Three points. That was all Kansas State scored in its spring game, and it required a 51-yard field goal by backup kicker Josh Cherry in the fourth quarter to account for the scoring.

Attribute the anemic display to a variety of factors. Ron Prince, the Wildcats' third-year coach, chose to cite the play-calling by his coordinators and their desire to win the game, the defensive improvement his team showed during the spring, and the running clock used to expedite the scrimmage.

Still, the sluggish exhibition included an inordinate number of dropped balls, poor throws and stifled carries. The only real offensive threat to emerge was a walk-on running back, Keithen Valentine, who rushed for 104 yards. Add another 100 yards and you get 204, which is what the two squads combined to generate.

Disconcerting? Perhaps. But then what isn't these days for the Kansas State program?

It closed the regular season needing one win in its last four games to qualify for a bowl. Two of the games were against the last-place teams in the Big 12 North, Iowa State and Nebraska. Yet the Wildcats lost all four tries, finishing 5-7 overall and 3-5 in the Big 12.

The defense was particularly shoddy down the stretch, though the offense was inconsistent and is now without its most steady contributor, wide receiver Jordy Nelson, a second-round draft pick of the Green Bay Packers.

To address shortcomings throughout the roster, Prince signed a whopping 19 junior-college transfers. Most of them, however, were unable to enroll at Kansas State in time for spring practice, so many evaluations must be made when the Wildcats reassemble in the fall. Adding to the transitionary phase will be the presence of three new assistants after Kansas State again experienced attrition on its staff.

If the coaches can deliver their message quickly enough and develop all the newcomers they hope will contribute in 2008, the quick fix Prince seeks with all the transfers could make Kansas State competitive. It heads into the fall as probably the biggest unknown among all the North teams.

But it's going to take a tremendous amount of work, patience and understanding for the JUCO experiment to pay off. That, plus whatever Kansas State got out of the spring must be explained again with a thorough fall review.

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