Shaking Up the Spring Game

On Tuesday coach Bill Snyder indicated a possible change to the typical format of the Kansas State’s Purple and White scrimmage.

Instead of watching the No. 1 offense rack up eight touchdowns on the No. 2 defense over the course of an hour, a reality that last season prompted a reversal of the score at halftime, fans may get to see the first-string players on offense and defense pitted against each other during this season’s pre-season glimpse of the Kansas State team that went 10-3 in 2011.

Snyder said he will not decide until Thursday whether he will stay with the old system of having the first-string offensive and defensive players on the same team or whether he will put the players of highest caliber against each other.

“You want to take advantage of the spring game, and we have always tried to make it as productive as we possibly can,” Snyder said. “Certainly, it is something for the fans to be able to see, and I appreciate that and want to do it for that reason as well. I want us to gain as much as we can, and we have worked hard. Most of our springs has been ones against ones. I am contemplating, if that is in our best interest, to continue that progress. It does not mean that the other way does not make progress, but best against best makes it more productive.”

Thinking back to last year’s spring game, I daydream with great expectations about a game of No. 1s versus No. 1s. The headline summarizing the last publicized scrimmage is misleading: “Purple rallies to post 38-37 win at annual spring game.” That score pertained to the pretend world in which the teams swap scores at the half. In reality, the first string dominated the second string 59-16.

Media, fans and players alike would bask in the substantial gain in validity the spring game would have if the format changed from ones-versus-twos to ones-versus-ones. I sincerely hope that will be the case on Saturday. If not, well, at least we might see another 358-yard, 5-touchdown performance by quarterback Collin Klein.