The Kansas State Wildcats are looking to get back in the win column after losing to the Cincinnati Bearcats in Big 12 conference opener
Kansas State Wildcats coach Collin Klein didn't lose much when he was a player in Manhattan.
A two-year starter at quarterback for the Wildcats, he was 21-5. K-State won 11 games and the Big 12 conference championship his senior season.
So he's a guy who isn't used to losing.
That's why it was tough on him after falling last Saturday to the Cincinnati Bearcats in the league opener. It wasn't the way he wanted to start the Klein era.
But after processing it all, Klein is back working to make K-State a winner.
"Well, I was able to look at both sides of the ball on the way home and kind of take some notes and get a revisit of what exactly happened and how all that had gone," Klein said. "I went to bed and got up and went to church with my family, and was already stewing and focused on what we can do to move this thing forward and get better."
The worst thing for Klein is now having to wait a full two weeks before getting a chance for redemption. The Wildcats are in the middle of their bye week, so he will have plenty of time to think about the stinging defeat.
The positive is the time off gives him the opportunity to work on fixing what went wrong in the loss to the Bearcats. For starters, the Wildcats have to improve their run defense after allowing 271 rushing yards. Both of the Cincinnati running backs topped 100 yards and combined for three touchdowns.
And there's cutting down mental miscues. Receiver Derrick Salley Jr., had a breakout performance with seven catches for 140 yards and a touchdown but his fumble on the first play of the second half changed momentum. It led to the Bearcats scoring 14 straight points to take control of the game.
Regardless, a week off should do the Wildcats some good. They return to action Oct. 10 against the Houston Cougars at Bill Snyder Family Stadium.
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Shandel Richardson is the publisher of KStateRoundtable. He can be reached at [email protected]
