This is Part 3 of a look at K-State in 2010. With Bill Snyder now in his second season in his return to the sideline, the Wildcats will certainly know what it takes to be successful this season. Read Part 1, Read Part 2
Linebackers
This position is wide open. Snyder is looking at Alex Hrebec, Kadero Terrell, Kevin Rohleder, Jarett Wright, and possibly others to compete for playing time, but only Hrebec has experience. A year ago, Hrebec started three games and made 32 tackles.
Aside from that, graduated players Ulla Pomele and John Houlik made most of the plays in the middle of the defense, combining for 106 tackles. This year, Kansas State is turning to a whole new bunch of players.
Secondary
Even with the early departure of cornerback Joshua Moore to the NFL, the secondary should be strong. Tysyn Hartman is arguably one of the best safeties in the Big XII, and is coming off a season in which he made 54 tackles and intercepted five passes.
Senior Troy Butler is also a solid safety. The cornerback position is somewhat unproven, as Stephen Harrison, Darious Thomas, Terrance Sweeney, and David Garrett will all compete for a spot on the field.
Specialists
The biggest question is, who will return kicks? A year ago, Brandon Banks handled those duties almost exclusively, and thrived. The graduated speedster returned four kickoffs for touchdowns, and at times, he was Kansas State’s “X-Factor”.
However, Kansas State has good luck on finding quality returners, such as the likes of Terence Newman, Chris Canty, David Allen, Brandon Banks, Aaron Lockett, and the list goes on.
Senior Josh Cherry will be handling the kicking duties, after a year in which he has improved as the season went on. After having a rough start, he has finished strong, connecting 12 out of 15 (80%) and was being considered one of the Big XII reliable kickers.
Ryan Doerr, who finished with a punt average of 41.2 yards, return.
So, what to expect?
Last year, Kansas State was a big surprise, nearly winning the Big XII North. However, this was also the same team that struggled on the road, going 0-5. If Kansas State is going to win the Big XII North or at least be bowl eligible, they will need to perform better on the road. The good news is that Kansas State does get UCLA, Texas, Oklahoma State, and Nebraska at home, where they were 5-1 last season. The bad news? Kansas State finishes the season with 3 consecutive road games.
Cat Quiz
What past NFL Head Coach was bypassed for the K-State head-coaching job in 1985, that eventually went to Stan Parrish? Dennis Erickson. Erickson was head coach at the University of Idaho at the time.
What are your thoughts on K-State’s linebackers, secondary and specialst? Leave a comment below.
