Why Kansas State Wildcats remain optimistic about future after Liberty Bowl loss
Denzel Goolsby and Dalton Schoen held their heads high as they exited the visitor’s locker room following a 20-17 loss to Navy on Tuesday at the Liberty Bowl.
Both Kansas State seniors were disappointed they didn’t end their college football careers with a victory, but they shed no tears after this game. The main emotion they displayed was pride.
Why?
“I am excited about everything moving forward,” Schoen said. “They have a bright future ahead.”
“I am just happy to be one of the seniors who had a small part to play in laying the foundation,” Goolsby added. “I think the program is heading in such a bright direction. I am so happy to be able to say I was one of the first people to play under (Chris) Klieman here and I will just continue to believe in this team. If anything, I think this is just going to motivate the younger guys on the team to really work hard in the offseason and attack 2020.”
Time will tell if Klieman can build off his first encouraging season as coach with the Wildcats, but he has made believers out of the veteran players he inherited from Bill Snyder. That was no easy task, considering how many changes Kleiman introduced to the program in a short amount of time.
Klieman won them over by pushing the right buttons. He made practices fun for players, allowed them to wear alternate uniforms and taught them a new system with enthusiasm and energy.
“It’s a tough situation being a senior with a new coach,” Schoen said. “It’s a scary situation with a lot of unknowns. You’re worried about them trying to make it a rebuilding year and playing new guys. I am so proud of this group for sticking together with Coach Klieman and how he embraced us.”
The result was an 8-5 season that exceeded expectations. The Wildcats beat Mississippi State during nonconference play when few thought they would and upset Oklahoma as huge underdogs. They also ended the regular season with a pair of victories when some began to question their staying power.
Things would have been even better with a victory over Navy, but the Midshipmen beat the Wildcats with a triple-option offense and gumption. Who could have guessed Ken Niumatalolo would dial up a halfback pass on fourth down with the game hanging in the balance?
It worked to perfection. K-State players could do little but tip their hats to an opponent that made a huge play in crunch time.
That’s a moment they can learn from next season when they enter the year with higher expectations. It detracts little from the overall season. In previous years, uncertainty loomed over K-State football as Snyder debated his future. That’s no longer the case.
The Wildcats are set to lose some valuable seniors, like five starting offensive linemen and several key defenders. But they have young talent waiting for an opportunity.
It was hard for Klieman to be too upset about this loss. Sure, he wanted to deliver K-State its first bowl victory against a ranked team since 2001. But he delivered a lot this season. And the two players who won team MVP honors on Tuesday, Skylar Thompson and Elijah Sullivan, are both returning next year as seniors.
“My message to the guys was basically thanks for laying the foundation for a new era of Kansas State football,” Klieman said. “I am so pleased I was able to coach those 27 seniors. They bought into a new voice in the front of the room. I told them we were going to challenge them, I told them we were going to love them and I told them we were going to believe in them.”
“We did all three of those things and poured our heart and soul into those guys, and they poured their soul into us. I am sad for the seniors as far as having to end the season on a loss, but I am appreciative of the foundation they laid for the underclassmen. I am excited about the future that we have.”
One player that took this loss hard was Thompson. The junior quarterback wasn’t at his best and only led the Wildcats on one touchdown drive all day, as they managed a season-low 170 yards.
A better throw here and a better catch there could have changed things. That’s something that will stay with him all offseason.
He hopes to lead K-State to a bowl victory next season, and walk away from college football with the same amount of pride as Goolsby and Schoen did on Tuesday.
“It will light a spark in myself and this whole team,” Thompson said. “We have got a lot of young guys who will be back next year. A loss like this can really set us up and sit in our stomachs for eight months. I am going to do my best to lead and improve my game as much as I can. I am going to give it everything I have. I promise you this time next year I will have no regrets. I am already looking forward to getting back to it.”
This story was originally published December 31, 2019 at 8:32 PM with the headline "Why Kansas State Wildcats remain optimistic about future after Liberty Bowl loss."