Kansas State Wildcats
Big 12
The Kansas State Wildcats have been the surprise of the season. They finished the season with ten wins and are looking towards a very good bowl game. While some may say that this team isn’t getting the respect they deserve, Kansas State has climbed the rankings. They finished second in the Big XII, a big improvement over last season’s 7-5 finish.
2011 Record: 10-2, 7-2
Last Bowl Appearance: 2010 Pinstripe Bowl vs. Syracuse (L 34-36)
Big Wins: 10/1 Baylor (36-35), 11/19 at Texas (17-13)
Bad Losses: 10/29 Oklahoma (17-58), 11/5 at Oklahoma State (45-52)
Coach: Bill Snyder (159-82-1 at Kansas State, 159-82-1 overall)
Bowl Record: 6-6 at Kansas State, 6-6 overall
Offensive Coordinator: Del Miller
Defensive Coordinator: Chris Cosh
Strengths:
Kansas State doesn’t make a lot of mistakes. They play a very controlled game within their strengths. Junior quarterback Collin Klein is a runner first and a passer second. He has rushed for 25 touchdowns and over 1000 yards while passing for 11 touchdowns and over 1500 yards. Klein has only thrown five interceptions, which has helped Kansas State reach a turnover margin of 1.08 (7th in FBS). Their defense stops the run well, allowing about 131 yards per game. On special teams, the Wildcats thrive on kickoff returns. They are averaging over 25 yards per return. That’s good for 10th in the nation and best in the Big XII.
Weaknesses:
The Wildcats are a very balanced team. They aren’t particularly great or horrible at any dimension of football. But there are always areas to improve. Kansas State currently allows three sacks per game. This is partially because quarterback Collin Klein often tucks the ball and runs, but his protection hasn’t been anything special this year. Their defensive line also rarely gets penetration into the backfield. They only average about 1.5 sacks per game and just under 4.5 tackles for loss per game. The final area that should cause Wildcats concern is their passing defense. These numbers are a bit inflated because Big XII teams pass the ball more than other conferences do, but they give up almost 270 yards per game through the air.
Statistical Leaders:
Rushing: Collin Klein, QB, 1,099 yards
Passing: Collin Klein, QB, 1,745 yards
Receiving: Chris Harper, WR, 536 yards
Tackles: Arthur Brown, LB, 95
Sacks: Meshak Williams, DE, 7.0
Interceptions: Nigel Malone, CB, 7
2011 Team Stats:
Rushing Offense: 193.00 (30, 5)
Passing Offense: 149.00 (109, 10)
Total Offense: 342.00 (97, 9)
Scoring Offense: 33.36 (28, 6)
Rushing Defense: 123.82 (27, 3)
Pass Defense: 277.73 (108, 8)
Total Defense: 401.55 (76, 5)
Scoring Defense: 28.27 (74, 5)
Turnover Margin: 1.00 (7, 2)
Sacks: 1.45 (91, 7)
Sacks Allowed: 2.91 (104, 10)
