Finale for Kansas St.’s Snyder?
Bill Snyder has coached Kansas State for 26 seasons, returning once from retirement to coach at the stadium that bears his name.
Tuesday night’s Cactus Bowl against UCLA could be his finale.
Snyder has a contract that automatically rolls over every season, but the 78-year-old coach hasn’t decided if he wants to work a 27th season or retire.
“I’ve had some dialogue and I need to have some more dialogue with my family, and more dialogue with our administration,” Snyder said. “Just needing to be more thorough with it. Because you know for me it’s a big decision.”
Snyder helped turn Kansas State’s struggling team into a nationally prominent program when he took over in 1989. He retired in 2005, the program went into decline and Snyder returned to coaching in 2008.
Snyder has led Kansas State to eight straight bowl appearances and 19 overall, including three trips to the Fiesta Bowl in Arizona.
The Wildcats (7-5) got their 2017 season off to a slow start, losing three of their first four Big 12 games. Kansas State closed strongly, its only loss in its final five games to No. 23 West Virginia by five.
UCLA (6-6) had a shaky start as well, costing coach Jim Mora his job one game before the season ended.
The Bruins closed the regular season with a 30-27 victory over Cal under interim coach Jedd Fisch to become bowl eligible after missing the postseason a year ago.
UCLA hired former 49ers head coach Chip Kelly, who led Oregon in 2009-12, last month. But Fisch will coach the Bruins against Kansas State.
A few more things to look for in the Cactus Bowl: Rosen finale? A big question heading into the game is whether UCLA quarterback Josh Rosen will play. The junior has lingering concussion issues and injured his shoulder in the game against Cal, missing the second half. Rosen has said he wants to play, though there have been reports he won’t. He’s expected to leave for the NFL after this season. Dual-threat Thompson: Kansas State redshirt freshman Skylar Thompson began the season as the third-string quarterback, but became the No. 1 QB against Kansas on Oct. 28. Thompson has proved to be an adept passer and can hurt teams with his legs. In the final three games, he threw for 515 yards and four TDs on 38-of-60 passing, adding 158 rushing yards and two more scores. Unique venue: Because of renovations at Arizona State’s Sun Devil Stadium, the Cactus Bowl will be held at Chase Field for the third straight year. Chase Field is home of baseball’s Arizona Diamondbacks and the field is set up with one end zone along the first-base line and the other in left and center field.