Daily, Constant, Continual Improvement - Kansas State University Athletics

By: D. Scott Fritchen

Kansas State might be going through a tough stretch of games, but nickelback Nick McClellan thinks it was difficult to tell this week that the team is coming off three straight defeats. The Wildcats apparently lack little enthusiasm as another chance to change their fortune approaches.

"We're jumping around in practice and we're hyped," McClellan said. "We have another chance to play on Saturday. We can't control what's happened in the past. We have to be where our feet are and just go out there and play our game."

K-State, which saw its record drop to 4-5 overall and 1-5 in the Big 12 Conference after taking its punches against the league's No. 1 scoring offense in a 66-28 loss to Oklahoma State last Saturday, now visits TCU, 4-5 and 2-4, which comes off a defeat of its own, but heads into Saturday's 1:00 p.m. matchup at Amon G. Carter Stadium boasting the No. 1 scoring defense in the conference.

"Welcome to the Big 12," said first-year K-State head coach Collin Klein, whose team is in search of its first road win this season.

Life in the Big 12 hasn't been kind to K-State, which has started four different quarterbacks for the first time in school history while other key personnel has dealt with injuries as well. K-State, Colorado and Kansas each sit with one win in Big 12 play, and the Wildcats will trot out either sophomore Dillon Duff or junior Blake Barnett as starting signal-caller against a TCU defense that ranks 12^th in the FBS in allowing just 15.8 points per game.

Duff started at Colorado and completed his lone pass attempt for two yards in his first-career snaps, and then he came off the sideline to complete 10-of-17 passes for 94 yards and one touchdown and one interception against Oklahoma State.

Barnett came off the sideline at Colorado and completed 18-of-28 passes for 224 yards and three touchdowns, then he went 7-of-17 for 106 yards and one touchdown and two interceptions in his first career start against Oklahoma State.

"They're very similar to previous Kansas State teams when you look at their schemes," fifth-year TCU head coach Sonny Dykes said. "Obviously, the quarterback situation is unsettled, but they're very similar scheme wise both offensively and defensively. It looks like a typical K-State football team from a scheme standpoint.

"This year, you have to prepare for two or three different potential quarterbacks, and so the preparation is a little bit different depending upon who it is."

The Horned Frogs gave up a season high in points in a 29-28 loss last Saturday at Arizona while surrendering nine points in the final two minutes, but they have held opponents to fewer than 20 points in five home games this season.

TCU is 21-2 under Dykes when allowing fewer than 20 points in a game.

"We have a big challenge in TCU, which is as good of a defensive team as I've seen in the conference," Klein said. "The front seven is big, long, fast and physical. Offensively, they've been growing through some identity things, but they have as good of a defense as we'll play this year. I have a lot of respect for Coach Dykes and the program he's built down there."

Dykes, 40-22 overall in his fifth year at TCU, led the Horned Frogs to 36 wins in his first four seasons, which were the most by a TCU head coach since 1929-32. Four years removed from an appearance in the College Football Playoff National Championship and a No. 3 final ranking in the AP Poll, this TCU team must win two of its final three regular season games against K-State, No. 2 Utah and at No. 10 Texas Tech to reach bowl eligibility.

TCU's five losses this season have come by 5, 8, 7, 4 and 1 points. That's five defeats by a total of 25 points.

TCU suffered a 15-10 loss to North Carolina after failing to score in the final three quarters. It suffered a 21-13 loss at UCF while allowing just 266 total offensive yards. It suffered a 17-10 loss to No. 9 BYU after scoring just one touchdown while holding the Cougars to just 216 yards. It suffered a 24-20 loss against West Virginia while surrendering just 265 yards. Finally, TCU suffered its disheartening one-point heartbreaker at Arizona last Friday night by squandering an eight-point lead in the final two minutes.

"I've never seen anything like it," Dykes said. "I wish I had a frame of reference. I've just never had seen anything like that. One thing we've always prided ourselves on, particularly when we first got here, was our ability to win those games. We had a good track record of winning those in the past, and it seems like for whatever reason this year it hasn't been the case."

The last six games involving TCU have been decided by 11 or fewer points.

"Quite frankly, we were disappointed and guys were down," Dykes said. "You could tell they were hurt. To be truthful, guys were disappointed. They felt like we were really close to winning a game on the road against a good team and breaking through. We turned the ball over twice in two minutes and found a way to lose. It was demoralizing for everybody. You have to move past it."

K-State is looking to move past the troubles that have haunted the Wildcats during a challenging league season.

On offense, K-State ranks ninth in the Big 12 in scoring offense (31.3), 10^th in total offense (415.6), seventh in rushing offense (196.8) and 13^th in passing offense (218.8).

On defense, K-State ranks 10^th in the Big 12 in scoring defense (26.8), seventh in total defense (345.4), 15^th in rushing defense (172.4) and first in passing defense (173.0).

"We have to keep building and keep our heads down," Klein said. "It's a daily, constant, continual improvement. It's not about pointing fingers at anyone. That's what bad teams do. That's what losers do. That's not what our guys did, and they proved it when they came into work this week."

Klein suggests that K-State, which has broken in a new coaching staff and a player roster in which 93 of 198 (46.8%) available starts on offense and defense have been made up of transfers, continues to build while Klein also hints that this is hardly a finished product from a program-building standpoint.

"As a staff, I have challenged us, and we've challenged ourselves," Klein said. "I've not been a part of an injury situation like we have this year. However, that can happen, and we have to be able to adjust.

"As we're building, there may be certain things that we want to do that aren't conducive to where we're at right now. We have to adjust and be creative and find solutions to problems instead of letting some of those solutions keep beating us over the head a little bit.

"That's the challenge and the give and take of it."

For the first time in three seasons, TCU has a new starting quarterback as Jaden Craig transferred from Harvard as the most accomplished signal-caller in school history and currently ranks second in the Big 12 with four 300-yard passing performances while also ranking 15^th nationally and second in the FBS with 271.0 passing yards per game.

Wide receiver Kari Ashley ranks third in the Big 12 with 5.78 receptions per game.

However, TCU has taken its lumps on offense ranking 15^th in the Big 12 in scoring offense (23.8), 15^th in total offense (378.3), 16^th in rushing offense (107.3) and fourth in passing offense (271.0).

Dykes is 33-5 overall and carries a 12-game winning streak when his teams score at least 30 points.

The Horned Frogs fell two points short of that mark at Arizona and took another loss during an uncharacteristic season.

"It's hard," Dykes said. "The thing we talk about constantly is there is a great tradition at TCU of playing tough, hard and finishing games. That tradition has been established for a long time around here, and it's a part of the expectation."

Meanwhile, K-State joins just 14 other Power 4 teams — and is the only Big 12 program — to be bowl eligible in 14 of the last 15 seasons. The Wildcats finish out their regular season at TCU, against Arizona, and at Iowa State, needing to win two of their final three games to reach the six victories necessary to secure bowl eligibility.

"You can tell in the locker room we're still enjoying playing even though things haven't gone our way," K-State senior safety Wesley Fair said. "As competitors, you show up each and every day no matter the result and put in the work.

"Eventually good things will come your way."

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Players Mentioned

Blake Barnett

Dillon Duff

Wesley Fair

Nick McClellan

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