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www.kstatecollegian.com | Friday, Oct. 23, 2009
Tenacious transfer
Sara Manco | Collegian
Senior defensive lineman Jeffrey Fitzgerald tackles Texas A&M quarterback Jerrod Johnson in a 62-14 win against the Aggies last Saturday. The senior transfer from Virginia finished the game with 2.5 sacks. Fitzgerald, who has started every game this year for the Wildcats has 4.5 sacks on the season.
Fitzgerald tackles vocal leadership, earns respect By Ashley Dunkak Kansas State Collegian
Senior defensive lineman Jeffrey Fitzgerald said he traditionally makes an effort to lead by example. With 2.5 sacks, a forced fumble and a fumble recovery during K-State’s dismantling of Texas A&M on Saturday, he set the bar high. Like quarterback Grant Gregory, Fitzgerald has come into a position of leadership despite being in his first year on the field for the K-State football program. Fitzgerald said he worked hard in the off-season to prove himself to his teammates. He said having the respect in the locker room is a very big factor of leadership. “If players don’t really respect you, they’re not going to follow your leadership, so I just did my best to earn that,” Fitzgerald said. He has tried recently to be more of a vocal leader than he had been previously. However, he said if a quiet, “Come on, pick it up,” into a player’s ear motivates him to work harder, that is all that needs
to be done. and is also enjoying his time here. “It’s hard to just flip the switch on be“I learned a lot from those coaches cause I don’t believe in false hype, just go- out there, which has allowed me to eleing out there and yellvate my game and uning for no reason,” derstand the game a lot Fitzgerald said. “It’s more,” he said. more what you say Upon arriving at Kthan how you say it.” State, he did not know A transfer from the much about Coach Bill University of VirginSnyder, he said. ia, where he was a “I’d heard a little buzz unanimous choice for about him,” Fitzgerald date of birth: OCT. 30, 1987 freshman All-Amerisaid. “He has a very big Height/Weight: 6’4”, 280 lbs. can and a season-long reputation out here, and Hometown: Richmond, Va. starter as a sophoplaying under him for High School: Mermitage High School more, Fitzgerald leads just this short time, I reYear: Senior K-State with seven ally understand why.” Position: Defensive end tackles-for-loss. Those Fitzgerald said SnyMajor: Sociology equate to over half a der is a great coach and Career starts: seven football field of negathat he is excited to be Tackles for loss: seven tive yardage for oppoplaying for him right sacks: 4.5 nents this season. now. Known as the arA connection bechitect of the greatest tween his coach at turnaround in Division Virginia and former K-State head coach I football history, the change that SnyRon Prince brought Fitzgerald to K-State. der achieved in the program during his He said he enjoyed his time at Virginia first stint as coach was reflected by the
An inside look at Jeffrey Fitzgerald
recent back-to-back games against teams from Texas. Despite the excitement of the 62-14 beat-down of Texas A&M, the team could not get complacent and quickly turned its attention to Colorado, safety Tysyn Hartman said. Fitzgerald said Tyler Hansen, quarterback of Colorado, is a mobile quarterback. Because of this, the defense’s focus will be keeping him in the pocket and forcing him to throw, he said. Since Hansen has the ability to make people miss, it will be necessary for multiple players to run to the ball, Fitzgerald said. “[We need to] mainly just do a good job staying in our rush lanes, not allowing him to see those creases and pockets where he could step up and cause more stress on our secondary,” Fitzgerald said. Fitzgerald said that Hansen is very similar to Jerrod Johnson of Texas A&M, whom the Wildcats intercepted three times on Saturday. However, he said he expected Hansen to try to get out and run more.
See FITZGERALD, Page 4
K-State staying level headed, preparing for Buffaloes By Grant Guggisberg Kansas State Collegian
After dismantling the Texas A&M Aggies last Saturday, the K-State football team looks to improve to 4-0 at Snyder Family Stadium with a homecoming matchup against the Colorado Buffaloes Saturday at 11:30 a.m. The Wildcats (4-3, 2-1 Big 12 Conference) face the Buffaloes (2-4, 1-1 Big 12 Conference), who, after a disappointing non-conference showing, stunned the Kansas Jayhawks last Saturday to move to 1-1 in the conference and muddle the Big 12 North race. Colorado lost its other Big 12 game, a 38-14 loss at Texas. Despite moving to the top of the conference standings this week and orchestrating a dramatic turnaround after a lopsided loss to Texas Tech, head coach Bill Snyder is telling his team to stay level-headed. “You have to put the past behind you in order to focus on the next game,” Snyder said. “There’s not really a lot of time to think about what happened the previous game because you have one day to process the emotions that come with either a win or a loss. So it is very important for myself and the rest of the coaching staff to keep our players focused on
the task at hand.” Senior quarterback Grant Gregory, the presumed starter for this week’s matchup, echoed Snyder’s thoughts on not getting too high or too low. “It starts with Coach Snyder because he has been in every situation imaginable as a coach,” Gregory said. “So he is a very even-keeled person, and we try to feed off him in that aspect.” While the Wildcats will be favored in the game against the Buffaloes, the team is not taking the challenge lightly. While the Buffaloes’ 2-4 record reflects some underachievement this season, Snyder and the Wildcats will focus on them as they do every week. Snyder is especially concerned with the recent quarterback switch from Cody Hawkins to Tyler Hansen. “He has the ability to make big plays at any point in the game,” Snyder said. “He is very elusive. You might think that you have him trapped, and before you know it he has slipped away and has made a big play. The Colorado coaching staff doesn’t want him to stay in the pocket. He has the ability to hurt you with both the run and the pass, so that presents numerous problems to a defense.”
See COLORADO, Page 3
Johnathan Knight | Collegian
Junior running back Daniel Thomas falls forward toward the end zone in last week’s 62-14 rout of Texas A&M. He finished the game with 91 yards rushing and four touchdowns.
Scouting Report Page 2 | Column Page 3 | Matchup page 3
Kansas State CollegIAn
PAGE 2
FRIDAY, OCTOBER 23, 2009
Scouting Report Riar Greer Tight end #87
RB
Greer, a senior, has become one of Colorado’s primary receiving threats during his collegiate career. He has hauled in 25 catches for 284 yards and three touchdowns through the season’s first six games. He currently ranks second on the team in all three statistical categories.
WR WR
RT
TE
Tyler Hansen Quarterback #9
C
RG DE
CB
Hansen, a sophomore, made his first start of the season last weekend against Kansas and he did not disappoint. The dual-threat signal-caller accumulated 209 yards of total offense while throwing for one score and running for another en route to a 34-30 upset of the nationally-ranked Jayhawks.
DT LB
LT
LG DT
WR
DE
LB
LB
Jeff Smart Linebacker #45 SS
Strengths Buffalo strengths
Quarterback: Former starter Cody Hawkins was replaced by sophomore Tyler Hansen, a dual-threat athlete who led the Buffaloes to a 34-30 upset of Kansas last weekend in Boulder, Colo. The Wildcats will need to be ready for Hansen’s athleticism, as he possesses the capability to change a game on a single play. Tight end: During his career, senior Riar Greer has been as reliable as anyone on Colorado’s roster. He has accumulated 76 catches for 856 yards and 10 touchdowns as a Buffalo. K-State will need to keep an eye on Greer all afternoon to keep him from having a big day. Wide receiver: Junior Scotty McKnight and sophomore Jason Espinoza have
served as ample targets for the Buffalo quarterbacks in 2009. They have combined for 48 catches, 506 yards and four touchdowns. The duo should provide a good challenge for the Wildcats’ secondary. Defensive line: Colorado’s front four has had little trouble getting into opponents’ backfields this season. The Buffaloes have already accumulated 17 sacks and 39 total tackles behind the line of scrimmage. KState’s offensive line was solid a week ago and will need a similar performance to protect Grant Gregory.
FS
Smart, a senior, has been as consistent as any defender in the conference this season. He currently leads the team and is second in the Big 12 Conference with 58 total tackles. He’s also recorded a sack, forced and recovered a fumble and intercepted a pass during the 2009 campaign.
combined for 104 tackles, six sacks and three forced fumbles this season.
Buffalo Weaknesses
Running back: Sophomore Rodney Stewart has been productive in 2009 – he is averaging 83.6 yards per game – but as a whole, Colorado’s ground attack has been dismal throughout the season. The Buffaloes aver-
Linebacker: Experience isn’t an issue for the Buffalo linebacking corps, which includes two seniors and a junior. Senior Jeff Smart leads the unit, which has
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age just 94 yards per game, which ranks dead last in the conference 108th out of all Divison I teams. Expect KState to exploit this unit after holding Texas A&M to minus 13 rushing yards last weekend. Offensive line: Injuries hurt Colorado’s front five early and the Buffaloes are still trying to recover. The start-
ers, which include three sophomores and a pair of juniors, have allowed 16 sacks and 36 tackles for negative yardage this season. This is good news for a K-State defensive front seven that sacked Aggie quarterback Jerrod Johnson a season-high six times last weekend. Secondary:
The
Buffalo
defensive backs have had problems creating turnovers in 2009. Colorado has only recorded four interceptions while allowing a 61.9 completion percentage, which ranks 11th in the Big 12. This could give K-State’s passing attack, which ranks dead last in the conference, a good opportunity to increase its season averages. -Compiled by Justin Nutter
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FRIDAY, OCTOBER 23, 2009
Wildcats set to pursue 4-0 home record vs. Colorado
The loss to Texas Tech Jayhawks look like the must have lit a match un- worst team in the conferder the Wildcats, because ence last Saturday, rackthe team was on fire ing up 34 points and against Texas A&M. over 300 yards. K-State went on to Colorado has had rout the Aggies 62-14 in a some problems this year, stunning upset. losing two earDaniel Thomly non conferas may not have ence games at reached the 100the beginning of yard rushing the season. The mark, but he did original starter have four rushat quarterback, ing touchdowns Cody Hawkins, to lead the team. has been inconThe Wildsistent throwcats used all of ing for more Tyler their options than 1,000 yards scott last week, taking and nine touchout senior quardowns, but also terback Grant throwing nine inGregory in the third terceptions. quarter and putting juAfter their victory nior quarterback Caragainst Kansas, they may son Coffman under cenlook to go with Tyler ter. However, Coffman Hansen again at quarterstruggled to keep the back. Hansen didn’t have train moving as Snyder a tremendous game, but called off the dogs late in threw for 175 yards and a the game with Coffman touchdown. throwing for only 45 The Buffaloes have yards. Gregory finished also used a mix of runwith 147 yards passing ning backs including and one touchdown. Rodney Stewart, who has The 500-yard averag418 yards and five touching Texas A&M offense downs. accumulated just 301, With Colorado’s victory while the Wildcats finagainst the Jayhawks, they ished with 424. Uzoma moved up to second in the Nwachukwu led the AgBig 12 North behind Kgies with 136 yards and State and tied with Kantwo touchdowns. sas and Nebraska. Brandon Banks only If the Wildcats plays had 60 yards receiving, how they did against but his 96 yard kickoff the Aggies, they are sure return for a touchdown to win against Coloraignited the crowd. His do and boost their conreturn for a touchdown fidence for the Kanshould put him in good sas game next month. company as one of the They need to get Danmost dangerous players iel Thomas back in the in the NCAA. game plan because ColoI think this was a surrado has allowed an avprising victory for the erage of 140 yards on the Wildcats and I don’t ground. Still undefeatthink many people exed at home, I think the pected them to win. I esWildcats can continue pecially didn’t think they their success. Look for would score as many K-State’s offense to progpoints as they did or play ress and pull out a 38-14 a shutout through the victory. first half. Next up for K-State is Colorado who is coming off an outstanding Tyler Scott is a junior in mass victory against Kansas. communications. Please send The Buffaloes made the comments to sports@spub.ksu.edu
COLORADO | Snyder: Gregory making progress each week, will improve more in time Continued from Page 1 Of course, Colorado is not the only team to make a quarterback change midseason. Snyder has stuck with Gregory as the starter since he made the change against Iowa State and continues to say he is making progress. “I think that [Gregory] has made some significant improvements, but I also think that he has some issues that have to get cleaned up,” Snyder said. “Those issues may be associated with his inexperience in our system but that will come with time. But I thought that he played well against Texas A&M and hopefully he can
continue to improve over the course of the season.” Also improving for the Wildcats was the play of the defense. Time of possession and controlling the line of scrimmage will be important points for both teams. Jeffrey Fitzgerald and the rest of the defensive line will need to put pressure on Hansen and force him into poor decisions, something they did last week against Texas A&M particularly well. “All the hard work finally came through for us on Saturday,” Fitzgerald said. “We continually worked on being a better team, especially on the defensive side.”
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Matching Up vs. defense
Offense The Wildcat offense showed it has the potential to score points in large numbers last week against Texas A&M. However, they have also shown all season that inconsistency is a big problem. The Wildcats were efficient on offense, especially at the line of scrimmage, with running back Daniel Thomas scoring four touchdowns. The Wildcats also benefited from a short field on most drives. Time of possession will be an important statistic for the Wildcats against Colorado. Neither offense is particularly efficient, which could make for an ugly game, similar to last year’s 14-13 loss.
The Colorado Buffaloes were efficient last week in their defeat of Kansas at home. Their quarterback, Tyler Hansen, has played well after replacing Cody Hawkins in the starting lineup. Hansen brings to the table more mobility, with the opportunity to use his feet to stifle the Wildcat defense. Last season, Hansen split time with Hawkins at quarterback, similar to the way Grant Gregory and Carson Coffman are splitting time for the Wildcats now. The Buffaloes also have a quality running back in Rodney Stewart, who is averaging more than 80 yards per game.
special teams The Wildcat special teams have performed admirably in the past few weeks, with each game bringing improvement to the table. Kick returner Brandon Banks has done especially well, taking a kickoff 96 yards for a touchdown, his third of the year. In addition, Josh Cherry has shown improvement and has had fewer pressure-filled situations in recent weeks.
The Buffalo defense has given up large amounts of points in every game so far this season. Colorado opponents have averaged 30 points per game, including a 54-point loss to Toledo. In addition, the defense is giving up nearly 400 yards of offense to opposing teams. Colorado does boast a solid defensive line, with 17 sacks so far this season, with five of those 17 coming against the Kansas Jayhawks last week. The Buffalo secondary has been largely unproductive, coming up with only four interceptions through the first six games. The secondary will need to protect against big plays by the Wildcats.
Prediction
The Buffalo special teams have been average this season. Against Texas, they gave up two special teams touchdowns on punt plays, while netting only 31 yards on punts all season. They have fared well blocking kicks, with three blocked kicks on the season. Their return game has been decent, and they have held opposing teams’ returners to just 16 yards on kickoffs.
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The K-State defense shined last week in a surprising turnaround, giving up no meaningful points in the game, with the second unit giving up just two touchdowns to the highscoring Aggie offense. The defensive line stepped up and put pressure on the opposing quarterback all game long, forcing him into errant throws and three interceptions. The Wildcats will need to do their best to contain Buffalo quarterback Tyler Hansen, who is known for his abilities as a mobile quarterback. Limiting big plays and controlling the line of scrimmage will be key to a Wildcat victory Saturday.
K-State 31, Colorado 17 This is another game that could go either way, with K-State having the edge playing at home. Colorado showed last week against Kansas that it can come up with big plays to win games, but on the road, the Buffaloes have not fared well. The 54-point loss at Toledo was an em-
barrassment, and the Buffaloes have not had the season they were hoping for. I would guess head coach Bill Snyder will have the Wildcats prepared for a physical game that will be won or lost at the line of scrimmage. In the end, Colorado makes too many mistakes and will fall to the Wildcats. -Compiled by Grant Guggisberg
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FRIDAY, OCTOBER 23, 2009
FITZGERALD | Team unity important to on-field success Continued from Page 1 While the Texas Tech game did not go as planned, the Wildcats never gave up, Fitzgerald said. “It just showed that we never give up,” he said. “Even when things don’t go right, we could take that game and teach a lesson.” Fitzgerald said while the defense made a good effort against Texas Tech, they had a hard time getting to the quarterback because they would get stuck on blocks. He said
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they know they have to do a good job of staying after the quarterback once the first effort doesn’t get there; they have to keep going because he likes to scramble. “We have to stick together if we want to make this thing work,” Fitzgerald said. “That team bond is a very big part of what we do on the field. Just coming together as team, as a unit, being a really tight-knit group, is very important to what we do on Saturdays.” Hartman said Fitzgerald is a good
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leader, great guy and great teammate and he is happy to know him and play with him. “[He’s] probably the best leader we have on our D-line,” Hartman said. “[He] really gets after the guys, gets them motivated, gets their spirits up when they’re down and just gets them to work real hard.” Snyder said Fitzgerald is taking some ownership of the defense and the defensive front four. “I’m awfully pleased with Jeff. [He’s a] good young guy,” Snyder said.
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