"It's kind of like being a parent," Snyder said Monday during the coaches conference call. "You think you have all of the experience and you try to share with them what you think might be the right way for young people — like you're children. They don't always want to listen to you.
"So it's hard to project what kind of an impact that will have on our players. You'd like to think there would be some things we would share that would be beneficial for them and they would respond to it appropriately, but they're still 18-years-old. It remains to be seen."
The Wildcats have put themselves in an unfavorable position following the 38-12 loss against Missouri. K-State no longer has a bowl bid to fall back on.
The environment will likely be the toughest the Wildcats have faced this season. The Cornhusker faithful have sold out Memorial Stadium 303 consecutive games, and the Wildcats have won just twice in Lincoln since 1968.
"You're playing away from home and in front of a large crowd, which can probably present a noise factor that probably hinders your ability to focus and concentrate," Snyder said. "Just the mental aspect of being a young guy that hasn't had that much at stake in a ball game and not changing those things that have allowed you to perform reasonably well at times during the season.
"To be able to draw back on those experiences and not let it be tempered down because of a certain degree of pressure that will present itself for playing for a little greater stakes."
The last time the Wildcats faced the Cornhuskers with similar implications on the line came in 2003, when K-State marched into Lincoln and embarrassed Nebraska 38-9.
Following the game, Bo Pelini, the Nebraska defensive coordinator at the time, accused Snyder of running up the score.
Now, Pelini will matchup with Snyder as an opposing head coach. But Snyder said there is no rift on his end from that game.
"We haven't talked about it," he said. "I don't think it's an issue, at least on my part it's not and I hope it's not with Bo. It's kind of a heat-of-the-moment thing. Competitive people respond competitively. I'd like to think it's beyond us."
The Wildcats believe they can win. And if there is any doubt, all they need to do is look to their head coach, who has won the North three different times and has faced these situations before.
"We've certainly been in this position before — in different ways," said Snyder, who is 5-3 since against Nebraska since 1998. "But by the same token, I can't remember other than in the early years playing against a Nebraska team was not a great challenge. Certainly there were key ball games after those initial years in which they beat us so soundly."
Cherry honored by Big 12
After connecting on a career-high four field goals Saturday against Missouri, K-State junior placekicker Josh Cherry was named the Big 12 Special Teams Player of the Week, the conference office announced Monday.
The accolade is the first of Cherry's career and the fifth player-of-the-week distinction for a Wildcat this season. Brandon Banks earned a pair of special teams honors earlier this year, while Grant Gregory and Emmanuel Lamur were named the offensive and special teams players of the week, respectively, following the Iowa State game.
The four special teams honors this season are the most in school history, while it marks the first time since 2006 that K-State has had five Big 12 weekly honors.
Cherry, who began the season hitting just one of his first six field goals, has been true on 11 of his last 12, culminating with a perfect 4-for-4 mark last week against the Tigers. Cherry connected on a 47-yarder to get K-State on the board in the first quarter, which tied his career long. He went on to make field goals of 34, 35 and 33 yards.
Cherry's four field goals are tied for the second most in the Big 12 this season and were the most by a Wildcat since Brooks Rossman made four against Colorado on Oct.13, 2007.
