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K-State, ISU share goal to end losing streak
Published 11/22/2008 in Sports
MANHATTAN (AP) -- Kansas State Ron Prince was told two weeks ago he wouldn't be back on the sidelines next year, that there was too much losing, the program wasn't headed in the right direction after 2 1/2 seasons.
Gene Chizik hopes Iowa State's administration is a little more patient.
The Cyclones have gone 5-18 in Chizik's nearly two years as their head coach, entering Saturday's game against Kansas State on a nine-game losing streak. Iowa State also hasn't won on the road since 2005 and is one game away from its first winless season in the Big 12 since 2003.
In other words, the Cyclones haven't been any better under Chizik than Kansas State under Prince. Chizik has the school's backing for now, but knows if the winning doesn't pick up, he could end up without a job, like Prince.
"There's a lot of pressure to win fast and early," Chizik said. "The bottom line is people are going to get anxious."
The difference between Prince's situation and Chizik's is, in part, the expectations.
Prince took over a team that Bill Snyder had turned from a laughingstock into one that went to 11 straight bowl games, came close to national titles in 1998 and 1999. He was never able to live up to the standards Snyder set, going 16-18 before being fired -- effective at the end of the season -- on Nov. 5.
Iowa State has a little different background. The Cyclones have been to two bowl games in their history -- 2000 and 2004 -- and have had a losing record 19 times just since 1980.
Certainly, everyone at Iowa State wants to win. Why play football if you're not in it to win? But they also want a coach who's a leader, someone who can make a positive impression on his players.
Chizik has done that so far, instilling a work ethic and a sense of fun -- he recently had them play dodgeball to get a mental lift -- in his team.
Besides, his record is a little deceiving; of Iowa State's nine losses this season, three have been by four points or less, a play or two from going the other way.
"With a young team, you stay in there and you battle and you fight," Chizik said. "You teach them to battle and fight through it. You help the young guys keep their head above water and keep 'em fighting. It's not an easy deal when the circumstances are what they are right now with us."
It's still better than what's going on in Manhattan.
The Wildcats have spent the past two weeks in a funk, feeling bad that their coach was fired because they couldn't win on the field, wondering what the future will hold.
On the field, the Wildcats have been blown out in the two games since Prince was fired, losing 41-24 to Missouri that same week and 56-28 to Nebraska last week to push their losing streak to five games.
Now, they have to find the focus for one final game, try to win one for Prince and the 20 seniors who are leaving.
"It makes it a little bit tougher, but part of being a Division I football player is dealing with distractions that come with the program," Kansas State tight end Brett Alstatt said. "Obviously, this is an unusual situation. It doesn't happen as often, so it makes it a little bit tougher."
Prince, for his part, has taken the high road in the waning weeks of his tenure in the Little Apple.
He has received calls about potential jobs, but hasn't really answered the phone, choosing to put his total focus on the remaining games. He's been civil when speaking about the administration's decision to let him go, even when it happened midweek, while the team was preparing for a game.
He's also been a sounding board for his players, telling them to continue to work hard on the field and in the classroom, to wait and see who the new coach is before making decisions about staying or transferring.
"Most of the kinds of reactions that you get from these kinds of situations are usually emotional decisions," Prince said. "Most of those are hasty and usually not well thought out, so somebody has to be the adult in that circumstance. That's the role I play."
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