After Kansas State head coach Bill Snyder shared relatively general comments regarding the Wildcats selection to and upcoming participation in the 2012 Cotton Bowl Classic via teleconference for about five minutes late Sunday evening, KSU director of athletics John Currie and Cotton Bowl Chairman Tommy Bain each shared their comments as well. Several topics were discussed, including the timing of K-State's invitation to play Arkansas (came several hours before the announcement, around 3 p.m.), the game-day experience that K-State fans should expect (as good as or better than some BCS sites), the game's economic impact on the Dallas/Fort Worth area (it's large) and ticket sales (they're essentially gone already as of Wednesday, according to Currie).
Click here for the full Currie/Bain audio. (I apologize in advance for some pops in the audio.)
A couple of notes about the game:
- This is the 76th edition of the Cotton Bowl Classic.
- With No. 6 Arkansas and No. 8 Kansas State, it is the first Top 10 match-up in 18 years for the Cotton Bowl.
- The last time K-State and Arkansas faced the other was in 1967. Arkansas won 28-7 in a game that was played in Little Rock.
Also, see Bill Snyder's remarks from the teleconference along with several K-State players who provided their thoughts through a written release.
Head Coach Bill Snyder
Head Coach Bill Snyder
“As I shared with (AT&T Cotton Bowl President) Rick (Baker) earlier today, we are very honored to have the opportunity to play in the Cotton Bowl. It has been a great experience for us in the past, and I think the Cotton Bowl and Kansas State University have been very good for each other. I know we will have a tremendous following when we go as we have in the past. I think our players are excited about it and are looking forward to it.”
On his favorite Cotton Bowl memories…
“I would start with the tremendous following that we’ve had. I remember the last Cotton Bowl we were at, there was somewhere in the vicinity of 55,000 Kansas State fans, which is absolutely amazing, particularly when the tickets are so hard to come by, and they find a way. That was very impressive for me and for all K-Staters, and it was very impressive for the Cotton Bowl. Rick (Baker) and I have had conversations about that over the years. They were very grateful to Kansas State and its following for filling up the stadium and being so supportive for a magnificent bowl game. The experience to play Tennessee in that ballgame, play as well as we did and beat a very fine Tennessee team was certainly a fond memory.”
On Arkansas…
“I know they are a very talented football team. They probably have the same feelings we do and feel like they’ve accomplished a great deal this year. They throw the ball around extremely well. They have some extremely talented wide receivers and a very good return unit on special teams. So they present some problems across the board. I haven’t had a chance to sit down and study film on them at this point in time. Those are the things that I think all of us know and are well aware of. I think Bobby (Petrino) is obviously a very extremely talented and fine football coach. He has a good staff.”
On his favorite Cotton Bowl memories…
“I would start with the tremendous following that we’ve had. I remember the last Cotton Bowl we were at, there was somewhere in the vicinity of 55,000 Kansas State fans, which is absolutely amazing, particularly when the tickets are so hard to come by, and they find a way. That was very impressive for me and for all K-Staters, and it was very impressive for the Cotton Bowl. Rick (Baker) and I have had conversations about that over the years. They were very grateful to Kansas State and its following for filling up the stadium and being so supportive for a magnificent bowl game. The experience to play Tennessee in that ballgame, play as well as we did and beat a very fine Tennessee team was certainly a fond memory.”
On Arkansas…
“I know they are a very talented football team. They probably have the same feelings we do and feel like they’ve accomplished a great deal this year. They throw the ball around extremely well. They have some extremely talented wide receivers and a very good return unit on special teams. So they present some problems across the board. I haven’t had a chance to sit down and study film on them at this point in time. Those are the things that I think all of us know and are well aware of. I think Bobby (Petrino) is obviously a very extremely talented and fine football coach. He has a good staff.”
Quarterback Collin Klein
“We are very excited for the opportunity and grateful to be selected to play in such a prestigious bowl. I’m excited for the opportunity to play a very good team in Arkansas, and we will need to prepare well over the next month.”
Linebacker Emmanuel Lamur
“We are excited about the season that we have had but we also know that we have one more game to play against a really good Arkansas team. We are excited to head to the Cotton Bowl and play on national television, and most importantly, work to get our 11th win of the season.”
Defensive Back Tysyn Hartman
“The opportunity to play in one of the top stadiums in the world and the best bowls in the country is a great reward for our hard work this season. But, we know that we have one more game to play and are looking forward to working hard this month to play a great Arkansas team.”
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