Wildcats, Mountaineers trying to turn year around
MANHATTAN, Kan. – Kansas State coach Bill Snyder had a full week to ponder his quarterback conundrum.
Only he knows whether he’s any closer to settling on a starter.
Snyder was coy this week when he was asked about playing run-first option Daniel Sams or pass-first choice Jake Waters today against West Virginia. Sams took the majority of snaps in a close loss to No. 6 Baylor two weeks ago, prior to the Wildcats’ bye week, but it appears Snyder is sticking with a scripted plan to use both quarterbacks in the short-term.
“You tend to gravitate to things you are doing a little bit better or move around a little bit more,” Snyder said. “But if you find something you do not like, you are probably not going to spend a great deal of time on it, regardless of how you have it scripted.”
In other words, if Sams is having success running the ball, Kansas State will stick with it.
If not, Waters is ready to toss it all over the field.
“I don’t see us getting away from what we’ve been doing,” Snyder said. “I see both of them playing. How much remains to be seen. That’s a game-day happening.”
The Wildcats (2-4, 0-3 Big 12) are the defending Big 12 champions, but they’ve gotten off to a slow start. The loss to the Bears left them winless in league play, and they still need at least four wins out of the back half of their schedule just to become bowl eligible.
The Mountaineers (3-4, 1-3) aren’t in a whole lot better shape.
They were hit hard by graduation, just like the Wildcats, and have struggled to incorporate a host of newcomers. The result has been a tough start to the season, including back-to-back losses to Baylor and Texas Tech after a confidence-boosting win over Oklahoma State.
“We have to stay positive, look forward, and realize that this season is not over yet,” West Virginia linebacker Isaiah Bruce said. “Every year it seems like Big 12 teams are always taking out each other. We just have to push through it and get better.”