But KSU head coach Bill Snyder said his concern is more centered around Cherry's confidence, not whether or not he can get the job done.

"Whatever the case may be, when somebody doesn't perform well, you worry about a level of confidence," he said during K-State's weekly press conference on Tuesday. "And all I can relate to, and what I tell our kids at practice, is that 'if you've done, I'm expecting it to get done the same way again, and again, and again.'

"If you've proven that you have the capacity to do something, block, tackle, throw, catch, kick, and shown that you can do it well, why would we expect or appreciate anything less than that."

Cherry, who is handling the place-kicking duties for the first time after taking over for Brooks Rossman a year ago, has the capability to make all the kicks. Snyder knows so, because he's seen him do it.

In fact, he's kicked in practice from places on the field normally only reserved for former Wildcat Martin Gramatica. Though his range continues to be a mystery to K-State fans, Snyder said there is no reason to bail on Cherry just yet.

"I've watched Josh line up and kick the ball from places on the field we'd probably let only Gramatica kick from - not quite that far out, but still, he's hit good balls from a distance and had some consistency about it," he said. "He kind of lost that, obviously. But I want him to know, and I've shared with him, that I'm going to stick with him. And our team has shared that same feeling with him."

The only other option behind Cherry is Manhattan High product Brandon Klimek. A walk-on a year ago, Klimek has never attempted a collegiate kick, and made just one 25-yarder with the Indians in high school.

"It's a matter of working through his fundamentals, his techniques and his line set, that says, 'hey, I can do this thing,'" Snyder said of Cherry.

Making the situation more difficult is that two holds have been botched, one at Louisiana and another at UCLA on an extra point, by the holder and punter Ryan Doerr.

"Balls laying on the ground, you've got some questions, yes," Snyder said on whether that can affect his kicker's confidence. "And he isn't very good at kicking the ball off the ground, flat."

Home sweet home

K-State returns home this Saturday to host Tennessee Tech at 1:10 p.m. at Bill Snyder Family Stadium.

The homecoming comes on the heels of back-to-back road trips to Lafayette, La. and Pasadena, Calif., something Snyder can't recall ever doing before during the non-conference.

Though K-State is coming home after a pair of losses from the road trips, Snyder said there can be a benefit to it down the line this season as the Wildcats still have trips to Kansas City to face Iowa State, then at Texas Tech, Oklahoma and Nebraska.

"I think our youngsters need to get back home, but you have to be able to travel," Snyder said. "There's no doubt about it. The positive thing is that it will be beneficial when we make future trips."

The negative about going to UCLA, well, is simple, if you know what makes Snyder tick.

"To make a nonsensical trip to L.A... the sun was up when I got back here... you don't like that because it really sets your future preparation behind schedule," he said. "But I credit our coaches because they have worked hard to catch up."

Booming Saturday

K-State's game with Tennessee Tech on Saturday will be the annual celebration of Fort Riley Day and Band Day at the stadium, which will also coincide with University Family Day at K-State.

Less than 5,000 tickets remain for the game that will feature the loud booms of five cannons before the game and after each KSU score, including "Old Thunder," a Civil War-era cannon.