‘We’re Well on Our Way’
Jan 02, 2023 | Football, Sports Extra
By: D. Scott Fritchen
Today, it hurts. It's the first Monday of 2023. And it hurts. Kansas State was committed. And disciplined. And tough. And selfless. And it hurts, man, it hurts. It hurts for Chris Klieman, it hurts for the 30,000 fans who rocked the Caesars Superdome on Saturday, and the countless other Wildcat fans across the world, and it hurts for Big 12 Champions, who battled their rears off.
There is no 24-hour rule with these kinds of things. There's a throbbing pain, a heaviness in the chest, a stirring in the gut, and some people might ask themselves, "Is this good?" And some people might reply, "Yes, it is."
Remember the pain.
Understand this: K-State had gone 56 days without a loss. That's nearly two months. K-State was coming off a four-game winning streak. K-State was on the verge of tying the school record with an 11-win season.
K-State's first-ever meeting against Alabama in the Allstate Sugar Bowl was one to remember — not one to forget.
"We definitely deserved to be on that field with them," quarterback Will Howard says. "I don't care what anybody says. We were a darned good football team. We're going to remember this."
K-State finished its season at 10-4 after it was picked fifth in the Big 12 Conference in the preseason rankings. K-State defeated No. 3 TCU, 31-28, in one of the most thrilling overtime victories you'll see to capture the Big 12 title. On Saturday, K-State led Alabama 10-0 and the Wildcat faithful was feeling it, man, feeling it, until suddenly the momentum slipped, and it slipped in a hurry and the beauty of sports is sometimes the ugly of sports, how things can get away in a hurry.
"This one is going to hurt," Howard says. "I think it's a good thing. We're going to use this and remember this feeling next year."
They'll remember this through winter workouts, they'll remember it through the spring, they'll remember it through the sweaty summer months, and they'll certainly remember it when fall practices begin.
"The guys are going to come fired up and with a chip on their shoulders," senior linebacker Daniel Green says. "A lot of people are going to doubt us again because that's just how it is at K-State. That's kind of how we like it.
"We like our backs against the wall, and we like people doubting us because then we rise up."
K-State beat three top-10 teams for the first time in school history. It won the program's third Big 12 title. And there's plenty to remember.
Because K-State will be back in 2023.
"I want to give credit to the people before us," sixth-year senior wide receiver Kade Warner says after his final game. "We talk about how great this culture is and this culture wasn't bad when I got here with Skylar Thompson and Noah Johnson, they started this. They're the ones that got the culture where it is today. We were just recipients of a great culture, and it was our job to make it better."
And it is better.
"Man, the foundation that's been set by this 2022 team is something that's going to be felt for years to come," two-time Consensus All-American Deuce Vaughn says. "It's a special group and the young guys came in and they understood the system and hopped in really quickly. The guys who've been here understood the system. It's a trickle-down effect.
"Now those young guys, as they get to their junior and senior years, they're going to teach that to the new guys coming in. That's one of the things about K-State, it's a special, special place. The people we have inside this building are special people and that's not going to change. We're going to continue to bring in special people. This is just the foundation for sure. It's only going to trend upward from here."
Adds First Team All-Big 12 tight end Ben Sinnott: "I'm really excited for what's to come. I think people are starting to see what we have going on in Manhattan and what kind of coach that Coach Klieman is and what kind of culture we've built. This is a big turning point for us as a university and football team."
But the pain remains. And as Howard said, perhaps remembering the pain is a good thing.
"We're continually building," Howard says. "This program from 2020 and what a mess of a year that was to go and we knew we needed to build and we were going to build and we're still building. Playing a team like Alabama is helping a ton. They're a program that's at the top and they already have their fortress built. They just re-up every year. We're building right now. This is a stepping stone.
"We're well on our way, though, we're well on our way."
Today, it hurts. It's the first Monday of 2023. And it hurts. Kansas State was committed. And disciplined. And tough. And selfless. And it hurts, man, it hurts. It hurts for Chris Klieman, it hurts for the 30,000 fans who rocked the Caesars Superdome on Saturday, and the countless other Wildcat fans across the world, and it hurts for Big 12 Champions, who battled their rears off.
There is no 24-hour rule with these kinds of things. There's a throbbing pain, a heaviness in the chest, a stirring in the gut, and some people might ask themselves, "Is this good?" And some people might reply, "Yes, it is."
Remember the pain.
Understand this: K-State had gone 56 days without a loss. That's nearly two months. K-State was coming off a four-game winning streak. K-State was on the verge of tying the school record with an 11-win season.
K-State's first-ever meeting against Alabama in the Allstate Sugar Bowl was one to remember — not one to forget.
"We definitely deserved to be on that field with them," quarterback Will Howard says. "I don't care what anybody says. We were a darned good football team. We're going to remember this."
K-State finished its season at 10-4 after it was picked fifth in the Big 12 Conference in the preseason rankings. K-State defeated No. 3 TCU, 31-28, in one of the most thrilling overtime victories you'll see to capture the Big 12 title. On Saturday, K-State led Alabama 10-0 and the Wildcat faithful was feeling it, man, feeling it, until suddenly the momentum slipped, and it slipped in a hurry and the beauty of sports is sometimes the ugly of sports, how things can get away in a hurry.
"This one is going to hurt," Howard says. "I think it's a good thing. We're going to use this and remember this feeling next year."
They'll remember this through winter workouts, they'll remember it through the spring, they'll remember it through the sweaty summer months, and they'll certainly remember it when fall practices begin.
"The guys are going to come fired up and with a chip on their shoulders," senior linebacker Daniel Green says. "A lot of people are going to doubt us again because that's just how it is at K-State. That's kind of how we like it.
"We like our backs against the wall, and we like people doubting us because then we rise up."
K-State beat three top-10 teams for the first time in school history. It won the program's third Big 12 title. And there's plenty to remember.
Because K-State will be back in 2023.
"I want to give credit to the people before us," sixth-year senior wide receiver Kade Warner says after his final game. "We talk about how great this culture is and this culture wasn't bad when I got here with Skylar Thompson and Noah Johnson, they started this. They're the ones that got the culture where it is today. We were just recipients of a great culture, and it was our job to make it better."
And it is better.
"Man, the foundation that's been set by this 2022 team is something that's going to be felt for years to come," two-time Consensus All-American Deuce Vaughn says. "It's a special group and the young guys came in and they understood the system and hopped in really quickly. The guys who've been here understood the system. It's a trickle-down effect.
"Now those young guys, as they get to their junior and senior years, they're going to teach that to the new guys coming in. That's one of the things about K-State, it's a special, special place. The people we have inside this building are special people and that's not going to change. We're going to continue to bring in special people. This is just the foundation for sure. It's only going to trend upward from here."
Adds First Team All-Big 12 tight end Ben Sinnott: "I'm really excited for what's to come. I think people are starting to see what we have going on in Manhattan and what kind of coach that Coach Klieman is and what kind of culture we've built. This is a big turning point for us as a university and football team."
But the pain remains. And as Howard said, perhaps remembering the pain is a good thing.
"We're continually building," Howard says. "This program from 2020 and what a mess of a year that was to go and we knew we needed to build and we were going to build and we're still building. Playing a team like Alabama is helping a ton. They're a program that's at the top and they already have their fortress built. They just re-up every year. We're building right now. This is a stepping stone.
"We're well on our way, though, we're well on our way."
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