Philadelphia, PA (Sportsbooks) - 2007 SEASON IN REVIEW: A 10-point loss to Auburn was certainly not the way coach Ron Prince and the Kansas State Wildcats wanted to start the season, but the team refused to let that setback get them down as a three-game win streak followed. The final game in that run was the Big 12 opener at Texas, and K- State shocked the Longhorns in a 41-21 final. The 'Cats split their next four games and at 5-3 held out hope for at least a winning season and a favorable bowl bid. Unfortunately, four consecutive losses to close the campaign, including a 45-29 defeat at Fresno State in the finale, meant the Wildcats would be staying home while several of their Big 12 brethren had their seasons extended.
Head coach Ron Prince, now entering his third season at the helm, had this to say about his team's lack of success in 2007, "Last year, we failed to reach one of our basic objectives, which was to have a winning season and go to a bowl game. In both years, we failed to beat our in-state rival and had a couple of other challenging situations."
Still, there is optimism among the K-State faithful as 13 returning starters on both sides of the ball will only benefit the Wildcats as they look ahead to bigger and better things.
2008 ANALYSIS:
OFFENSE: Scoring points was clearly not the Wildcats' problem in '07 as they averaged 35.2 ppg to rank 18th in the nation. The passing attack, led by 6-6, 250-pound QB Josh Freeman, accounted for 285 ypg. Freeman has ideal size for the position and he really came into his own as a field general last season, completing 63.3 percent of his passes for 3,353 yards and 18TDs. His favorite target, WR Jordy Nelson (122 receptions, 1,606 yards, 11 TDs) is gone, leaving Deon Murphy (57 receptions, 605 yards, five TDs) as the go-to guy. Murphy is one of the fastest guys in the Big 12 and adds the extra element of being able to run the ball as well after scoring three times on the ground last season.
Finding consistent production in the run game is one of Prince's top priorities. "Running back is one of the things with a lot of questions and a lot of unknowns." Junior Leon Patton or juco transfer Keithen Valentine could wind up getting the bulk of the carries, but neither is that big, bruising back. Freshman Logan Dold is another guy to keep an eye on as he continues to climb the depth chart with his solid play in fall camp.
The offensive line boasts four returning starters, among them senior tackles Alesana Alesana and Penisini Liu, and keeping opposing defenses at bay will be paramount to the team's overall success this season.
DEFENSE: Statistically speaking, K-State was one of the worst defensive teams not only in the Big 12 last season but the country as well, permitting 30.8 points and 400 total yards per contest. Only five starters return, but that might not be a bad thing considering. Prince knows his team needs to show dramatic improvement defensively, saying "I think everyone here clearly knows that you have to have good defense or you are going to lose. So, all of our efforts have been towards improving our defensive effort. In these last two years, the biggest lesson we've learned is that if you can play good defense in this league, with the absolute volume of points that are being scored, and if you can hold those points down, you have a good chance to win. A year ago, we didn't do that and so that is our objective going into this year."
Senior DE Ian Campbell is an All-Big 12 performer and will once again anchor a unit that also boasts the return of senior LB Reggie Walker and solid safeties in junior Chris Carney and senior Gary Chandler.
SPECIAL TEAMS: Placekicker Brooks Rossman is back for his senior season after hitting 22-of-28 FG attempts in '07. The punting job could land squarely on the foot of former juco All-American George Pierson, while shagging both punts and kicks will be the lightning-quick Murphy. The 5-10, 170-pound senior averaged better than 17 yards per punt return last year and he is a threat to take it the distance every time he touches the ball.
OUTLOOK: Eager to get the bitter taste of last year's collapse out of their mouths, the Wildcats are chomping at the bit to get back on the field. Coach Prince recently said, "I think the way that last season ended, the coaches and the players did a terrific job of being very positive and proactive as to what they could control. Our players did a great job in the weight room and our coaches did a great job on the road with recruiting. Now it is just the time to put all of those things aside and take all that work thats been done with recruiting and development and now put it together to get our timing and chemistry down."
The non-conference schedule features winnable games against North Texas, Montana State and UL-Lafayette sandwiched around a trip to Louisville. The Big 12 slate presents its usual litany of tough games, among them being home clashes with Texas Tech and Oklahoma, and road bouts versus Texas A&M, Kansas and Missouri.
The key to this season will be getting production on the ground and of course significantly better play from the defense. If those two things happen and Freeman, continues his development, a winning campaign and a trip to the postseason could be in the offering.
