Kansas State University Athletics
SE: K-State Football Notebook – Texas Week
Dec 02, 2020 | Football, Sports Extra
By: Austin Siegel
The games have never been a guarantee for K-State.
Ahead of Senior Day at Bill Snyder Family Stadium, it's easy for Chris Klieman to rewind to the summer, when the idea of playing nine games without any schedule changes seemed like wishful thinking.
"Back in May when we first started getting together, we talked about somehow, someway we've got to play games," Klieman said. "We knew the quality of play might not be great, but the fact that we're helping the country and helping our universities, whatever it may be, America needs football."
Coming into Saturday's finale against Texas, the Wildcats are 4-5 with an opportunity to match last season's Big 12 win total with a victory on Saturday.
Without their senior starting quarterback since October and working with an ever-changing roster due to COVID-19 precautions, that would be an impressive way for Klieman to close the regular season in Manhattan.
"Everybody wants to win every game. If we had played six games, I would have wanted to go 6-0. Am I frustrated that we're 4-5? Absolutely," Klieman said. "But in the grand scheme of things, back in June, July and August, nobody thought we were going to be here."
In fact, with a win against the Longhorns, Klieman would become the first coach in K-State history to start his career with two winning conference records.
This week, ESPN projected K-State to the Guaranteed Rate Bowl in Phoenix while CBS slotted the Wildcats to the Armed Forces Bowl in Fort Worth.
Win or lose on Saturday, Klieman was unequivocal when asked whether he would accept an invite to a bowl game should the Wildcats receive one.
"Absolutely. We need practice time. We need development time. So many guys have missed between 14 and 30 days since we started this thing," Klieman said. "Is this going to make a difference in 2021? Potentially, especially for those young players."
Senior Day Vibes
Since this season doesn't count towards eligibility and teams with fewer than six wins will have the chance to play in a bowl game, Senior Day doesn't feel quite so final in 2020.
For a player like Drew Wiley, who said he already has an idea of what his plans will be next season, it's about separating the usual feelings of Senior Day from his future decision.
"It's kind of unprecedented. It's never really happened before, so we discuss it quite often I think," he said. "I do kind of have my mind made up, but I don't really think this is the place to discuss it right now. The process was consulting people that I trusted. A lot of talking to my family, talking to coaches. Doing a little bit of praying trying to figure out what was the path or what will be the right path moving forward."
Klieman's advice to his players: "Take the emotion out of it" and enjoy the final Saturday afternoon of the season.
The Wildcats will honor every senior on the roster this weekend, no matter what their decision might be in 2021.
"Those guys have meant a ton to me and our staff. They welcomed us and opened their arms to us when we were hired here almost two years ago," Klieman said. "The guys were disappointed in the loss Saturday and devastated that we had an opportunity to win the game and just didn't find a way and didn't get it done. I'm proud of the resolve."
Ground and Pound
The next-man-up attitude has been a part of the culture of K-State Football all season, and roster turnover hasn't stopped the Wildcats from some impressive performances.
K-State pulled the upset at No. 3 Oklahoma without most of their starting secondary. Then the Wildcats beat Texas Tech after Skylar Thompson was lost for the season in the first half.
Even in a loss, rushing for 256 yards against Baylor just two days after losing both of their starting guards to COVID-19 precautions should rank among those impressive performances.
"I knew once we lost Josh (Rivas) and Ben (Adler) on Friday that coach needed me to go in. He thought I needed to go in at left guard, but I felt really comfortable being on the inside. It felt more natural to me," Cooper Beebe said. "The footwork isn't much different, it's just the time you have for people to get on you is something you have to get used to."
That's a very casual way of saying that Beebe had 48 hours to learn the timing and quirks of the interior offensive line for the Wildcats, before facing Baylor on a rainy night in Waco.
Beebe estimated that he had exactly five reps at left guard in 2020. Given the circumstances, a passing grade would seem to be getting his quarterback through the game in one piece.
Beebe and K-State's patchwork O-line ended doing a little more than that.
Deuce Vaughn had a career-high 19 rushing attempts against Baylor, gashing the Bears for a 38-yard rushing touchdown, his seventh all-purpose TD of the season. Malik Knowles also broke off a 75-yard touchdown run, going in motion on a sweep and following his blocks to the endzone.
It was an only-in-2020 performance for Beebe and the offensive line, and it was about showcasing the attitude that has defined this season from beginning to end.
"We all tested that Friday, and we're all just waiting in the locker rooms, waiting for meetings. Our athletic trainers came and grabbed Josh and Ben, and we realized when that happens, that's something we are afraid of," Beebe said. "We knew they would probably be out. Then it's just next man up."
The games have never been a guarantee for K-State.
Ahead of Senior Day at Bill Snyder Family Stadium, it's easy for Chris Klieman to rewind to the summer, when the idea of playing nine games without any schedule changes seemed like wishful thinking.
"Back in May when we first started getting together, we talked about somehow, someway we've got to play games," Klieman said. "We knew the quality of play might not be great, but the fact that we're helping the country and helping our universities, whatever it may be, America needs football."
Coming into Saturday's finale against Texas, the Wildcats are 4-5 with an opportunity to match last season's Big 12 win total with a victory on Saturday.
Without their senior starting quarterback since October and working with an ever-changing roster due to COVID-19 precautions, that would be an impressive way for Klieman to close the regular season in Manhattan.
"Everybody wants to win every game. If we had played six games, I would have wanted to go 6-0. Am I frustrated that we're 4-5? Absolutely," Klieman said. "But in the grand scheme of things, back in June, July and August, nobody thought we were going to be here."
In fact, with a win against the Longhorns, Klieman would become the first coach in K-State history to start his career with two winning conference records.
This week, ESPN projected K-State to the Guaranteed Rate Bowl in Phoenix while CBS slotted the Wildcats to the Armed Forces Bowl in Fort Worth.
Win or lose on Saturday, Klieman was unequivocal when asked whether he would accept an invite to a bowl game should the Wildcats receive one.
"Absolutely. We need practice time. We need development time. So many guys have missed between 14 and 30 days since we started this thing," Klieman said. "Is this going to make a difference in 2021? Potentially, especially for those young players."
Senior Day Vibes
Since this season doesn't count towards eligibility and teams with fewer than six wins will have the chance to play in a bowl game, Senior Day doesn't feel quite so final in 2020.
For a player like Drew Wiley, who said he already has an idea of what his plans will be next season, it's about separating the usual feelings of Senior Day from his future decision.
"It's kind of unprecedented. It's never really happened before, so we discuss it quite often I think," he said. "I do kind of have my mind made up, but I don't really think this is the place to discuss it right now. The process was consulting people that I trusted. A lot of talking to my family, talking to coaches. Doing a little bit of praying trying to figure out what was the path or what will be the right path moving forward."
Klieman's advice to his players: "Take the emotion out of it" and enjoy the final Saturday afternoon of the season.
The Wildcats will honor every senior on the roster this weekend, no matter what their decision might be in 2021.
"Those guys have meant a ton to me and our staff. They welcomed us and opened their arms to us when we were hired here almost two years ago," Klieman said. "The guys were disappointed in the loss Saturday and devastated that we had an opportunity to win the game and just didn't find a way and didn't get it done. I'm proud of the resolve."
Ground and Pound
The next-man-up attitude has been a part of the culture of K-State Football all season, and roster turnover hasn't stopped the Wildcats from some impressive performances.
K-State pulled the upset at No. 3 Oklahoma without most of their starting secondary. Then the Wildcats beat Texas Tech after Skylar Thompson was lost for the season in the first half.
Even in a loss, rushing for 256 yards against Baylor just two days after losing both of their starting guards to COVID-19 precautions should rank among those impressive performances.
"I knew once we lost Josh (Rivas) and Ben (Adler) on Friday that coach needed me to go in. He thought I needed to go in at left guard, but I felt really comfortable being on the inside. It felt more natural to me," Cooper Beebe said. "The footwork isn't much different, it's just the time you have for people to get on you is something you have to get used to."
That's a very casual way of saying that Beebe had 48 hours to learn the timing and quirks of the interior offensive line for the Wildcats, before facing Baylor on a rainy night in Waco.
Beebe estimated that he had exactly five reps at left guard in 2020. Given the circumstances, a passing grade would seem to be getting his quarterback through the game in one piece.
Beebe and K-State's patchwork O-line ended doing a little more than that.
Deuce Vaughn had a career-high 19 rushing attempts against Baylor, gashing the Bears for a 38-yard rushing touchdown, his seventh all-purpose TD of the season. Malik Knowles also broke off a 75-yard touchdown run, going in motion on a sweep and following his blocks to the endzone.
It was an only-in-2020 performance for Beebe and the offensive line, and it was about showcasing the attitude that has defined this season from beginning to end.
"We all tested that Friday, and we're all just waiting in the locker rooms, waiting for meetings. Our athletic trainers came and grabbed Josh and Ben, and we realized when that happens, that's something we are afraid of," Beebe said. "We knew they would probably be out. Then it's just next man up."
Players Mentioned
OL
/ Football
WR
/ Football
QB
/ Football
RB
/ Football
DT
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