Rapid recap: Chris Klieman on what went wrong for Kansas State
What went wrong
Kansas State really struggled to get going in the 29-21 loss to Oklahoma State. The Cowboys won the line of scrimmage on both sides of the ball and ran for 174 yards. Remember, head coach Chris Klieman stated earlier in the week that it was going to be the key.
That played a role in why Will Howard threw three interceptions. One was a back-breaking pick six at the end of the first half. K-State could have entered the locker room down only 13-7 if not for the turnover. The Wildcats also did not force any turnovers of their own.
It was also another game where Kansas State struggled to produce explosive plays. The offense had just one play of over 30 yards, and it was a 70-yard run by Howard. On the flip side, Oklahoma State had four plays go for over 30 yards.
Klieman was as harsh as he has ever been in a press conference after a game. He bluntly pointed out that K-State is not a very good team and told that to his players. However, he took the brunt of the blame for how they’re playing and said it starts with him.
Passing game
The Kansas State passing game left something to be desired Friday night in Stillwater.
Howard only had 11 yards passing and was just 5 of 11 threw the air in the first half. It was not just him that struggled, either. With 2:02 to go in the third quarter, the K-State wide receivers had just two catches for four yards.
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Klieman stated that his quarterback has to play better and the wide receivers have to get open if it’s going to change. The Kansas State head coach said he needs to be better about telling Howard what he’s seeing from the opposing defense.
Avery situation
True freshman Avery Johnson did not play Friday after playing in the first road game against Missouri.
Klieman and offensive coordinator Collin Klein did discuss it, though. Just the fact that Klieman was willing to reveal that fact when he didn’t have to probably says a lot about his thoughts on the position group at the moment.
The two K-State coaches ultimately decided not to toss him out cold into a tougher environment. It was a sellout crowd and the noise was causing some cadence issues. Because of that, they kept Johnson on the bench for now.
