Watching the dismantling of West Virginia has become routine the past two weeks in the Big 12. You can even argue that teams are deep into West Virginia’s tendencies, as there is enough tape out on the Mountaineers for coaches to prepare for the dynamic offense. Heading into the game with Kansas State, everyone was talking about Geno Smith’s chances of winning the Heisman, but when then game was over, a new Heisman leader had been introduced to the rest of the college football world.
Collin Klein, a.k.a. Optimist Klein, put on a clinic against West Virginia and placed his own personal ad as a Heisman Trophy hopeful completing 19 of 21 passes for over 320 yards and three touchdowns against the West Virginia defense that has made about everyone it's played look Heisman worthy.
Klein didn’t just do it with his arm, but he also did it with his feet. Optimist Klein finished the contest with 41 yards rushing and four rushing touchdowns. It seemed as if the game was moving in slow motion for Klein.
Kansas State is rolling under the leadership of Klein. The Wildcats are 7-0 on the season and 4-0 in Big 12 conference play. K-State was rolling as it scored on its first eight possessions, including seven straight touchdowns.
Very rarely do we see a guy like Klein bust on the scene and play well without a ton of turnovers and mistakes. Geno Smith was that guy early in the season, but he has hit that wall and started to regress with two lackluster performances in a row. Klein on the other hand has just gotten better and better each week.
Klein is hitting on all cylinders, and it’s starting to look like the Wildcats may not only be the best team in the Big 12, but they could very well be the best team in the country, — although the people in Alabama will probably beg to differ.
The fans seem to realize that something special is going down because they have traveled well this year supporting the Wildcats. You see droves of K-State fans at away contests, including this weekend in West Virginia.
Once the game was well in hand in the third quarter, the cameras started to pan and you could see cars actually falling in line outside of the stadium in West Virginia. I have followed West Virginia football for a long time, and I can honestly say that I have never seen that. It was at that point that I realized how deep the K-State cheering section was. There was a deep sea of purple that half-filled the West Virginia stadium, and they were still cheering as if the game had yet to be decided.
Optimist Klein reminds me a lot of Cam Newton. The kid is a sledge hammer of a runner. His passes look like they could use some work, but they always seem to find their mark. He’s not going to win any awards for flair in the pocket, but he makes people miss and puts the ball where he needs to put it regardless of pressure.
Manhattan, Kansas has a new prodigal son, and their hopes for a national championship will ride on the shoulders of Optimist Klein. The Big 12 hopefuls are all hoping that Texas Tech may be the team that can make it happen. I on the other hand don’t see it happening unless a Megatron emerges in the Big 12. It’s a known fact that only a Megatron can defeat an Optimist.
Stay Breezy ~ I’m Out!
