Collin Klein didn’t try to sugarcoat Kansas State’s 31-26 loss at Cincinnati. After the game Saturday, he pointed straight at the problems that sank the Wildcats: the line of scrimmage, the red zone, penalties, turnovers, and a defense that couldn’t slow the Bearcats on the ground.
“Painful. There are a lot of guys who invested a lot and prepared really hard, and we didn't play well enough tonight.
There are no excuses. There's nothing that makes it feel any better for me, our staff, or our players.”
Klein said the matchup was always going to be decided up front, and Cincinnati won that fight. Kansas State came out on the wrong end of the trenches battle, and the coach said that showed up everywhere - on third down, in the red zone, and in the overall flow of the game.
“We knew the battle at the line of scrimmage was going to be the ball game, and it was. We were on the wrong side of it.
New red zone, new third down, all those things. We're going to go from there.”
Defensively, the numbers were impossible to ignore. Klein said Kansas State won’t beat many teams while allowing 280 rushing yards, and he put the fix on himself and his staff.
“I think, starting the story of the game defensively, we're not going to win many games giving up 280 yards rushing, and we've got to get that fixed. It starts with me and our staff.
We've got to win the line of scrimmage. We've got to be better and get more gaps out, and we can't have as many bleeding yards as far as that goes.”
He also pointed to missed tackles and breakdowns in fits, even while crediting his team’s effort. Kansas State did force one turnover and stopped a drive that gave the Wildcats a brief lift, but the bigger picture never swung back their way.
“They got the one turnover and shut down that drive and gave us some life there toward the end. I thought we competed incredibly hard through the ball game, but just some misfits and missed tackles. Really, really painful as far as that goes.”
On offense, Klein felt Kansas State had some early movement but didn’t cash in when it mattered. Two first-half drives ended in field goals instead of touchdowns, and he said that had to change, especially on the road.
“Offensively, first half, I thought we moved the ball well. Two drives, we're kicking field goals instead of getting in the end zone.
We've got to finish those on the road. The turnover coming-I thought the two-minute drive right at the half was very, very well done and timed to drain the clock and get us in the end zone.”
But the opening snap of the second half flipped everything. A fumble on the first play out of the break handed Cincinnati momentum, and Klein said Kansas State couldn’t stop the surge on either side of the ball.
“Coming out, fumbling and turning the ball over on the first play. I thought Derrick Salley played an unbelievable ball game and did some really, really good things.
I'm incredibly proud of him. The turnover was very, very costly, sparked some momentum, and we didn't get it stopped on either side of the ball from a momentum standpoint.
We weren't able to get the brakes on there for a couple of possessions and kind of dug ourselves a hole.”
Klein closed by calling out the penalties that kept piling up at bad times, then framed the coming week as a chance to reset.
“Some inopportune penalties at times that were very, very frustrating and costly. We have to be better, and it starts with me and our staff. It's a big week to get healthy and get some things tightened up.”
In Other News...
Kansas State's Big 12 Opener Exposed A Problem That Could Linger
Kansas States Big 12 opener at Nippert Stadium ended with a familiar kind of frustration for a team trying to settle into conference play. The Wildcats fell 31-26 to Cincinnati, and the difference came in large part on the ground, where the Bearcats kept leaning on a rushing attack that let them control enough of the evening to stay ahead.
Cole Tabb and GiBran Payne helped Cincinnati set that tone, while Kansas State did find an unexpected lift from Derrick Salley at wide receiver. The Wildcats still had a chance to claw all the way back in the final minute, but the comeback came up short, leaving them with a loss and a bigger question about whether the issue they ran into can be fixed quickly enough. [Read more 🡒]
Kansas State Just Got An Early Big 12 Reality Check
Kansas States first stumble under Collin Klein came at Nippert Stadium, where Cincinnati handed the Wildcats a 31-26 loss and delivered an early reminder of how unforgiving Big 12 road games can be. The Bearcats moved to 4-0, giving Scott Satterfield his first 4-0 start as head coach, while Kansas State fell to 3-1 overall after opening conference play with a setback.
Cincinnati got a big night from Cole Tabb, who ran for 124 yards and three touchdowns, and JC French IV added 165 passing yards and a score to help the Bearcats control enough of the game to hold off Kansas State late. For the Wildcats, the result was more than just a first loss of the season - it was an immediate signal that the margin for error in league play is already thin. [Read more 🡒]
K-State Defense Faces Its First Real Big 12 Stress Test
Kansas States defense has spent most of the season looking like one of the countrys best units, but the numbers have not been spotless. The Wildcats have been stingy in a lot of categories, yet explosive runs on the ground have shown up as a recurring issue, and that is exactly the kind of weakness Big 12 opponents tend to probe once the conference schedule settles in.
Cincinnati brings a challenge that makes that test feel real. The Bearcats have one of the nations better offensive lines, a group that has already drawn national recognition and helped power one of the top rushing attacks in the country. Quarterback JC French IV has been accurate, but his low average depth of target points to a more cautious passing game, which puts even more weight on whether Kansas State can control the line of scrimmage and keep the run game from dictating the pace. [Read more 🡒]