Talking With the Enemy: Q&A with a KSU Blog

Those of you who read this blog regularly know that we try to be fairly even handed and fair when it comes to our discussion of Husker opponents. Sure, sometimes it gets a little chippy. But, for the most part that is all done in good fun. But, for a few reasons I have a certain amount of bile built up when it comes to Kansas State. I won't go in to the details at this point, but let's just say I don't like 'em. So, staying rational about them has been a bit tough at times. Thankfully, I found a way to deal with this. God knows why, but I sort of befriended a fella who goes by the handle of "TB" and operates a blog called "Bring On th Cats". I suspect you've seen it. If not, give them a look.

My occational chats with TB have made my look at KSU a bit more reasonable. Still don't like 'em, but I can be reasonable about it. So, the least I can do is share the wealth, right? To that end, I offer the following Q&A with TB, as a way for you to hear about the Cats from somebody who covers them with passion.

BRN: Saturday is a big game, yeah? What would a win mean to KSU and their fans?
TB: It would be the fitting end to a completely surreal season. After the Tennessee Tech game, I thought perhaps we had won our last game. After the Iowa State game, I feared we had won our last game. After the Texas Tech game, I was certain we had won our last game. I almost openly mocked fellow fans who reminded me we weren't mathematically eliminated from North contention after two conference games and laughed at the possibility that we could go 5-3 in conference, the number required to make a bowl after our abysmal non-conference.

So, that's the background. For me personally, it would mean a big helping of crow that I'll be more than happy to dig into. For K-State fans generally, it would validate the re-hiring of Bill Snyder and give them a chance to authoritatively rub it in to fans of almost every Big 12 team who said this was a mistake, Snyder didn't have the magic, and K-State was destined for a long stay in the toilet. We've taken a lot of grief over the last few years, and a lot of people are ready for that to be over.

BRN: With bowl eligibility on the line, are there any regrets or grumbles about scheduling those two 1-AA teams today?
TB: Of course. I never want to play two FCS teams in a season. Bill Snyder doesn't, either, but there was no choice. The opening in the schedule happened so late and, with all the turmoil the previous administration left, we couldn't go throwing a ton of money at a team to come to Manhattan, not that there were tons of teams with open dates remaining on their schedule. We could write a treatise about how ridiculous this year's schedule has been. We played at UCLA and at Louisiana (!) in consecutive weeks. We didn't have a bye week. We played two FCS teams. We played a conference game against Iowa State at a neutral site.

BRN: Brief tutorial on the Cats - What players and match ups do you look for on both sides of the ball for KSU ... strengths/weaknesses?
TB: We have to figure out a way to slow down Ndamukong Suh and Brandon Crick. Our offensive line hasn't been bad this year, but Suh is another animal entirely. I didn't get to see much of the game last week against KU, so I don't know exactly what KU did to keep Suh in check, but our coaches need to take a look at it. One thing I'd like to see is a healthy dose of Daniel Thomas taking snaps in the Wildcat formation. That would give us an extra blocker, and it's not like we're going to throw a whole lot anyway. Plus, if we run out of that enough, we may be able to sucker the Husker defense in on jump pass or an option play-action.

Defensively, we need to keep Roy Helu in check. If we can't stop him without stacking the box, we're probably going to have a tough time. Nebraska's receivers on the whole aren't particularly intimidating, but if we have to put eight guys in tight to stop Helu, they'll find daylight at some point. I do hope we put Josh Moore, our best cornerback, on Niles Paul all day. For some reason, he wasn't lined up opposite Danario Alexander last week, and I think that hurt us.

BRN: What jumps out at you about Nebraska? What's the Cat view of NU in 2009?
TB: Obviously, Suh on defense is the first thing that jumps out. He's so big, he's so strong, he's so fast, he works so hard, he's so smart, and he's got such good technique. He's a nightmare for every offensive coordinator.

The other thing that jumps out is just how bad the offense has been. I think we all knew coming into the season that the Nebraska defense would be good -- I used that fact as a reason to make them my preseason favorite for the division -- but I think we thought the offense would be a little better than it has been. Zac Lee has obviously been a disappointment to most Husker fans. Along with the wide receivers not catching the ball consistently and the injuries at running back, it's been kind of a mess for the offense. Now that I say that, watch them get it all together and hang 40 on us.

BRN: Has Coach Snyder created genuine culture change there in just one year? If yes, then how?
TB: Yes, he has. Morale was in the dumps toward the end of the Ron Prince era, because there was genuine concern about how soon we'd be able to recover from the damage he had done. I'm not saying it's all better in just one year, but the improvement has been staggering. The offense doesn't put up numbers like the last couple years (except for on the ground, where it's way better), but they control the ball to hide any defensive deficiencies and they don't beat themselves with turnovers. On defense, the turnaround has been remarkable. From 117th last year to a top-50 unit this season, which is really a credit to Vic Koenning and Chris Cosh.

BRN: Lightning round - word association, quick (one word) answers only, first thing that jumps to mind...
- Ndamukong Suh: "Beast"
- Bill Snyder: "Miracleworker" (OK, that's probably cheating)
- Memorial Stadium in Lincoln: "Historic"
- Big 12 North: "Down"

So, that brings our little Q&A to a close. Please be sure to give the folks over at "Bring on the Cats" a read. Other than their fairly explicit dislike of KU, it is a very reasonable site. Thanks again to TB for taking the time to provide some answers.