K-State freshmen could soon be initiated
MANHATTAN -- Kansas State's struggling offense had just left the field with a turnover during Saturday's loss to Fresno State when John Hafferty elbowed Gerard Spexarth, a fellow first-year freshman and offensive lineman.
"Dude," he told him, "we're going in."
That didn't actually happen, but it probably will this Saturday against Louisiana. And that's not just a blowout scenario coming into play, either.
The Wildcats would like to use Hafferty at left guard, Spexarth at left tackle and perhaps even Ryan Schmidt, another first-year freshman, at center because their future could be coming soon.
There aren't many starting positions safe anymore, and K-State coach Bill Snyder has already made numerous changes to the depth chart.
"It's it's time to give players who have been closing the gap an opportunity," Snyder said.
That certainly includes the 6-foot-3, 305-pound Hafferty. He's still behind Malcolm Wooldridge right now, but he spent some time in Monday night's practice working with the starting offensive line. It's almost certain he'll play against the Ragin' Cajuns.
"If I do get the opportunity, it would be my dream coming true to do that," said Hafferty, whose father was a starting center for K-State in the late 1970s. "It would mean more to me than you could ever know."
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Jeffrey Parson covers K-State and the Big 12.
Reach him at 268-6398 or jparson@wichitaeagle.com.
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Cajuns running game
