Cincinnati’s collapse against Arizona has thrown a fresh spotlight on Kansas State, because the Bearcats’ stumble made last week’s result look a lot different in hindsight.
A week after Cincinnati put together a dominant second half to hand Kansas State its first loss of the season, the Bearcats were blown out 34-7 by Arizona. That kind of swing naturally invites the obvious question: what does it say about the Wildcats if the team that beat them got flattened the next week?
The short answer is that it probably says less than it seems. Kansas State is still working through its first season under Collin Klein, and the loss to Cincinnati came on the road, in the Wildcats’ first away game of the year. They played a strong first half before everything unraveled after a costly fumble to open the third quarter.
That doesn’t erase the fact that the Cincinnati game was there to be won. Kansas State should probably be 4-0 heading into Saturday’s matchup with Houston at Bill Snyder Family Stadium. Instead, the Wildcats sit with questions hanging over them, even if the answer is still very much in progress.
The bigger issue is what happens now that the schedule tightens. Kansas State is moving into the heart of Big 12 play, where nothing comes easy.
Houston is next after an impressive win over UCF, and then comes the Sunflower Showdown against Kansas. Those two games should tell a lot about where this team really stands.
So the central issue isn’t just Cincinnati or Arizona. It’s whether Klein has this group ready to handle the grind right now, or whether Kansas State still needs more time to settle in before it can look like the team people expected.
If the adjustment comes quickly, the season can still track in the right direction. If it doesn’t, Manhattan could be in for a long one.
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Collin Kleins K-State Legacy Was Built In A Moment Fans Still Love
Collin Kleins place in Kansas State history has long been tied to performances like the one he delivered on Oct. 1, 2011, when the Wildcats took down No. 15 Baylor in a game that still sits high on the list of memorable wins from that era. Facing Robert Griffin III and a Bears team built to overwhelm opponents, Klein put together a rugged, all-over-the-field effort that helped Kansas State stay in control of a wild Big 12 battle.
Klein accounted for 359 total yards and three touchdowns, and his late scoring run was one of the defining plays in the finish. Baylor got big numbers from Griffin, who threw five touchdowns but also had his first interception of the season, and Kansas State still found a way to close it out with a late field goal and a defensive stop, the kind of winning sequence that turned one afternoon into part of Kleins lasting legacy. [Read more 🡒]