Auburn vs Kansas State: Q&A With "Bring On The Cats."

For my answers to his questions (and my rebuttal to some of our rivals' thoughts on us) go to his page HERE.

How are Kansas State fans feeling about this season so far? Did the Iowa State game shake any opinions up (I was reading your tweets during that game) or was that simply a product of ISU giving it their all at home?

Honestly, I don't think we know yet. We're still concerned that the offense is Waters, Lockett, and pray. The defense is suspect. We've got guys people were hoping would contribute this year that didn't even make the trip to Ames. In a lot of ways, Thursday is our "answer all the questions" game.

Outside of the three names Auburn people already know (Waters, Lockett, and Mueller), tell me who Auburn should be on the lookout for and why.

Offensively, Charles Jones is a quiet weapon, taking some of the ground load off of Waters. He's already notched four touchdowns. You'll see him line up in the Wildcat on occasion. You'll also want to pay attention to fullback Glenn Gronkowski (yes, it's his little brother). He hardly ever carries the ball, but has a disturbing propensity to catch passes for 40+ yards. Defensively, JUCO newcomer Danzel McDaniel has already made his mark at corner. When you see freshman Elijah Lee on the field, Nick Marshall's going to have his hands full, and his high-school teammate, fellow freshman Kaleb Prewitt, will see some action at safety. He's a beast, but gets limited snaps because he's still learning the system. (Snyderball, don'tchaknow.)

What match-ups concern you most on the offense and defensive sides?

I'm very concerned about K-State's ability to contain the run, although schematically this will be an offensive look they're actually familiar with so that will help. After Iowa State, I'm also worried about the matchup between the ball carrier and the guy chasing him, but that's mostly just the result of PTSD after watching a nightmarish 15 minutes.

What match-ups are you most confident in?

That's easy. I fully expect Waters and Lockett to do a good deal of damage against Auburn's secondary, which I am assured even by Auburn folks is almost an inevitability. I also think Auburn's run defense is expressly suited to allow Jake Waters to do much of what he did against Iowa State; they will probably keep K-State's running backs in check, but Waters himself will be a problem. I've also got a good feeling about K-State's ability to defend the passing game, or at least not get beaten deep very often.

How much longer do you think Bill Snyder will be patrolling those sidelines? A year? Infinity, because he's clearly a wizard?

I would be beyond stunned if this year's freshman class doesn't finish their career under a new boss. The man will be 75 this fall, and he's a stone-cold lock for selection to the College Football Hall of Fame this year as a result. Heck, it's entirely possible Snyder will hang up the headset this January, because I can see him not wanting to be in the position of being an active Hall of Famer. He's that sort of guy. But I wouldn't BET on that; I'd say he stays through 2016 or 2017.

Have you been to many other stadiums around the country and equate Kansas State's home field atmosphere to them? Auburn experiences a lot of hostile stadiums of all size in the SEC and I'm curious where this may compare.

Recently, I haven't; for most of Snyder's first stint I was living on the East Coast and as a result my one big road trip to see K-State play was for the bowl game. That said, I have been around a little bit, and what I can say is this: although Bill Snyder Family Stadium only holds 50,000, the acoustics are such that Auburn will feel like they're surrounded by 80. K-State crowds are loud and intimidating; even the folks at Texas and Oklahoma will readily cop to that, so don't assume that's just the opinion of fans from places that don't know what a rocking 100k-seater is like.

It won't be quite like a night at Jordan-Hare, because there is a difference between 50k and 90k, acoustics be damned. But Auburn fans who visit will find the experience relatively familiar, I think. K-State, after all, is also big on the whole FAMILY thing.

What did you think of Auburn before your series of posts with our rivals and has that series altered your view of Auburn at all?

Here's where we get real. I am a bigamist; Alabama is my other team. However, that's a secondary fandom which is almost entirely the result of having a ton of Bammer friends, and when I'm wearing my Bama hat Tennessee is the most evil thing on the planet, not Auburn. I've also got a bunch of War Eagle friends, and I've really never had a problem with Auburn.

Most of the jabs are just SPROTS, after all. I don't think anyone who's not deeply invested cares about 90% of the things which Auburn detractors rail against. I sure don't. Well, except for that Cam Newton thing...

What is your prediction for this game?

I. I BELIEVE. I BELIEVE... that it will be a lot closer than some people think, but the most likely outcome is an Auburn win. I'm sort of married to 41-38 here, but depending on breaks two touchdowns either way of that wouldn't surprise me.