Kansas State Football: Alex Barnes’ great day can’t save Wildcats
By Chris Taylor
Like the majority of this season so far, Kansas State Football found multiple ways to lose a football game. All while Alex Barnes dominated.
It’s going to be a long season for Bill Snyder and Kansas State Football. Missed opportunities and uncharacteristic mistakes have held the Wildcats down all season.
This one stings against Baylor. For many reasons.
First and foremost, it’s a loss to Baylor, which doesn’t mean what it did half a decade ago. This loss says a lot about Kansas State.
Alex Barnes had a career day, and not just a career day, he went off. With just 22 carries, he gained 250 yards and scored three touchdowns. His touchdown runs were 34,48, and 55 yards.
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Barnes rushed like the running back he was supposed to be coming into college. He literally could not be stopped. And the Wildcats still lost.
Special teams have been an issue for this Kansas State football squad as well. Once a staple for Bill Snyder’s team, it has now turned into a part of the game the Wildcats try to avoid. A blocked extra point, a missed field goal, and a turnover on Isaiah Zuber‘s lone return set the Wildcats up for failure.
Penalties were once again an issue, especially down the stretch. Two late hits that were extremely unnecessary gave added life to the Baylor offense. Reggie Walker was ejected for targeting on a blown play, and Daquan Patton tackled a Bear out of bounds, both extended the Baylor drive.
When the defense has stepped up, the offense has been on vacation. Against Baylor, the roles were reversed. Barnes career day could have been even more impressive had Snyder continued to hand him the ball. Instead, Skylar Thompson threw to the other team. He had two interceptions on an otherwise decent day, but again, those mistakes killed the Wildcats.
Had the defense that showed up against Texas, the team that beat Oklahoma by scoring 48 after only scoring 19, the Wildcats would have won easily.
Kansas State is in jeopardy of missing out on Bowl season this year, thanks to mistakes and bad football. As it stands, these Wildcats don’t deserve a bowl bid.
Next. Top 5 games under Snyder. dark
It will be interesting to see if the Kansas State football team can finish strong as they have in the past. Either way, this season has been a disappointing one.