Why Kansas State Wildcats' Collin Klein Is Taking Blame For Recent Struggles

Kansas State Wildcats first-year coach Collin Klein is all about accountability. 

He wants his players to own up to their mistakes. And Klein and his staff will do the same. That's why Klein refuses to put all the blame on the players for what has transpired this season. 

The Wildcats fell to 4-5 overall and 1-5 in the Big 12 conference after falling 66-28 to the Oklahoma State Cowboys Saturday at Bill Snyder Family Stadium. In his post-game press conference, Klein said he and his staff are most responsible for the struggles. 

He sternly said that it starts with the staff. He concluded the answer by saying they need to do a better job of coaching, so the players are in the right position to make plays in order for the team to succeed. 

That's the right attitude for Klein. It's never healthy when a coach criticizes players, especially in a public setting. He has avoided that all season despite the several negative moments. 

None were lower than the recent loss to the Cowboys. The Wildcats were beaten in every phase in front of their fans and recruits in attendance. This was shocking when considering the Wildcats were in every game they had lost this season. The only one that sort of got away from them was the defeat at the hands of the Houston Cougars early in the season. 

Kansas State was in position to win games against the Cincinnati Bearcats, Arizona State Sun Devils and Colorado Buffaloes but it came up just short. Against the Cowboys, they trailed 28-7 after one quarter and never made any type of threat to get back in the game. 

It is admirable that Klein is willing to take blame when the Wildcats have dealt with so much adversity this season. It began in the preseason they lost offensive lineman John Pastore and George Fitzpatrick to season-ending injuries. 

It continued when backup tight end Will Anciaux was also lost for the season a few weeks later. Things reached a boil when the injury bug reached the quarterback room. It started when starter Avery Johnson sustained an injury at some point after last month's victory against the Kansas Jayhawks in the Sunflower Showdown. 

Johnson, who has missed the last three games, is likely out for the remainder of the season. His replacements, Jacob Knuth and Blake Barnett, have also dealt with injuries. Last week the Wildcats only had two healthy quarterbacks, Barnett and sophomore Dillon Duff. 

Still, Klein is willing to take the fall because he doesn't want the team to lose confidence entering this final three-game stretch.