People Are Watching
May 18, 2023 | Football, Sports Extra
By: D. Scott Fritchen
We all see it, true as the five vats of fried catfish and rocky mountain oysters steaming upon folding tables, true as old-school Willie holding his "State" flag on cardboard centerpieces, and true as the purple-and-white HRC Festival ballcaps dotting heads of Kansas State loyalists filling chair after chair after chair in the famous feed yard near the edge of Scott City, Kansas, on Wednesday evening.
We see the feed yard rear garage doors rise as the sun sinks below the white picket fence and listen as Collin Klein, true as sunlight after a summer storm, says five words that make K-State fans salivate for the fall.
"We have work to do," Klein said.
We have work to do — K-State, which has beaten Kansas a series record 14 straight times. We have work to do — K-State, which beat No. 9 Oklahoma State, 48-0. We have work to do — K-State, which won the 2022 Big 12 Championship and "gave away" the Sugar Bowl against No. 5 Alabama, which Klein called the most talented team he had ever encountered.
"People are watching us right now," Klein says. "Everybody is watching K-State right now. It's really cool because we have a platform and a message of how we do what we do. It's going to be winning championships and a heck of a lot more."
He pauses.
"I love silver as much as anybody, but I'm in it for gold."
Klein enters his second full year as K-State offensive coordinator in the fall, yet the gears have been spinning for quite some time now, the father of four quietly piecing together a potential masterpiece with purple thread, the former Heisman Trophy finalist long ago known for bloodied elbows now launching an all-out attack in 2023 just one year after he orchestrated one of the top 10 offenses in school history.
Last season, K-State finished seventh in total points (452), second in total offense (5,863), fifth in yards per game (418.8), ninth in yards per play (6.1), second in total plays (958), sixth in passing yards (2,947), first in lowest interception percentage (1.54%), fourth in rushing (2,916), third in yards per rush (5.1), and 10th in rushing touchdowns (32).
"I'm so proud of our guys just winning the games and making the strides that we did and not just winning the Big 12 but how we did it. We did it the K-State way," Klein says. "It was hard work, it was constant and continual improvement and sacrificing for the guy next to you, and not taking a backseat to anybody.
"Our mindset was nobody thought we were any good before the season or early in the season, and we didn't let that get to us. The mentality with how they attacked, it was so much fun to come to work every day."
Klein wears his purple Nike quarter-zip, khakis and white shoes in front of a few hundred ardent supporters in Scott City. He holds a microphone with his left hand and motions with his right, as if pulling K-State fans on board. But they've been on board, well, all along. From Manhattan to Salina to Great Bend to Scott City on Wednesday, fans applauded and breathed easy in knowing that Klein is back for another year as offensive coordinator after leading the Wildcats' offense to the doorstep of 12-win seasons more than a decade ago as a player in a purple uniform.
"It feels like it was yesterday B.J. Finney and I were trying to figure out a way to get a first down, and it's like yesterday was a different life, like, wow, did that really happen in two years?" Klein says. "God has been so great to myself and my family in bringing me to K-State and allowing me to be around such amazing people like Coach Snyder and B.J. and Coach Klieman, and most of all meeting my wife, and for our family to be able to evolve and contribute to this family in any role. It's just a tremendous honor. K-State is an unbelievable place. Wouldn't change a thing. Just so grateful."
He's excited. He's excited because of Will Howard and the return of All-American Cooper Beebe and the entire starting offensive line. He's excited for All-Big 12 First Team tight end Ben Sinnott and the potential of the wide receivers. He's excited for transfer running back Treshaun Ward and returning sophomore DJ Giddens in the backfield.
There's so much still to be revealed in 2023. K-State is projected to be in the hunt for back-to-back Big 12 titles. K-State has a schedule that sets up well with new league members UCF and Houston both visiting Manhattan. Could it be conceivable that this could be the first K-State team in history to reach 12 wins?
For now, Klein is plenty elated that he gets to spend time learning under head coach Chris Klieman, who signed a new eight-year contract earlier this week.
"Being mentored by someone like that and having been able to work for someone like that now going on five years is an unbelievable blessing," he says. "It's so well deserved. He's done it the K-State way, too. Everybody didn't think he could do it, either, and he's proven everybody wrong every step of his journey, and it's just an honor to be a part of it and work for him."
And now K-State has work to do.
"It's just so cool because the message that we have as K-Staters to take to this country and to take to college athletics is special. People are watching, our guys are capitalizing, and we're doing everything we can as a staff to capitalize on it," he says "and go win the whole freaking thing."
We all see it, true as the five vats of fried catfish and rocky mountain oysters steaming upon folding tables, true as old-school Willie holding his "State" flag on cardboard centerpieces, and true as the purple-and-white HRC Festival ballcaps dotting heads of Kansas State loyalists filling chair after chair after chair in the famous feed yard near the edge of Scott City, Kansas, on Wednesday evening.
We see the feed yard rear garage doors rise as the sun sinks below the white picket fence and listen as Collin Klein, true as sunlight after a summer storm, says five words that make K-State fans salivate for the fall.
"We have work to do," Klein said.
We have work to do — K-State, which has beaten Kansas a series record 14 straight times. We have work to do — K-State, which beat No. 9 Oklahoma State, 48-0. We have work to do — K-State, which won the 2022 Big 12 Championship and "gave away" the Sugar Bowl against No. 5 Alabama, which Klein called the most talented team he had ever encountered.
"People are watching us right now," Klein says. "Everybody is watching K-State right now. It's really cool because we have a platform and a message of how we do what we do. It's going to be winning championships and a heck of a lot more."
He pauses.
"I love silver as much as anybody, but I'm in it for gold."
Klein enters his second full year as K-State offensive coordinator in the fall, yet the gears have been spinning for quite some time now, the father of four quietly piecing together a potential masterpiece with purple thread, the former Heisman Trophy finalist long ago known for bloodied elbows now launching an all-out attack in 2023 just one year after he orchestrated one of the top 10 offenses in school history.
Last season, K-State finished seventh in total points (452), second in total offense (5,863), fifth in yards per game (418.8), ninth in yards per play (6.1), second in total plays (958), sixth in passing yards (2,947), first in lowest interception percentage (1.54%), fourth in rushing (2,916), third in yards per rush (5.1), and 10th in rushing touchdowns (32).
"I'm so proud of our guys just winning the games and making the strides that we did and not just winning the Big 12 but how we did it. We did it the K-State way," Klein says. "It was hard work, it was constant and continual improvement and sacrificing for the guy next to you, and not taking a backseat to anybody.
"Our mindset was nobody thought we were any good before the season or early in the season, and we didn't let that get to us. The mentality with how they attacked, it was so much fun to come to work every day."
Klein wears his purple Nike quarter-zip, khakis and white shoes in front of a few hundred ardent supporters in Scott City. He holds a microphone with his left hand and motions with his right, as if pulling K-State fans on board. But they've been on board, well, all along. From Manhattan to Salina to Great Bend to Scott City on Wednesday, fans applauded and breathed easy in knowing that Klein is back for another year as offensive coordinator after leading the Wildcats' offense to the doorstep of 12-win seasons more than a decade ago as a player in a purple uniform.
"It feels like it was yesterday B.J. Finney and I were trying to figure out a way to get a first down, and it's like yesterday was a different life, like, wow, did that really happen in two years?" Klein says. "God has been so great to myself and my family in bringing me to K-State and allowing me to be around such amazing people like Coach Snyder and B.J. and Coach Klieman, and most of all meeting my wife, and for our family to be able to evolve and contribute to this family in any role. It's just a tremendous honor. K-State is an unbelievable place. Wouldn't change a thing. Just so grateful."
He's excited. He's excited because of Will Howard and the return of All-American Cooper Beebe and the entire starting offensive line. He's excited for All-Big 12 First Team tight end Ben Sinnott and the potential of the wide receivers. He's excited for transfer running back Treshaun Ward and returning sophomore DJ Giddens in the backfield.
There's so much still to be revealed in 2023. K-State is projected to be in the hunt for back-to-back Big 12 titles. K-State has a schedule that sets up well with new league members UCF and Houston both visiting Manhattan. Could it be conceivable that this could be the first K-State team in history to reach 12 wins?
For now, Klein is plenty elated that he gets to spend time learning under head coach Chris Klieman, who signed a new eight-year contract earlier this week.
"Being mentored by someone like that and having been able to work for someone like that now going on five years is an unbelievable blessing," he says. "It's so well deserved. He's done it the K-State way, too. Everybody didn't think he could do it, either, and he's proven everybody wrong every step of his journey, and it's just an honor to be a part of it and work for him."
And now K-State has work to do.
"It's just so cool because the message that we have as K-Staters to take to this country and to take to college athletics is special. People are watching, our guys are capitalizing, and we're doing everything we can as a staff to capitalize on it," he says "and go win the whole freaking thing."
Players Mentioned
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