Wildcats Battered, Bruised -- Giving Up 56 Points Hurts K-State Pride

What price defeat?

Kansas State received a $250,000 guarantee for playing Washington.

That averages out to about $1 a lump for the Wildcats, who were mauled and badly bruised yesterday in a 56-3 trouncing by the No. 4-ranked Huskies.

Was it worth it?

Not if the look of total despair on the face of Kansas State Coach Bill Snyder was any indication.

"I'm immensely disappointed," Snyder said in funereal tones.

Snyder harbored no illusions about pulling a shocking upset, but he said he expected his club to be more competitive. It had come in with a 3-0 record.

"I think Washington probably is as good a football team as there is in the country right now," he said. "Their defense probably is better than their offense, although they're skillful athletes all across the board. But we put ourselves in a hole."

Although the Wildcats went home with a fattened treasury, they were a battered team. Running back Eric Gallon, who rushed for 369 yards in Kansas State's first three games, left the field on crutches with a sprained ankle.

"I think he'll be all right," Snyder said, "but we had several guys dinged up."

The psychological damage might be greater. Snyder has struggled to build a winning attitude at Kansas State, a traditional Big Eight doormat.

"Losing by that margin really is disappointing to me," defensive end Elijah Alexander said. "Giving up 56 points hurts our pride. They did everything they wanted to do. They ran, they passed and they returned punts."

How good are the Huskies?

"They're a very good team," Alexander said. "It's a long season, but if they keep playing like this, they'll be a great team. I think they're more well-balanced than Colorado was last year and their offense is much better than Nebraska's. You can't tee off on the run or the pass because they keep you off balance."

Snyder said he was surprised at Kansas State's inability to run against the Huskies. The Wildcats had averaged 231 rushing yards a game against lesser opponents.

"I did think we had a chance to get some positive yards running the ball," Snyder said. "And I expected we would give our quarterback better protection."

Facing a devastating rush, quarterback Paul Watson completed 17 of 23 passes for 232 yards. Twelve completions went to Michael Smith for 174 yards.

But Snyder saw little consolation even in the play of Watson and Smith.

"They did what we expected them to do," he said.

"It's sometimes difficult to judge how any individuals played, when you play a powerful football team like Washington. We got the ball inside the 20 three times, then we fumble and throw two interceptions."

Watson took a pounding from a Husky pass rush that produced eight sacks for 61 yards in losses. Overall, the Wildcats were tackled for losses 15 times, leaving them with minus 17 yards rushing.

Watson said he was "a little bit sore" from the punishment he absorbed.

"They really get after you," he said. "We knew we could throw the ball against them. But when we got down there, we couldn't score."

Watson's replacement, sophomore Jason Smargiasso, completed seven of nine passes, but three were to Husky defenders. Although Husky Coach Don James used 74 players, Washington kept the pressure on until the end.

Husky defensive tackle Steve Emtman, an All-America candidate, drew nothing but admiration from the Wildcats.

"He's probably the best defensive lineman I've ever played against," said offensive guard Toby Lawrence, a 280-pound junior. "He goes hard every play and he's a great leader. I think he's got a great future."

NOTES

-- Kansas State's first scoring opportunity evaporated with a fumble at the Husky 19 in the first quarter.

"It wasn't a fumble on the exchange," quarterback Paul Watson said. "The pulling guard hit the ball and knocked it loose." -- Kansas State's defeat prevented the Wildcats from compiling a 4-0 record for the first time in 60 years. The Wildcats have not defeated a ranked opponent since 1981, when they beat Iowa State 10-7. -- Wildcat Coach Bill Snyder did not replace Watson early in the fourth quarter because he wanted to prevent injury to his starting quarterback. Instead, he said he wanted to give sophomore Jason Smargiasso "an opportunity to play under fire."