FarmaQ&A: Kansas State with Bring On The Cats

Even though this football season appears to be completely in the dumps, we had to continue the tradition of chatting up our evil wheat producing cousins down South. Jon Morse was kind enough to sit down with us and chat about the Wildcats, more Arrowhead games, BBQ, and of course, corn vs. wheat.

What's going on with Waters and Sams and will either one clearly ever take over the #1 duty?

Oh, jeez, if anyone knows the answer to that question we should also ask them for Powerball numbers, FTL spaceflight, and God's cell phone number. The bottom line here is that both guys have flaws, and the constant dicking about with things and shuttling them back and forth like they're a committee has probably not done wonders for either quarterback's confidence. This is a seriously divisive issue in Wildcat Utopia, and the fanbase can't even agree on who should be starting.

Hubert and the offensive line. What the hell happened? Klein opened a lot up for Hubert, but the line was supposed to be good enough this wasn't a concern, right?

It wasn't supposed to be. The offensive line has been... well. Look, this is just rumor, and I don't know how much stock to put into it, but the whispers are that the offensive line was very unhappy about Sams losing the starting job to Waters. You could sort of see it here and there; guys not picking Waters up off the turf after getting drilled, Cornelius Lucas getting up in Jake's grill on the sideline after a miscue, suddenly remembering how to run block when Sams finally got some uninterrupted snaps... they were just playing like absolute crap, and there's no getting around it. That transferred to Hubert, who was just unable to get any gaps for the first month of the season. Whatever the case, though, they seem to have corrected their rectal-cranial inversion in the last couple of weeks.

As for Hubert, sure. Not having Klein next to him has been an issue, but once the line stopped being idjits he started getting yards again. He's still not the same guy as the last two years though.

How is the defense so improved from the beginning of the season? Is it scheme? Offense setting it up? A secret Arthur Brown 2.0?

Mostly, it's a mirage. We were absolutely irate about the defense after the season-opening loss because the proximate cause of the loss was the defense completely folding on NDSU's final drive. They did it again (twice) against Texas, and again against Oklahoma State. Thing is, when you look at the stats more carefully, they've performed well all season with the exception of those four drives (and those three passes against Baylor). That said, there is one aspect of the defense which has improved inherently: the kids are getting playing time. At the start of the season, "who's playing on defense?" was a question answered strictly by seniority. And while Ryan Mueller has been a stud from the opening gun, Blake Slaughter -- who appeared to be wearing cement shoes early in the year -- has found an extra gear.

Tyler Lockett and Tramaine Thompson are back and combined for four touchdowns last week. Should we be scared?

Oh, I don't know. I mean, they're nice young men and mean you no harm, really. The real question is who's behind center. Lockett and Thompson have been, thus far, non-factors with Sams in the game (with the obvious caveat that Sams hadn't gotten significant game reps with THEM in the game yet until last week). Lockett, especially, is simpatico with Waters. Part of that is arm, and part is the way blocking changes depending on which QB's in the game; there's not a lot of time to get open with Sams on the field.

Paul Rhoads said earlier this year he would like to see more neutral site games in the Big 12, and a possibility would be continuing the KSU/ISU series at Arrowhead. What are your thoughts on this and what sort of trophy would we need to institute for it?

I missed him saying that, and now I don't like him anymore. With very few exceptions (Army/Navy, WLOCP), neutral site games are best served sparingly. I wouldn't have a problem with the series being played at Arrowhead every three years or so, but we both need to visit one another's campus regularly too. I definitely think this is a trophy-worthy rivalry, though. It obviously requires a shiny little combine on top.

Because football is just plain depressing for us right now, please rate the BBQ joints in Kansas City for those of us traveling to Manhattan.

This is the hardest question you've asked me, because I have only set foot in Kansas City three times since 1995. With that qualification, my personal preference: 1. Gates, 2. Oklahoma Joe's, 3. Bryant's. 4. Is Hayward's still open? I don't know. Really, the ideal plan is to be in town long enough to eat at all three (or four), as they've all got very distinctive tastes.

WHEAT VS. CORN. MAKE YOUR ARGUMENT NOW.

A steaming buttery ear of corn fresh off the grill is a wonderful thing, but what other things which are not abominations in the eyes of COTG can you really do with corn besides making tamales and cheap whiskey? (Let's be clear here, E-85 and high fructose corn syrup are points against corn.) Wheat, on the other hand, brings us bread and beer and cookies and beer and cakes and beer. Did I mention beer? Also, beer. Clearly, this isn't even debatable. Wheat wins.

Clearly, Jon is a classless dick who doesn't appreciate whiskey, but we like him anyway. Well, at least enough to answer a few questions for him over at BOTC.