Kansas State University Athletics
The Jubilant Scene
Oct 17, 2025 | Football, Sports Extra
By: D. Scott Fritchen
The pumped-up purple-clad players jumped up and down in the middle of the Kansas State football locker room, with some white-lettered Wildcat Goals for Success such as "Improve," "Be Tough," "Self-Discipline," "Great Effort," and "Enthusiasm" embedded upon a large ring near the top of the spacious room, and visible to visitors standing in the back, taking it all in, this scene of celebration, lasting 32 seconds in length, featuring shouts, and high-pitch cries, and bassy hootin' and hollerin', as these warriors, donned in purple, joined together, bouncing up and down in glee, letting the exhilaration spill from deep inside their lungs, as water flowed freely from clear bottles, held high in the air, with one bounce and then another, causing water to shoot into the sky, into this K-State universe, this oval locker room, this spacious area big enough for a jovial coaching staff and support staff, and most of all, these 109 players who dreamed of moments like these long before the start of the 2025 football season.
After a 41-28 win over TCU in front of a sellout crowd of 51,316 at Bill Snyder Family Stadium, bringing K-State's season record to three wins and four losses, including two wins and two losses in the Big 12 Conference, and after the on-field handshakes and postgame waves to family and friends in the stands, the Wildcats trotted into the tunnel from which they had exited hours ago, heading to their familiar domain.
They were inside their world — one brimming with thunderous energy, and love, and passion, and elation over the team's performance — their performance — and the effort, and fight, that enabled the Wildcats to emerge victorious over a one-loss Horned Frogs team after a 3-hour, 31-minute battle under sunny 81-degree temperatures in the Little Apple.
As K-State players parted following their half-minute of hysterics and jubilation, and as the players backed away, forming a large circle inside the locker room, seventh-year K-State head coach Chris Klieman, dressed in a purple long-sleeved t-shirt and khakis and a purple ballcap, stood alone in the middle, a prime benefactor of the spraying water, and he brushed aside with his left foot one of the 21 emptied water bottles laying upon the dark gray carpet, and he removed his ballcap, and he rotated in a circle as he spoke to his team.
He began his dialog with one simple sentence.
"OK," he said, "I get the feeling you guys enjoyed that."
And Klieman smiled. And it was good to see him smile as he pulled off his ballcap and then placed it back upon his head, looking into the eyes of his players, as he spoke.
It had been a journey, at times a painful journey, at times a rollercoaster without brakes, shrouded in darkness that hid the twists and turns and drops to come during the first six weeks of the season. It had been a journey that featured one of the toughest losses of Klieman's ultra-successful era — a one-point loss at Baylor one week prior, an excruciating 53-yard field goal with 31 seconds left in the game at McLane Stadium in Waco, Texas, that tore through purple hearts like a filet knife.
Now this. A gripping transition. A spike in the gridiron heart monitor — and a spike bigger than the Wildcats' previous 34-20 win over UCF on September 27. The domination over the Horned Frogs was one of those days and performances and feelings that you'd love to bottle up and never let go.
"We talked about adversity yesterday and how teams can grow and how people can grow from adversity," Klieman said. "What I truly believe is, if you're a great competitor and you have adversity, it makes you better. You don't get destroyed by it. You get better with adversity if you're an ultimate competitor. We have some ultimate competitors in here. I can't thank you guys enough for coming together after a really hard loss and saying, 'It's a new week and we're going 1-0 this week.'
"That's all we did was go 1-0."
Then came the sledgehammers, the postgame tradition, and a team favorite, where Klieman recognizes standout performances and players who greatly made an impact, either on or off the field, to contribute to the team's success.
Klieman handed a hammer to K-State running back Joe Jackson, who delivered a brief speech, and then passed off the hammer to recognize the entire offensive line.
Klieman handed a hammer to wide receiver Jerand Bradley, who shared a few thoughts, and then passed off the hammer to quarterback Avery Johnson.
Klieman handed a hammer to linebacker Desmond Purnell, who recorded a game-changing pick-six and became the first K-State linebacker to intercept two passes in a single game since 2015, and Purnell passed off the hammer to the scout team player for their undying dedication in helping to prepare the Wildcats for big moments.
Finally, Klieman announced that a K-State player record had been broken during the game. Garrett Oakley caught two touchdowns against TCU, which gave him 11 touchdowns in his career. It marked the most receiving touchdowns by a tight end in the history of K-State football.
"I really appreciate you guys and love you guys and love coming to work with you boys," Oakley said. "I want to thank Coach Klieman. He was one of the only coaches that believed in me, my only Power 4 offer coming out of high school."
Oakley passed off the hammer to first-year tight ends coach Luke Wells.
Once the cheers and applause from the postgame hammer ceremony died down, Klieman delivered an elaborate parting speech to his players.
The bottom line?
"Don't get complacent, men," Klieman said. "Don't get complacent. Do not get comfortable. Be a guy who's compelled to become better every day. There's so much on this football team. We're just scratching the surface of a team that's ascending to a really damn good team if — if — we don't get complacent, and we continue to challenge each other every day.
"We have a lot of stuff we have to do, but we've got to enjoy this."
Klieman paused.
"Grab a hand."
The players held hands inside their locker room, their domain, their universe, a band of brothers, locked together, unified stronger than ever before, absorbing the thunderous energy, and love, and passion, and elation of executing a successful week that culminated into a memorable day for a team on the move.
And then came the postgame news conference.
"I want to credit the kids and the coaches because it's been hard – we all know that – but I just keep telling them to keep improving and that I believe in them and I love them," Klieman said. "If we stay the course, and keep fighting for each other, I still think we have a really good football team."
He added: "We didn't finish last week. It was important for us to come out and get better. My gosh, for the next two weeks of waking up and not having that crappy feeling in your stomach. You get to enjoy yourself. Yeah, we've got KU in another couple weeks, but we're going to enjoy the heck out of this first."
Later, K-State quarterback Avery Johnson put it into perspective.
"I didn't see us as an underdog going into (the TCU) game, and I don't see us as a 3-4 team now," Johnson said. "We just had an unfortunate turn of events early in the year and didn't play as well as we wanted to play. At Baylor, things didn't go our way. You might have one or two of those a year where things don't go your way, but you win and play well in the other ones to make up for it. But when you have bad games and games don't go your way, things look a lot worse than what they are.
"I'm really happy with the way the guys played against TCU. We're all really happy to be here, and we're happy to be at K-State and play for K-State.
"We're looking to get back after it against KU."
One week from today, the Wildcats will load up in busses and travel 85 miles east down I-70. Then on Saturday, K-State will face Kansas in the 123rd edition of the Dillons Sunflower Showdown in an 11:00 a.m. kickoff at David Booth Kansas Memorial Stadium in Lawrence, Kansas.
K-State has defeated Kansas in each the last 16 meetings, the longest winning streak by either team in series history.
But before any of that — the game, the records, the Governor's Cup Trophy — was the bye week ahead for the Wildcats.
"It starts at practice," Johnson said. "We have to continue to practice well. Coach Matt Wells will tell you whenever I have my best week of practice, that's when I play my best. It translates for a reason. You do the things right during the week and prepare right and everything takes care of itself on Saturdays."
Celebratory empty water bottles littering the locker room after the win over TCU painted a portrait of success. For one game. Against a really quality opponent. The Wildcats grew through adversity and became better for it. Because the players played like warriors.
This is a testament. It's a testament for never giving up. It's a testament of continuing to grow through adversity.
One thrilling game in which K-State played better in all three phases, and one celebration filled with thunderous energy, and love, and passion, and elation, might've just changed the season's trajectory for these Wildcats.
The pumped-up purple-clad players jumped up and down in the middle of the Kansas State football locker room, with some white-lettered Wildcat Goals for Success such as "Improve," "Be Tough," "Self-Discipline," "Great Effort," and "Enthusiasm" embedded upon a large ring near the top of the spacious room, and visible to visitors standing in the back, taking it all in, this scene of celebration, lasting 32 seconds in length, featuring shouts, and high-pitch cries, and bassy hootin' and hollerin', as these warriors, donned in purple, joined together, bouncing up and down in glee, letting the exhilaration spill from deep inside their lungs, as water flowed freely from clear bottles, held high in the air, with one bounce and then another, causing water to shoot into the sky, into this K-State universe, this oval locker room, this spacious area big enough for a jovial coaching staff and support staff, and most of all, these 109 players who dreamed of moments like these long before the start of the 2025 football season.
After a 41-28 win over TCU in front of a sellout crowd of 51,316 at Bill Snyder Family Stadium, bringing K-State's season record to three wins and four losses, including two wins and two losses in the Big 12 Conference, and after the on-field handshakes and postgame waves to family and friends in the stands, the Wildcats trotted into the tunnel from which they had exited hours ago, heading to their familiar domain.
They were inside their world — one brimming with thunderous energy, and love, and passion, and elation over the team's performance — their performance — and the effort, and fight, that enabled the Wildcats to emerge victorious over a one-loss Horned Frogs team after a 3-hour, 31-minute battle under sunny 81-degree temperatures in the Little Apple.
As K-State players parted following their half-minute of hysterics and jubilation, and as the players backed away, forming a large circle inside the locker room, seventh-year K-State head coach Chris Klieman, dressed in a purple long-sleeved t-shirt and khakis and a purple ballcap, stood alone in the middle, a prime benefactor of the spraying water, and he brushed aside with his left foot one of the 21 emptied water bottles laying upon the dark gray carpet, and he removed his ballcap, and he rotated in a circle as he spoke to his team.
He began his dialog with one simple sentence.
"OK," he said, "I get the feeling you guys enjoyed that."
And Klieman smiled. And it was good to see him smile as he pulled off his ballcap and then placed it back upon his head, looking into the eyes of his players, as he spoke.
It had been a journey, at times a painful journey, at times a rollercoaster without brakes, shrouded in darkness that hid the twists and turns and drops to come during the first six weeks of the season. It had been a journey that featured one of the toughest losses of Klieman's ultra-successful era — a one-point loss at Baylor one week prior, an excruciating 53-yard field goal with 31 seconds left in the game at McLane Stadium in Waco, Texas, that tore through purple hearts like a filet knife.
Now this. A gripping transition. A spike in the gridiron heart monitor — and a spike bigger than the Wildcats' previous 34-20 win over UCF on September 27. The domination over the Horned Frogs was one of those days and performances and feelings that you'd love to bottle up and never let go.
"We talked about adversity yesterday and how teams can grow and how people can grow from adversity," Klieman said. "What I truly believe is, if you're a great competitor and you have adversity, it makes you better. You don't get destroyed by it. You get better with adversity if you're an ultimate competitor. We have some ultimate competitors in here. I can't thank you guys enough for coming together after a really hard loss and saying, 'It's a new week and we're going 1-0 this week.'
"That's all we did was go 1-0."
Then came the sledgehammers, the postgame tradition, and a team favorite, where Klieman recognizes standout performances and players who greatly made an impact, either on or off the field, to contribute to the team's success.
Klieman handed a hammer to K-State running back Joe Jackson, who delivered a brief speech, and then passed off the hammer to recognize the entire offensive line.
Klieman handed a hammer to wide receiver Jerand Bradley, who shared a few thoughts, and then passed off the hammer to quarterback Avery Johnson.
Klieman handed a hammer to linebacker Desmond Purnell, who recorded a game-changing pick-six and became the first K-State linebacker to intercept two passes in a single game since 2015, and Purnell passed off the hammer to the scout team player for their undying dedication in helping to prepare the Wildcats for big moments.
Finally, Klieman announced that a K-State player record had been broken during the game. Garrett Oakley caught two touchdowns against TCU, which gave him 11 touchdowns in his career. It marked the most receiving touchdowns by a tight end in the history of K-State football.
"I really appreciate you guys and love you guys and love coming to work with you boys," Oakley said. "I want to thank Coach Klieman. He was one of the only coaches that believed in me, my only Power 4 offer coming out of high school."
Oakley passed off the hammer to first-year tight ends coach Luke Wells.
Once the cheers and applause from the postgame hammer ceremony died down, Klieman delivered an elaborate parting speech to his players.
The bottom line?
"Don't get complacent, men," Klieman said. "Don't get complacent. Do not get comfortable. Be a guy who's compelled to become better every day. There's so much on this football team. We're just scratching the surface of a team that's ascending to a really damn good team if — if — we don't get complacent, and we continue to challenge each other every day.
"We have a lot of stuff we have to do, but we've got to enjoy this."
Klieman paused.
"Grab a hand."
The players held hands inside their locker room, their domain, their universe, a band of brothers, locked together, unified stronger than ever before, absorbing the thunderous energy, and love, and passion, and elation of executing a successful week that culminated into a memorable day for a team on the move.
And then came the postgame news conference.
"I want to credit the kids and the coaches because it's been hard – we all know that – but I just keep telling them to keep improving and that I believe in them and I love them," Klieman said. "If we stay the course, and keep fighting for each other, I still think we have a really good football team."
He added: "We didn't finish last week. It was important for us to come out and get better. My gosh, for the next two weeks of waking up and not having that crappy feeling in your stomach. You get to enjoy yourself. Yeah, we've got KU in another couple weeks, but we're going to enjoy the heck out of this first."
Later, K-State quarterback Avery Johnson put it into perspective.
"I didn't see us as an underdog going into (the TCU) game, and I don't see us as a 3-4 team now," Johnson said. "We just had an unfortunate turn of events early in the year and didn't play as well as we wanted to play. At Baylor, things didn't go our way. You might have one or two of those a year where things don't go your way, but you win and play well in the other ones to make up for it. But when you have bad games and games don't go your way, things look a lot worse than what they are.
"I'm really happy with the way the guys played against TCU. We're all really happy to be here, and we're happy to be at K-State and play for K-State.
"We're looking to get back after it against KU."
One week from today, the Wildcats will load up in busses and travel 85 miles east down I-70. Then on Saturday, K-State will face Kansas in the 123rd edition of the Dillons Sunflower Showdown in an 11:00 a.m. kickoff at David Booth Kansas Memorial Stadium in Lawrence, Kansas.
K-State has defeated Kansas in each the last 16 meetings, the longest winning streak by either team in series history.
But before any of that — the game, the records, the Governor's Cup Trophy — was the bye week ahead for the Wildcats.
"It starts at practice," Johnson said. "We have to continue to practice well. Coach Matt Wells will tell you whenever I have my best week of practice, that's when I play my best. It translates for a reason. You do the things right during the week and prepare right and everything takes care of itself on Saturdays."
Celebratory empty water bottles littering the locker room after the win over TCU painted a portrait of success. For one game. Against a really quality opponent. The Wildcats grew through adversity and became better for it. Because the players played like warriors.
This is a testament. It's a testament for never giving up. It's a testament of continuing to grow through adversity.
One thrilling game in which K-State played better in all three phases, and one celebration filled with thunderous energy, and love, and passion, and elation, might've just changed the season's trajectory for these Wildcats.
Players Mentioned
WR
/ Football
RB
/ Football
QB
/ Football
TE
/ Football
LB
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