KSU’s QB one of nation’s best
V Jeremy Crabtree
The Kansas State Collegian
Last season, the quarterback job
was the biggest question mark for
Kansas State as the season opener
neared.
Quarterback Ja
son Smargiasso
did not return to
Manhattan, Kan.,
for fall practices.
All Wildcat coach
Bill Snyder had
left was a Cal
State Fullerton
transfer named
Chad May and
redshirt freshman
big
EIGHT
football
Brian Kavanagh.
But the questions were answered
when May captured the starting role
and led Kansas State to its best season
since 1910. By the end of the season,
Wildcat fans were asking themselves,
“Smargiasso who?”
May took the Big Eight Conference
by storm as he passed for 2,682 yards
and broke four conference records.
May threw for more than 489 yards
against Nebraska.
May nabbed first-team All-Big
Eight honors from the coaches and
second-team honors from the Associ
ated Press. Then, after gaining Big
Eight honors. May went out and led the
Wildcats to their first bowl victory
with a 52-17 win against Wyoming in
the Copper Bowl.
Although May had a successful
season, he said the first games as Kan
sas State’s new quarterback were dif
ficult.
“I think it was very important at
first to win, especially after nobody
had seen me around here,” May said.
“Everybody probably had their doubts,
because they had someone else last
season.”
But May’s on-field success didn’t
lead to a successful off-season. He ran
into several incidents that caused his
name to be an even more popular topic
around Manhattan.
The first thing that happened was a
football-related knee injury.
The knee injury caused May to m iss
all of KansasStatc’sspringdrills. Even
tually, he had to undergo arthroscopic
surgery.
But as the Wildcats’ season opener
on Saturday against Southwestern
Louisiana approaches, Snyder said
Courtesy of Kansas State University
Kansas State quarterback Chad May, who threw for489 yards
last year against Nebraska, attempts a pass against UNLV
last season. May comes into this season as one of the top
quarterbacks in the country.
May was back in top condition.
“He’s running fine,” Snyder said.
“He’s throwing fine, and he has been
doing everything that we arc asking of
him.”
Just when May was over his knee
injury, he hit another roadblock—the
police department.
In July, May was arrested for driv
ing under the influence of alcohol and
for making an unlawful U-turn.
At his arraignment. May pleaded
innocent to the charges.
Then at the July 14 pretrial, a judge
ruled that the U-turn was not unlawful
according to a traffic ordinance. The
evidence then was thrown out, as was
the DUI charge.
The prosecution is seeking an ap
peal, but May said the media’s pres
sure from the case had not affected
him.
“I put the pressure on myself,” he
said. “I don’t let the media, alumni or
the fans put any more pressure on me.”
Despite the off-field controversy.
National Football League scouts have
May listed as a definite prospect.
“May is the second coming of Jim
McMahon,” one NFLdraft report said.
“Right now, he is the third best quar
terback in the nation.”
May said he knew pro football could
be in his future, but he also knew
Snyder and the Wildcats were looking
for him to lead the team.
“1 know that I am the leader of this
team,” he said. “They look to me in the
huddle, and I Just hope that I have the
ball when the game is on the line.”
Beck
Continued from Page 11
John Wooden’s philosophy of mental
ity and team unity over the summer.
“We need to gain some leadership
and look at the team’s unity,” she said.
“That’s the theme of the year. Our
attitude wasn’t what it could have been
at the end of last year. We had some
good people leave our program, and
we’re trying to replace them with unity
and team togetherness.”
Return starters Pyra Aardcn, Kate
Galligan and Lis Brenden will look for
support from three recruits.
Nebraska signed junior forward
Roquelia “Q” Brown, sister of former
Husker Nafeesah Brown, out of
Westark JuniorCollege in Fort Smith.
Ark.
Also added to Nebraska’s roster
were guards Anna DeForge from
Niagra,Wis.,andJami KubikofCam
bridge.
“Brown’s a good rcboundcr,” Beck
said. “She’ll add to our spirit and spark
our attack. DeForge is a good 3-point
shooter, and we have two good 3-poinl
shooters back in Galligan and Brenden.
“1 am really impressed with (Kubik).
She \s smart, steady and catches on real
easily .... We arc going to need her to
add some strength.”
Beck said the recruits would have
to expect to contribute right away.
“Technically, it isn’t supposed to
be our year,” Beck sa id. “Everybody is
going to have to shoulder some of the
burden. We need to start back from the
ground up. We’re a pretty young team,
and we have no true seniors. The new
comers will help.”
For the remainder of the fall before
practice begins, Beck said the Huskcrs
would continue to concentrate on ar
eas that went wrong last season.
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