Resting Up and Working to Correct Mistakes
Oct 12, 2022 | Football, Sports Extra
By: D. Scott Fritchen
A hard-fought 10-9 victory at Iowa State put the finishing touches on a 3-0 start in the Big 12 Conference schedule for No. 17 Kansas State. Now the Wildcats enter a much-needed bye week before embarking upon the second half of their regular season.
K-State, 5-1 overall, is one of three remaining unbeaten teams in Big 12 play. The other two undefeated teams — No. 8 Oklahoma State and No. 13 TCU — meet in a 2:30 p.m. kickoff Saturday (ABC) in Fort Worth, Texas.
At the midway point of the season, the Wildcats possess one of their best rushing offenses in history, a defense that is allowing its fewest points in 19 years, and one of the best special teams units in the FBS.
Head coach Chris Klieman at his weekly news conference Tuesday applauded his team for its effort over the first six games.
"The thing that probably excited us as coaches, and even our players, when we met here (Monday) is we still haven't played our best football. We're playing as hard as any team I've ever been associated with," Klieman said. "Our kids lay it on the line every Saturday and play their tails off. We're making some mental errors on both sides and on special teams that we need to clean up.
"This is a big week for us to clean some of those errors up."
The Wildcats travel to face the Horned Frogs, 5-0 and 2-0, in a 7 p.m. kickoff on October 22 in Fort Worth. The game will be televised on FOX or FS1.
K-State has won three straight and four of the last six meetings against TCU.
This meeting could be especially interesting as TCU is tied for third in the FBS in scoring offense (46.4) while the Wildcats rank 19th in scoring defense (16.7). K-State has lately limited TCU on the scoreboard, allowing just 6, 26, 14, 17, 14 and 12 points over last six games.
K-State has responded favorably since a seven-point loss to Tulane on September 17, winning close games at Oklahoma (41-34) and against Texas Tech (37-28) before scoring a one-point win over the Cyclones.
It was the lowest-scoring victory for K-State in a conference road game since a 9-3 win at Iowa State in 1982.
"You know, people talk about ugly wins. I think it still counts as a win," Klieman said. "That's all that really matters. It was a big night for K-State football."
Klieman, a native of Waterloo, Iowa, let his emotions show on the sideline last Saturday, as he pumped his fist, and hugged coaching staff and school officials as the final seconds ticked down on the win. Iowa State suffered just its fourth home loss in its last 30 home games.
"I grew up in Iowa and had a lot of family there," Klieman said. "I know how hard it is to win in Ames, Iowa, and been in Ames at night on a number of occasions as an assistant. To play in Ames at night in that environment, it was a big win for our team.
"It was a big win at the right time coming into a bye week."
Klieman says Adrian Martinez played "his best game" at Iowa State
Adrian Martinez came off two of the best performances in his lengthy career heading to Iowa State. He earned Davey O'Brien National Quarterback of the Week after accounted for 382 total yards and five touchdowns at Oklahoma. He earned Big 12 Newcomer of the Week after rushing for a career-high 171 yards against Texas Tech — the most rushing yards by a FBS quarterback so far this season.
Klieman appeared especially pleased with how Martinez completed 12 of 19 passes for 246 yards and one touchdown and rushed 19 times for 77 yards against the Cyclones.
"We're so pleased with Adrian right now and how he's grown," Klieman said. "You guys can all see the different ways. I told him this, I thought he played his best game on Saturday. He did some unbelievable things against Oklahoma and did some unbelievable things against Texas Tech, but just when he had to make a play for us on Saturday, he made the play, and made the plays, and he got us out of some really bad situations with changing calls. In that environment, in a tight ballgame, he was so calm.
"I thought he played a phenomenal game."
Wildcats are focused on developmental practices early this week
One of the luxuries of a bye week is the capacity for teams to further engrain young players into the system and better evaluate their capabilities. K-State is doing so early this week.
"Yesterday we had a development practice working a lot of guys on special teams and some kids who haven't played yet and some other guys who are in the two deep," Klieman said. "But more specifically, (working with) special teams guys and then we're taking the young players, most of the freshmen and first- or second-year guys, and we're doing some K-State versus K-State team (sessions) to get those guys away from the scout cards and get them back to our schemes offensively and defensively.
"We'll do that quite a bit today and tomorrow. We'll do a little bit of TCU here in the next couple days as well."
Redshirt freshman running back DJ Giddens continues to impress Klieman
Playing on the road against one of the top rushing defenses in the FBS, redshirt freshman DJ Giddens again proved during limited action that the major-college football level isn't too big for him. The 6-foot-1, 212-pound native of Junction City rushed eight times for 32 yards, including two hard-earned carries of four and five yards in the final moments to help secure the win over the Cyclones.
His services were particularly necessary when All-American Deuce Vaughn went to the sideline with a leg injury in the fourth quarter.
Giddens has 27 carries for 177 yards and one touchdown while appearing in five games this season.
"Last year, I thought he had a good development year but probably wasn't ready," Klieman said. "This year, even though we have Deuce, we knew that he would continue to progress and get better and better, and you saw in practice in fall camp when we sat Deuce a lot, the pop in DJ, the explosiveness, his ability to run through contact, so it was just a matter of time or circumstance that he'd get an opportunity.
"By the Missouri game, he was the clear No. 2 for us, so when Deuce got dinged up a little bit, he did some really good things. We've got to find some ways to continue to get him on the field and get him some touches."
Josh Hayes, Big 12 Defensive Player of the Week, is living up to his billing
By now, most K-State loyalists have probably heard a little bit of Josh Hayes's story. The 6-foot, 189-pounder out of Lakeland, Florida, played under Klieman and Joe Klanderman for a couple seasons while at North Dakota State, then Hayes transferred to Virginia last season.
When Hayes entered the transfer portal, he said that it was a no-brainer to rejoin Klieman.
And now? Hayes is third on the team with 33 tackles, including 4.5 tackles for a loss to go along with two pass breakups. He was named Big 12 Defensive Player of the Week after his career-high 11 tackles, including eight solo stops, at Iowa State.
"He's been every bit as good as we thought he'd be and knew he could be," Klieman said. "Really proud of Josh for coming in here and making a name for himself, but not being overbearing as far as thinking it's his team or anything like that. He just fit in with our guys really well. He's been a corner his whole life and about three days into spring practice we said, 'Josh we need you to play safety,' and I thought it'd help him for his ability to play at the next level if he played something other than just corner.
"Whether he's a nickel or a safety at the next level, I think he's proving that he can play at the next level. I've always known it and I think Josh has always known that he has the ability, but the skill set we're putting him in now is really showcasing his talents. He's a really physical player and talented player and smart football player and there's something about a guy who loves football like that and Josh is a football junkie and loves to compete."
Klieman offers praise for Skylar Thompson in his debut performance with the Miami Dolphins
Former K-State quarterback Skylar Thompson was thrust into action early for the Miami Dolphins when starter Teddy Bridgewater was unavailable to play in Sunday's 40-17 loss to the New York Jets. Thompson completed 19 of 33 passes for 166 yards and one interception during the first action of his rookie season in an official game.
"We texted back and forth on Sunday night or Monday morning," Klieman said. "I just told him how proud I was of him handling the circumstance and handling the environment. I watched a little bit of it back and forth and he just seemed calm and he seemed that he belonged, and I thought he did a great job of handling the circumstances and not knowing you were going to play. I didn't see when (Bridgewater) got hurt, so I didn't know the plan if he was going to play or not.
"I got the text like probably everybody else in our football office that he was in the game. I was able to follow him a decent amount. I know that he was happy that he got a chance and got his feet wet. Who knows what's going to happen in the future there, but excited for him. It was a big moment for him."
A hard-fought 10-9 victory at Iowa State put the finishing touches on a 3-0 start in the Big 12 Conference schedule for No. 17 Kansas State. Now the Wildcats enter a much-needed bye week before embarking upon the second half of their regular season.
K-State, 5-1 overall, is one of three remaining unbeaten teams in Big 12 play. The other two undefeated teams — No. 8 Oklahoma State and No. 13 TCU — meet in a 2:30 p.m. kickoff Saturday (ABC) in Fort Worth, Texas.
At the midway point of the season, the Wildcats possess one of their best rushing offenses in history, a defense that is allowing its fewest points in 19 years, and one of the best special teams units in the FBS.
Head coach Chris Klieman at his weekly news conference Tuesday applauded his team for its effort over the first six games.
"The thing that probably excited us as coaches, and even our players, when we met here (Monday) is we still haven't played our best football. We're playing as hard as any team I've ever been associated with," Klieman said. "Our kids lay it on the line every Saturday and play their tails off. We're making some mental errors on both sides and on special teams that we need to clean up.
"This is a big week for us to clean some of those errors up."
The Wildcats travel to face the Horned Frogs, 5-0 and 2-0, in a 7 p.m. kickoff on October 22 in Fort Worth. The game will be televised on FOX or FS1.
K-State has won three straight and four of the last six meetings against TCU.
This meeting could be especially interesting as TCU is tied for third in the FBS in scoring offense (46.4) while the Wildcats rank 19th in scoring defense (16.7). K-State has lately limited TCU on the scoreboard, allowing just 6, 26, 14, 17, 14 and 12 points over last six games.
K-State has responded favorably since a seven-point loss to Tulane on September 17, winning close games at Oklahoma (41-34) and against Texas Tech (37-28) before scoring a one-point win over the Cyclones.
It was the lowest-scoring victory for K-State in a conference road game since a 9-3 win at Iowa State in 1982.
"You know, people talk about ugly wins. I think it still counts as a win," Klieman said. "That's all that really matters. It was a big night for K-State football."
Klieman, a native of Waterloo, Iowa, let his emotions show on the sideline last Saturday, as he pumped his fist, and hugged coaching staff and school officials as the final seconds ticked down on the win. Iowa State suffered just its fourth home loss in its last 30 home games.
"I grew up in Iowa and had a lot of family there," Klieman said. "I know how hard it is to win in Ames, Iowa, and been in Ames at night on a number of occasions as an assistant. To play in Ames at night in that environment, it was a big win for our team.
"It was a big win at the right time coming into a bye week."
Klieman says Adrian Martinez played "his best game" at Iowa State
Adrian Martinez came off two of the best performances in his lengthy career heading to Iowa State. He earned Davey O'Brien National Quarterback of the Week after accounted for 382 total yards and five touchdowns at Oklahoma. He earned Big 12 Newcomer of the Week after rushing for a career-high 171 yards against Texas Tech — the most rushing yards by a FBS quarterback so far this season.
Klieman appeared especially pleased with how Martinez completed 12 of 19 passes for 246 yards and one touchdown and rushed 19 times for 77 yards against the Cyclones.
"We're so pleased with Adrian right now and how he's grown," Klieman said. "You guys can all see the different ways. I told him this, I thought he played his best game on Saturday. He did some unbelievable things against Oklahoma and did some unbelievable things against Texas Tech, but just when he had to make a play for us on Saturday, he made the play, and made the plays, and he got us out of some really bad situations with changing calls. In that environment, in a tight ballgame, he was so calm.
"I thought he played a phenomenal game."
Wildcats are focused on developmental practices early this week
One of the luxuries of a bye week is the capacity for teams to further engrain young players into the system and better evaluate their capabilities. K-State is doing so early this week.
"Yesterday we had a development practice working a lot of guys on special teams and some kids who haven't played yet and some other guys who are in the two deep," Klieman said. "But more specifically, (working with) special teams guys and then we're taking the young players, most of the freshmen and first- or second-year guys, and we're doing some K-State versus K-State team (sessions) to get those guys away from the scout cards and get them back to our schemes offensively and defensively.
"We'll do that quite a bit today and tomorrow. We'll do a little bit of TCU here in the next couple days as well."
Redshirt freshman running back DJ Giddens continues to impress Klieman
Playing on the road against one of the top rushing defenses in the FBS, redshirt freshman DJ Giddens again proved during limited action that the major-college football level isn't too big for him. The 6-foot-1, 212-pound native of Junction City rushed eight times for 32 yards, including two hard-earned carries of four and five yards in the final moments to help secure the win over the Cyclones.
His services were particularly necessary when All-American Deuce Vaughn went to the sideline with a leg injury in the fourth quarter.
Giddens has 27 carries for 177 yards and one touchdown while appearing in five games this season.
"Last year, I thought he had a good development year but probably wasn't ready," Klieman said. "This year, even though we have Deuce, we knew that he would continue to progress and get better and better, and you saw in practice in fall camp when we sat Deuce a lot, the pop in DJ, the explosiveness, his ability to run through contact, so it was just a matter of time or circumstance that he'd get an opportunity.
"By the Missouri game, he was the clear No. 2 for us, so when Deuce got dinged up a little bit, he did some really good things. We've got to find some ways to continue to get him on the field and get him some touches."
Josh Hayes, Big 12 Defensive Player of the Week, is living up to his billing
By now, most K-State loyalists have probably heard a little bit of Josh Hayes's story. The 6-foot, 189-pounder out of Lakeland, Florida, played under Klieman and Joe Klanderman for a couple seasons while at North Dakota State, then Hayes transferred to Virginia last season.
When Hayes entered the transfer portal, he said that it was a no-brainer to rejoin Klieman.
And now? Hayes is third on the team with 33 tackles, including 4.5 tackles for a loss to go along with two pass breakups. He was named Big 12 Defensive Player of the Week after his career-high 11 tackles, including eight solo stops, at Iowa State.
"He's been every bit as good as we thought he'd be and knew he could be," Klieman said. "Really proud of Josh for coming in here and making a name for himself, but not being overbearing as far as thinking it's his team or anything like that. He just fit in with our guys really well. He's been a corner his whole life and about three days into spring practice we said, 'Josh we need you to play safety,' and I thought it'd help him for his ability to play at the next level if he played something other than just corner.
"Whether he's a nickel or a safety at the next level, I think he's proving that he can play at the next level. I've always known it and I think Josh has always known that he has the ability, but the skill set we're putting him in now is really showcasing his talents. He's a really physical player and talented player and smart football player and there's something about a guy who loves football like that and Josh is a football junkie and loves to compete."
Klieman offers praise for Skylar Thompson in his debut performance with the Miami Dolphins
Former K-State quarterback Skylar Thompson was thrust into action early for the Miami Dolphins when starter Teddy Bridgewater was unavailable to play in Sunday's 40-17 loss to the New York Jets. Thompson completed 19 of 33 passes for 166 yards and one interception during the first action of his rookie season in an official game.
"We texted back and forth on Sunday night or Monday morning," Klieman said. "I just told him how proud I was of him handling the circumstance and handling the environment. I watched a little bit of it back and forth and he just seemed calm and he seemed that he belonged, and I thought he did a great job of handling the circumstances and not knowing you were going to play. I didn't see when (Bridgewater) got hurt, so I didn't know the plan if he was going to play or not.
"I got the text like probably everybody else in our football office that he was in the game. I was able to follow him a decent amount. I know that he was happy that he got a chance and got his feet wet. Who knows what's going to happen in the future there, but excited for him. It was a big moment for him."
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