K-State Q&A: Chris Klieman, positives during a losing streak and Big 12 basketball
It’s time for another K-State Q&A.
I was too busy traveling this week to come up with a few awesome introductory paragraphs. I’m actually typing these words high above the ground while on a flight to Lubbock, Texas. Sorry about that. But hopefully you enjoyed our anonymous players survey from Big 12 basketball media day. It was chocked full of surprising answers you won’t find anywhere else.
Read it instead of a fun mailbag intro.
Let’s dive right into your questions. Thanks, as always, for providing them.
I have tried not to make a big deal about Chris Klieman asking local media for positive coverage at his weekly news conference, because it’s not like he went Mike Gundy on us or even had a specific example in mind of how we, or anyone else who follows the Wildcats, have been too negative about K-State football during its current three-game losing streak.
It was one sentence in a press conference. Maybe he was making a joke. Perhaps he was talking generally, and not directly to us or fans.
Let’s give him the benefit of the doubt on that one.
Still, it was an incredibly awkward thing to say. K-State pays him millions to promote a positive environment within the locker room. The Wildcats also employ a sports psychologist to help with things like positivity. Furthermore, they fly hype man Ben Newman in for every game to motivate the team and keep them in the best mindset possible.
Klieman shouldn’t need our help.
Asking for positive attention from anyone is bizarre and foolish from a football coach.
A beat writer pointing out that K-State has lost eight straight conference games isn’t negative. That is a statistical fact.
If he wants more positive coverage, then he should win some games.
As a fan, you shouldn’t have to do anything. Passionate fans are going to be critical during a losing streak. It’s a good thing. Unless you are tagging K-State players in tweets and putting them down after games, you should keep on doing what you’re doing. Klieman shouldn’t need anyone’s help.
Let’s all take a deep breath.
While the jury is absolutely still out on Chris Klieman as Kansas State’s football coach, I don’t know that anything has happened this season that should make you think he’s Ron Prince 2.0 … or something close to that.
Yes, the Wildcats have lost three straight games. But those defeats were to be expected. Oklahoma State is undefeated and always beats K-State in Stillwater. K-State lost at home to Oklahoma, but the Sooners are also undefeated and the Wildcats out-gained them. It wasn’t a beat down. Iowa State is much better than K-State fans want to give the Cyclones credit for. There’s a reason they were favored by a touchdown on the road.
There is no shame in losing those three games, especially by close margins.
With Texas Tech, TCU and Kansas up next on the schedule, there is no reason why K-State can’t bounce back with three straight victories.
Now, I will admit I am concerned about the trajectory of the defense. Klieman is a former defensive player and a former defensive coordinator, but the Wildcats are struggling to force a single punt against Big 12 opponents. That’s … not good.
Three straight Big 12 quarterbacks have looked like Heisman winners against them. That’s ... really not good.
It’s fair to wonder if it was a bad idea for Gene Taylor to guarantee so much of Klieman’s contract extension last year. The Wildcats are married to him for the long haul, because of his enormous buy out. It doesn’t look like Iowa will try to poach him anytime soon, which was the fear when he started 4-1 last season.
But he still has plenty of time to salvage this season. K-State fans should remain patient and wait until the end of the season to make a better judgment. There’s no need to bring out the pitch forks now when seven or eight victories are still within reach.
Well, Klieman signed a contract extension last year that pushed his buyout north of $15 million. So he’s not going anywhere for a while.
Courtney Messingham runs the type of offense that Klieman likes and he is one of Klieman’s oldest friends. I highly doubt he is on the hot seat.
Nor should he be, if we’re being honest. It cracks me up that K-State fans are always so fixated on the offensive coordinator when the offense isn’t the problem. The Wildcats allowed 31 points in the first half at Oklahoma State, couldn’t force a single punt against Oklahoma and then let Iowa State possess the ball for darn near every play of the third quarter.
Big 12 quarterbacks are completing nearly 80% of their passes against K-State.
And you only want to know when the offensive coordinator will be fired? Messingham could obviously be better, but I feel like you’re demanding much more from him than Joe Klanderman.
Here’s a question I have been asking lately: Should K-State have ponied up and paid $1 million per year to keep Scottie Hazelton from going to Michigan State? The defense hasn’t been the same without him over the past two years.
Offense: Deuce Vaughn. When he rushes for 100 yards, the Wildcats are 3-0. Need I say more?
Defense: Felix Anudike-Uzomah. He might be better than Wyatt Hubert was a year ago. So what you will about the rest of the defense, but he’s killing it.
Special Teams: Malik Knowles. Return two kickoffs for touchdowns and you are more or less guaranteed to get this honor.
I personally like the idea of dividing Big 12 teams based on how long they have been in the conference.
That would leave us with an OG Division consisting of six charter members (Baylor, Iowa State, Kansas, K-State, Oklahoma State, Texas Tech) and a Newbies Division consisting of expansion schools (BYU, Cincinnati, Houston, TCU, UCF, West Virginia).
It’s a fun setup that sends half of the Texas teams into one division and half of the Texas teams into the other. It also makes travel relatively easy for everyone, because Cincinnati, UCF and West Virginia are together on one side of the conference.
There is no need to split the teams up strictly based on geography and the league can make sure there are cross-over rivalry games if they stick with a nine-game conference schedule.
I am fine with a North/South, East/West split, but I fear that could be too Texas heavy for one division and there will probably be debate on which side of those lines Oklahoma State and UCF fall.
The pod system works on paper, but it’s probably too confusing for the common fan and unnecessary with only 12 teams. If the conference opts against divisions, I recommend they find a way for every team to rotate opponents and just send the teams with two best records to the football championship game at the end of each year.
For basketball, I’m down with a double-round robin of 22 conference games. I would rather see a bigger league schedule than more games against Florida A&M and Jacksonville State.
The plan is for him to be a reliable center off the bench.
Kaosi Ezeagu won’t ever start over Davion Bradford, and it’s incredibly unlikely Bruce Weber plays him next to Bradford at the four now that Ismael Massoud is on the roster and the Wildcats have proven they can win with small ball.
But he will play 10-15 minutes per game, depending on Bradford’s foul situation, and K-State will have confidence in him. He’s a solid backup.
Carlton Linguard can help at power forward when he’s healthy. He is tall, has a nice shot and can play some defense. But him and Linguard are about it after Bradford and Massoud.
Seryee Lewis is out for the season with an injury. Logan Landers could maybe help some as a true freshman, but I doubt Weber will be going out of his way to play him in most games.
K-State is going to be a guard-oriented team this season outside of Bradford and Massoud. You should see a four-guard lineup most of the time when Massoud isn’t in the game.
Mike McGuirl is an above-average guard in the Big 12, and he should absolutely be starting for the Wildcats as a fifth-year senior.
But he also shouldn’t have to take half the team’s shots and play nearly 40 minutes every game like he did last season. The Wildcats used him like Jacob Pullen out of necessity last year, and he’s no Jacob Pullen.
With Markquis Nowell and Mark Smith helping him out this season, the plan is for McGuirl’s minutes to drop closer to 30 per game. Instead of taking 17 shots a game and praying half of them go in, now he will be expected to take 10 shots and make most of them.
Bruce Weber wants him to be more efficient while playing less.
I would say my favorite John Kurtz memory is all the times we were on the road for a game in places like Atlanta or Dallas or Lubbock and you tried to order a “Nancy” as if you were still in Manhattan about to eat dinner at So Long Saloon.
A “Nancy” is a delicious mixture of pineapple juice and light beer. I love it. But most people outside the Little Apple don’t know that. That never stopped John from ordering one by name in a random city.
I will never forget the confused look that all those waitresses gave as you tried to explain how to make the drink. I’m pretty sure you once ended up with tomato juice and beer. Too funny.
But we will absolutely miss John Kurtz on the K-State beat. Other than his Jake Waters opinions, he has done a great job on the radio and at press conferences.
This story was originally published October 22, 2021 at 2:42 PM with the headline "K-State Q&A: Chris Klieman, positives during a losing streak and Big 12 basketball."