Playing with a Chip on Their Shoulder
Oct 27, 2023 | Football, Sports Extra
By: D. Scott Fritchen
Kansas State is one game back of No. 6 Oklahoma in the Big 12 Conference standings and, coming off two-straight wins, appears poised to make a push down the stretch of the league season.
Since a 29-21 loss at Oklahoma State on October 6, the Wildcats have blown out Texas Tech (38-21) on the road and walloped TCU (41-3) at home in a rematch of the 2022 Big 12 Championship Game.
It seems like optimism is high in Manhattan.
"We've improved," K-State head coach Chris Klieman said. "I thought we'd improve. There's belief. They're playing with an edge and with a chip on their shoulder.
"Momentum is a really fragile thing in sports. You'd better keep the momentum and keep playing with a chip because once you lose it, it's hard to get back."
K-State, 5-2 overall and 3-1 in the Big 12, has five games remaining in the regular season, and that starts with Houston, 3-4 and 1-3, in Saturday's 11 a.m. meeting (ESPN2) on Homecoming at Bill Snyder Family Stadium.
The Wildcats have come quite a ways since leaving the game in Stillwater.
"There's been a mental shift in our preparation," center Hayden Gillum said. "We knew we had to get back to the work that we do and what made us successful last year."
Players know there can be no letdown after an emotional win over the Horned Frogs and with a date at No. 7 Texas looming next Saturday. This will mark the first-ever meeting between the Wildcats and the Cougars.
"It's going to be a pretty big statement game," linebacker Jake Clifton said.
Houston comes off a 31-24 home loss to the then-No. 8 Longhorns, a game in which the Cougars had a fourth-and-1 at the Texas 10-yard line with 63 seconds left.
Houston's 10 road victories since the start of 2021 are tied for fifth in the FBS. The Cougars, who are in search of their first Big 12 road win after a loss at Texas Tech (49-28) on September 30, are 10-4 on the road since 2021.
Dana Holgorsen, 30-24 in his fifth season at Houston, knows the challenge in store for the Cougars after making multiple trips to Manhattan as head coach at West Virginia.
"They're playing as good as anybody in the country, and they're the defending Big 12 Champs," Holgorsen said. "It's a hard place to play. I've been there multiple times. You think Texas was a challenge because of how talented they are and well coached. This team is extremely, extremely, extremely good. Best coached team in the country. Their players don't mess up and they score.
"Welcome to the Big 12. This is what we signed up for, so let's go."
K-State is one of seven Power 5 teams to rank in the top 20 in both scoring offense and scoring defense. The Wildcats rank 14th in the FBS averaging 36.9 points. They rank third nationally with 232.7 rushing yards per game.
"I'm just trying to find the next (score)," K-State offensive coordinator Collin Klein said. "It's a credit to our guys, a credit to how they've worked together and the continuity that's continuing to build. We just need to continue to work harder because there's more out there. I know our guys know that, and credit to all of them collectively because it's been a group effort."
Recently, the Wildcats have used both senior team captain Will Howard and true freshman Avery Johnson to lead the attack at quarterback.
"How we've handled it and have fed off each other is the best part of it," Howard said. "You control what you can control."
Klein lauded both quarterbacks for their teamwork.
"It'll be something that may change week to week, but the thing that will make our offense successful and make it work is how both of those guys have attacked it," Klein said. "They're helping one another, and when they get their chances, they're competing their butts off. They're getting our offense in the best position on each drive and each series and each situation."
Howard won Senior Bowl Offensive Player of the Week honors after throwing for 154 yards and three touchdowns while adding 62 yards on four carries against the Horned Frogs.
Johnson was named Big 12 Newcomer of the Week after rushing for five touchdowns at Texas Tech, the most nationally by a true freshman quarterback since at least 1995.
They both could see snaps again on Saturday.
"This dude (Johnson) does nothing but score touchdowns, and Will Howard was a preseason Heisman Trophy candidate," Holgorsen said. "They really don't do different things with them. They're both great players."
K-State comes off one of its best offensive performances in school history as its 587 total yards ranked sixth in school history, while its 406 first-half yards were its most in a half since at least 1999.
Meanwhile, K-State limited TCU to just three points and 300 yards, including 68 on the last drive of the game. TCU entered Manhattan averaging 33.1 points and 488.4 yards of offense.
Over the last two seasons, K-State has held 13 of its 14 league opponents under its season scoring average entering the game.
The Wildcats currently rank 19th in allowing 18.1 points per game.
"At the end of the day, I hope our guys are more zeroed in on getting the next play stopped and getting out of that series and the next half and (taking it) kind of one at a time," K-State defensive coordinator Joe Klanderman said. "That's been our thing. One of the things, I think early in the year, there was a lot of pressure on those guys where they felt they needed to be perfect all the time. I think in the last couple weeks that pressure has eased, and they're just playing football."
Houston ranks 10th in the Big 12 in scoring offense (28.9) and eighth in total offense (407.9).
K-State ranks second in the FBS with a 30.0% red-zone touchdown percentage allowed.
"If we hold them to field goals down there, we're doing well," Klanderman said. "Red-zone touchdown percentage, that's something we track pretty closely. It's just due to the fact that we're spending a lot of time talking about it. It's something we're putting an emphasis on."
Klieman knows it'll be needed against Houston.
"They played Texas really well," Klieman said. "They went toe-to-toe with them with a chance to win. That's our league. You better have your 'A' game every week or you're going to get knocked off or not have a chance to win. You've got to put your best foot forward on Saturday."
Houston quarterback Donovan Smith, previously at Texas Tech, has been among the biggest transfer portal pickups nationally this season. Among first-year transfer quarterbacks, Smith ranks third in points responsible for (120), fourth in passing yards (1,979), fifth in passing touchdowns (16) and fifth in completion percentage (66.8).
One week after completing 21-of-27 passes for 253 yards and four touchdowns in a 41-39 win over West Virginia, Smith went 32-for-46 f0r 378 yards and three touchdowns with one interception against Texas.
Houston ranks 12th in the Big 12 in rushing offense at 116.86 yards per game.
"(Smith) is a good player," Klieman said. "Tons of respect for him. It seems like he's been around a long time. Now it's upon us. If you just watch the Donovan Smith tape of explosive runs and big-time throws, he makes their offense go. I'm very impressed with him."
Houston ranks 14th in the Big 12 scoring defense (31.3) and 14th in total defense (419.3).
Malik Robinson leads Houston with 55 tackles, including one tackle for a loss and one fumble recovery for a defense that appeared to fluster Texas in switching from a four-man front to a 3-3-5 system.
"They changed their defense up, and that was probably a surprise to Texas," Klieman said. "Whether they'll do that to us, we'll have to be prepared for them to do that. They've played some other defenses throughout the year. We have to be prepared for everything."
One thing appears certain: The Wildcats will be prepared.
"We're not taking this game lightly," All-American left guard Cooper Beebe said. "We're going to prepare like we have the last two weeks and give it our all."
Kansas State is one game back of No. 6 Oklahoma in the Big 12 Conference standings and, coming off two-straight wins, appears poised to make a push down the stretch of the league season.
Since a 29-21 loss at Oklahoma State on October 6, the Wildcats have blown out Texas Tech (38-21) on the road and walloped TCU (41-3) at home in a rematch of the 2022 Big 12 Championship Game.
It seems like optimism is high in Manhattan.
"We've improved," K-State head coach Chris Klieman said. "I thought we'd improve. There's belief. They're playing with an edge and with a chip on their shoulder.
"Momentum is a really fragile thing in sports. You'd better keep the momentum and keep playing with a chip because once you lose it, it's hard to get back."
K-State, 5-2 overall and 3-1 in the Big 12, has five games remaining in the regular season, and that starts with Houston, 3-4 and 1-3, in Saturday's 11 a.m. meeting (ESPN2) on Homecoming at Bill Snyder Family Stadium.
The Wildcats have come quite a ways since leaving the game in Stillwater.
"There's been a mental shift in our preparation," center Hayden Gillum said. "We knew we had to get back to the work that we do and what made us successful last year."
Players know there can be no letdown after an emotional win over the Horned Frogs and with a date at No. 7 Texas looming next Saturday. This will mark the first-ever meeting between the Wildcats and the Cougars.
"It's going to be a pretty big statement game," linebacker Jake Clifton said.
Houston comes off a 31-24 home loss to the then-No. 8 Longhorns, a game in which the Cougars had a fourth-and-1 at the Texas 10-yard line with 63 seconds left.
Houston's 10 road victories since the start of 2021 are tied for fifth in the FBS. The Cougars, who are in search of their first Big 12 road win after a loss at Texas Tech (49-28) on September 30, are 10-4 on the road since 2021.
Dana Holgorsen, 30-24 in his fifth season at Houston, knows the challenge in store for the Cougars after making multiple trips to Manhattan as head coach at West Virginia.
"They're playing as good as anybody in the country, and they're the defending Big 12 Champs," Holgorsen said. "It's a hard place to play. I've been there multiple times. You think Texas was a challenge because of how talented they are and well coached. This team is extremely, extremely, extremely good. Best coached team in the country. Their players don't mess up and they score.
"Welcome to the Big 12. This is what we signed up for, so let's go."
K-State is one of seven Power 5 teams to rank in the top 20 in both scoring offense and scoring defense. The Wildcats rank 14th in the FBS averaging 36.9 points. They rank third nationally with 232.7 rushing yards per game.
"I'm just trying to find the next (score)," K-State offensive coordinator Collin Klein said. "It's a credit to our guys, a credit to how they've worked together and the continuity that's continuing to build. We just need to continue to work harder because there's more out there. I know our guys know that, and credit to all of them collectively because it's been a group effort."
Recently, the Wildcats have used both senior team captain Will Howard and true freshman Avery Johnson to lead the attack at quarterback.
"How we've handled it and have fed off each other is the best part of it," Howard said. "You control what you can control."
Klein lauded both quarterbacks for their teamwork.
"It'll be something that may change week to week, but the thing that will make our offense successful and make it work is how both of those guys have attacked it," Klein said. "They're helping one another, and when they get their chances, they're competing their butts off. They're getting our offense in the best position on each drive and each series and each situation."
Howard won Senior Bowl Offensive Player of the Week honors after throwing for 154 yards and three touchdowns while adding 62 yards on four carries against the Horned Frogs.
Johnson was named Big 12 Newcomer of the Week after rushing for five touchdowns at Texas Tech, the most nationally by a true freshman quarterback since at least 1995.
They both could see snaps again on Saturday.
"This dude (Johnson) does nothing but score touchdowns, and Will Howard was a preseason Heisman Trophy candidate," Holgorsen said. "They really don't do different things with them. They're both great players."
K-State comes off one of its best offensive performances in school history as its 587 total yards ranked sixth in school history, while its 406 first-half yards were its most in a half since at least 1999.
Meanwhile, K-State limited TCU to just three points and 300 yards, including 68 on the last drive of the game. TCU entered Manhattan averaging 33.1 points and 488.4 yards of offense.
Over the last two seasons, K-State has held 13 of its 14 league opponents under its season scoring average entering the game.
The Wildcats currently rank 19th in allowing 18.1 points per game.
"At the end of the day, I hope our guys are more zeroed in on getting the next play stopped and getting out of that series and the next half and (taking it) kind of one at a time," K-State defensive coordinator Joe Klanderman said. "That's been our thing. One of the things, I think early in the year, there was a lot of pressure on those guys where they felt they needed to be perfect all the time. I think in the last couple weeks that pressure has eased, and they're just playing football."
Houston ranks 10th in the Big 12 in scoring offense (28.9) and eighth in total offense (407.9).
K-State ranks second in the FBS with a 30.0% red-zone touchdown percentage allowed.
"If we hold them to field goals down there, we're doing well," Klanderman said. "Red-zone touchdown percentage, that's something we track pretty closely. It's just due to the fact that we're spending a lot of time talking about it. It's something we're putting an emphasis on."
Klieman knows it'll be needed against Houston.
"They played Texas really well," Klieman said. "They went toe-to-toe with them with a chance to win. That's our league. You better have your 'A' game every week or you're going to get knocked off or not have a chance to win. You've got to put your best foot forward on Saturday."
Houston quarterback Donovan Smith, previously at Texas Tech, has been among the biggest transfer portal pickups nationally this season. Among first-year transfer quarterbacks, Smith ranks third in points responsible for (120), fourth in passing yards (1,979), fifth in passing touchdowns (16) and fifth in completion percentage (66.8).
One week after completing 21-of-27 passes for 253 yards and four touchdowns in a 41-39 win over West Virginia, Smith went 32-for-46 f0r 378 yards and three touchdowns with one interception against Texas.
Houston ranks 12th in the Big 12 in rushing offense at 116.86 yards per game.
"(Smith) is a good player," Klieman said. "Tons of respect for him. It seems like he's been around a long time. Now it's upon us. If you just watch the Donovan Smith tape of explosive runs and big-time throws, he makes their offense go. I'm very impressed with him."
Houston ranks 14th in the Big 12 scoring defense (31.3) and 14th in total defense (419.3).
Malik Robinson leads Houston with 55 tackles, including one tackle for a loss and one fumble recovery for a defense that appeared to fluster Texas in switching from a four-man front to a 3-3-5 system.
"They changed their defense up, and that was probably a surprise to Texas," Klieman said. "Whether they'll do that to us, we'll have to be prepared for them to do that. They've played some other defenses throughout the year. We have to be prepared for everything."
One thing appears certain: The Wildcats will be prepared.
"We're not taking this game lightly," All-American left guard Cooper Beebe said. "We're going to prepare like we have the last two weeks and give it our all."
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