The first half of Kansas State’s 2013 was a nightmare. They kicked off the year with a loss to an FCS team (North Dakota State), followed by a 2-3 record in the next five games. Granted, two of those losses were to ranked teams, but the record is embarrassing regardless. The biggest issue over that stretch was their negative turnover margin. Kansas State was giving up the ball too often, yet could not score enough or generate turnovers to balance it out.

Luckily, something clicked in the second half of the season. Through the first seven games, Kansas State had a turnover margin of negative eight (-8). Through the final six games, they flipped the margin entirely and ended with a margin of positive eight (+8). In just six games, Kansas State was able to turn their turnover situation around and ultimately ended the year neutral, which is a success considering how poorly they had started the year. Over those final six games, Kansas State only lost one game, and even that game was only a ten point loss. They started as one of the most disappointing teams in the conference, but ended the year with a bowl victory over Michigan. If they can keep up the momentum, 2014 will be a big year.

Top Newcomers

Terrell Clinkscales, Defensive Tackle: Clinkscales, a junior college transfer, is a massive mauler of a defensive tackle. He will not win with any sort of quickness, but his sheer power is enough for him to find his way into the backfield. At the least, Clinkscales can be a solid plugger on day one.

Elijah Lee, Linebacker: In space, Lee is a terror. He flies around the field and can flow from sideline to sideline with ease. For this stage in his development, Lee takes good angles and tackles well, but still has a lot of room to grow. In due time, he will be an intriguing player.

Top Returning Players

Tyler Lockett, Wide Receiver: More than anything else, Lockett is a stunning deep threat. Lockett’s long speed allows him to separate more easily than most other receivers. Last season, Lockett caught more than double the amount of passes and ammasses more than double the amount of yards than any other receiver on the team. Frankly, Kansas State is going to need him to carry the receiving corps like that again.

BJ Finney, Center: Along with Hroniss Grasu, Finney is arguably the best center in the country. Although, he is a much different player. Finney is a top-heavy power center that succeeds by simply brutalizing the player in front of him.

Position Breakdown

Quarterback: Jake Waters wants so badly to be Collin Klein. Waters is a fairly athletic run-first quarterback that struggles in every facet of passing. His arm strength is poor, as is his throwing motion. Together, they lead to Waters being terribly inaccurate on every level on the field. Mostly due to his athleticism, Waters can at least be a mismatch and an unpredictable weapon, but for the most part, he is underwhelming.

Running Back: John Hubert’s efforts at Kansas State went under appreciated, and it is unfortunate that he will no longer be on the team. The man set to replace him, Demarcus Robinson, only had five carries in 2013. Unfortunately for the program, Robinson is an undersized redshirt senior that has been buried on the depth chart for his entire collegiate career. Expect Kansas State’s rushing offense to take a step back. Although, keep an eye on fullback Glenn Gronkowski. In the few touches he got last season, he made the most of them.

Wide Receiver: Lockett will once again have to be the one player that gets much more attention than the other receivers on the team. Curry Sexton, one of only two receivers aside from Lockett to have 30-plus receptions last season, will be back again to keep continuity. Stepping into the third receiver role will be Deante Brown, but he is a subpar talent that will likely perform worse than Tramaine Thompson, whom he is replacing.

"He's one of those guys who, when you leave the field and look out the window he's still out there catching," Snyder about WR Tyler Lockett.

— K-State Athletics (@kstatesports) July 22, 2014

Tight End: Starter Zach Trujillo is returning, but that does not mean much. In 2013, he was little more than an in-line blocker. Trujillo caught a miniscule five passes last season. Granted, one of them was a touchdown, but as a whole, he was and will continue to be an in-line blocker that seldom gets looks as a receiver.

Offensive Tackle: Cornelius Lucas is leaving a huge void at left tackle (literally) that will be tough to fill. In their scramble, Kansas State opted for the transferee route by signing Luke Hayes. Much like Lucas, Hayes is a towering, clunky tackle that struggles handling speed rushers. He may not perform as well, but at the least, Hayes provides the same dynamic that Lucas did. Oddly enough, Kansas State did the same thing at right tackle. Transferee AJ Allen will see his first division one start as Kansas State’s right tackle.

Offensive Guard: Despite having replacements on the edge, Kansas State’s interior will be intact. Both Boston Siverson and Cody Whitehair are back on the team as juniors. Of the two, Siverson is better, but neither are particularly good or bad.

Center: Finney is going to be the anchor of the offensive line. He is the best player on that offensive line by a fair margin and he will be responsible for making up for others’ mistakes. Luckily, he is more than capable of doing so.

Defensive End: Though he went without recognition, Ryan Mueller was as productive as anyone last season. His 11.5 sacks were enough to land him in the top ten in that category. With im back, Kansas State has a solid veteran pass rusher on one side. Although, his counterpart Marquel Bryant is much less impressive. Expect Mueller to again lead the team in sacks.

Defensive Tackle: Transferee Clinkscales will take over as one of the starting defensive tackles. Considering his size and strength, it is more likely that he plays as the one-tech while Travis Britz spends his time as the three-tech.

Linebackers: To no surprise, Kansas State will have another transferee starting as D’Vonta Derricott takes over at middle linebacker. Jonathan Truman, the team’s second leading tackler last season, will be returning. Although, like Derricott, Charmeachealle Moore will be entering his first season as a starter in the BIG 12.

Defensive Backs: Kansas State lost a handful of key senior defensive backs, most notably safety Ty Zimmerman. Luckily, their interception leader Dante Barnett will be back as a starting safety. Likewise, cornerback Randall Evans returns as arguably the best defensive back on the team. Taking over at the other safety position is Dylan Schellenberg, while Nate Jackson will be the corner opposite of Evans.

Biggest Strength

Kansas State’s strongest unit, by far, is their defensive line. Aside from Clinkscales, the entire starting defensive line is made up of returning players. Leading the group will be Mueller because of his veteranship and knack for making big plays. With him being the most problematic for opposing offenses, the rest of the corps will be able to thrive. Clinkscales will be a wonderful run stuffer as soon as he hits the field. Bryant is, at the very least, good for a handful of sacks on top of Mueller’s. Britz is far from special, but he is a solid collegiate level defensive tackle. With Mueller carrying the load, the squad as a whole will be the team’s best unit.

Biggest Weakness

In regards to both passing and rushing, Kansas State’s offense will take a step back. With the losses of key players like Lucas and Hubert, they will struggle to compete early on, if not the entire season. With a weakened offensive line, Waters may be exposed even more, which would lead to the ultimate demise of the offense. As if that would not be an issue, the rushing attack will be abysmal. Robinson, or any other back on the roster, is not capable of playing at Hubert’s 2013 level. Of course, the pair of new offensive tackles does not help the offense’s case either. The Kansas State offense in 2013 was already middling, but 2014 will be worse.