Kansas State has opened Collin Klein’s first season exactly the way any coach would dream about. The Wildcats are 2-0, they’ve piled up a 105-10 scoring edge, and the defense still hasn’t given up a touchdown.
Avery Johnson looks like a quarterback who has found his confidence again. On the surface, it’s been nearly flawless.
But Klein says the job is still teaching him plenty.
The Kansas State coach, now in his first year running the program, said this week that he is still working through the small but critical decisions that come with being the man in charge after spending time as a position coach and a coordinator. He even reached out to former K-State coach Chris Klieman, whom he replaced last December, for advice on the kind of game-day choices that can swing a season.
"I even talked to Coach Kleiman a couple days before because you're trying to weigh kick range, wind, weather, time in game, analytics, possession time, all of those things," Klein said earlier this week. "I talked to Coach Kleiman, I was like, 'Coach, how did you work through all this forever?' And he's was like, 'I'm just going tell you, you got to trust your gut.'"
Klein said that message mattered to him, and he expects to lean on it for the rest of the season. He believes that kind of instinct will matter as much as anything if Kansas State wants to keep the early momentum rolling.
That next test comes Saturday, when the Wildcats close out non-conference play against the Tulane Green Wave at Bill Snyder Family Stadium. After that, the schedule tightens quickly, with a road trip to Cincinnati the following week to open Big 12 play.
Kansas State also got its women’s basketball conference schedule for this season, with dates laid out from Dec. 19 through Feb. 28. The slate opens with Iowa State at home and includes trips to BYU, Utah, West Virginia, Cincinnati, Kansas, Baylor, Oklahoma State and Colorado, along with home games against UCF, Arizona, Houston, Arizona State, TCU, Texas Tech and Kansas.
Dec. 19 vs. Iowa State Cyclones
Dec. 30 at BYU Cougars
Jan. 2 at Utah Utes
Jan. 6 vs. UCF Knights
Jan. 9 vs. Arizona Wildcats
Jan. 13 at West Virginia Mountaineers
Jan. 16 at Iowa State Cyclones
Jan. 20 vs. Houston Cougars
Jan. 24 vs. Arizona State Sun Devils
Jan. 27 at Cincinnati Bearcats
Jan. 31 at Kansas Jayhawks
Feb. 4 vs. TCU Horned Frogs
Feb. 7 vs. Texas Tech Red Raiders
Feb. 10 at Baylor Bears
Feb. 15 at Oklahoma State Cowboys
Feb. 20 vs Kansas Jayhawks
Feb. 25 vs. Baylor Bears
Feb. 28 at Colorado Buffaloes
In Other News...
Kansas State Win Revealed More Than Fans Will Like Before Big 12 Play
Kansas State closed non-conference play with a 31-20 win over Tulane, moving to 3-0 and giving the Wildcats a clean runway into Big 12 action. Avery Johnson was the headliner, piling up a career-high 152 rushing yards and two touchdowns, while the defense again showed it can lean on depth up front to keep the team in games.
Still, the win also offered a few reminders of what will matter once the league schedule starts. The offensive line had stretches that looked vulnerable, and the Wildcats had to finish without safety Logan Bartley after he left early because of injury, while defensive lineman Jordan Allen did not play. The record looks good, but the next phase will tell Kansas State a lot more about how complete this team really is. [Read more 🡒]
Collin Klein Sounds Off On One Kansas State Problem After Win
Collin Klein came away from Kansas States 31-20 win over Tulane with plenty to like, and he made sure to credit the back-and-forth nature of the game. He praised both teams for the adjustments they made as the night wore on, pointed to the defenses ability to bend without breaking on long Tulane drives, and noted that the offense found a better rhythm with Avery helping steady things.
Even with the victory in hand, Klein kept coming back to the same issue: the penalties. He said the Wildcats have to be more disciplined moving forward, even after a game in which special teams also did its part by limiting Tulanes return game. For Kansas State, it was the kind of win that showed progress in a few areas while leaving at least one familiar problem sitting in plain view. [Read more 🡒]
Kansas State May Have Found The Linebacker It Needed Most
Kansas State has been searching for answers in the middle of its defense since Austin Romaine transferred to Texas Tech, and Gabe Powers is beginning to look like a player who can help steady that spot. The fifth-year senior, who arrived from Ohio State, has already started to settle in with the Wildcats and showed his value in a recent victory against Washington State, where he finished with four tackles.
Powers is expected to keep playing a major role as the schedule moves forward, and that matters for a defense still adjusting to life without Romaine. The fit has been encouraging enough that Kansas State may have found a linebacker who can give it the kind of reliability it needed most, even if the full picture is still coming into focus. [Read more 🡒]