The offensive line looks steady as a rock, but where have all of the skill positions gone? The front wall was ridiculed by injuries in 2001, however depth for 2002 seems to be fairly luxurious. Center Steve Washington is the big cat in the trenches and guard Nick Leckey is one of the few to make it through last season unscathed. They will need to pull some heavy weight as every single skill position outside of quarterback needs revamped. The running backs have some speed to burn, but the loss of Josh Scobey is not replaceable by the first game. The names will be new to most viewers outside of the Wildcat circle. The receivers more or less fit the same fresh faces mold as six letter winners have departed from this group. Is that a good thing? Last year's performance was definitely sub par, contributing to the reality that KSU ranked dead last in the conference's passing statistics. Senior Taco Wallace and junior Derrick Evans should at least have the talent to duplicate the 2001 numbers, but experience certainly will not be a luxury. Contributing to the lacking flat plain's passing game plan last fall was a coaching indecision on who to start at quarterback between Marc Dunn and Ell Roberson. The situation seemed to be one of the worst handled rotations in the country. Neither player showed ability to light up the Cat's aerial assault. The two will do battle once again heading into summer workouts. Roberson led the team in total offense and has the elite feet edge while demonstrating super elusive running skills. Dunn is the better passer, but to be fair lacks/lacked quality wide outs. Media and fans seem to feel that if healthy, Roberson is the man. With unproven players at key spots and the receivers missing a ton of letter winners, it is hard to envision an explosive offense taking the field in 2002 unless one of the quarterbacks elevates his game. The offensive line needs to stay healthy and help carry the newcomers through the early season.

Much like the offense, Kansas State will excel up front. Although a concern last year, the defensive line brings back ten letter winners and four starters. Loading the artillery will be small tackle package Tank Reese while his partner in the middle, Justin Montgomery, brings a nasty pass rush to the table. The boys up front in the trenches do not exactly reek of big names and superstars, but certainly has enough wide spread talent to become one of the Big XII's most productive. At linebacker, the team's leading tackler of a year ago has moved on in Ben Leber. Two of his partners in tackling crime have returned to the scene. Terry Pierce is a force in the middle and Josh Buhl is a sure fire tackler. Some steady backups are in line to fill the shoes of Leber, but replacing his leadership will be the most important. Several key performers have departed in the secondary. One who decided to stick around is All-American cornerback Terence Newman, one of the best cover men in all of college football breaking up numerous passes and blocking multiple kicks a season ago. Coaches seem to be impressed with the amount of talent to choose from on the defensive back plate. Don't look for much of a drop off even with some of the regulars leaving the program. At this point, a diagnosis for 2002 shows the Wildcats to be a defensive team with great players and ability up front and at linebacker and loads of talent in an unproven backfield.