Road Warrior Mentality
Oct 06, 2023 | Football, Sports Extra
By: D. Scott Fritchen
A little more than a year ago, Kansas State thumped Oklahoma State in vicious fashion as its 48-0 home win was the largest ever shutout victory by a lower-ranked team against an AP top-10 opponent.
It might be difficult to top that blowout. But K-State is simply looking to change its ways Friday night in Stillwater, Oklahoma, where the Wildcats haven't won since 2017.
"We know we're going to get Oklahoma State's best," K-State head coach Chris Klieman says. "We feel like we still have our best football in front of us, and I'm sure Oklahoma State believes it has its best in front of them, too. It's going to be a great four-quarter game."
K-State, 3-1 overall and 1-0 in the Big 12 Conference, is just outside the top-25 with its only loss coming on a walk-off 61-yard field goal by Missouri, which is now ranked No. 21.
Oklahoma State, 2-2 and 0-1, comes off back-to-back defeats as it followed a 33-7 home loss to South Alabama with a 34-27 nailbiter at Iowa State two weeks ago.
But there's something about playing at Boone Pickens Stadium that hasn't worked in the Wildcats' favor with a 26-13 loss in 2019 and a 31-20 loss in 2021.
K-State believes it's time to change its fortune in the 6:30 p.m. kickoff, which will be televised on ESPN.
"It's a tough environment, the fans are going to be loud and right on top of you, but it's time for us to go down there and make a statement and get a good win down there," K-State quarterback Will Howard said.
Several trends work in K-State's favor in this battle.
The Wildcats rank 14th in the FBS and second in the Big 12 with 39.5 points per game and have amassed more than 500 total yards two times this season under Howard, who has eight passing touchdowns and five rushing scores.
While the Wildcats are working on unleashing their vertical passing game, they're good at extending drives. Six of their last 12 scoring drives have encompassed 10 or more plays. That includes three trips into the end zone against UCF, primarily behind the legs of running back DJ Giddens, who had 207 rushing yards and four touchdowns.
Giddens was the first K-State player with 200 rushing yards and four rushing touchdowns in a game.
"DJ is capable of doing that week in and week out," K-State center Hayden Gillum says. "It wasn't just a one-time thing. It was time. Hopefully we can replicate that each week."
Defensively, K-State is stout, particularly up front, in ranking sixth nationally in rushing defense, sixth in tackles for loss and 10th in sacks.
"This will be the best team we've played so far overall in all three phases," Oklahoma State head coach Mike Gundy says. "As we continue to try and balance ourselves offensively and allow ourselves to rush the ball well enough to throw the ball it's important."
Oklahoma State has uncharacteristically struggled under Gundy this season. The Cowboys are 104th in rushing offense and 127th in passing efficiency while using three quarterbacks. Sixth-year senior journeyman Alan Bowman got the start against Iowa State and passed for 278 yards and two touchdowns, but the Cowboys aren't afraid to use quarterbacks Garret Rangel or Gunnar Gundy as well.
"They're an extremely disciplined football team," Bowman says. "They play well, they play within themselves, they're hard to beat, and they don't let anything go over their heads. I do think we have a really good game plan. It's going to be fun."
Klieman is preparing for Bowman to start at quarterback.
"He's an experienced veteran," Klieman said. "I think he's solidified himself as the starter there. We've always had troubles with their offense. They do some really good things in the run game and in the RPO quick game, and they're always going to take shots vertically on you. We know we're going to get Oklahoma State's best Friday night."
K-State got everyone's best shot a year ago but used the strength of a 4-1 Big 12 road record to fuel a charge to the Big 12 Championship. The Wildcats did so behind a road-warrior mentality that served them well in opposing venues.
"I'll always take a win but winning on the road is pretty cool," Gillum says. "It's fun to go in there with your group. It's a special thing to go into a hostile environment and silence a stadium. We're preparing. The plan is to go down and get a win and come home and prepare for the next week."
The Wildcats don't expect anything to come easy.
"They don't have anything to lose," linebacker Austin Moore says. "It's always tough playing teams like that. Especially being home, they're going to want to protect their stadium, and we know they want to play us after what happened last year. We're looking forward to a good game."
Gundy says that they haven't mentioned last year's monumental thumping in the locker room this week.
"No, I don't think that factors in much," Gundy says. "We have to practice and get ready for this game. I never really use past experiences as motivation."
Asked what leads him to believe that this year might be different, Gundy replied, "Hopefully our practices, our concepts that we have based on what they're doing will give us a chance to go out and play better and compete. I think the attitude of the team, I think they'll play hard, and I think they're looking forward to playing in the game."
Says nose tackle Collin Clay: "We can't have our heads down."
Around Vanier Family Football Complex, some of the talk this week has centered on the Boone Pickens Stadium environment and blocking out the noise while striving to excel on the football field.
Oklahoma State fans are encouraged to wear all black for the program's annual "black out" game. The game is a sellout with a crowd of 53,855 expected to fill the stadium.
"It's a tough place to play for sure but it's a fun place to play," K-State offensive coordinator Collin Klein says. "The environment will be great, it'll be an evening game, and it'll be one they remember for a long time."
A little more than a year ago, Kansas State thumped Oklahoma State in vicious fashion as its 48-0 home win was the largest ever shutout victory by a lower-ranked team against an AP top-10 opponent.
It might be difficult to top that blowout. But K-State is simply looking to change its ways Friday night in Stillwater, Oklahoma, where the Wildcats haven't won since 2017.
"We know we're going to get Oklahoma State's best," K-State head coach Chris Klieman says. "We feel like we still have our best football in front of us, and I'm sure Oklahoma State believes it has its best in front of them, too. It's going to be a great four-quarter game."
K-State, 3-1 overall and 1-0 in the Big 12 Conference, is just outside the top-25 with its only loss coming on a walk-off 61-yard field goal by Missouri, which is now ranked No. 21.
Oklahoma State, 2-2 and 0-1, comes off back-to-back defeats as it followed a 33-7 home loss to South Alabama with a 34-27 nailbiter at Iowa State two weeks ago.
But there's something about playing at Boone Pickens Stadium that hasn't worked in the Wildcats' favor with a 26-13 loss in 2019 and a 31-20 loss in 2021.
K-State believes it's time to change its fortune in the 6:30 p.m. kickoff, which will be televised on ESPN.
"It's a tough environment, the fans are going to be loud and right on top of you, but it's time for us to go down there and make a statement and get a good win down there," K-State quarterback Will Howard said.
Several trends work in K-State's favor in this battle.
The Wildcats rank 14th in the FBS and second in the Big 12 with 39.5 points per game and have amassed more than 500 total yards two times this season under Howard, who has eight passing touchdowns and five rushing scores.
While the Wildcats are working on unleashing their vertical passing game, they're good at extending drives. Six of their last 12 scoring drives have encompassed 10 or more plays. That includes three trips into the end zone against UCF, primarily behind the legs of running back DJ Giddens, who had 207 rushing yards and four touchdowns.
Giddens was the first K-State player with 200 rushing yards and four rushing touchdowns in a game.
"DJ is capable of doing that week in and week out," K-State center Hayden Gillum says. "It wasn't just a one-time thing. It was time. Hopefully we can replicate that each week."
Defensively, K-State is stout, particularly up front, in ranking sixth nationally in rushing defense, sixth in tackles for loss and 10th in sacks.
"This will be the best team we've played so far overall in all three phases," Oklahoma State head coach Mike Gundy says. "As we continue to try and balance ourselves offensively and allow ourselves to rush the ball well enough to throw the ball it's important."
Oklahoma State has uncharacteristically struggled under Gundy this season. The Cowboys are 104th in rushing offense and 127th in passing efficiency while using three quarterbacks. Sixth-year senior journeyman Alan Bowman got the start against Iowa State and passed for 278 yards and two touchdowns, but the Cowboys aren't afraid to use quarterbacks Garret Rangel or Gunnar Gundy as well.
"They're an extremely disciplined football team," Bowman says. "They play well, they play within themselves, they're hard to beat, and they don't let anything go over their heads. I do think we have a really good game plan. It's going to be fun."
Klieman is preparing for Bowman to start at quarterback.
"He's an experienced veteran," Klieman said. "I think he's solidified himself as the starter there. We've always had troubles with their offense. They do some really good things in the run game and in the RPO quick game, and they're always going to take shots vertically on you. We know we're going to get Oklahoma State's best Friday night."
K-State got everyone's best shot a year ago but used the strength of a 4-1 Big 12 road record to fuel a charge to the Big 12 Championship. The Wildcats did so behind a road-warrior mentality that served them well in opposing venues.
"I'll always take a win but winning on the road is pretty cool," Gillum says. "It's fun to go in there with your group. It's a special thing to go into a hostile environment and silence a stadium. We're preparing. The plan is to go down and get a win and come home and prepare for the next week."
The Wildcats don't expect anything to come easy.
"They don't have anything to lose," linebacker Austin Moore says. "It's always tough playing teams like that. Especially being home, they're going to want to protect their stadium, and we know they want to play us after what happened last year. We're looking forward to a good game."
Gundy says that they haven't mentioned last year's monumental thumping in the locker room this week.
"No, I don't think that factors in much," Gundy says. "We have to practice and get ready for this game. I never really use past experiences as motivation."
Asked what leads him to believe that this year might be different, Gundy replied, "Hopefully our practices, our concepts that we have based on what they're doing will give us a chance to go out and play better and compete. I think the attitude of the team, I think they'll play hard, and I think they're looking forward to playing in the game."
Says nose tackle Collin Clay: "We can't have our heads down."
Around Vanier Family Football Complex, some of the talk this week has centered on the Boone Pickens Stadium environment and blocking out the noise while striving to excel on the football field.
Oklahoma State fans are encouraged to wear all black for the program's annual "black out" game. The game is a sellout with a crowd of 53,855 expected to fill the stadium.
"It's a tough place to play for sure but it's a fun place to play," K-State offensive coordinator Collin Klein says. "The environment will be great, it'll be an evening game, and it'll be one they remember for a long time."
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