K-State's Defense Sets Strong Tone Against Missouri State

Kansas State started its season strong with a 51-9 victory over the Missouri State Bears for its first win of 2012. The final scoreline would seem to show just how easily the Wildcats sailed past the Bears, but there were some early defensive struggles for K-State and it took until the end of the game for the team to finally pull away and put the beat-down scoreline on.

In their post-game quotes, the Wildcat defenders seemed to all agree that the team could have done better, but was effective at bending without breaking against Missouri State:

Senior Cornerback Nigel Malone
On how the defense played in the game…
"They did a really good job on game-planning us. They found a chunk of yards, but like I said, it is bend but do not break. We came out in the second half and they had a big play starting the second half. We came out strong and tried not to give them a touchdown."

Senior Linebacker Arthur Brown
On the overall defense play tonight…
"There are a lot of areas that we have to improve, I have to give credit to them (Missouri State). They did a great job of keeping the tempo and making us react and showed us the many areas of our game that we need to improve on. We are just going to take it day-by-day."

The Wildcats will need to improve from adequate as they face FBS competition in their next game -- they will face the Miami Hurricanes on Sunday.

For everything you could ever want and more on the Wildcats, visit Bring On The Cats. For more on the world of college football, check out SB Nation's dedicated hub.

Kansas State's Bill Snyder Still Not Pleased With Wildcats Football

The Kansas State Wildcats might have won their 2012 season opener against Missouri State in a 51-9 laugher, but don't tell that to Wildcats head coach Bill Snyder, who wasn't too happy with the way his Wildcats played.

On what the defining moment of the game was...
"The defining moment was the first half of the ballgame. It was a 6-6 ballgame in the first half and we had yet to score a touchdown."

Snyder does have a pretty good point here, as the Wildcats should never go a half against Missouri State without punching it in the endzone.

On the team avoiding a slow start this season...
"I said that when I came back, I did not think there would be any generation gap, but I am beginning to believe there is. It seems like we are not very good at explaining what we are talking about. I am going to tell the team to have a really slow start next week and see what happens."

Next week, the Wildcats play host to the Miami Hurricanes, so another slow start akin to Saturday's game will likely mean a loss for Kansas State.

For the latest on all things Kansas State, be sure to check out Bring On the Cats and join the discussion.

Kansas State Vs. Missouri State: Fans React After 51-9 Wildcat Victory

Few things were more terrifying to the average Kansas St. Wildcats fan Saturday than seeing KSU up just 9-6 over an FCS team — Missouri State — at halftime. The No. 22 team in the country was locked in a tight game with a team that plays in a division that crowns a champion after a playoff tournament.

Appalling as that may have been, the Wildcats put a cinderblock on the gas pedal in the second half, and raced away to a 51-9 victory. The Wildcats will host the Miami Hurricanes next week, so the first half was a bit unsettling, but the final score should reassure fans that this team is still talented and, behind Bill Snyder, very well-coached. Here's some of what SB Nation's KSU blog, Bring On The Cats, had to say:

Positives

--Overcoming a slow start. We did that a lot last season, but it was nice to see that a slow start did not lead to a 10-7 win over an FCS team like it did last year.

[...]

--Making some big plays. John Hubert broke a 95-yard touchdown run, Daniel Sams took it to the house from 46 yards away, and Tramaine Thompson went 89 yards for six on a punt return.

Negatives

[...]

--Passing defense. Pass rush. We gave up 323 passing yards to an FCS team. Most of the time, it looked like we weren't even rushing the passer. We had zero sacks against an FCS team. That's unacceptable, and it's going to kill us against better teams.

For everything you could ever want and more on the Wildcats, visit Bring On The Cats. For more on the world of college football, check out SB Nation's dedicated hub.

Missouri State Vs. Kansas State 2012: Final Score And Game Recap

No. 22 Kansas State narrowly missed another disappointing slow start, pulling away late to beat Missouri State 51-9 at Bill Snyder Stadium on Saturday night.

The Wildcats, looking to build on a promising 2011 season, struggled in the first half against the Bears and found themselves tied 9-9 early in the third quarter. Kansas State would score 42 unanswered points, including 35 in the fourth quarter, to pull away for a dominant victory and maintain hope for the remainder of the season.

Kansas State would rush for 324 yards in the game, with John Hubert scoring on a 95-yard run in the fourth quarter and finishing with 152 yards on 12 carries. QB Collin Klein was 19-of-28 for 169 yards and two touchdowns in a workman-like performance.

Braden Wilson and Daniel Sams would add touchdown runs of their own, with Tramaine Thompson returning a punt 89 yards for a touchdown to complete the fourth quarter scoring surge.

For more on K-State football, visit Kansas State blog Bring On The Cats, plus SB Nation Kansas City.

Kansas State vs. Missouri State Halftime Score: Wildcats Being Tested, Lead 9-6

The No. 22 ranked Kansas St. Wildcats have been held out of the end zone and only lead Missouri State 9-6 at the half. Kansas State has no turnovers in the game, but they have struggled to move the ball into the end zone once they get into the red zone.

The three field goals that the Wildcats have converted where from 19, 23 and 25 yards, so Kansas State was getting deep in the red zone but they are having difficulties in getting into the end zone against the Missouri State defense.

Quarterback Collin Klein has picked up where he left off last year by being a dual threat, with 102 yards on 11-of-18 passes and then rushing for 49 yards.

Kansas State needs to start punching the ball in the end zone if they want to avoid being upset by a FCS school.

For more on K-State football, visit Kansas State blog Bring On The Cats, plus SB Nation Kansas City. Also, check the national college football scoreboard right here.

Missouri State Vs. Kansas State 2012: Game Time, TV Schedule, Spread And More

Kansas State faces an easy hurdle in the first game of the season, yet should be wary after a slow start in 2011.

K-State Versus Missouri State: Under The Radar Players To Keep An Eye On

Even though Collin Klein and Arthur Brown rightfully get the majority of attention for the 2012 K-State Wildcats football team, the home opener should provide an opportunity to look out for some different players.

College Football Rankings: Kansas State Getting Love To Start The Season

Bill Snyder's Kansas State Wildcats were one of the most surprising stories of 2011, amassing 10 wins and receiving a bid to the Cotton Bowl Classic. Last season's success has earned them respect among pollsters ahead of their season-opener against Missouri State on Saturday.

Jason Kirk, the lead college football writer for SB Nation, compiled a college football composite ranking based on some of the most popular preseason ratings systems. Kansas State shows up at No. 25 in the mash-up of seven different polls:

Included in the composite Top 25 below are the coaches' and AP polls, BCS guru Samuel Chi's projected BCS standings (which contain the funniest fact out of everything included here -- there's a BCS computer that doesn't rank the Florida State Seminoles at all), the final preseason edition of SB Nation's BlogPoll (which logs polls from our dozens of college football communities), Football Outsiders' projected F/+ rankings, the SI.com Top 25*, and our own SB Nation Studios Top 25 Countdown (which was concocted via a secret formula less esoteric than the BCS').

The Wildcats received their highest ranking from SI.com, who put K-State at No. 16. The lowest ranking came from Football Outsiders, who have Kansas State all the way down at No. 47.

For more on the Wildcats, be sure to visit Bring On The Cats. And, for additional college pigskin coverage, head over to SB Nation's NCAA football hub.

Bill Snyder Sees Growth 'Across The Board' In Collin Klein

Kansas State University head coach Bill Snyder had great praise for quarterback Collin Klein during the coach's weekly press conference on Wednesday.

Klein, who accounted for over 3,000 yards of total offense in 2011, is rated as one of the nation's top quarterbacks by numerous publications and has even garnered preseason All-Big 12 votes. According to Snyder, better things could be on the horizon for Klein, if his offseason growth has anything to do with it:

"The growth has been across the board. It is not just focused in one area. I think he has grown in every aspect of the game. He has grown in regards to his game management. He has grown in regards to his understanding of our offense and defense. I think he has grown in terms of his leadership. He has grown in terms of his confidence level. He has grown in terms of his overall understanding and presence on the field, as well as some physical things, running game and passing game. I have seen some positive movement in all of those areas."

Snyder went on to say that he feels comfortable with his senior QB doing some of his own playcalling, as does KSU co-offensive coordinator Del Miller.

The Wildcats open the season on Saturday vs. Missouri State in Manhattan, Kan. Kickoff is slated for 6:10 p.m. CT.

For more on the Wildcats, be sure to visit Bring On The Cats. And, for additional college pigskin coverage, head over to SB Nation's NCAA football hub.

Collin Klein Says Experience Helps Him Focus For K-State Season Ahead

Collin Klein is ready to lead the Kansas State Wildcats into yet another season. There's no question about that. Not only is the quarterback ready from a full year's starting experience, but even the way he's talking about the upcoming Wildcats' season shows that he's now an experienced pro after facing the gauntlet of the Big 12 schedule last season and coming out stronger on the other side.

Klein started his first full season at K-State last year and showed off how he can be a dual threat in the air and on the ground. With over 1,900 passing yards and over 1,100 rushing yards, Klein can command attention in multiple ways, and the experience will only him that much more successful.

"I am very ready," said Klein. "It's been hours of preparations and going up against yourself. A lot goes into it, but it will be good to have a test, so to speak, that we get to put a lot of our hard work to use."

Then again in the second year, K-State still faces a legion of doubters that they can repeat last season's success. Expectations are lower than what you'd expect for a team that finished in the Cotton Bowl, but Klein seems unphased at all by any inflated sense of confidence or a lack of it. Instead, he's calm and prepared as the senior quarterback leader.

"I definitely have more experience having gone through a full season," said Klein. "This is still the first game of the year. We have to make sure that we are working hard and all of our I's are dotted and T's are crossed. Coach (Snyder) says it all of the time that confidence comes from being prepared, and we still have four more days to prepare and keep working on it."

K-State Football Continues To Sell Out Games

For the first time in the history of Kansas St. Wildcats football, the program has sold out three football games before the season has even begun.

The Kansas State athletic department announced Sunday all public tickets for the Wildcats' Nov. 3, 2012, game against the Oklahoma St. Cowboys have been sold, making it the Wildcats' 11th sellout since 2009.

The last time that the program sold out more than one game in a season was 1999. That year, Kansas State recorded two sellouts.

In addition to the Oklahoma State game, the Sept. 1 home opener against the Missouri St. Bears and the Sept. 15 game against the North Texas Mean Green are also sold out. The athletic department also reported that tickets are limited for remaining home games against the Miami Hurricanes on Sept. 8, the Kansas Jayhawks on Oct. 6, the Texas Tech Red Raiders on Oct. 27 and the Texas Longhorns on Dec. 1.

Kansas State, ranked No. 22 in the nation to start the season, finished 10-3 in 2011.

For more on Wildcats football, visit K-State blog Bring On The Cats.

Kansas State vs. Missouri State: Game Preview

The 2012 season for the Kansas State Wildcats will kick off Saturday, Sept. 1, as the Wildcats play host to the Missouri State Bears.