KSU defensive coaches should get COY honors

KANSAS CITY, Kan. – Attention to coach of the year honors was brought up this week by Kansas State fans, spurred by a poll at coachoftheyear.com.

Much of the conversation centered on why K-State’s Bill Snyder ranked only 13^th overall (as of Tuesday morning) and fourth among Big12 coaches (Iowa State’s Paul Rhoades was first and third overall).

Knowing K-State fan’s ability to repeatedly click a mouse when motivated, Snyder’s stock in that particular poll will rise, undoubtedly.  My question, however, is why I am not allowed to vote for assistant coaches because as much as Snyder has had to do with the Wildcats blowing away every expectation outside of Phil Steele’s, my vote would be split between KSU’s co-defensive coordinators.

The performance turned in this season by Vic Koenning and Chris Cosh deserves every mention it can get – including a simple, two-worded one: Ulla Pomele.

I still have recurring nightmares starring Pomele’s play in 2008 (my left eyelid is twitching a little now in fact), but comparing the senior linebacker’s play from last year to this season serves as the perfect example for what the coaching staff has accomplished thus far and contributed to K-State’s current Big 12 North first-place position.

Pomele became synonymous with “^!%&” in ’08.

Snap after snap, I watched him run from his starting position and into the middle of offensive line, dive-bombing the trenches like a fat kid would a pool on a hot summer day.   It was a beautiful disaster, seeing Pomele drawn to blockers like they were opposite magnetic poles.  There are strip-club dancers that allow themselves to be grabbed less than Pomele did. 

Of course, it wasn’t just Pomele.  He was just one piece of kindling in what would become Tim Tibesar’s raging inferno of defensive awfulness.

In 2008, the 117^th-ranked defense allowed 302 first downs, 2,894 rushing yards (at 5.2 yards per attempt) and another 3,137 through the air.  K-State’s defense was on the field 926 snaps, and allowed 479.1 yards per game.  And, of course, it all resulted in 35.8 points allowed on average in each of the team’s 12 games*.

*And, unofficially by my count, three remote controls and a handful of trips to the bathroom so I could vomit.

Through 10 games this season under Koenning and Cosh, the turnaround is staggering.  The same statistical categories show the 43^rd-ranked defense has allowed 183 first downs, 1,029 rushing yards (at 3.5 yards per attempt) and another 2,350 passing.  Opposing offenses have been on the field for only 642 snaps and allowed 337.9 yards per game.  Opponents are scoring just 22.5 points per contest.*

*And, aside from Louisiana, my stomach acid levels have remained fairly consistent.

The defensive coaches have done all of this with a patchwork of players – moving guys from position to position and from offense to defense, trying to complete the individual jigsaw that each game plan creates.

Is it perfect by any means?  I really hope you don’t say yes because it isn’t.  This is far from a finished product, and I don’t think the coaches would argue at all.

But, going back to Pomele for a second, the importance of being in the right position (and of truly being coached up) has been brilliantly illustrated.  In eight games, Pomele has 40 tackles.  He had 58 a season ago through 12 games, which makes it seem like there hasn’t been much difference – until you remember what could wind up being hundreds of snaps more that the defense played last year.

Take that into account – that the tackling numbers are consistent across the board despite far fewer chances – and the numbers don’t say nice job.  They say phenomenal when you see five of this year’s leading tacklers (Tysyn Hartman, Joshua Moore, John Houlik, Pomele and Alex Hrebec) saw extended playing time in ’08.

It is more than enough to make me want to vote Koenning and Cosh as coaches of the year.


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