North Texas Coach Has High Praise For K-State's Bill Snyder

Kansas State coach Bill Snyder and North Texas head coach Dan McCarney have a bit of history. They met more than 30 years ago, when Hayden Fry's staff left North Texas for Iowa. Later on, Snyder's move to become head coach at Kansas State and McCarney's similar gig at Iowa State brought the two to battle against one another.

On Saturday, they again met. This time, McCarney was the head coach at North Texas, and the Mean Green nearly toppled the No. 15 Kansas State Wildcats led by none other than Snyder.

Said McCarney of Snyder:

"It is a great program and it is an example of how to build a college football program, how to sustain one and how to win on game days. A lot of good effort by the players on our football team, but it was not enough to win the game. Our football team came in believing they could win, not hoping they could win. I did not sense any hope that we could win a game, but instead more sense in belief. We were not good enough to do it tonight."

Snyder likewise had kind words for McCarney, whose squad lost 35-21 but put a scare into the Wildcats, who struggled with tackling and poor overall execution. The Kansas State coach said he could see a tough game coming during this week's practice, when the Wildcats just didn't look sharp.

They'll need to find themselves quickly. Kansas State meets the No. 6 Oklahoma Sooners this Saturday.

Check out Bring On The Cats for more on Kansas State football or hit up SB Nation's college football hub.

Heisman Trophy Watch: Kansas State's Collin Klein Continues To Garner National Attention

The Kansas State Wildcats are locked within the top 15 or 20 college football teams in the nation no matter which rankings you want to use. The same was true last season under head coach Bill Snyder as well. So it's not surprising to see some of their players gaining recognition with more and more time in the spotlight as a recognized program. Collin Klein is taking advantage as the Wildcats' quarterback and is earning some rave reviews for his position -- including some potential Heisman Trophy consideration.

The Heisman celebrates the top player in college football, so it's an honor to even be considered for the award. Klein is finding his name on early Heisman candidate rankings this season, and the latest is found at CBS Sports where Chris Huston has him at No. 6 overall despite a subpar week against North Texas:

There's something about Klein that makes him an appealing candidate. A friend of mine commented on the oddity of his throwing motion during Saturday's 35-21 K-State win over North Texas, but he was forced to admit that he still gets the job done. No other player in college football seems to succeed by the same kind of sheer will that Klein does.

On the season he is completing 73% of his passes--a huge improvement over last year--with 609 yards and five touchdowns, to go with 210 rushing yards and four scores. He's on pace to have 2,436 passing yards, 840 rushing yards and 36 total touchdowns. He'll have to improve those numbers quite a bit, but I think he's likely to do so as he gets into a groove against more able competition.

A hard-nosed leader on an underdog team, Klein has a chance to become the sentimental favorite for the award as the season wears on.

For more on Kansas State, check out Bring On The Cats for analysis and discussion.

Kansas State's Bill Snyder: 'We Were Not Well Prepared' Against North Texas

After a 35-21 win over the North Texas Mean Green, Kansas State coach Bill Snyder focused on the necessary adjustments he felt his team needs to make during the upcoming week of practice.

College Football Rankings: Kansas State Needs Oklahoma Victory To Gain National Respect

Another week, another win for Bil Snyder's Kansas State Wildcats. However, it's also clear that the national media like K-State enough to rank them but not nearly enough to consider them a real shot at the national title. The Wildcats are 3-0 after another victory this week -- this time over North Texas -- but K-State remains a team that is largely considered a group of overachievers. In short, they need a statement win.

The good news is that they will get their chance this Saturday against the Oklahoma Sooners. Bob Stoops has his team at No. 6 in the country and they are also the top ranked Big 12 program in the latest AP Top 25. The SEC has three teams in the top five, so it's clear where the most respect is at on a national scale, but the Big 12 is deep and very, very good and a strong showing against the team will definitely sound the alarms for Kansas State's viability as a title hopeful.

Of course, the Wildcats cannot come out as flat against the Sooners as they did against North Texas. If they do, then they don't stand a chance anyway. However, Snyder knows what is at stake this week as well as anyone and the storied coach will have his players ready to play and disciplined from the outset.

Even after the North Texas game, players like Tyler Lockett were already speaking out about the big game ahead, so perhaps K-State was a bit too anxious and looking up-field, metaphorically speaking, against North Texas to look sharp. If so, then that only builds the momentum toward next week's Big 12 showdown.

If K-State has a decent showing in a loss, then expect the Wildcats to continue to bounce from No. 10 to 25 for the rest of the season depending on how it plays out. But if they really want to crack the BCS party and warrant some national attention, the Sooners will have to put one in the loss column next Saturday.

College Football Rankings: Oklahoma, West Virginia Top Big 12 Teams In AP Top 25

The Kansas State Wildcats stay at No. 15 in the latest AP Top 25.

North Texas Vs. Kansas State 2012: Wildcats Down Mean Green, 35-21

The Kansas State Wildcats used a steady effort to defeat the North Texas Mean Green 35-21 on Saturday night at Bill Snyder Family Stadium.

After a North Texas touchdown early in the third quarter made it a 14-13 game, 15th-ranked Kansas State began to put the game away. K-State quarterback Collin Klein led the Wildcats on an eight-play, 77-yard drive. A 21-yard pass to Tramaine Thompson was originally called incomplete, but video review awarded Thompson with the touchdown, putting the Wildcats up 21-13.

Five minutes later, Kansas State had completed a 75-yard scoring drive as North Texas began to wear down. The strong second half led to a big box score from Klein, who would also punch in a one-yard run on the ground for a 35-13 lead.

Klein finished his night with 238 yards on 16-21 passing while adding 84 yards on the ground. Thompson tallied 102 receiving yards and two touchdowns through the air.

North Texas quarterback Derek Thompson was an accurate 25-28 for 209 yards and one touchdown in the loss.

Kansas State now moves on to play 5th-ranked Oklahoma on the road next week.

For more on Kansas State, visit Bring On The Cats.

North Texas Vs. Kansas State Score Update: Wildcats Take 14-7 Lead

After a tied first quarter, the No. 15 Kansas State Wildcats took a 7-point lead over the North Texas Mean Green in the second quarter and have a 14-7 lead after the first half of play at Bill Snyder Family Football Stadium.

The Wildcats struggled to get anything going offensively in the first quarter, finishing the opening quarter without a first down, but returned a kickoff 96 yards for a score following a North Texas touchdown. In the second quarter, the K-State offense found much more success, beginning with a nine-play, 87-yard drive.

However, that drive ended with a turnover on downs as the Wildcats elected to go for it on the North Texas 6-yard line and were stopped. A missed Mean Green field goal gave K-State the ball back and the Wildcats took advantage with a 38-yard touchdown pass from Collin Klein to Tramaine Thompson.

North Texas will begin the second half with the ball.

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

North Texas Vs. Kansas State Score Update: Tied 7-7 After First Quarter

In a game where the No. 15 Kansas State Wildcats entered as heavy favorites, it was the North Texas Mean Green that opened the game with a six-yard touchdown run by Brelan Chancellor. The Wildcats answered back quickly, though, with a 96-yard kickoff return by Tyler Lockett on the ensuing kick.

With first-team All-Big 12 and preseason All-American Arthur Brown sidelined with an injury, the Mean Green have been the ones controlling the game offensively, with efficient ball movement. North Texas quarterback Derek Thompson completed 9 of 10 passes in the first quarter for 59 yards, while K-State's Collin Klein has yet to complete a pass.

In fact, the Wildcats were unable to earn a first down in the first quarter at all, with two three-and-out drives. They'll need a better offensive performance if they hope to take the lead and avoid a Mean Green upset bid.

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

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

Kansas State, ranked No. 15 in the nation, isn't taking the Mean Green of North Texas lightly, even with a showdown with 5th-ranked Oklahoma on deck.

How could they? Wildcats coach Bill Snyder has his fingerprints all over the program. He coached under Hayden Fry at North Texas from 1976-78, and got his first win with K-State (and his career) over the Mean Green in 1982.

Then there's the last meeting between the teams in 2010. The Wildcats won a wild 49-41 decision in Denton, Texas.

K-State (3-0) will host North Texas (2-1) at 6 p.m. CT Saturday and are 28.5 point favorites. While Louisiana-Monroe proved no team can be overlooked, it would be a massive upset for the Mean Green to walk out of Manhattan with a win.

The game is on FSN locally.

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

Bill Snyder Keeps K-State Focused On North Texas

The Kansas State Wildcats are coming off a dominant 52-13 showing against Miami and have a huge road game at No. 5 Oklahoma next week.

However, before they can start worrying about the Sooners, there's the small manner of the North Texas Mean Green, an unheralded Sun Belt team coming into Manhattan this Saturday.

It's the definition of a trap game, something Kansas State coach Bill Synder is well aware of:

"I've proven I can overdo it sometimes," Snyder said. "The message is the same as it is week in and week out, which is don't take anything for granted and take it a day at a time and not look beyond and prepare ourselves for today."

Taking it one day at a time has been a part of coach speak for so long that it's a cliche, but that doesn't make it the wrong way to go about things.

The Wildcats will need to be at 100% to beat Oklahoma, which means maintaining strong habits and playing up to their potential against North Texas.

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

College Football Rankings: Kansas State Ranked No. 13 By SB Nation Bloggers

In the latest SB Nation BlogPoll, a college football ranking system built on votes from the various college football blogs around the SB Nation network, the Kansas St. Wildcats made a big leap into the top 15. Following the Wildcats' 52-13 beatdown of the Miami Hurricanes, the voters pushed them up eight spots to No. 13, ahead of schools like the Ohio St. Buckeyes and TCU Horned Frods.

The Alabama Crimson Tide, LSU Tigers and USC Trjoans took the top three spots in the latest rankings, with those three schools garnering all but one first-place vote. The No. 14 Buckeyes got the other first-place selection.

K-State made the third-biggest jump of any team in the Top 25 in this week's BlogPoll. The only schools that had a better move were the UCLA Bruins, who jumped up 21 spots to No. 20, and the Florida Gators, who got pushed up 10 spots to No. 17.

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

Kansas State Favored Over North Texas By 28 Points

The oddsmakers over at Odds Sharks believe the Kansas State Wildcats will continue to steamroll their opponents Saturday when they host the North Texas Mean Green.

The Wildcats (2-0) are 28.5-point favorites over the Mean Green for Saturday's game, which will be the third straight home game for Kansas State to open the season. The Wildcats have been impressive in home wins over Missouri State and Miami (Fla.) so far in 2012, and North Texas doesn't appear to pose enough of a threat to deter oddsmakers' confidence in the Big 12 team. Kansas State has outscored its opponents, 103-22, so far.

Five Dimes, SportsBook.com and Top Bet all have the Wildcats as 28.5-point favorites as well. Odds Shark has the over/under set at 58 while Five Dimes has it set at 55.5.

Kickoff from Manhatten, Kan., is set for 6 p.m. on Saturday.

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

Kansas State Vs. North Texas: Wildcats Hope Undefeated Streak Continues

Collin Klein and the Kansas State Wildcats welcome the North Texas Mean Green on Saturday, looking to continue to build their high-flying offense against another relatively easy opponent.