Kansas State is coming off its best performance of the season over TCU Saturday evening.

And no one is more excited than head coach Chris Klieman. Klieman gave a fiery speech in his pregame press conference, discussing how his team would overcome adversity amid the lackluster start. That message must have translated to the field against the Horned Frogs, who gave quarterback Josh Hoover a rough day despite throwing for over 375 yards and three touchdowns.

"I thought we played well in all three phases at times," Klieman said in his postgame interview. "There’s always going to be things that we’ve gotta get better at and work at, but we came out with energy and urgency. We came out with physicality and did some really good things. We let the first quarter slip, where we had some opportunities and didn’t capitalize. But to have the resolve after they scored, go right down the field and tie it, and then the big play that we get with Wesley [Fair] on the touchdown. Obviously, it was a big lift for us."

Klieman took the Baylor loss as a learning moment, using the preparation week to adjust the defensive coverages/looks with defensive coordinator Joe Klanderman.

"I want to credit the kids and the coaches because it’s been hard," Klieman said. "I just keep telling them to keep improving. I believe in them, I love them, and if we stay the course and keep fighting for each other, I still think we have a really good football team. We were banged up, we didn’t have Dylan [Edwards], Jayce [Brown] was banged up. He wasn’t a huge factor, and so we had to grind it out. I thought Joe Jackson played really well, and our O-line played really well."

Even at 3-4, we have to give credit where credit is due. And with that said, Kansas State has been a much better team the last few weeks. Hell, the team is an Avery Johnson pick-six away from being 3-0 in their previous three games. While the Big 12 title aspirations and postseason hopes are likely gone, team pride remains. In unfamiliar territory, the Wildcats are trying to salvage the season and climb out of the conference's basement.

Well, a dominant victory over a borderline-ranked team should give the team confidence moving forward.

"There are lots of things to work on, but so proud that we’re going into an off week with a win and we’re an ascending football team. I think we’re getting better in all areas," Klieman said.