Snyder stresses need for stability

The theme of K-State football's spring season this year has been achieving a sense of consistency.

Discuss the performance of the Wildcats this spring with head coach Bill Snyder - it won't be long before he uses the term to evaluate his squad, and it won't take much longer to realize he isn't satisfied.

He has made clear, however, that the team has made some improvements through the course of spring practices, and Saturday's annual Purple and White scrimmage gave fans an opportunity to see the team for themselves.

The game in itself was a rout with the Purple team, filled with first team starters, dominating the White 45-0. Therefore it was somewhat painful to watch, yet it did answer several questions about the progress of Snyder's team.

Prior to the scrimmage, Snyder had said his quarterback, junior Carson Coffman, had made improvements throughout the spring practices, yet he, along with the vast majority of the team, struggled to remain consistent.

Snyder said Coffman had a good week leading up to the scrimmage; however, a disappointing Wednesday practice had set his progress back slightly.

"Good football teams develop consistency, and we are not there yet by any stretch of the imagination," Snyder said.

Based on his performance on Saturday, however, it seems as though Coffman is progressing and growing comfortable in the starting quarterback role. The 6'3", 215 pound junior threw 334 yards for three touchdowns and no interceptions on 25-36 passing.

Most of Coffman's success came after the halftime break. The Purple team went into the halftime break with a mere 17-0 lead with Coffman only throwing for 90 yards on 9-14 throwing.

"I thought he had a good third quarter," Snyder said. "That doesn't surprise me that he had a good third quarter. It didn't surprise me that one, two and four were not so hot. But it just relates to [the fact that] he has to be consistent in order for the offense to be consistent."

That consistency in the third quarter led to the Purple's offensive explosion and was highlighted by Coffman's connections with receivers Brandon Banks and Attrail Snipes. The two receivers combined for six receptions in the quarter en route to the Purple team building a 38-0 lead.

The two receivers would finish the game with a combined 14 receptions, 217 yards and two touchdown receptions.

On the defensive side of the ball, it was clear that linebacker Alex Hrebec was looking to make a statement as he recorded 19 tackles on the day for the Purple unit.

"He normally is going to be at the right place when he is suppose to be," Snyder said. "He will play hard and he will play aggressively and that says something about him to record 19 tackles."

While Coffman was successful in leading his team to a convincing victory in the spring game, it is clear the game has to be put into perspective and therefore it leaves many questions to be answered before Snyder's team takes the field in the fall.