Chris Klieman asks for positive media as K-State football looks to snap losing skid
Chris Klieman thinks Kansas State football players have done a nice job of mentally handling the adversity that has accompanied their current three-game losing streak.
But he also says the Wildcats need some help keeping their spirits up as they prepare for an important Big 12 road game against Texas Tech on Saturday. So much so, that he asked for assistance from an unusual source during his weekly news conference on Tuesday: reporters who regularly cover the team.
“If you keep thinking about the negative, you’re going to lose sight of what’s coming in front of you,” Klieman said. “I know that we have to challenge each other as coaches and challenge each other as players to be better, but you need to do that with a positive mindset, and sometimes we all have a tendency to take it from the negative standpoint.
“I’m telling you guys, 18 to 22-year-olds can’t handle the negative side of things, and we have to ... I’m asking you guys, I’m asking for your help. We need to be more positive. I know we can play better. You know we can play better, but we’ve got to give these kids more positive things, because we got a great locker room and the kids do care about each other. We’ve got kids that love each other and coaches that believe in these kids. We can’t give up on them.”
Staying positive is certainly important for K-State at the moment. The Wildcats were riding high when they won their first three games and crashed the top 25 polls. Their confidence is not nearly as high now that they have followed up that hot start with three consecutive losses against Big 12 opponents Oklahoma State, Oklahoma and Iowa State.
Their season is at a crossroads.
Still, it was an awkward request from Klieman because promoting positive vibes within a football team is not the job of a sports reporter.
K-State players requested no such help as they fielded questions from media on Tuesday.
“In tough times your leaders have to step up and stand firm and not waver at all,” K-State quarterback Skylar Thompson said. “Our coaches have done that. I know all of our leaders have done the same thing. We know we’re a good football team. We just have to make four or five more plays to win games.”
The Wildcats have remained positive, despite an 0-3 start to conference play for several reasons.
For starters, the three teams they have lost to are some of the best squads in the league. They boast a combined record of 17-2. The Cowboys and Sooners are both ranked in the top 10. K-State players also think they lost the past three games with uncharacteristic mistakes, such as dropped passes and penalties, as much as they were beaten.
“I feel like we are a better team than we have displayed,” K-State receiver Phillip Brooks said. “I think we should have won every game that we lost. Crazy stuff was happening, but we were right there in the game. It just comes down to executing and making plays. We have to do more.”
Klieman could tell K-State players were fired up when they arrived on Monday ready to work rather than dwell on their most recent defeat.
He was encouraged by that, because it was impossible to tell how this team would handle adversity with so many newcomers and transfers playing important roles each Saturday. But he thinks the Wildcats are heading in the right direction.
“Thank heavens we are a close team,” Klieman said, “because you can be divided when you have adversity strike. I’ve been pleased with our leadership, our older guys, the council to be able to bring guys together. Guys know that we need to take ownership and get this thing going in the right direction.”
This story was originally published October 19, 2021 at 2:51 PM with the headline "Chris Klieman asks for positive media as K-State football looks to snap losing skid."