Chris Klieman eager to see Wildcats respond to adversity after loss
Kansas State Coach Chris Klieman walks along the sideline during a timeout in the fourth quarter against Iowa State Saturday October 16, 2021 at Bill Snyder Family Stadium. (Lynn Harrington/stayaliveinpower5)
MANHATTAN, Kan. — Although the Wildcats are coming off a 29-point road loss, they’ll get a chance to redeem themselves by hosting the No. 20 Cowboys Saturday afternoon.
Kansas State’s 31-9 debacle at BYU was the program’s worst loss under Chris Klieman since 2020, and something he doesn’t want to experience again. After all, the offense played sluggish, the defense couldn’t make stops or force turnovers, and of course the mental breakdowns with silly penalties.
It was a humbling ordeal for the Wildcats, and they fell all the way down from No. 13 to No. 23 in the AP Poll, which was the largest drop of any team after week four. Klieman is trying to pick up the pieces before Oklahoma State (3-1) invades Bill Snyder Family Stadium.
“Now it’s our job as coaches, we gotta get them to respond, and I’m confident in the leadership on this football team that they will respond,” Klieman said. “I’m confident in our older guys, and leaders making sure that our focus is good, that we’re having a good week of prep, and we’re playing a really good football team in Oklahoma State too.”
The Cowboys’ last trip to Manhattan ended in a 48-0 loss, so Klieman expects to get their best. Not to mention Oklahoma State is coming off a loss too. Both teams are looking for their first victory in Big 12 play, and Klieman understands his team has a slim margin for error.
He’s making sure that his players, and staff are taking accountability, and wants leaders to emerge during this time of adversity. Quarterback Avery Johnson received the shoulder of the blame for last week’s shortcomings, but Klieman feels it was a complete team breakdown.
The coaches didn’t make the necessary adjustments at halftime, and Johnson couldn’t get into a rhythm. Regardless, Klieman anticipates the team will rally behind Johnson this week, and everyone will do their part to contribute.
“I’m confident that he’ll respond this week, but it can’t just be Avery, we’ve gotta be better around him collectively, in complimentary football, and on the offensive side around him,” he said. “But we gotta be better on defense to help him.”
Klieman is demanding more balance on offense, and doesn’t want his team playing from behind because that makes them too one-dimensional. Having a lead gives him more options with the playbook. Kansas State (3-1) hasn’t lost back-to-back games since 2021, because Klieman is a natural at making adjustments from one week to the next.
It doesn’t help that the Wildcats are sort of operating on a short week, considering they played a very late game last Saturday, and a early contest in week five.
The Cowboys have some offensive firepower too, including Doak Walker Award winner Ollie Gordon, a veteran quarterback and offensive line. So Klieman knows it’s going to be a tall task for Kansas State’s defense to shut down the opposition. Better tackling and getting off the blocks will go a long way on the gridiron, and Klieman wants his players to thrive in the trenches.
“It still Kansas State against Oklahoma State, I know that they’re going to be really well-coached, it’s going to be a really physical game, and both teams know each other pretty well,” the 57-year old coach said. “So it’s still going to come down to the same things with turnovers, red zone success, explosive plays, limiting mental errors and it’s going to be a battle.”
Oklahoma State beat Kansas State 29-21 in Stillwater last season. The Wildcats would love nothing more than to return the favor. Klieman could care less about style points, a blowout or an ugly performance, he just wants a victory for his team. The loser of this game will likely be on the outside looking in with the Big 12 race. So there’s no denying that there’ll be a lot at stake for all parties involved.
