Loads is at stake on this 12 months’s version of the Dillon’s Sunflower Showdown between Kansas and Kansas State as head coach Lance Leipold will get his workforce prepared. He mentioned the damage standing of his quarterbacks, the which means of the rivalry, the impression the seniors have had and what he sees within the Wildcats.
The quarterback scenario stays fluid
With Bean taking place through the Texas Tech recreation with a head damage, his standing for the Kansas State recreation grew to become a subject of debate immediately. Nevertheless, Leipold is assured that Bean can take the sector on Saturday.
“I am not going to get into the character of accidents in depth, however he didn’t apply final night time,” Leipold stated. “However my newest is I am very optimistic that he’ll be enjoying on Saturday.”
The depth chart listed Bean, Cole Ballard and Jalon Daniels so as with an “Or” between every of them. Leipold was requested about who would again up Ballard if he have been to go down.
“It could possibly be Ben Easters, it could possibly be Mikey Pauly,” Leipold stated.
Leipold desires his gamers to be unfastened
The Jayhawks haven’t crushed their in-state rivals since 2008. With every little thing that’s on the road, Leipold doesn’t need his gamers letting the second get to them.
“For us to play them they usually’re the defending convention champs and we’re coming in with it with comparable information and it is a dwelling recreation and all these issues,” Leipold stated. “I feel we should always play unfastened on this recreation. We’re simply going to maintain engaged on closing that hole and we’ll see the place it is going to prove on Saturday. And that is the way in which it must be.”
Taking part in this recreation at house is essential for the Jayhawks, who simply suffered their first dwelling lack of the 12 months towards Texas Tech. Whereas they’re the house workforce, Leipold is aware of that there shall be some purple within the stadium come Saturday, however urges the Jayhawks followers to make an impression on the sport.
“Yeah, it is going to be extraordinarily vital,” Leipold stated. “And also you hope that the suitable folks purchased the tickets and people issues, however I am certain there will be noise for either side. However that is what makes nice environments in faculty soccer and we’ve got an amazing setting for faculty soccer and we’ll want our followers and our crowd and the noise to be there.”
Leipold said quite a few occasions all through his time with the media on Monday that Kansas State’s crowd performed an element within the first quarter final 12 months, and he hopes that Kansas’ crowd can do the identical.
“I feel there have been positively performs in that early a part of that recreation that I simply stated I used to be watching that their followers performed an element in and we bought to attempt to make that occur for us,” Leipold stated.
Utilizing Sean Snyder to speak in regards to the which means of the rivalry
With an in-state rivalry just like the Sunflower Showdown, the gamers and coaches which have had a presence within the state of Kansas are concerned within the recreation play an enormous half in preparing for the sport.
“Our Kansas guys are extraordinarily vital and there is some satisfaction in that and there is a few of these between households and different issues that know previous success right here, but additionally the success of what Coach Snyder and Coach Kleiman have executed,” Kansas head coach Lance Leipold stated.
With the success that Kansas State has had, particularly over Kansas, comes a variety of respect from Leipold’s facet, who desires an amazing recreation, however is aware of that the Jayhawks have quite a bit on their plate in the event that they need to clear this hurdle.
“You need rivalries to know nice competitions, bodily battles, all these issues, however I do know on this facet of it there’s a variety of respect,” Leipold stated.
Leipold was requested if he was going to have any visitor audio system forward of the massive recreation to speak about its significance, however he has somebody on his workers who is aware of all about it in Sean Snyder, who’s father Invoice, was the mastermind turning the KSU program round. Snyder performed and coached at Kansas State.
“I bought in all probability the very best speaker and I will in all probability be Sean Snyder this week,” Leipold stated. “I feel that’d be a fairly good one for us.”
Senior class will play remaining dwelling recreation
On prime of an already vital recreation, Saturday is Senior Day for the Jayhawks. Will probably be the final time they ever play in David Sales space Kansas Memorial Stadium. Leipold is aware of the which means behind it, however doesn’t need that to be the main focus as it may be a distraction if it will get too significant.
“I strive to not get too sentimental as a result of it is powerful and when you let your feelings come up with you an excessive amount of, it distracts from [the seniors],” Leipold stated. “Hopefully having their greatest alternative to play their greatest soccer recreation, their final dwelling recreation.
He continued: “The great factor is we have made sufficient progress on this program to play a bowl recreation. So it is all the time like we get extra time collectively as a result of it is powerful generally once you say goodbye, as a result of it actually modifications after they go away and their careers are over.”
For Leipold, it was laborious to measure the impression the seniors have had, however he feels very positively about them forward of their final three video games.
“To see the blokes that every particular person has their very own story of how they bought right here, how lengthy they have been right here, what they’ve added to this program, so far as their angle, their effort, their perception, the well being altering of the tradition, their work ethic and naturally, manufacturing on the sector,” he stated. “They usually all, in a particular approach, have left their very own mark on this program.”
