K-State’s awkward new reality with Bill Snyder has to end one way or another
Bill Snyder built a football power here out of nothing more than drive and dreams and money that his new university did not yet have. The football success he built at Kansas State will be treasured forever, no matter what, but how those memories will be framed is both unclear and trending the wrong way.
What K-State football used to be is different than what it is today, and that’s been true for a generation, but always as a point of pride — a loser turned into a national power.
Right now, that means something else. It means a program built on overlooked two- and three-star recruits, special teams success, and winning at the margins is now nearly halfway through a season and still in search of direction.
It also means something jarring but undeniable in the wake of a 19-14 home loss to Texas on Saturday: K-State’s coaching advantage is gone.
“All losses are painful,” Snyder said.
That pain is becoming more and more familiar. K-State has often started slow, but hasn’t been stuck on two wins this late in a season since 2013. Before that, it was 2004. The Wildcats aren’t fast enough, aren’t athletic enough, aren’t strong enough. At the moment, the coaching isn’t good enough to make up for it.
KSU fans tend to remember the Ron Prince years as a dumpster fire in the middle of a manure field, but he bottomed out at 5-7. Various computer projections have the Wildcats winning two or fewer remaining games, which would be the first year without at least five wins since 2004.
Snyder is right, of course. All losses are painful. Football is too brutal a sport with too few opportunities to take a loss as anything other than rejection. This one is worse than most, for a lot of reasons, including that Texas hadn’t won here in 16 years.
But the worst is the sinking feeling that Snyder’s curious handling of his quarterbacks cost K-State the win.
With Alex Delton in the first half, K-State’s offense produced three punts, a safety, and a failed fourth down play at the goal line.
With Skylar Thompson in the second half, K-State scored two touchdowns.
“I thought he played well,” Snyder said of Thompson. “Yeah, he played well.”
That was the extent of his answer when asked to assess a quarterback who clearly provides a passing threat that Delton lacks. Nine words, though in response to a later follow-up question he added that Thompson “did what he was coached to do.”
This is a week after Snyder pulled Thompson in favor of Delton during a blowout loss to West Virginia, a decision that is certainly the head coach’s right but bizarre in execution — the man who traditionally coaches through his assistants did not discuss or inform the move with anyone.
What’s more, Snyder indicated that his quarterback plan for next week’s game at Baylor would be essentially the same.
“Some of you don’t want to hear what I’m saying, but both quarterbacks are going to play,” Snyder said. “Both will play.”
Asked if he had any regret of waiting too long for Thompson, Snyder answered simply: “No.”
Now, let’s make sure we’re fair. Thompson wasn’t the only difference in the second half. The offensive line was markedly better. The defense didn’t allow a point. There was more energy, fewer mistakes, and if Delton played the second half perhaps he would’ve benefitted. All of these things are true. One man does not completely dictate an outcome.
But that’s also part of the point. The offense was better with Thompson. Teammates were careful with their words — these are college kids — but several complimented Thompson’s ability to identify the right protections. Dalton Schoen expressed support for both quarterbacks, but said switching back and forth “definitely hurts a little bit from the rhythm standpoint.”
Thompson provides a dimension that Delton simply doesn’t. Texas stacked the line of scrimmage with eight defenders against Delton, even with three receivers split wide. Against Thompson, they had to back off, respecting the pass, loosening holes for the run. There are a thousand things that effect every football game, but K-State needs every advantage it can get. Thompson is an advantage.
The larger context is both important and impossible to deny. Snyder will turn 79 in eight days. He is the oldest coach in major college football. He no longer requires regular treatment for throat cancer, but the future is uncertain enough that it has to effect the program — recruits and assistant coaches can’t be sure what’s to come.
Snyder’s public desire for his son Sean to be the next coach has long been a point of contention within the athletic department, but without a major turnaround that’s trending toward an awkward conclusion — Sean’s case always centered around continuity, but who wants continuity now?
The end is often ugly in college football. That’s particularly true for powerful coaches, and few have been as powerful or influential on their campus as Snyder. The balance between a coach earning the right to choose his own end and the greater good of the program is rarely found.
Nobody wants that drama here. Snyder’s greatest success might be in convincing everyone to pull the same direction. That’s the essence of coaching, of course, but Snyder took it higher. He became a critical part of growth in the athletic department, around campus, throughout Manhattan and beyond.
So many have benefitted — Snyder’s success has literally created many jobs and enhanced others. Those memories and feelings should be cherished, and protected if possible.
He has been loyal to K-State, and K-State has been the same in return. The partnership has allowed each to prosper. Snyder talks constantly of believing in the people here, and the people here have always believed in him.
That’s beginning to crack.
You can hear it in the parking lot, in the stands, and anywhere else K-State supporters gather. They love this man. They revere him. They don’t want it to end ugly here, the way it has for other powerful coaches in other places.
That doesn’t have to happen. Snyder and the people around him can prevent that, and pull this season from the mud the same way they’ve done before. Time is running out, though. Opportunities are passing by.
Without a major change the rest of this season, a major change will be needed afterward.
This story was originally published September 29, 2018 at 8:46 PM.