K-State Q&A: The good, bad and weird for Wildcats football in EA Sports video game

I’m not good at the college football video game anymore.

Maybe I never was.

Perhaps my fond memories of playing old versions of the EA Sports game back when I was in college have been incorrectly boosted by nostalgia. Or maybe the friends I used to play against back then were total bums and I didn’t realize it. But one thing is for sure: I’m bad at playing the game right now.

I learned this after I wrestled a PlayStation 5 controller away from my oldest son this week. I wanted to see what it was like to play with Kansas State, so I simulated a home game against Connecticut thinking the Huskies would be easy to beat. Then I fell behind 21-7 at halftime and needed my defense to return three (!) interceptions for touchdowns to escape with a 35-28 victory.

Big thanks to VJ Payne and Keenan Garber (twice) for helping me come back and get the win.

The virtual fans in attendance probably put this virtual coach on the virtual hot seat after that one. Here’s to hoping my next game goes better.

In any case, I wanted to pass along some of my observations from playing the game.

The Good

• Bill Snyder Family Stadium looks exactly like it does on a fall Saturday. It is crazy how well the video game captured the venue.

• You can even hear the wildcat scream after first downs.

• You want to play with DJ Giddens. The running back gave me 210 yards and two touchdowns on the ground.

• As mentioned above, the K-State defensive backs are also nasty.

• It’s fun to see names on the jerseys. That new touch gives this game a much more personable feel.

• Choosing between three different helmets, two different jerseys and two different pants gives you many more uniform options than the Wildcats have in real life. I went with the white throwback helmet that features “Cats” in script and white helmets to go along with purple jerseys.
  
  

The Bad

• Avery Johnson isn’t nearly as fast as I expected him to be. You can’t just take off scrambling all the time with him on passing plays and expect to move the chains. At least I couldn’t. UConn sacked him four times and that was a big reason why I fell behind.

• Johnson’s hair also isn’t long enough in the game. You can’t see his signature golden locks hanging down past his helmet.

• Jake Clifton is one of K-State’s starting linebackers, and he isn’t even on the team this season.

• The stadium pulse feature seems very random. I previously challenged my son to a game between two random teams (Rice and North Texas) and Rice had a bigger home-field advantage in that game than K-State did when I played UConn.

• I didn’t see myself a single time. EA Sports really needs to add in some shots of the press box and put beat writers in the game.

The Weird

• My son is 12 weeks into Dynasty Mode and the Heisman front-runner is Hawaii quarterback Brayden Schager.

• K-State, Alabama and Georgia are all 6-3.

• Jacksonville State, Kansas and Kentucky are undefeated.

• This simulated college football universe intrigues me.

Now, let’s dive into your questions. Thanks, as always, for providing them.

The year is 2027. Rank the all-time top 5 quarterbacks in K-State history (in order). Who is Avery Johnson bumping from the list? - Chase T. via e-mail.

I think most of us can agree on the top two quarterbacks in K-State football history.

1. Michael Bishop: He was an electric athlete with a big arm, and he was the quarterback for two of the best teams in school history. Just imagine what he could have done with more than two seasons in Manhattan.

2. Collin Klein: Klein didn’t have much of an arm, but he didn’t need one because he ran the ball like a fullback and he absorbed hits like a mutant with Adamantium bones. He was also one of the best leaders you will ever see on a football field.

But the rankings get tricky from here.

Do we select some classic names like Lynn Dickey and Steve Grogan? Do we favor great passers like Jake Waters and Chad May? Or should we give a nod to dual-threat athletes like Ell Roberson? Josh Freeman was also a first-round NFL Draft pick. What about him?

Hmmmmmm ...

3. Josh Freeman: Sure, his teams were bad. But we don’t knock Jordy Nelson for that. Freeman threw for a school record 8,078 yards in just three seasons. Few K-State quarterbacks, if any, have possessed more talent.

4. Lynn Dickey: He was a Heisman candidate on a K-State team long before Bill Snyder arrived on campus. And he played in the NFL for 15 (!) years.

5. Jake Waters: He set the single-season record for passing yards with 3,501 as a senior, all while playing with an injured throwing shoulder for much of the season. Imagine how big his numbers could have been had he stayed healthy.

It’s going to be hard for Avery Johnson to climb all the way to the top of this list. But K-State is set up to win over the next few seasons. So anything is possible. I don’t think anyone will be all that surprised if he is able to crack to the top three by the time he is done playing for the Wildcats.

Will K-State make use of the new rule that allows up to 34 baseball players to be on full scholarship? - Ryan B. via e-mail.

This is a good question, and something that I will have to run by K-State baseball coach Pete Hughes and K-State athletic director Gene Taylor in the near future.

Even though I don’t know with absolute certainty what the Wildcats will decide to do if the reported new scholarship limits go into effect in the near future, I feel confident in saying that baseball scholarships will increase in Manhattan. Same with other sports.

Maybe K-State won’t use a full 34 scholarships every single season, but I imagine the Wildcats can find a way to make 20 or 25 work. Not doing so would put them at a big disadvantage. K-State has found ways to pay Chris Klieman and Jerome Tang more than any other coaches in school history. The Wildcats are also willing to spend big NIL money on players.

Here’s guessing they can also find a way to boost scholarship limits.

Quick aside: College baseball scholarships have been criminally low for years, and I hope this creates more opportunities for recruits.

Did any former Kansas State basketball players tear it up in the NBA Summer League? -@garrettb87 via X.

No.

Keyontae Johnson was by far the best former Wildcat in Las Vegas, as he averaged 9.8 points, 4.2 rebounds and 2.6 assists while playing for the Oklahoma City Thunder. That isn’t what I would call “tearing it up.” But he still played well and proved that he probably has a future in the NBA.

Elsewhere, Markquis Nowell averaged 4.0 points, 2.0 rebounds and 1.7 assists with the Wizards.

Tylor Perry had 1.8 points, 0.8 rebounds and 1.5 assists per game with the Raptors.

And Xavier Sneed averaged 3.4 points, 1.0 rebounds and 0.6 assists with the Kings. He had a few nice defensive moments to go with those numbers.

Let’s say you could add one new sport to the Summer Olympics. What’s your pick. And why? -@SuperCatFan100 via X.

H-O-R-S-E.

Or maybe P-I-G if that is taking too long and we need a quicker version of everyone’s favorite driveway basketball competition.

This is a sport that requires lots of creativity and craftiness, but not all that much athleticism. I mean, Larry Bird and Michael Jordan could still compete in Olympic H-O-R-S-E just like they did in those old McDonald’s ads if they really wanted to. This could be one of the most open competitions in the entire world. Anyone who can make some weird shots with a basketball could theoretically win.

Someone needs to make this happen.

Here’s hoping my prowess for making shots from behind the backboard can carry me to the gold.