Focused on Being ‘Where Our Feet Are at Today’
Nov 23, 2022 | Football, Sports Extra
By: D. Scott Fritchen
Here we are in the Vanier Family Football Complex and things just mean a little bit more. It's Kansas week. It's the Sunflower Showdown. It's Senior Night. And there's plenty to play for on Saturday. There's a business-like attitude wafting around the room, and Kansas State head coach Chris Klieman is talking about not skipping steps and remaining focused on the task at hand, and here's Deuce Vaughn talking about not looking ahead, and here's Will Howard discussing that swagger that the Wildcats are playing with right now.
"All we're worried about this week is KU," Howard says.
Everything means a little bit more this week. It means more because it's the Sunflower Showdown. Here's a guy like Austin Moore, a former walk-on from Louisburg, Kansas, who leads the team in tackles and should gain consideration for All-Big 12 honors, and all he thinks about is this trophy – the Governor's Cup trophy – which has stayed in Manhattan since he was 9.
"I think about pride," he says. "Mostly because of how dominant we've been in the past however many years. It just motivates me to keep it here. We know we have a responsibility to keep it in Manhattan."
Does it mean a little bit more?
"Definitely," he says. "It was important for me (in high school), just with how dominant K-State was, I knew I wanted to be on the winning side of things."
They brush off the fact that if No. 15 K-State, 8-3 overall and 6-2 in the Big 12 Conference, defeats Kansas, 6-5 and 3-5, in Saturday's 7 p.m. (FOX) kickoff at Bill Snyder Family Stadium that they'll have an additional Big 12 game to play on December 3 against No. 4 TCU in Arlington, Texas.
"I caution people about putting too much pressure and too much stress on kids," Klieman says "It just doesn't do any good. These guys know what's at stake. Our guys are smart enough to know what's at stake. Rather than putting all that stress on them, let's just handle the day as it goes and make sure we're prepared for today, Wednesday, Thursday and Friday.
"And then we'll see if we're good enough."
K-State has won 13 straight games over KU, the longest winning streak by either team in a rivalry that enters its 121st meeting and dates to 1902. Under Klieman, the Wildcats have beaten the Jayhawks 38-10, 55-14 and 35-10.
The Wildcats have been good enough.
When K-State is ranked in the AP Top 25 and faces KU, which has happened 14 times, the Wildcats typically have taken care of business.
K-State has beaten KU by an average score of 46-13 in those games.
But K-State players aren't worried about any of that because they're focused on today and they're focused solely on the Sunflower Showdown.
"The bigger picture, is, man, this is a rivalry game," Vaughn says. "This is a game we relish."
K-State and KU have met in October and November and once in 1960 they met in September. But this week means a little bit more because it's the last game of the regular season. It's a sold-out game. And everybody is focused on this game.
"I love that we play KU this week," Kade Warner says. "It keeps us focused and grounded on this week. Obviously, we could try to look forward to the great things we can accomplish, but it's day by day, and we have to treat every day like it's our last. Being able to play KU this week, no one is going to overlook this game, and no one is not going to give it their all, because of the rivalry between the two schools."
K-State will recognize 28 seniors on Saturday night. The list includes six super seniors in offensive lineman Dawson Delforge, nose guards Robert Hentz II and Eli Huggins, safety Cincere Mason, wide receiver Kade Warner, and punter/kicker Ty Zentner. It includes 11 seniors from the state of Kansas — Nick Allen (Overland Park), Jack Blumer (Marysville), Ekow Boye-Doe (Lawrence), Dawson Delforge (Wamego), Jace Friesen (Basehor), Hayden Gillum (Plainville), Thomas Helten (Garden Plain), Gabe Hoover (McPherson), Jaylen Pickle (Cimarron), Sammy Wheeler (Lenexa) and Zentner (Topeka).
"Throughout the week, just hearing the stories from the Kansas kids and all their memories and everything they've gone through to get to this point of being a Kansas State Wildcat and what it means," Vaughn says, "all the sudden you're practicing a little bit harder and watching film a little bit more and you're training a little harder just wanting to do it for them"
K-State has had special senior classes over the years, many of which were defined by vast success. The 1998 senior class helped a special team to 11 wins. The 2000 senior class won 44 games over a four-year span. The 2003 senior class helped K-State to its first conference title since 1934. The 2012 senior class helped the Wildcats to improve their win total each of four seasons until finally capturing the Big 12 title.
It could be argued that this 2022 senior class is as close top to bottom as any of those aforementioned senior classes.
This 2022 senior class lived through COVID. Through trials and tribulations, it seemingly grew tighter. The Wildcats bounced back from a 4-6 season in 2020 to finish at 8-5 in 2021 with a win over LSU in the Texas Bowl. Now this senior class has helped the Wildcats to eight victories again.
And they could help lead the Wildcats to even more. And that starts this week.
What makes this senior class so special?
"It's just our mentality," Julius Brents says. "There's no look-at-me type of guys. Everybody just wants to win. When you have a team like that, it's dangerous, very dangerous."
And K-State is dangerous.
"KU has to be our mindset," Howard says. "If we start worrying about other things that's when we start not thinking about our opponent and letting things slip. We're all in on KU. We know what's on the line. Everybody knows what's on the line, but we're focused on KU right now, because it's going to be a huge game.
"It's going to be a challenge and we know that."
Kansas hasn't won in Manhattan since 2007. Kansas enters the final regular season game of the year with a winning record for the first time since 2008. Kansas is led by second-year head coach Lance Leipold. The Jayhawks began the season at 5-0 but have won one game since then. They suffered a 55-14 loss on Senior Day to Texas last Saturday in Lawrence.
"Them getting to a bowl game is huge for the program and this is kind of the potential cherry on top for them for them, with this game, because they're already bowl eligible, so they really don't have anything to lose," Klieman says. "I know this: They're playing hard for each other and they're playing hard for their coaching staff, and it's going to be a big challenge."
The challenge for K-State is simply staying focused on today, which isn't much of a challenge, really, because it's been a one-day-at-a-time mantra all season, and it started with a low rumble and has churned into a storm, and who knows what all is in store, but no, it all comes down to this week. And this week means a little bit more.
"With it being Senior Night and with it being Kansas and at home, everything is boiling into this pot of things we're focused on this game," Vaughn says. "We're focused on putting ourselves into a chance to be successful. We can't look forward or behind. We have to be where our feet are at today."
And today, the feet of the K-State Wildcats coaches and support staff and players occupies the same building as the Governor's Cup trophy.
Which is exactly as it should be.
Because this week just means a little bit more.
Here we are in the Vanier Family Football Complex and things just mean a little bit more. It's Kansas week. It's the Sunflower Showdown. It's Senior Night. And there's plenty to play for on Saturday. There's a business-like attitude wafting around the room, and Kansas State head coach Chris Klieman is talking about not skipping steps and remaining focused on the task at hand, and here's Deuce Vaughn talking about not looking ahead, and here's Will Howard discussing that swagger that the Wildcats are playing with right now.
"All we're worried about this week is KU," Howard says.
Everything means a little bit more this week. It means more because it's the Sunflower Showdown. Here's a guy like Austin Moore, a former walk-on from Louisburg, Kansas, who leads the team in tackles and should gain consideration for All-Big 12 honors, and all he thinks about is this trophy – the Governor's Cup trophy – which has stayed in Manhattan since he was 9.
"I think about pride," he says. "Mostly because of how dominant we've been in the past however many years. It just motivates me to keep it here. We know we have a responsibility to keep it in Manhattan."
Does it mean a little bit more?
"Definitely," he says. "It was important for me (in high school), just with how dominant K-State was, I knew I wanted to be on the winning side of things."
They brush off the fact that if No. 15 K-State, 8-3 overall and 6-2 in the Big 12 Conference, defeats Kansas, 6-5 and 3-5, in Saturday's 7 p.m. (FOX) kickoff at Bill Snyder Family Stadium that they'll have an additional Big 12 game to play on December 3 against No. 4 TCU in Arlington, Texas.
"I caution people about putting too much pressure and too much stress on kids," Klieman says "It just doesn't do any good. These guys know what's at stake. Our guys are smart enough to know what's at stake. Rather than putting all that stress on them, let's just handle the day as it goes and make sure we're prepared for today, Wednesday, Thursday and Friday.
"And then we'll see if we're good enough."
K-State has won 13 straight games over KU, the longest winning streak by either team in a rivalry that enters its 121st meeting and dates to 1902. Under Klieman, the Wildcats have beaten the Jayhawks 38-10, 55-14 and 35-10.
The Wildcats have been good enough.
When K-State is ranked in the AP Top 25 and faces KU, which has happened 14 times, the Wildcats typically have taken care of business.
K-State has beaten KU by an average score of 46-13 in those games.
But K-State players aren't worried about any of that because they're focused on today and they're focused solely on the Sunflower Showdown.
"The bigger picture, is, man, this is a rivalry game," Vaughn says. "This is a game we relish."
K-State and KU have met in October and November and once in 1960 they met in September. But this week means a little bit more because it's the last game of the regular season. It's a sold-out game. And everybody is focused on this game.
"I love that we play KU this week," Kade Warner says. "It keeps us focused and grounded on this week. Obviously, we could try to look forward to the great things we can accomplish, but it's day by day, and we have to treat every day like it's our last. Being able to play KU this week, no one is going to overlook this game, and no one is not going to give it their all, because of the rivalry between the two schools."
K-State will recognize 28 seniors on Saturday night. The list includes six super seniors in offensive lineman Dawson Delforge, nose guards Robert Hentz II and Eli Huggins, safety Cincere Mason, wide receiver Kade Warner, and punter/kicker Ty Zentner. It includes 11 seniors from the state of Kansas — Nick Allen (Overland Park), Jack Blumer (Marysville), Ekow Boye-Doe (Lawrence), Dawson Delforge (Wamego), Jace Friesen (Basehor), Hayden Gillum (Plainville), Thomas Helten (Garden Plain), Gabe Hoover (McPherson), Jaylen Pickle (Cimarron), Sammy Wheeler (Lenexa) and Zentner (Topeka).
"Throughout the week, just hearing the stories from the Kansas kids and all their memories and everything they've gone through to get to this point of being a Kansas State Wildcat and what it means," Vaughn says, "all the sudden you're practicing a little bit harder and watching film a little bit more and you're training a little harder just wanting to do it for them"
K-State has had special senior classes over the years, many of which were defined by vast success. The 1998 senior class helped a special team to 11 wins. The 2000 senior class won 44 games over a four-year span. The 2003 senior class helped K-State to its first conference title since 1934. The 2012 senior class helped the Wildcats to improve their win total each of four seasons until finally capturing the Big 12 title.
It could be argued that this 2022 senior class is as close top to bottom as any of those aforementioned senior classes.
This 2022 senior class lived through COVID. Through trials and tribulations, it seemingly grew tighter. The Wildcats bounced back from a 4-6 season in 2020 to finish at 8-5 in 2021 with a win over LSU in the Texas Bowl. Now this senior class has helped the Wildcats to eight victories again.
And they could help lead the Wildcats to even more. And that starts this week.
What makes this senior class so special?
"It's just our mentality," Julius Brents says. "There's no look-at-me type of guys. Everybody just wants to win. When you have a team like that, it's dangerous, very dangerous."
And K-State is dangerous.
"KU has to be our mindset," Howard says. "If we start worrying about other things that's when we start not thinking about our opponent and letting things slip. We're all in on KU. We know what's on the line. Everybody knows what's on the line, but we're focused on KU right now, because it's going to be a huge game.
"It's going to be a challenge and we know that."
Kansas hasn't won in Manhattan since 2007. Kansas enters the final regular season game of the year with a winning record for the first time since 2008. Kansas is led by second-year head coach Lance Leipold. The Jayhawks began the season at 5-0 but have won one game since then. They suffered a 55-14 loss on Senior Day to Texas last Saturday in Lawrence.
"Them getting to a bowl game is huge for the program and this is kind of the potential cherry on top for them for them, with this game, because they're already bowl eligible, so they really don't have anything to lose," Klieman says. "I know this: They're playing hard for each other and they're playing hard for their coaching staff, and it's going to be a big challenge."
The challenge for K-State is simply staying focused on today, which isn't much of a challenge, really, because it's been a one-day-at-a-time mantra all season, and it started with a low rumble and has churned into a storm, and who knows what all is in store, but no, it all comes down to this week. And this week means a little bit more.
"With it being Senior Night and with it being Kansas and at home, everything is boiling into this pot of things we're focused on this game," Vaughn says. "We're focused on putting ourselves into a chance to be successful. We can't look forward or behind. We have to be where our feet are at today."
And today, the feet of the K-State Wildcats coaches and support staff and players occupies the same building as the Governor's Cup trophy.
Which is exactly as it should be.
Because this week just means a little bit more.
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