Kansas State enters its bye week with Collin Klein focused less on the calendar and more on the film.
Speaking Monday morning, the K-State coach said the review of the tape matched what the Wildcats already felt in the moment: a disappointing result built on thin margins and a handful of plays the team would want back in all three phases.
“Disappointing outcome, some thin margins, and some things we'd like to have back in all three phases for sure,” Klein said. He added that he was “proud again of how the guys competed and managed the situations we were in or put ourselves in accordingly down the stretch and gave ourselves a chance.”
Klein said the mood around the program is still heavy after the game. “Our team is obviously hurting, and it was a painful experience for sure,” he said.
Even so, he said he believes the group’s character and togetherness will carry it forward. “One that I'm very, very confident in their character and our togetherness to build on and move forward from.
That will make us better, and there are a lot of lessons to be gained from that for sure.”
The offensive issues in the third quarter stood out to him immediately. Klein pointed to two three-and-outs and the opening play of the third quarter, when a turnover helped turn a seven-point lead into a seven-point deficit in short order.
“Not being able to put the brakes on that momentum in that phase was something we can't do,” he said. “We've got to be able to move the football and calm the storm there when we're in that situation.”
He also said the defensive breakdowns were as damaging as they looked on the field. Klein noted that of the 271 rushing yards allowed, just under 200 came on five plays. He added that 270 yards of offense total came on seven plays, a stretch of explosive gains and costly lapses that “really, really cost you and are painful there.”
Still, he stressed that the problems are not beyond repair. “The good part is, all of them are fixable and within our control, and that's where we're going to be moving forward,” Klein said.
The bye week, he said, should give Kansas State a chance to heal. Klein said getting healthy and getting some players back is “definitely foreseeable,” though some injury situations may not be clear until later in the day or even Tuesday. He described those decisions as “case by case.”
For now, the message is simple: reset, recover, and get back to work. “Excited for the week to get back to work, get out on the practice field, and get better,” Klein said.
In Other News...
Kansas State Still Waiting For Linkon Cure To Break Through
Kansas State entered this season with rare buzz around Linkon Cure, the highest-rated recruit in program history and the Wildcats first five-star prospect. For a team that does not often land a player with that kind of national attention, the expectation was obvious: Cure was supposed to be a difference-maker, especially as a tight end with the size and skill set to become a reliable piece of the passing game.
Instead, his introduction has been slower than anyone in Manhattan probably hoped. Injuries have interrupted his progress, and the tight end room has given Kansas State other options, leaving Cure with only a modest start to his college career. Even so, Collin Klein still sees a bigger role ahead, and the Wildcats are waiting to see when the talent that made Cure such a prized get finally starts showing up on the field in a more consistent way. [Read more 🡒]
Kansas State Already Faces Doubts In The Big 12 Race
Kansas States place in the Big 12 picture is already looking more complicated than it did a few weeks ago, as the leagues updated power rankings continue to shift after Week 4. Oklahoma State has rebounded from an early loss with three straight wins and now looks like a team that belongs in the contender conversation, while a handful of other undefeated programs, including BYU, Texas Tech, Utah and Cincinnati, are still setting the pace near the top.
For Kansas State, the concern is less about one bad weekend and more about how crowded the race is becoming around it. The conference board now includes teams building momentum in different ways, and the early standings are beginning to separate the clubs that can afford a stumble from the ones already feeling pressure to keep up. Where the Wildcats fit in that mix is becoming one of the more interesting questions in the Big 12. [Read more 🡒]
Kansas State's Recruiting Momentum Just Added Another Early Defensive Win
Kansas States 2028 recruiting class picked up another early piece with the commitment of Malachi Johnson, a 6-foot-3, 215-pound edge rusher from St. Louis. Johnson becomes the second pledge in the class, giving the Wildcats another defensive building block well before the cycle starts to take shape in earnest.
Johnsons decision also points to the kind of relationships Kansas State has been able to build on the trail, especially with defensive line coach Buddy Wyatt. The fit appears to have gone beyond the field, with Johnson drawn to the programs football culture and the academic options in Manhattan, giving the Wildcats a promising early win as they look ahead. [Read more 🡒]