Kansas State's Collin Klein Provides Latest Update On State Of Team

Now comes the hard part for Kansas State Wildcats first-year coach Collin Klein. 

The Xs and Os are the easy portion of his job. He's done that most of his life. It's different now with the Wildcats on a three-game losing streak and with almost nothing to play for the rest of the season. 

Klein has to find a way to keep the players motivated for the last three games. Some players are already thinking about their next move. Are they headed to the NFL? Will they stick around in Manhattan? Or do they start looking at the transfer portal? 

Klein's job is to keep them focus on the task at hand, which is to play as hard as possible and win games. 

"Like I said just even a second ago, they came in here this morning, they got to work, they flew around," Klein said. "We had a good Monday practice. That foundation of culture and effort and competitive nature and finish, that's what K-State has been for a long time."

The Wildcats are reduced to this after beginning the season with so much promise. There was lots of excitement in August during training camp. Klein was back coaching his alma mater, where he was once one of the nation's top quarterbacks. 

After serving as the Texas A & M offensive coordinator for two years, Klein took over the program when his mentor, Chris Klieman, decided to resign after last season. It was Klein's chance to rebuild a program that had fallen somewhat on hard times. 

The season started with three impressive victories during the non-conference portion of the schedule. The Wildcats cruised by the Nichols Cowboys, Washington State Cougars and Tulane Green Wave. 

Even after consecutive losses to the Cincinnati Bearcats and Houston Cougars, there was still hope. The Wildcats followed that with a big win against the rival Kansas Jayhawks in the Sunflower Showdown. 

That was supposed to provide much-needed momentum as they entered the heart of the Big 12 schedule. But everything was stunted once starting quarterback sustained an undisclosed injury that is expected to keep him out the rest of the season. 

Without stability at quarterback, the Wildcats have succumbed to the injury bug. They have started three different quarterbacks since Johnson was sidelined. There is no hope of a Big 12 title game or College Football Playoff appearance, leaving the Wildcats only searching for a lower-tier bowl berth. 

Even if they reach six wins, the chances of accepting that are slim. Last year, they declined invitations despite finishing 6-6. The key for Klein is just keeping everyone motivated so they can build some momentum entering next season.