Even with the college football season months away, Kansas State fans are excited to get back to its winning ways.
A few throwbacks on social media are only amping up that hype. Fans are reminiscing on the Wildcats' Big 12 championships, illustrating when Kansas State was the class of the conference.
One page posted a video of Deuce Vaughn's performance against TCU in 2022, where he rushed 26 times for 130 yards and one touchdown, adding two receptions for 30 yards. It was one of many prolific performances for the star running back that season, helping the Wildcats defeat a TCU squad that eventually went to the 2023 national championship.
Another highlighted Darren Sproles' game against Missouri, where he rushed for 273 yards and two touchdowns. Kansas State sealed the Big 12 North title in this game, its first sole title in team history. The Wildcats went on to defeat Oklahoma in the conference championship game weeks later.
Wildcats fans anticipated making it back to this point in 2025, but those expectations fell way short. Defensive lapses, major injuries, and star players underperforming resulted in one of the most miserable seasons in recent memory.
The hope is that program legend Collin Klein can lead Kansas State back to the consistent conference juggernaut it has been over the past decade.
"The way my mindset has been - and our entire staff and players - is just that attack mindset," Klein said in his Wednesday afternoon press conference. "We’re gonna log it away and fix it next time, but at the end of the day, we’re moving forward. We’re not wasting any time, and I think the whole staff has done a really good job with that."
One thing fans can be optimistic about is the significance of the rushing attack in both of these games. Kansas State has historically been a run-first team, but it fell off that trajectory last season. The emergence of Joe Jackson, as well as the additions of Jay Harris and Rodney Fields Jr., should make the program more competitive, even if Klein doesn't immediately fulfill his Big 12 hopes.
"It’s gonna take a group," Klein said. "Being able to tell those guys, however many opportunities they get a game, they gotta go 1,000 miles an hour. When they get a little tired, the next guy‘s gonna go in, and he’s gonna get his chances. It’s fun to recruit running backs here."
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