2012 REVIEW
CHAMPIONS OF THE BIG 12 For the second straight season, K-State quieted the preseason prognosticators - and in a big way in 2012. An 11-1 record, which included a 10-0 start and the school’s first-ever No. 1 ranking in the BCS standings. A Big 12 Championship. A Heisman Trophy finalist. A National Coach of the Year. And 20 All-Big 12 performers. All coming after being picked to finish sixth in the Big 12 Conference race. Early on, K-State navigated its way to a 3-0 start which included a big 52-14 win over Miami in Manhattan. Then, the Cats made their biggest statement early in the season. K-State went into Norman and knocked off the No. 4 Sooners, the highest ranked opponent a Wildcat team had ever defeated on the road, to shoot up the national rankings. Wins over KU at home and gutty road wins at nationally-ranked Iowa State and West Virginia propelled the Cats to 7-0 and a No. 3 national ranking. Collin Klein’s 323 yards passing and seven total touchdowns launched the senior into the Heisman Trophy spotlight, which would culminate with a trip to New York City for the Colorado native as K-State’s second-ever Heisman finalist. Home wins over Texas Tech and Oklahoma State then followed before a gutty road win at TCU would propel the Cats to 10-0 and the No.1 spot in the BCS standings. The reality of a perfect season came to a halt the following week in Waco, Texas, as Baylor would hand the Cats their first loss of the season. But, K-State still had plenty to play for, and December 1 would provide Bill Snyder and company the opportunity to clinch the 2012 Big 12 Championship and a Fiesta Bowl berth at home and on Senior Night as K-State hosted Texas. And following a back and forth first half that cool December evening, that’s exactly what these Cats did.
Kansas State’s second-half game plan was relatively simple: Put the ball in the hands of its Heisman Trophy candidate and go win a Big 12 championship. That’s exactly what happened as K-State’s No. 7 led a second-half charge for a 42-24 victory over the Longhorns, and with it, tubs, and tubs, and tubs of chips and salsa at the Tostitos Fiesta Bowl against the Oregon Ducks. The final gun sounded at 10:26 on the night of Dec. 1, and by 10:29 p.m. the 100-yards of turf at Bill Snyder Family Stadium was covered by a sea of purple celebrating only the third conference championship in the history of the program that started in 1896. Instead of the normal senior farewell lap around the stadium, on this title night the entire team took center stage as the Big 12 Conference trophy was presented to coach Bill Snyder near the north end zone. To the sounds of “We Are The Champions” by Queen, on this night K-State stood as King of Big 12 Conference football. It was a mob-moment that Tyler Lockett said, “I’ll remember for a lifetime.” Athletics Director John Currie addressed the crowd by saying, “Coach Bill Snyder said he came back to calm the waters, but tonight he created a purple tidal wave.” After presenting the Big 12 trophy to B.J. Finney, who then handed it off to Arthur Brown, Snyder thanked the players and coaches, plus the K-State fan base as “… family. You’re a big part of this.” He would add, “It’s not just the championship itself, but what it meant to so many different people.” Taking his turn at the microphone, Klein said, “I thank God for bringing this family together. That’s the coaches, the brotherhood of players and the best fans in the country.” Klein then hoisted the crystal trophy above his head to twinkle in the Manhattan December night sky.
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