown for 341.5 yards per game, which ranks third-best nationally.

Facing a talented quarterback is nothing new for the Wildcats, who have seen their fair share of prized gunslingers already.

K-State has played against four of the nation's top-12 quarterbacks in terms of passing yards per game in Oklahoma State's Mason Rudolph (379.4; 1^st), Oklahoma's Heisman Trophy-winner Baker Mayfield (333.8; 4^th), West Virginia's Will Grier (317.3; 8^th) and Texas Tech's Nic Shimonek (295.6; 12th).

"I think all of them are excellent quarterbacks. That's not just my opinion; I think that's virtually everyone's opinion," Snyder said. "I think (Rosen's) very much like them. He's good at processing information. He makes good decisions. He has patience and works through his progressions, and he is an accurate thrower. He can put some velocity on the ball as well.

"It's a challenge and that's the good part of it, too."

Kansas State University Athletics

SE: K-State Takes Preparation for UCLA in Cactus Bowl to Arizona

Players Mentioned

Skylar Thompson

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