Nov 02, 2026 | Football
MANHATTAN, Kan. – Kansas State head coach Collin Klein and select players met with the media on Monday inside the Vanier Family Football Complex to preview the Wildcats' home game this Saturday against Oklahoma State. Links to video and audio of Klein's press conference – which was streamed live on ESPN+ – are above in addition to an audio link of the player breakout interviews. A transcript of Klein's press conference is below.
COLLIN KLEIN, HEAD COACH
Opening Statement…
"Good morning. First I just want to, again, say thank you to all of our fans and supporters who went to Boulder. The turnout was outstanding. The support was felt, and I am really disappointed we couldn't get over the hump for them and for K-State Nation. You go back through it, and it's what I said after the game. We're bleeding out right now over 1,000 little cuts. We have to get them shored up, and we have to do it right now because some of the same ones are showing up and recurring and making the same mistake over and over again. Same mistakes over and over again is not going to work.
"Offensively, we started incredibly slow with three three-and-outs in a row. The defense started fast and had a time where we could have capitalized on some things and didn't. Again, was understanding that it was Dillon Duff's first start, it was his first big snaps and was a little bit unsettled there. So, Blake (Barnett) came in and gave us a spark. I want to say this too – it was part of the plan all along for Blake to get in somewhere in that third, fourth-ish possession. It was not necessarily a reactionary move with Dillon. They both knew that going into the game. So, that was part of the plan, although with the spark that Blake gave, and then how the game played, obviously, we stayed with it based on how he was playing and the ball was starting to move better. Again, we just can't have those lapses. We have to build consistency in our play across the board. We go down by seven, we kind of respond and find a way to tie it up, and then we go down 14-7 and find a way to tie it up. Then we hang on there at the very end. I was very proud of the guts the offense showed and the belief in trying to find a way down the stretch there, even when it was not looking good. They competed and believed that we were going to find a way, and I commend them for that.
"Defensively, I thought we played good defense at times. There's over 100 yards rushing, again, on five or six plays. It's a little bit of the same story there. We really struggled to fit the counter play and misfit it three different ways. Those are things within our control. I thought their ability to put the brakes on twice in two four-minute situations because we couldn't get it flipped there offensively. Again, their resolve and competitive nature down the stretch was good, but there are too many things that we have to get corrected from a fundamental standpoint, from an execution standpoint, to become the defense that we are capable of becoming.
"Special teams was a little bit of a mixed bag. We're one block away from the kickoff return of getting the kicker. We have the kicker engaged, and it almost could be a walk for the return there. So, we're inches away there. Simon (McClannan) continues to do really good work punting the football and getting field position flipped, even when we were in not good field position early in the game at times. Punt return, we muffed the one, lost some yardage, bobbled the one inside the 10, which was scary as heck. Then, obviously, the field goal situation. The first missed kick, and then the second bad snap and operation there cost us some points in a tight ball game, obviously are painful.
"I told our guys where we're at as a 4-4 football team right now, there are things that we got to learn, there are things that we got to get better at, myself, first and foremost, our staff, and our players. When you're facing times like this of adversity and going through things like this and learning lessons the hard way, that's a tremendous opportunity. If our record was better, do we learn some of these lessons, and do we build this foundation the right way? I hope we do, and we should. I'd rather learn with a few more wins. Don't get that twisted one bit. However, if we learn them and we truly take advantage of where we're at and the hand we've been dealt, it can be a great thing for this year's team, and it can be a great thing for our program. That's where we're at, that's where the focus is. That's where we're gonna put our mind and effort because it is completely in our control and in how we operate daily.
"We got a big challenge this week. Excited to be back at home. This will be as good offense as we play all year. It'll be as good a quarterback as there is in the country. He does a tremendous job. Defensively, obviously, they've had some struggles at times, but they have some talent, and they've proven to be opportunistic in that way. So, it's going to be a challenge for us. It's about us. It's about how we respond and attack this week, and that's where we're at."
On what Blake Barnett brought to the offense at Colorado…
"I think there was a competitive fire and energy that was contagious. At that point in the game, I think it was a little bit of what I described earlier, of everyone was like, 'Ok, now we got to get going.' It's like, well, we need to do that at the start. So, I think a combination of those things that was positive. I think the way he competes. I thought there were really two bad read decisions in the game. Other than that, I thought he worked through progressions, he distributed the football, he was able to push it down the field into some tight windows and create some explosives. Having Garrett Oakley back was a big part of that, and some of that 12 personnel stuff was really good. Linkon (Cure) being a part of that and what those two were able to do to support him. I think the competitive nature and spark was huge."
On the importance of a quarterback starting the momentum…
"I think it's important. I think different guys do it different ways. They got to be themselves and genuine in what that is. Then, based on the unit that year, that could change a little bit too, based on who the voice is and who those personalities are around him and how that all fits together. But, to your point, that type of fire, that type of energy, that type of competitive nature is a must."
On if Blake Barnett is the starting quarterback if Avery Johnson is out again…
"He will start, and he earned that right with how he played."
On starting four different quarterbacks in four weeks…
"I've been through some crazy quarterback situations, and I've not seen one like this before. I credit every one of those guys in that room because every one of those guys have faced some real stuff and not easy stuff through the last 10 weeks. They've battled with each other, they've had each other's back. We're overcoming it in some ways because of that. We got to get better, and there's more we can do, and we still left things on the table that we could have even been better, but, it's a credit to all every one of those guys in that room."
On if Avery Johnson can play again this season…
"There's an outside chance, but as this thing goes, it's probably looking longer than not."
On keeping up with Oklahoma State's offense…
"Anytime you start chasing and not being yourself and in your identity and how you want to play, any problems you do have get worse. We have to be us. We have to be more consistent on third down. We have to sustain drives and finish drives in the red zone. Then, defensively, we have to be very sound and good against the run. We're going to have to be good in coverage and good with our eye discipline, and then go compete, and be and do what we do."
On letting Sterling Lockett be the sole punt returner…
"Obviously, it's competitive. He's provided a lot of stability there for us. I could see that continuing."
On Blake Barnett's jump pass and letting him be himself…
"My heart stops. He's a fiery player. He's hyper-competitive, and he's really athletic. Obviously, on the last touchdown, things are breaking down, and he probably had to do that. He was able to make a play and put it where it is. We want to, obviously, drill and develop fundamentals and good technique, but at the same time, I don't want to put anybody – any one of our players in any position – in a box."
On what makes Oklahoma State quarterback Drew Mestemaker so good…
"He's the whole package. I've been impressed even just watching a couple of the games that I have crossways on TV. His demeanor is dialed in, competitive, yet calm, very poised. Accuracy is off the chart. Anticipation, visualization of coverage, like he sees that hole before it's even there, and that ball's on its way in a hurry. Again, you watch how he competed for that fourth down, running the football. He's the whole package and a heck of a player."
On correcting linebacker mistakes…
"We're getting a lot of two-way misses. There's one counter play, it's the D-end gets it spilled and the backer is late to it, and then it pops. Then, the other one, the backer's where he's supposed to be, and we don't get it spilled to the backer, and all of a sudden it splits right in the C-gap where it shouldn't. Everyone has to focus and lock into their responsibility, executing their fundamental scheme, and trust that the guys next to them are going to do it. That's where those explosive runs disappear."
On comparing Blake Barnett's jump pass to Collin Klein's jump pass…
"Mine wasn't with one second left in the game to get us into overtime. That's a high-pressure, two-minute situation that he's in. I felt good about the scheme. Knew we had the right pieces in good position, and he did a great job of keeping us alive, especially in the chaos of that whole 'was he out of bounds or not' situation, getting the clock stopped, and then having to kind of keep his wits about him in this couple-play sequence ahead of that time was a big part of that."
On his first impressions of Blake Barnett in recruiting…
"You could tell he loved the game. He had a high passion for his teammates and just loved being out there practicing and being with his guys. He's a winner. You can tell that he won a lot of games in high school, and when he didn't, he was torn up about it. You could tell that his competitive nature, his competitive drive, was real. He had talent. He won the state 100 meters with a 10.6 and a Northern 100 with snow on the ground. I mean, not easy to do. So, just a great athlete, great competitor, and then his character and the person he was. We got along pretty quick."
On how competitive the Big 12 is this year…
"It's what we said at the beginning. The margins are always thin. It's going to come down to a possession here or there with every team. There's not a team that can't beat you, and there's not a team you can't beat. That's the exciting part, and that's the excruciating part, and that's the motivation to make sure that we do and handle things the right way so that we're on the right end of it."
On Oklahoma State's offensive weapons…
"I think Coach (Eric) Morris does a good job. They're balanced. They distribute the football very well. They're able to run the ball, obviously throw it very effectively. So, there are a lot of things that keep you off balance. There's never just, 'Hey, stop this and,' They're very diverse in their attack, and they have good speed at their skill positions."
On if Jacob Knuth will be available against Oklahoma State…
"Probably trending not."
On how to not let losing Avery Johnson deflate the team…
"There is definitely reality to when you lose a leader like that, one of your best players like that, that has an effect. That's real, and obviously we've all felt that. However, it's a team game. It's not just one person. Even with that adversity, we've had opportunities, and we've had chances to overcome, and we haven't been able to get on the right side of that enough. The message to every other guy in that room, no different than we lose another good player in another room, is we believe in everybody in that room. We're trying to prepare and develop everyone in our program so that when their moment comes and their name is called, that they're ready to go, and that they're going to answer the bell for their teammates. So, it's a combination. It's a real dynamic. It's a real thing that every one of our players, I know, has felt. We've obviously felt it as a staff. My heart breaks for Avery and him obviously going through this too. But at the end of the day, it's a team game, and we have to be better collectively to get where we want to go."
On trying to keep Blake Barnett from taking hits while down to two quarterbacks…
"We've been walking that razor's edge all season. I don't want to put him in a box. We've got to play to make him his best and who he is, just like everyone on our team. We've got two this week, so I think that's quite a lot, to be quite honest with you."
On how playing against a good offense affects fourth-down decision making…
"I think it probably is in some of that no-man's land situation. Obviously, we got to see how we're kicking the football, how we're moving the football, all of those things will factor. Again, I think you get over yourself and chase points in any football game, that can potentially cause you problems."
On getting over the hump in tight games…
"Obviously, playing on the road, one-score games the last three years through a lot of different sets of circumstances, we haven't been good in those situations. So, first from a mentality standpoint, a competitive nature standpoint, a mental toughness standpoint, we have to take the step forward. We can't wait for someone to hand you the game. You can't wait for someone else to make a play. We need to – across the board – have the mindset that. 'I'm going to make the play. I'm going to do my job when it all counts, when it's all on the line, and make it happen,' because it's not going to happen otherwise. No matter what the odds are, no matter the adversity that we're facing, or how you're feeling, or how your body's feeling, finding a way when it's on the line to get it done. I think that's a mentality that we're growing. There are signs of how we're responding to adversity in snapshots that is encouraging. Like I said after the game, we're closer than it feels right now, but that has to be overarching the foundation of everything. Once that's in place, yes, our eyes got to be in the right spot, you can't take a sucker on a play-action fake, you can't fit in the wrong gap, you can't put your eyes wrong on a third-down progression, you have to put your hands in the right place on a block, we have to make sure our scheme is right for the situation and we're giving them the best chance. Right on down the line, because it is inches, and we haven't been able to find them."
On the clock not stopping late in the game when Blake Barnett went out of bounds…
"That is a very precarious scenario. I thought he was going forward, the ref didn't think so. As soon as he wound that clock? I'm like, 'Uh oh, we got to go.' Blake took a second to get himself together to figure out what the heck was going on too, because he thought he was out of bounds. We're inches away from catastrophe there. We'll see what they say, but at the end of the day, he responded and we at least got it killed, but it cost us two plays because of the time and the clock stoppage. We had one play left where you could have maybe had two plus the spike type of deal."
On if a bowl game is still a goal…
"I want to win every game that we freaking play the rest of the year. That's where we're at, that's what we're working towards. At the end of the year, we'll get what we earned, and that's where our mindset is right now."
On Charlie Adams III dealing with an injury at Colorado…
"He was in and out. He was fine. He got dinged up a bit, but he's a competitive sucker and he'll be just fine."
COLLIN KLEIN, HEAD COACH
Opening Statement…
"Good morning. First I just want to, again, say thank you to all of our fans and supporters who went to Boulder. The turnout was outstanding. The support was felt, and I am really disappointed we couldn't get over the hump for them and for K-State Nation. You go back through it, and it's what I said after the game. We're bleeding out right now over 1,000 little cuts. We have to get them shored up, and we have to do it right now because some of the same ones are showing up and recurring and making the same mistake over and over again. Same mistakes over and over again is not going to work.
"Offensively, we started incredibly slow with three three-and-outs in a row. The defense started fast and had a time where we could have capitalized on some things and didn't. Again, was understanding that it was Dillon Duff's first start, it was his first big snaps and was a little bit unsettled there. So, Blake (Barnett) came in and gave us a spark. I want to say this too – it was part of the plan all along for Blake to get in somewhere in that third, fourth-ish possession. It was not necessarily a reactionary move with Dillon. They both knew that going into the game. So, that was part of the plan, although with the spark that Blake gave, and then how the game played, obviously, we stayed with it based on how he was playing and the ball was starting to move better. Again, we just can't have those lapses. We have to build consistency in our play across the board. We go down by seven, we kind of respond and find a way to tie it up, and then we go down 14-7 and find a way to tie it up. Then we hang on there at the very end. I was very proud of the guts the offense showed and the belief in trying to find a way down the stretch there, even when it was not looking good. They competed and believed that we were going to find a way, and I commend them for that.
"Defensively, I thought we played good defense at times. There's over 100 yards rushing, again, on five or six plays. It's a little bit of the same story there. We really struggled to fit the counter play and misfit it three different ways. Those are things within our control. I thought their ability to put the brakes on twice in two four-minute situations because we couldn't get it flipped there offensively. Again, their resolve and competitive nature down the stretch was good, but there are too many things that we have to get corrected from a fundamental standpoint, from an execution standpoint, to become the defense that we are capable of becoming.
"Special teams was a little bit of a mixed bag. We're one block away from the kickoff return of getting the kicker. We have the kicker engaged, and it almost could be a walk for the return there. So, we're inches away there. Simon (McClannan) continues to do really good work punting the football and getting field position flipped, even when we were in not good field position early in the game at times. Punt return, we muffed the one, lost some yardage, bobbled the one inside the 10, which was scary as heck. Then, obviously, the field goal situation. The first missed kick, and then the second bad snap and operation there cost us some points in a tight ball game, obviously are painful.
"I told our guys where we're at as a 4-4 football team right now, there are things that we got to learn, there are things that we got to get better at, myself, first and foremost, our staff, and our players. When you're facing times like this of adversity and going through things like this and learning lessons the hard way, that's a tremendous opportunity. If our record was better, do we learn some of these lessons, and do we build this foundation the right way? I hope we do, and we should. I'd rather learn with a few more wins. Don't get that twisted one bit. However, if we learn them and we truly take advantage of where we're at and the hand we've been dealt, it can be a great thing for this year's team, and it can be a great thing for our program. That's where we're at, that's where the focus is. That's where we're gonna put our mind and effort because it is completely in our control and in how we operate daily.
"We got a big challenge this week. Excited to be back at home. This will be as good offense as we play all year. It'll be as good a quarterback as there is in the country. He does a tremendous job. Defensively, obviously, they've had some struggles at times, but they have some talent, and they've proven to be opportunistic in that way. So, it's going to be a challenge for us. It's about us. It's about how we respond and attack this week, and that's where we're at."
On what Blake Barnett brought to the offense at Colorado…
"I think there was a competitive fire and energy that was contagious. At that point in the game, I think it was a little bit of what I described earlier, of everyone was like, 'Ok, now we got to get going.' It's like, well, we need to do that at the start. So, I think a combination of those things that was positive. I think the way he competes. I thought there were really two bad read decisions in the game. Other than that, I thought he worked through progressions, he distributed the football, he was able to push it down the field into some tight windows and create some explosives. Having Garrett Oakley back was a big part of that, and some of that 12 personnel stuff was really good. Linkon (Cure) being a part of that and what those two were able to do to support him. I think the competitive nature and spark was huge."
On the importance of a quarterback starting the momentum…
"I think it's important. I think different guys do it different ways. They got to be themselves and genuine in what that is. Then, based on the unit that year, that could change a little bit too, based on who the voice is and who those personalities are around him and how that all fits together. But, to your point, that type of fire, that type of energy, that type of competitive nature is a must."
On if Blake Barnett is the starting quarterback if Avery Johnson is out again…
"He will start, and he earned that right with how he played."
On starting four different quarterbacks in four weeks…
"I've been through some crazy quarterback situations, and I've not seen one like this before. I credit every one of those guys in that room because every one of those guys have faced some real stuff and not easy stuff through the last 10 weeks. They've battled with each other, they've had each other's back. We're overcoming it in some ways because of that. We got to get better, and there's more we can do, and we still left things on the table that we could have even been better, but, it's a credit to all every one of those guys in that room."
On if Avery Johnson can play again this season…
"There's an outside chance, but as this thing goes, it's probably looking longer than not."
On keeping up with Oklahoma State's offense…
"Anytime you start chasing and not being yourself and in your identity and how you want to play, any problems you do have get worse. We have to be us. We have to be more consistent on third down. We have to sustain drives and finish drives in the red zone. Then, defensively, we have to be very sound and good against the run. We're going to have to be good in coverage and good with our eye discipline, and then go compete, and be and do what we do."
On letting Sterling Lockett be the sole punt returner…
"Obviously, it's competitive. He's provided a lot of stability there for us. I could see that continuing."
On Blake Barnett's jump pass and letting him be himself…
"My heart stops. He's a fiery player. He's hyper-competitive, and he's really athletic. Obviously, on the last touchdown, things are breaking down, and he probably had to do that. He was able to make a play and put it where it is. We want to, obviously, drill and develop fundamentals and good technique, but at the same time, I don't want to put anybody – any one of our players in any position – in a box."
On what makes Oklahoma State quarterback Drew Mestemaker so good…
"He's the whole package. I've been impressed even just watching a couple of the games that I have crossways on TV. His demeanor is dialed in, competitive, yet calm, very poised. Accuracy is off the chart. Anticipation, visualization of coverage, like he sees that hole before it's even there, and that ball's on its way in a hurry. Again, you watch how he competed for that fourth down, running the football. He's the whole package and a heck of a player."
On correcting linebacker mistakes…
"We're getting a lot of two-way misses. There's one counter play, it's the D-end gets it spilled and the backer is late to it, and then it pops. Then, the other one, the backer's where he's supposed to be, and we don't get it spilled to the backer, and all of a sudden it splits right in the C-gap where it shouldn't. Everyone has to focus and lock into their responsibility, executing their fundamental scheme, and trust that the guys next to them are going to do it. That's where those explosive runs disappear."
On comparing Blake Barnett's jump pass to Collin Klein's jump pass…
"Mine wasn't with one second left in the game to get us into overtime. That's a high-pressure, two-minute situation that he's in. I felt good about the scheme. Knew we had the right pieces in good position, and he did a great job of keeping us alive, especially in the chaos of that whole 'was he out of bounds or not' situation, getting the clock stopped, and then having to kind of keep his wits about him in this couple-play sequence ahead of that time was a big part of that."
On his first impressions of Blake Barnett in recruiting…
"You could tell he loved the game. He had a high passion for his teammates and just loved being out there practicing and being with his guys. He's a winner. You can tell that he won a lot of games in high school, and when he didn't, he was torn up about it. You could tell that his competitive nature, his competitive drive, was real. He had talent. He won the state 100 meters with a 10.6 and a Northern 100 with snow on the ground. I mean, not easy to do. So, just a great athlete, great competitor, and then his character and the person he was. We got along pretty quick."
On how competitive the Big 12 is this year…
"It's what we said at the beginning. The margins are always thin. It's going to come down to a possession here or there with every team. There's not a team that can't beat you, and there's not a team you can't beat. That's the exciting part, and that's the excruciating part, and that's the motivation to make sure that we do and handle things the right way so that we're on the right end of it."
On Oklahoma State's offensive weapons…
"I think Coach (Eric) Morris does a good job. They're balanced. They distribute the football very well. They're able to run the ball, obviously throw it very effectively. So, there are a lot of things that keep you off balance. There's never just, 'Hey, stop this and,' They're very diverse in their attack, and they have good speed at their skill positions."
On if Jacob Knuth will be available against Oklahoma State…
"Probably trending not."
On how to not let losing Avery Johnson deflate the team…
"There is definitely reality to when you lose a leader like that, one of your best players like that, that has an effect. That's real, and obviously we've all felt that. However, it's a team game. It's not just one person. Even with that adversity, we've had opportunities, and we've had chances to overcome, and we haven't been able to get on the right side of that enough. The message to every other guy in that room, no different than we lose another good player in another room, is we believe in everybody in that room. We're trying to prepare and develop everyone in our program so that when their moment comes and their name is called, that they're ready to go, and that they're going to answer the bell for their teammates. So, it's a combination. It's a real dynamic. It's a real thing that every one of our players, I know, has felt. We've obviously felt it as a staff. My heart breaks for Avery and him obviously going through this too. But at the end of the day, it's a team game, and we have to be better collectively to get where we want to go."
On trying to keep Blake Barnett from taking hits while down to two quarterbacks…
"We've been walking that razor's edge all season. I don't want to put him in a box. We've got to play to make him his best and who he is, just like everyone on our team. We've got two this week, so I think that's quite a lot, to be quite honest with you."
On how playing against a good offense affects fourth-down decision making…
"I think it probably is in some of that no-man's land situation. Obviously, we got to see how we're kicking the football, how we're moving the football, all of those things will factor. Again, I think you get over yourself and chase points in any football game, that can potentially cause you problems."
On getting over the hump in tight games…
"Obviously, playing on the road, one-score games the last three years through a lot of different sets of circumstances, we haven't been good in those situations. So, first from a mentality standpoint, a competitive nature standpoint, a mental toughness standpoint, we have to take the step forward. We can't wait for someone to hand you the game. You can't wait for someone else to make a play. We need to – across the board – have the mindset that. 'I'm going to make the play. I'm going to do my job when it all counts, when it's all on the line, and make it happen,' because it's not going to happen otherwise. No matter what the odds are, no matter the adversity that we're facing, or how you're feeling, or how your body's feeling, finding a way when it's on the line to get it done. I think that's a mentality that we're growing. There are signs of how we're responding to adversity in snapshots that is encouraging. Like I said after the game, we're closer than it feels right now, but that has to be overarching the foundation of everything. Once that's in place, yes, our eyes got to be in the right spot, you can't take a sucker on a play-action fake, you can't fit in the wrong gap, you can't put your eyes wrong on a third-down progression, you have to put your hands in the right place on a block, we have to make sure our scheme is right for the situation and we're giving them the best chance. Right on down the line, because it is inches, and we haven't been able to find them."
On the clock not stopping late in the game when Blake Barnett went out of bounds…
"That is a very precarious scenario. I thought he was going forward, the ref didn't think so. As soon as he wound that clock? I'm like, 'Uh oh, we got to go.' Blake took a second to get himself together to figure out what the heck was going on too, because he thought he was out of bounds. We're inches away from catastrophe there. We'll see what they say, but at the end of the day, he responded and we at least got it killed, but it cost us two plays because of the time and the clock stoppage. We had one play left where you could have maybe had two plus the spike type of deal."
On if a bowl game is still a goal…
"I want to win every game that we freaking play the rest of the year. That's where we're at, that's what we're working towards. At the end of the year, we'll get what we earned, and that's where our mindset is right now."
On Charlie Adams III dealing with an injury at Colorado…
"He was in and out. He was fine. He got dinged up a bit, but he's a competitive sucker and he'll be just fine."
– k-statesports.com –
How to follow the Cats: For complete information on K-State Football, visit www.kstatesports.com and follow the team's social media channels on X (formerly Twitter), Instagram and Facebook.
How to follow the Cats: For complete information on K-State Football, visit www.kstatesports.com and follow the team's social media channels on X (formerly Twitter), Instagram and Facebook.
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