Bill Snyder is the exception to this. The Kansas State coach has written letters to injured players and quarterbacks who beat his team. After the Wildcats’ loss to North Dakota State in 2013, Snyder congratulated the winning quarterback in the form of a handwritten note sent in the mail.
Jim Mora is not like this. After UCLA held off a late surge by the Wildcats in the Alamo Bowl on Jan. 2, he appeared to snub Snyder in the ceremonial postgame handshake. Later, on the way to the podium, the two met again and the shake lasted longer.
According to Mora’s Twitter, which has since been deleted, he tweeted after the game: “I will defend the safety of my players … forever.”
He’s referring to K-State sending a player over the line after the ball was snapped in victory formation. The Wildcats were down by five and burned a timeout. The player was blocked from hitting UCLA quarterback Brett Hundley on the kneel down.
Had there been a fumble and K-State recovered, there would have been more than enough time to put together a drive to win the game. It is a perfectly legal play call.
Snyder’s play call was not intended to hurt Hundley. This is the coach who wrote to Clint Trickett, West Virginia’s quarterback, after he sustained a concussion in the K-State game that ultimately led to his retirement from football.
This is the coach who turned around the worst football program in the country (the first team to 500 losses) into a perennial top 25 team. He didn’t do it by getting flashy recruits. More than half of the players are walk-ons. The team has produced NFL-caliber stars like Jordy Nelson, who was also a walk-on.
Mora should not have waited until Tuesday to explain himself. He had plenty of opportunity to do so beforehand. Even though he claims it wasn’t meant to be disrespectful to Snyder, he waited too long for his words to have any impact.
His worry was that he would say something he would regret to 75-year-old Snyder. Now he’s learned that actions speak louder than words.
