SE: Wildcats Focused on the Fourth Quarter
Nov 15, 2021 | Football, Sports Extra
By: D. Scott Fritchen
Kansas State is talking about the fourth quarter as it heads down the stretch of the 2021 regular season. K-State head coach Chris Klieman is talking about "belief," and "confidence," and "expectation." And perhaps no play in the Klieman era better epitomized those traits than the guttiest fourth-down play in his three seasons with the Wildcats. And we all know what happened. We were all witnesses.
With K-State's lead cut to 24-17 and facing fourth-and-8 at the West Virginia 39-yard line with less than 8 minutes remaining in the fourth quarter, Skylar Thompson hit tight end Sammy Wheeler for a 35-yard completion on the prettiest seam route you'll see, which led to Deuce Vaughn darting 4 yards into the end zone on the next play.
It was effectively game over.
Today, K-State, 7-3 overall and 4-3 in the Big 12 Conference, owns the longest active winning streak in the Big 12 Conference. And let that sink in for a moment. And appreciate the magnitude of this climb to this point. Not a lot of folks believed this time was possible, not after three straight losses against No. 22 Oklahoma State, No. 6 Oklahoma and Iowa State to start the league season.
Now only Oklahoma (9-1), Oklahoma State (9-1) and Baylor (8-2) have a better record than the Wildcats.
And now K-State gets No. 11 Baylor on Saturday in the final home game for the Wildcats' special senior class of fourth-year seniors, fifth-year seniors, and four sixth-year seniors in Noah Johnson, safety Jahron McPherson, linebacker Cody Fletcher and Thompson, who with 23 career victories is the winningest quarterback since 1990.
The mission is not finished. Not by a longshot.
"We've obviously won four in a row and we're very confident right now," Thompson says. "Going into Senior Day and finishing the season, it's the fourth quarter, as we talked about going into this game. We've got to finish the season strong. It's not easy, it's not going to be easy, and we don't want it to be easy. That mindset that we have gives us a lot of confidence and motivation to finish this thing strong.
"It's so exciting to see all the hard work and preparation come together and lead to wins. We've just got to keep doing that."
Klieman is the first K-State head coach to lead his teams to a bowl game in two of his first three seasons and is the first to lead his teams to at least seven victories in two of his first seasons as well. Every time he talks, he mentions "the process," which has helped to bring the football program to this day.
"It's belief, confidence and expectation," Klieman says. "Those are the three terms we've come up with these last four weeks is to have confidence that you know the plan and can execute the plan, have belief in yourself and belief in each other, and then let's raise the expectations every week."
He says, "It's the process of it."
What does it all lead to?
"It's just winning," Wheeler says. "Expecting to win. Expect your brother is going to get his job done, man, and I do. I love my teammates. I've never been a part of a closer team — high school, college, anything. It's so much fun to play with them and these coaches. It's fun to come here every day."
And when the players and coaches come into the Vanier Family Football Complex each day, it's about business.
"On Sunday, it's about recovery and watching film, and Monday it's about going 1-0 on Monday," Johnson says. "The process restarts. We must just continue to improve on things in our preparation and continue to do the things we're doing at a high level. We can't slip up and we don't change anything just because we're having success.
"We need to remember what it was like when we had that three-game skid and remember how quickly things can change if you take your foot off the gas. We're going to continue to hold ourselves and each other to a high standard."
And now it's the fourth quarter, as the Wildcats prepare to face Baylor and then the regular season finale at Texas, which has lost five straight games.
"All of the work we put into the offseason was about finishing strong," Johnson says. "It's November, it's the fourth quarter of the season, and it's all about staying in the fight no matter what, finishing no matter what, and refusing to lose."
From all the preparation, even starting back in fall camp, has arisen a closeness among the players and coaches that appears unbreakable. There will be so many great stories to write when the Wildcats learn their bowl destination simply because of that love that they have for each other.
"We're very close and getting closer," Johnson says. "It's been a long journey in this program to build the culture where we want to get it. We're still not there. We're still moving in the right direction, but man, I love every single person on this team, and I would do anything for anyone on this team. It's an incredible sense of camaraderie. There's no better feeling than getting to play and go to war with your brothers. The guys who get to play get all the shine and the credit but we're not out there Saturdays without the dudes on the scout team getting us ready every single week.
"It's about everybody owning their role. We're not perfect by any means, but we're going in the right direction."
For now, it's all about taking care of the fourth quarter.
Kansas State is talking about the fourth quarter as it heads down the stretch of the 2021 regular season. K-State head coach Chris Klieman is talking about "belief," and "confidence," and "expectation." And perhaps no play in the Klieman era better epitomized those traits than the guttiest fourth-down play in his three seasons with the Wildcats. And we all know what happened. We were all witnesses.
With K-State's lead cut to 24-17 and facing fourth-and-8 at the West Virginia 39-yard line with less than 8 minutes remaining in the fourth quarter, Skylar Thompson hit tight end Sammy Wheeler for a 35-yard completion on the prettiest seam route you'll see, which led to Deuce Vaughn darting 4 yards into the end zone on the next play.
It was effectively game over.
Today, K-State, 7-3 overall and 4-3 in the Big 12 Conference, owns the longest active winning streak in the Big 12 Conference. And let that sink in for a moment. And appreciate the magnitude of this climb to this point. Not a lot of folks believed this time was possible, not after three straight losses against No. 22 Oklahoma State, No. 6 Oklahoma and Iowa State to start the league season.
Now only Oklahoma (9-1), Oklahoma State (9-1) and Baylor (8-2) have a better record than the Wildcats.
And now K-State gets No. 11 Baylor on Saturday in the final home game for the Wildcats' special senior class of fourth-year seniors, fifth-year seniors, and four sixth-year seniors in Noah Johnson, safety Jahron McPherson, linebacker Cody Fletcher and Thompson, who with 23 career victories is the winningest quarterback since 1990.
The mission is not finished. Not by a longshot.
"We've obviously won four in a row and we're very confident right now," Thompson says. "Going into Senior Day and finishing the season, it's the fourth quarter, as we talked about going into this game. We've got to finish the season strong. It's not easy, it's not going to be easy, and we don't want it to be easy. That mindset that we have gives us a lot of confidence and motivation to finish this thing strong.
"It's so exciting to see all the hard work and preparation come together and lead to wins. We've just got to keep doing that."
Klieman is the first K-State head coach to lead his teams to a bowl game in two of his first three seasons and is the first to lead his teams to at least seven victories in two of his first seasons as well. Every time he talks, he mentions "the process," which has helped to bring the football program to this day.
"It's belief, confidence and expectation," Klieman says. "Those are the three terms we've come up with these last four weeks is to have confidence that you know the plan and can execute the plan, have belief in yourself and belief in each other, and then let's raise the expectations every week."
He says, "It's the process of it."
What does it all lead to?
"It's just winning," Wheeler says. "Expecting to win. Expect your brother is going to get his job done, man, and I do. I love my teammates. I've never been a part of a closer team — high school, college, anything. It's so much fun to play with them and these coaches. It's fun to come here every day."
And when the players and coaches come into the Vanier Family Football Complex each day, it's about business.
"On Sunday, it's about recovery and watching film, and Monday it's about going 1-0 on Monday," Johnson says. "The process restarts. We must just continue to improve on things in our preparation and continue to do the things we're doing at a high level. We can't slip up and we don't change anything just because we're having success.
"We need to remember what it was like when we had that three-game skid and remember how quickly things can change if you take your foot off the gas. We're going to continue to hold ourselves and each other to a high standard."
And now it's the fourth quarter, as the Wildcats prepare to face Baylor and then the regular season finale at Texas, which has lost five straight games.
"All of the work we put into the offseason was about finishing strong," Johnson says. "It's November, it's the fourth quarter of the season, and it's all about staying in the fight no matter what, finishing no matter what, and refusing to lose."
From all the preparation, even starting back in fall camp, has arisen a closeness among the players and coaches that appears unbreakable. There will be so many great stories to write when the Wildcats learn their bowl destination simply because of that love that they have for each other.
"We're very close and getting closer," Johnson says. "It's been a long journey in this program to build the culture where we want to get it. We're still not there. We're still moving in the right direction, but man, I love every single person on this team, and I would do anything for anyone on this team. It's an incredible sense of camaraderie. There's no better feeling than getting to play and go to war with your brothers. The guys who get to play get all the shine and the credit but we're not out there Saturdays without the dudes on the scout team getting us ready every single week.
"It's about everybody owning their role. We're not perfect by any means, but we're going in the right direction."
For now, it's all about taking care of the fourth quarter.
Players Mentioned
LB
/ Football
OL
/ Football
DB
/ Football
QB
/ Football
RB
/ Football
TE
/ FootballK-State Women's Basketball | Postgame Press Conference vs Cincinnati (Big 12 Tournament First Round)
Wednesday, March 04
K-State Football | Jeremy Jacobs press conference
Wednesday, March 04
K-State Football | Greg Svarczkopf press conference
Wednesday, March 04
K-State Football Trey Scott press conference
Wednesday, March 04
