The question was whether Kansas State, because only a few seniors started last weekend against Texas A&M, might be lacking leadership, and Ron Prince did his best to remain calm.
"We're 4-2,"
he said softly, pausing.
He repeated himself when he continued.
"We're 4-2,"
Prince said. "I don't know where the problem is. We have a good team, we've got some good chemistry, and we've got some good players we're trying to get in.... But the doom-and-gloom scenario, I'm not going to go down that path with you."
Take a visit to the Vanier Football Complex and embrace the positivity.
A rare road win in College Station has prompted the Wildcats not only to ponder the possibility of beating Colorado in Boulder this weekend but also to realize that their stated preseason goals remain intact.
"We're in a good situation,"
senior linebacker Reggie Walker said. "If we beat (the Buffaloes), we're 5-2. It will keep us in the battle for the Big 12."
Allow that to marinate for a minute.
Just 12 days ago, when Texas Tech stormed into Snyder Family Stadium and routed K-State 58-28, Prince admitted it was "a very challenging time"
for his program.
But now, after a 44-30 victory against underwhelming Texas A&M, which lost its season opener to Arkansas State, all is well?
"The reality is, we're not nearly as bad as all of you think, and probably not as good as people now think this week,"
Prince said."... We're the same team. We just went out and made a few more plays."
And now that the blueprint has been exposed -- if Saturday's triumph featuring ball control on offense and takeaways on defense can be labeled as such -- expect the good times to continue.
So the Wildcats say.
"I'd like to think that some of the maturity we showed at A&M could carry over and we could put back-to-back road wins together,"
senior defensive end Ian Campbell said. "I think Colorado is probably a little better than A&M. I think we're pleased, but I think everyone sees all of the room for improvement and the tough road ahead."
Instead of despair, there is hope.
When did this happen? How did this happen?
Perhaps there is a checklist, not unlike those charts that help decide when it's appropriate to go for a two-point conversion, to assist embattled coaches and their programs.
Pull closer by rallying together? Check.
"All that matters are the people inside that locker room,"
junior quarterback Josh Freeman said Saturday.
Condemn all negativity? Check.
"I don't read any of the stuff you guys write or say, so I don't have any reason to be mad at you, so I don't know what you write or say, so I don't know what the perception (of our program) is,"
Prince said.
And a steadfast insistence that nothing has changed? Check.
"I don't think anyone is too geeked up about being 4-2,"
Campbell said. "We're not an extremely different team than we were at 3-2. We just went out and handled our business at A&M."
Indeed.
The Wildcats won for the first time in College Station since 1996, and now K-State is searching for its first consecutive road victories since 2003.
It could happen.
"The mindset is exactly the same,"
Freeman said. "We realize a lot of teams are beating a lot of teams. You never know how it's going to shake out. You have to continue to take care of business and be on the hunt for wins."
