MANHATTAN, Kan. — Ron Prince says coaching Kansas State’s last three games after he’d already been fired provided some important lessons in human nature.
“People are really resilient. They really fight through what normally could be really trying circumstances,” he said.
Josh Freeman threw four touchdown passes and led the Wildcats to a 38-30 victory over Iowa State on Saturday, sending Prince out a winner.
Hired three years ago, Prince was 17-20 after succeeding Bill Snyder. He was winless against Nebraska, Kansas and Missouri, which no doubt hastened his dismissal. Kansas State has not announced a replacement.
The victory ended a five-game losing streak for the Wildcats and enabled them to squeeze past Iowa State and escape last place in the Big 12 North.
Austen Arnaud was 31-for-45 for a school-record 440 yards and three touchdowns for Iowa State, which lost its 17th straight on the road and gave up 226 points in its past five games. Their 626 net yards was third-best in team history.
Nevertheless, the future could also become perilous for Gene Chizik, who is 5-19 in two seasons as Iowa State head coach. After winning their first two games, the Cyclones ended the season on a 10-game losing streak.
