But last season was the first time the Wildcats had not posted a winning season since the 1992 team went 5-6, also the time they had not won nine or more games.
In the last eight seasons, the Wildcats have the second-best record (87-22-1) in the Big 12. Snyder resurrected a program that went 1-36-1 during a miserable stretch at the end of the 1980s.
"Bill Snyder isn’t the coach of the year, and he isn’t the coach of the decade," former Oklahoma and Dallas Cowboys coach Barry Switzer said. "He’s the coach of the century."
Snyder entered spring practice with plenty of work to get the team back atop the Big 12.
In addition to the loss of 15 starters, the Wildcats lost defensive coordinator Phil Bennett, who left after the 2001 season to be head coach at SMU.
Bennett was replaced by Bobby Elliott, an assistant at Iowa from 1987 through last season and the Hawkeyes’ associate and assistant head coach since 1998. Elliott was also defensive coordinator in 1996-97.
Elliott inherited a defense that ranked third nationally in total defense, but also had several key personnel losses. He spent the spring teaching his system and filling some openings.
Bennett’s defense earned the nickname, "Lynch Mob," and based on its performance in the spring game, the mob has not lost much of its muscle. The No. 1 defense limited the second-team offense to 138 yards and no points until the last play.
Last year, the Wildcats’ schedule was rated as the fourth toughest among Division I-A schools. Eight of the 11 regular-season opponents played in bowl games.
The 2002 schedule is a little more Wildcat fan friendly. Kansas State plays eight home games for the first time in school history. Seven of the Wildcats’ 12 opponents played in the postseason in 2001, including two I-AA teams, Western Kentucky and Eastern Illinois, which lost in the first round of the I-AA playoffs.
Snyder’s 59-16 record over the last six seasons is the third best among active coaches, behind Florida State’s Bobby Bowden (64-10) and Tennessee’s Phil Fulmer (62-13).
However, Snyder won’t be looking back. Not after last year.
QUARTERBACKS
Junior Ell Roberson and senior Marc Dunn both return after starting last season.
Roberson (6-1, 205) started 10 games and was the team’s second-leading rusher with 643 yards, averaging 4.5 yards per carry, and scored nine rushing touchdowns.
Roberson completed 54-of-136 passes for 855 yards and four touchdowns. He was intercepted eight times. He led the team in total offense and had a 372-yard game against Oklahoma, which ranked 10th in the program’s single-game total offense list. He threw for 257 yards in that game.
Dunn (6-4, 205) started against Texas Tech and Kansas. In nine regular-season games, Dunn threw for 635 yards, completing 55-of-122 passes. He threw four touchdown passes and was intercepted eight times. Dunn rushed for only 48 yards, averaging one yard per carry, and scored three rushing touchdowns.
In the bowl game, Dunn came off the bench and completed 12-of-25 passes for 151 yards. Roberson completed only 2-of-15 passes for 70 yards. Both quarterbacks were intercepted once.
In the spring game, junior Jeff Schwin (6-2, 188) was the top passer, completing 10-of-23 passes for 105 yards and a touchdown. Roberson was 6-of-16 for 210 yards and a touchdown with the Purple (first) team and 1-of-5 for four yards with the White (second) team. He threw an 88-yard touchdown pass to Taco Wallace.
Dunn was 7-of-13 for 85 yards with the first team and 0-of-2 with the backups.
RUNNING BACKS
Both starters in the backfield must be replaced with the departures of tailback Josh Scobey and fullback Rock Cartwright.
Scobey set a school single-season record in 2001, rushing for 1,263 yards and 15 touchdowns in the regular season. He led the Big 12 in all-purpose yards with a 124.5-yard per game average. Scobey also caught nine passes for 52 yards.
Cartwright was an outstanding blocking fullback for Scobey and also a good offensive threat. He was the team’s third-leading rusher with 292 yards, averaging 4.4 yards per carry, and scored two rushing touchdowns. He also caught 15 passes for 108 yards.
Despite the losses, the Wildcats are confident they can keep the ball moving on the ground.
Junior Danny Morris (5-11, 200) will contend for the starting job, but must beat out sophomore Darren Sproles (5-7, 170), who is coming off a solid debut as a freshman.
Sproles played only six games because of injuries, but still rushed for 210 yards and averaged 7.5 yards per carry.
With an outstanding spring, Sproles may have locked down the No. 1 tailback job for the start of the preseason. He rushed for 100 yards on 15 carries in the spring game and scored on runs of 16 and 3 yards.
Red-shirt freshman Carlos Alsup (6-1, 195) will also contend for carries.
Junior Travis Wilson (6-4, 240), a transfer from Michigan State, is the top candidate to start at fullback. Wilson sat out the 2001 season after transferring.
WIDE RECEIVERS/TIGHT ENDS
In the spring, the Wildcats began reconstructing their receiving corps. Gone are the top six players on the receptions list from the 2001 season, including leading receiver Aaron Lockett, a four-year letterman and the starting wide receiver last year.
Junior Derrick Evans (5-11, 175), red-shirt freshman Davin Dennis (6-1, 175) and senior Taco Wallace (6-1, 190) were slotted as the starter at wide receiver when the spring started.
Evans was backed up by senior Jerry McCloud (5-9, 170) and Dennis was backed up by junior LaRoy Bias (6-0, 186).
Evans played in five regular-season games last season and had two catches for 79 yards and a touchdown. He had four catches for 91 yards in the spring game.
Dennis had one catch for 48 yards.
Sophomore Antoine Polite (6-2, 180) will likely work his way into the receiver rotation. He had five catches for 59 yards in the spring game and was slotted as Wallace’s backup at the start of the spring.
Tight end Nick Warren, the starter last season, has also departed. Warren was fourth on the team in catches with 16 for 179 yards.
Senior Brian Lamone (6-4, 250) was the No. 1 tight end at the start of the spring with junior Thomas Hill (6-5, 260) as the backup. Hill played in six regular-season games last year and had one catch for 21 yards.
Lamone had one catch for 20 yards in the spring game and Hill didn’t catch a pass.
Junior tight end Travon Magee (6-7, 265) made a push for the starting job in the spring. A junior college transfer, Magee was red-shirted last season.
OFFENSIVE LINE
Because of several injuries in 2001, the Wildcats used nine different starters and eight combinations on the line during the 12 games, and that experience gained may be to their benefit this season.
Junior left guard Nick Leckey (6-4, 285) was the only lineman to start all 12 regular-season games. Leckey, who played as a freshman in 2000, will anchor the line this season.
Senior Billy Miller (6-6, 275) was slotted as the other starter at the beginning of spring practices and will likely hold that spot in the fall. Miller started the last three games of the 2001 season. He was red-shirted in 2000 after playing two seasons at El Camino (Calif.) College.
Sophomore Mike Johnson (6-4, 280) was Leckey’s backup on the left side and junior college transfer Jesse Keaulana-Kamakea (6-3, 270) was Miller’s backup at right guard.
Senior Steve Washington (6-4, 315) will be the starting center. Washington started nine games in 2001, including the last six. Before breaking into the starting lineup last season, Washington was a backup, but he played considerable snaps.
Senior Thomas Barnett (6-5, 290) should return to the starting lineup at left tackle after missing the 2001 season with an injury. Barnett, who was hurt in the preseason, started all 14 games at right tackle as a junior on a line that allowed only nine sacks all season.
As a sophomore in 1999, Barnett started 10 games and was chosen to the coaches’ All-Big 12 honorable mention team. He was a third-team All-American pick by The Sporting News in 1998 as a red-shirt freshman.
At right tackle, senior Dralinn Burks (6-4, 305) was slotted as the starter early in the spring and was backed up by junior college transfer Peni Holakeituai (6-6, 310). Doty could also move over to the right side as the No. 2 tackle.
DEFENSIVE LINE
The front line returns intact except for the loss of tackle Jerry Togiai, who started five regular-season games.
As spring practice began, junior Justin Montgomery (6-2, 281), who started seven regular-season games, was atop the depth chart at nose tackle. Montgomery had 25 tackles, two tackles for loss, and was second on the team in quarterback hurries with nine, despite playing only nine games in 2001.
Junior Corey White (6-3, 285) and sophomore Jerad Cowan (6-4, 290) pushed Montgomery for the starting job at nose tackle in the spring.
The top returning lineman is senior Tank Reese (5-11, 280), the Big 12 Defensive Newcomer of the Year. He was the third straight Wildcat to earn that award. Reese, the starter at tackle, was sixth on the team in tackles with 49, the most for any lineman. He had seven tackles for loss and seven quarterback hurries.
White could also play the tackle spot behind Reese.
Senior Henry Bryant (6-1, 255) started all 12 games at left end last season and finished with 47 tackles, including a team-high 12 assists. Bryant, however, isn’t a lock for the starting job.
In the spring, Bryant was slotted as co-starter with junior Andrew Shull (6-5, 260), who played only five games because of an injury but had 30 tackles, five tackles for loss and one sack.
Bryant was among the leading tacklers in the spring game with eight tackles.
At the other end, senior Melvin Williams (6-3, 270) was slotted as the starter in front of junior Bryan Hickman (6-3, 220). Williams, who missed four games with injuries in 2001, played in seven regular-season games last season and had 14 tackles, seven for losses, and led the team in quarterback hurries with 12. Hickman played in nine games and had 14 tackles, one for loss.
LINEBACKERS
Two of the three starting linebackers return for the 2002 season, but the big loss will be four-year letterman Ben Leber, who opted for the NFL draft.
Leber, a third-team All-American and first-team All-Big 12 pick, led the team in tackles (73), tackles for loss (15) and sacks (5.5). He was chosen in the third round by the San Diego Chargers.
However, the linebacking corps should be solid with the return of junior Terry Pierce (6-3, 250) at middle linebacker and junior Josh Buhl (6-0, 210) at one outside linebacker.
Buhl tied for third on the team in tackles last season with 68 and had four tackles for loss and one sack. He recovered two fumbles.
At the end of the season, Buhl was playing his best football, finishing with 13 tackles against Nebraska and a team-high 10 against Missouri. Buhl started nine games last season.
Pierce tied Buhl in tackles with 68, was second in tackles for loss with 11 and had two sacks.
One of the most competitive battles in the spring was for the other linebacker spot.
Senior Andy Klocke (6-2, 220) and junior Bryan Hickman (6-3, 220) were the frontrunners for the job. Hickman played in nine games last season and made 14 tackles and Klocke played in 11 games and had 11 tackles, two tackles for loss and one sack.
DEFENSIVE BACKS
Both safeties are gone, leaving a big void in the secondary. The key loss was free safety Jon McGraw, chosen in the second round of the NFL draft by the New York Jets.
McGraw, an All-Big 12 third-team player, was second on the team in tackles with 71 and led the team with four interceptions.
Also gone are starting strong safeties Derrick Yates and Milton Proctor.
Senior Terence Newman (5-11, 185) returns as the starter at one cornerback spot. Newman, a semifinalist for the Thorpe award, was fifth on the team in tackles with 51 and had three tackles for loss, three interceptions and a team-high 14 pass breakups. He started every game.
Juniors Travis Horchem (5-10, 184) and Louis Lavender (6-0, 185) were slotted as co-backups behind Newman in the spring.
At the other cornerback, junior James Dunnigan (5-8, 180) was the starter in the spring, ahead of sophomore David Rose (5-10, 180). Dunnigan played in nine games last season after transferring from Garden City Community College. He started eight games for Purdue in 1999.
Senior Bobby Walker (6-1, 195) is the probable starter at free safety. Red-shirt freshman Jesse Tetuan (6-0, 185) and senior Brandon Solt (6-3, 170) were backups for Walker in the spring.
Junior strong safety Rashad Washington (6-3, 210) was impressive in the spring, and that should help his starting case at strong safety in the fall. Sophomore Marcus Patton (6-1, 210) is the probable backup.
PUNTERS
Senior Travis Brown (6-4, 215) averaged 43.4 yards on 14 punts last season, which would have ranked sixth in the Big 12 had it been enough to qualify for the league statistics.
Brite, however, will battle Brown for the starting job. Brite has averaged 38.8 yards on 86 punts in his career with 26 of those punts stopping inside the 20-yard line. Last season, Brite averaged 40.7 yards on 18 punts, with three inside the 20.
SPECIAL TEAMS
Gone is Eric Lockett, who became the first player in school history to gain at least 4,000 all-purpose yards in his career. Lockett led the team in kick returns last season, averaging 28.4 yards per return. He returned a kickoff 97 yards for a touchdown against New Mexico State.
Lockett was also the top punt returner, averaging 10.8 yards on 32 returns.
Newman, the cornerback, has great speed, as evidenced by his performances for the Wildcats’ track team. He earned All-America honors last season in the NCAA Indoor Championships when he finished sixth in the 60-meter run.
Newman and Sproles, the tailback, will contend for the punt and kickoff return job.
Last season, Newman had nine punt returns and averaged 23.4 yards per return.
RECRUITING CLASS
As has been the case in recent years, Kansas State went heavy on junior college signees. Of the 26 signees, 11 are junior college transfers.
Kansas State’s class was rated No. 15 in the nation by Rivals.com.
The class is dominated by offensive linemen (eight) and defensive backs (seven). The rest of the class consists of four wide receivers, four defensive tackles, two running backs, two linebackers, one defensive end, one tight end and one quarterback.
The quarterback is Dylan Meier (6-4, 190) of Pittsburg (Kansas) High School. Meier was rated as a member of the Kansas Top 11 by the Topeka Capital-Journal. He was a two-time all-state player and became the first 1,000-yard rusher and passer in the history of his conference.
His brother is Shad Meier, the former Kansas State player now with the Tennessee Titans.
The running backs signed were Donnie Anders (5-10, 180) of Salina Central (Kansas) High School and Daniel Davis (6-0, 215) of Garden City (Kansas) Community College.
Davis was ranked 11th nationally among non-high school players by Rivals.com. He rushed for 914 yards in 2000 but did not play last season.
Anders was rated No. 27 in the nation among all-purpose backs by Rivals.com. As a senior, Anders rushed for 3,255 yards and 42 touchdowns, leading the Mustangs to a 12-0 record and the Class 5A state championship.
Offensive lineman Michael Weiner (6-5, 265), a transfer from Highland (Kansas) Community College, is the brother of former Kansas State player Todd Weiner (1995-97), who plays for the Seattle Seahawks.
BLUE RIBBON ANALYSIS
Kansas State must replace tailback Scobey, whose 1,263 yards was the best single-season output ever by a Wildcat back. In part because of Scobey’s running, the Wildcats ranked fifth nationally in rushing offense, averaging 257.7 yards per game.
Despite the loss of Scobey, the rushing game could be potent again with the nucleus of the line returning.
The Wildcats, however, weren’t effective as a passing team last season and that needs to improve. Both starting quarterbacks return, but the receiving corps was depleted by graduation. Kansas State ranked last in the Big 12 and 113th nationally in passing offense last season, averaging 136.1 yards per game.
In the spring, the passing game showed some progress. The real test, however, comes this fall. Can they do it against Big 12 secondaries? Stay tuned.
Last season, the Wildcats were third nationally in total defense, allowing 262.4 yards per game -- second only to Texas in the Big 12.
Kansas State’s defense may not be quite as stout this season -- it had a couple of key losses on the line and secondary and at linebacker -- but it won’t drop far.
After their four previous seasons, 2001 was a letdown for the Wildcats. It ended with a convincing loss to Syracuse in the Insight.com Bowl.
That will leave the Wildcats hungry this year. They probably won’t win the Big 12 North, but they should be plenty competitive.
