"The Hay Is In The Barn"

By Jay Coulter
jccoulter@gmail.com

I’ve always loved football Thursdays. One of my most vivid childhood memories was listening to Dialing Dye with my dad on Thursday nights. That’s what they used to call the weekly radio show with Pat Dye. Each week Dye would start the program by telling Jim Fyffe that the "hay was in the barn."

That’s the way I feel now. Not much else can be said. It’s time to play.

I ran across some interesting comments by Nebraska coach Bill Callahan who was interviewed for a story in the Manhattan (Kansas) Mercury newspaper. He was asked about Auburn and what to expect when playing the Tigers.

Callahan repeatedly talked about the speed of Auburn on defense. "Auburn is a talented team from a speed perspective," said Bill Callahan. "Their defense is exceptionally fast. They could have been in the mix to win it all last year."

"They're similar to Oklahoma and Texas in terms of team speed," Callahan continued. "But Kansas State is a team that has demonstrated the ability to contain Texas' speed, so who knows." KSU defeated Texas 45-42 last year in Manhattan.

The Nebraska players agreed with Callahan and the Tigers speed. "Very fast ... a very fast defense," said Nebraska linebacker Bo Ruud. "Their offense was nothing special. I don't think Kansas State will have a problem with their offense, but their speed on defense is really impressive." Ruud obviously had enough trouble with the Auburn offense to lose.

Nebraska wide receiver Terrence Nunn agreed: "Every SEC team is very fast, but Auburn is really very fast."

Kansas State coach Ron Prince believes playing Auburn early is good. Callahan laughed at the comment. "There is no good time to play Auburn,"

Last week we talked about Brandon Cox getting shafted by the Davey O’Brien Foundation and being left off their watch list for the top quarterback in the country. Now you have a chance to get him back on it. The group is letting fans vote in three players who were left off. The top three make the list.  You can vote at daveyobrien.com. You are allowed to vote once a day.  Personally, I say screw them.

This story kind of sneaked under the radar and frankly I’m glad. Offensive tackle King Dunlap was arrested Monday in Auburn for not paying a speeding ticket. We have hundreds of kids out selling drugs and stealing and our tax money is being put to use by arresting someone who didn’t pay a speeding ticket. Auburn city government should be proud. On the flip side, just pay the stupid ticket. The arrest is not expected to affect Dunlap’s playing status this weekend.

Don’t forget that if you want to read more about Kansas State, check out our SB Nation partner Bring On The Cats. Tye does a great job with the Wildcats site.