College: Kansas State University
Year: 2014
Game: Auburn 20 Kansas State 14
Rating: 7
Cost Index: 120 dollar ticket (I way, way, way over paid...no reason to buy tix in advance for Thursday night games)
Tickets: Easy - there were plenty of buyers walking around the stadium
Stadium: Snyder Family Memorial Stadium
Description: One thing that I've noticed on these excursions is how accurately these Universities represent their regions. K-State was no different. The people in this area of the country are extremely friendly and welcoming. The region is pristine and very pretty. We are led to believe it's nothing but cornfields from Kansas City to Denver but this is not the reality, it's a very relaxing and scenic place to drive.
Bill Snyder Family Stadium was originally built in 1968 but it was recently renovated so it mine as well be new. I think most of the K-State campus is made of limestone and they kept with that theme when building/renovating this guy. Very nice stadium, not iconic or anything along those lines. Only feature that stands out is the press box.
Given that we are in Kansas you would think there is plenty of room around the stadium to tail gate....and there is plenty of room. So much room they kept their old football stadium around for soccer. The stadium is set on it's own on the north west side of campus with large tail gate lots on either side. They had a good sized RV area as well. The tail gate was noticeably sober which led to a a loud, but not overly loud, crowd compared to other places I've been. People were drinking, but it wasn't the out of control frat boy bullshit you see most places, which is a nice change of pace. The crowd was plenty loud enough to affect the game but I saw zero bullshit during the game.
The student section is 100% as legit as advertised. I don't usually go into a game early but because I was flying solo I went in 90 minutes before kick off. The student section and the band start their cheers an hour before the game and they keep it going up until the kick. I can't say it's the craziest student section I've seen (Wisconsin) or the loudest (Penn State) but they are the most co-ordinated. I'm glad I got to see it in person.
I'm pretty cynical anytime an organization start's preaching values at me, but something about K-Sate is sincere. Who knows if this will carry on once Snyder leaves. remember the program was awful before he got there and immediately went back to mediocre once he left the first time. Talk is cheap, but it does appear that K-State runs a clean program and that should count for something.
As far as the game....K-State let Auburn off the hook. Their defense played very well, more than well enough to win. The offense played pretty well but made a couple of mistakes (dropped pass in the end zone being the most egregious). The major problem in this game was K-State's kicker, who seemed to shrink in the moment a bit. He missed three kicks, the biggest being a 22 yard attempt that would have tied the game in the third quarter. This loss was typical of one of those teams that has a bit of an inferiority complex to the SEC. Talent wise the game was pretty even, K-State just shot themselves in the foot.
On the bright side: K-State is going to win a lot of games in the Big 12. They may even win the conference with a little luck and a win over Oklahoma, though my guess is that they will be very tough and home and beatable on the road. The game vs. Oklahoma is on the road. Auburn isn't going 7-1 in the SEC West this year, not after what I saw last night. Too many dropped passes, defense got bailed out by mistakes by K-State's offense.
If you want to make it part of a larger trip: Kansas, Nebraska, Oklahoma, Missouri, Oklahoma State
Bill Snyder Family Stadium was originally built in 1968 but it was recently renovated so it mine as well be new. I think most of the K-State campus is made of limestone and they kept with that theme when building/renovating this guy. Very nice stadium, not iconic or anything along those lines. Only feature that stands out is the press box.
Given that we are in Kansas you would think there is plenty of room around the stadium to tail gate....and there is plenty of room. So much room they kept their old football stadium around for soccer. The stadium is set on it's own on the north west side of campus with large tail gate lots on either side. They had a good sized RV area as well. The tail gate was noticeably sober which led to a a loud, but not overly loud, crowd compared to other places I've been. People were drinking, but it wasn't the out of control frat boy bullshit you see most places, which is a nice change of pace. The crowd was plenty loud enough to affect the game but I saw zero bullshit during the game.
The student section is 100% as legit as advertised. I don't usually go into a game early but because I was flying solo I went in 90 minutes before kick off. The student section and the band start their cheers an hour before the game and they keep it going up until the kick. I can't say it's the craziest student section I've seen (Wisconsin) or the loudest (Penn State) but they are the most co-ordinated. I'm glad I got to see it in person.
I'm pretty cynical anytime an organization start's preaching values at me, but something about K-Sate is sincere. Who knows if this will carry on once Snyder leaves. remember the program was awful before he got there and immediately went back to mediocre once he left the first time. Talk is cheap, but it does appear that K-State runs a clean program and that should count for something.
As far as the game....K-State let Auburn off the hook. Their defense played very well, more than well enough to win. The offense played pretty well but made a couple of mistakes (dropped pass in the end zone being the most egregious). The major problem in this game was K-State's kicker, who seemed to shrink in the moment a bit. He missed three kicks, the biggest being a 22 yard attempt that would have tied the game in the third quarter. This loss was typical of one of those teams that has a bit of an inferiority complex to the SEC. Talent wise the game was pretty even, K-State just shot themselves in the foot.
On the bright side: K-State is going to win a lot of games in the Big 12. They may even win the conference with a little luck and a win over Oklahoma, though my guess is that they will be very tough and home and beatable on the road. The game vs. Oklahoma is on the road. Auburn isn't going 7-1 in the SEC West this year, not after what I saw last night. Too many dropped passes, defense got bailed out by mistakes by K-State's offense.
If you want to make it part of a larger trip: Kansas, Nebraska, Oklahoma, Missouri, Oklahoma State
Don't Miss: Getting their early for the student section
Avoid: I didn't come across anything obnoxious or silly
Attendees: Bones
Game Recap: http://scores.espn.go.com/ncf/recap?gameId=400547856&ex_cid=espnapi_public
Alternate K-State logo:
Alternate K-State logo:
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