Kansas State football players keep spirits high with No. 2 Baylor up next

Kansas State and Baylor are trending opposite directions.

The Wildcats have lost four straight for the first time in a decade under Bill Snyder, and are struggling to reach the end zone. The No. 2 Bears have won seven in a row, all by huge margins. They have scored at least 45 points in every game and tout the nation’s top offense.

On paper, Baylor should trounce K-State when they meet on Thursday night at Snyder Family Stadium. The Bears are understandably favored by 17 points.

The Wildcats understand the logic, but they disagree with it.

“We are going into the Baylor game with the attitude we can win,” freshman center Dalton Risner said.

“If we didn’t,” Snyder added, “we would find something else to do and not practice.”

Even Baylor coach Art Briles warns against sleeping on K-State, a team he hasn’t lost to since 2011.

“We have just tons of respect for Coach Snyder and their staff and Wildcat football,” Briles said. “We know it is going to take our best effort of the season to get out of there with a victory. Those guys are good.”

The Wildcats must be listening. Believe it or not, they say they gained confidence during their off week. Snyder described K-State’s past two practices as “good, and at times very, very good.” Early in the season, he watched players talk big and shrink when it came time to put in work behind the scenes.

The opposite has occurred lately.

“Nobody is down,” linebacker Elijah Lee said. “The spirit has actually gotten better since the start of the season. Everyone is on top of each other saying, ‘Hey, the season isn’t over. We still have games to play and the chance to get some wins.’”

K-State will need high spirits to challenge Baylor. But that alone won’t be enough to win.

The Bears are a juggernaut. They eclipsed 60 points in five straight games. Their average margin of victory is 38.

Not even the loss of starting quarterback Seth Russell sparked upset talk among K-State fans. The Wildcats pushed No. 5 TCU to the end in a 52-45 loss last month. But there is little buzz surrounding this game.

Perhaps that is what brought K-State players together in the past week.

“We are rallying around each other in practice,” Risner said. “It’s not like we haven’t won a game all year and we have no positives to look on. We have had good games. Our first three games were good. We had good games against Oklahoma State and TCU ... It is hard when we haven’t won in four weeks, but we have had a great week and a half of practice, probably the best we have had all season.”

The Wildcats hope that translates into inspired offense. They have looked hapless in their past two games, getting shutout against Oklahoma and mustering nine points against Texas.

Joe Hubener is completing 45.5 percent of his passes, receivers aren’t getting open and the running game is wildly inconsistent. Their 314.6 yards per game ranks 120th nationally. Snyder compared the slump to “hitting a brick wall.”

Something has to change for K-State to hang with Baylor.

“The most they have given up is 38,” Hubener said, “and 18 points is the closest game they have had. So hopefully we can score more than 38.”

Snyder explained how it can be done. He wants Hubener to process plays more quickly. If his primary receiver is covered, move onto the next option instead of forcing a throw. He wants K-State to gain big yardage on first downs, allowing them to take chances on second down and maintain a balanced approach. He also wants to control the clock and keep the ball away from Baylor.

“We know we have to put up points,” Risner said. “If you put up 20 points against Baylor, you know it’s probably not going to end the way you want ... As an offense, you just have to take it upon yourself to score every drive.”

The Bears haven’t allowed an opponent to do that all season.

It seems unlikely the Wildcats will be the first, but they believe it can be done.

This story was originally published November 3, 2015 at 6:25 PM with the headline "Kansas State football players keep spirits high with No. 2 Baylor up next."