‘I Think We’ll Respond the Way We Need To’
Nov 07, 2022 | Football, Sports Extra
By: D. Scott Fritchen
Afterward, after the heartbreaking loss, and after Kansas State saw sole possession of second place in the Big 12 Conference standings slip away, K-State head coach Chris Klieman shared a couple words with his team, which battled back from a 31-10 deficit to come within 43 yards of potentially matching the greatest comeback in school history.
He passed the proverbial mic to a couple team captains — sixth-year defensive tackle Eli Huggins and sixth-year wide receiver Kade Warner — because as Klieman has repeated, this is a player-led squad, it's a special squad, and it's led by special people. That includes Huggins and Warner.
And Warner, who aspires to become a college football coach, who aspires to lead young men after his time at K-State is done, shared some words, some powerful words, as the Wildcats marinated in the gut-wrenching immediate aftermath of their 34-27 loss to Texas inside the locker room.
"I just told them that this should hurt," Warner said. "The feeling in the locker room should hurt right now but it shouldn't hurt because you're feeling sorry for yourself and because of the resolve, but it should hurt because of the journey you've been on, and how hard all of those guys have worked. It should hurt because of the work you put in and because you're proud to be a K-State Wildcat. It should hurt because you love every single guy in the locker room to death.
"What can you give every single day so we don't have to feel that feeling again?"
Players passed the proverbial mic around the postgame interview room at the Vanier Family Football Complex shortly after 9:30 p.m., as their words took turns serving as a beacon by which the Wildcats can steer their ship through the murky waters of a final three-game stretch — at Baylor, at West Virginia and against Kansas in Manhattan.
"I think we'll respond the way we need to," Huggins said. "We have to keep our minds right, look at the big picture, and know if we win out we still have a good chance of being where we want to be. We just have to stay locked in."
Klieman was blunt: "We have a bunch of kids that want to win and have a chance to play in December."
Linebacker Daniel Green was blunt: "Adversity is going to strike and there's no better team to face adversity and respond."
Quarterback Adrian Martinez was blunt: "There's no quit in us. There definitely won't be after this game. We're going to come back even stronger. That's really the trend that's happened this year so far. I have ultimate faith in our guys to bounce back and be better (at Baylor)."
Then proverbial mic went to running back Deuce Vaughn. We don't need to get into what Vaughn has meant to K-State football, the records that he's set, and the records still to come. That's for another day. And really, Vaughn was in no mood to discuss the fact that he is one of three Power 5 players since 1996 to reach 3,000 rushing yard and 1,000 receiving yards in just 32 games, or the fact that he moved to No. 2 all-time in rushing at K-State. He hurt. He hurt plenty. And he looked like he was ready to storm back onto the football field and play again at that moment.
"Take your 24 hours to kind of dwell on it, watch film and understand what we need to get better at, and understand that we have three more opportunities to go out here and play our football and leave a legacy and a lasting effect you want to have on this football season," Vaughn said.
Today, K-State, 6-3 overall and 4-2 in the Big 12, is tied with Texas (4-2) and Baylor (4-2) for second place behind TCU (6-0), which has all-but punched its ticket for the Big 12 Championship Game on December 3 at AT&T Stadium in Arlington, Texas.
K-State travels to Baylor and West Virginia before closing out the regular season against Kansas.
Texas plays TCU, travels to Kansas, and returns home to face Baylor.
Baylor meets K-State and also faces TCU at home before finishing the regular season at Texas.
"I'm going to keep pushing this team to give everything they have every single day," Warner said, "so we can keep getting wins."
K-State is 2-1 on the road. Its three losses this season have been by 7, 10 and 7 points. That includes a 38-28 loss to then-No. 8 TCU in Fort Worth. The Wildcats have reached bowl eligibility for a second straight season and for the third time in four years. But they don't want to think about that. They are looking for more.
That starts today, and this team, and its head coach, is focused on today, and it's focused on moving forward, and most importantly, it's focused on the Bears.
"I'm proud of our guys," Klieman said. "We have a lot of football in front of us and a lot of story to write with this team."
Afterward, after the heartbreaking loss, and after Kansas State saw sole possession of second place in the Big 12 Conference standings slip away, K-State head coach Chris Klieman shared a couple words with his team, which battled back from a 31-10 deficit to come within 43 yards of potentially matching the greatest comeback in school history.
He passed the proverbial mic to a couple team captains — sixth-year defensive tackle Eli Huggins and sixth-year wide receiver Kade Warner — because as Klieman has repeated, this is a player-led squad, it's a special squad, and it's led by special people. That includes Huggins and Warner.
And Warner, who aspires to become a college football coach, who aspires to lead young men after his time at K-State is done, shared some words, some powerful words, as the Wildcats marinated in the gut-wrenching immediate aftermath of their 34-27 loss to Texas inside the locker room.
"I just told them that this should hurt," Warner said. "The feeling in the locker room should hurt right now but it shouldn't hurt because you're feeling sorry for yourself and because of the resolve, but it should hurt because of the journey you've been on, and how hard all of those guys have worked. It should hurt because of the work you put in and because you're proud to be a K-State Wildcat. It should hurt because you love every single guy in the locker room to death.
"What can you give every single day so we don't have to feel that feeling again?"
Players passed the proverbial mic around the postgame interview room at the Vanier Family Football Complex shortly after 9:30 p.m., as their words took turns serving as a beacon by which the Wildcats can steer their ship through the murky waters of a final three-game stretch — at Baylor, at West Virginia and against Kansas in Manhattan.
"I think we'll respond the way we need to," Huggins said. "We have to keep our minds right, look at the big picture, and know if we win out we still have a good chance of being where we want to be. We just have to stay locked in."
Klieman was blunt: "We have a bunch of kids that want to win and have a chance to play in December."
Linebacker Daniel Green was blunt: "Adversity is going to strike and there's no better team to face adversity and respond."
Quarterback Adrian Martinez was blunt: "There's no quit in us. There definitely won't be after this game. We're going to come back even stronger. That's really the trend that's happened this year so far. I have ultimate faith in our guys to bounce back and be better (at Baylor)."
Then proverbial mic went to running back Deuce Vaughn. We don't need to get into what Vaughn has meant to K-State football, the records that he's set, and the records still to come. That's for another day. And really, Vaughn was in no mood to discuss the fact that he is one of three Power 5 players since 1996 to reach 3,000 rushing yard and 1,000 receiving yards in just 32 games, or the fact that he moved to No. 2 all-time in rushing at K-State. He hurt. He hurt plenty. And he looked like he was ready to storm back onto the football field and play again at that moment.
"Take your 24 hours to kind of dwell on it, watch film and understand what we need to get better at, and understand that we have three more opportunities to go out here and play our football and leave a legacy and a lasting effect you want to have on this football season," Vaughn said.
Today, K-State, 6-3 overall and 4-2 in the Big 12, is tied with Texas (4-2) and Baylor (4-2) for second place behind TCU (6-0), which has all-but punched its ticket for the Big 12 Championship Game on December 3 at AT&T Stadium in Arlington, Texas.
K-State travels to Baylor and West Virginia before closing out the regular season against Kansas.
Texas plays TCU, travels to Kansas, and returns home to face Baylor.
Baylor meets K-State and also faces TCU at home before finishing the regular season at Texas.
"I'm going to keep pushing this team to give everything they have every single day," Warner said, "so we can keep getting wins."
K-State is 2-1 on the road. Its three losses this season have been by 7, 10 and 7 points. That includes a 38-28 loss to then-No. 8 TCU in Fort Worth. The Wildcats have reached bowl eligibility for a second straight season and for the third time in four years. But they don't want to think about that. They are looking for more.
That starts today, and this team, and its head coach, is focused on today, and it's focused on moving forward, and most importantly, it's focused on the Bears.
"I'm proud of our guys," Klieman said. "We have a lot of football in front of us and a lot of story to write with this team."
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