K-State Q&A: Chris Klieman, Nebraska, new football uniforms, Adrian Martinez and more
Chris Klieman might be a candidate to replace Scott Frost at Nebraska, but he doesn’t seem all that interested in leaving a good situation at Kansas State. My guess is he gets a contract extension and a raise from the Wildcats before the end of the year.
The Cornhuskers are going to make extra money for a lot of coaches this season.
In other news, the Wildcats will be wearing new uniforms against Tulane. We asked readers to share their thoughts on the alternate look in an online poll and 47% of voters gave them two big thumbs up. I agree with them. The new helmets are a fun change. Who doesn’t love a good throwback logo?
My only suggestion would be to do things like this more often. Fans are hungry for new uniforms. It would be great to debut a new look every season that can be tinkered with for special games.
Look at what Tulane, the next opponent on K-State’s schedule, has done with its uniforms.
The Green Wave have been one of the hippest teams around since they debuted their angry wave logo and slapped it on uniforms that come in baby blue, green or white. They have one of the best looks around.
K-State has some great classic uniforms. But there is nothing wrong with breaking out a fun alternate look every now and then.
Now that I’ve shared those two opinions, it’s time for another K-State Q&A. Let’s dive into your questions. Thanks, as always, for providing them.
K-State at Oklahoma will be on the short list of options for “College GameDay” on Sept. 24, assuming both teams win this weekend.
It would become even more attractive if the Wildcats can crash into the top 25 and make that a battle of ranked teams.
But I don’t think it is the favorite. Remember, the game is on Fox. That hurts its chances of ESPN showing up in Norman.
Fox probably wouldn’t mind sending its Saturday morning kickoff show, there, though.
Florida at Tennessee could also be an option as a top 25 game, but that one is on CBS.
Right now, it looks like Clemson at Wake Forest is the front-runner for GameDay. That game is going to be ABC. Both teams are ranked. Both teams are undefeated. ESPN owns the ACC Network.
That is where I think the show ends up.
Tulane is the best team K-State will play during the nonconference portion of its schedule.
Sorry Missouri.
I fully expect Willie Fritz and the Green Wave to put up a much better fight than the Tigers were able to last weekend, when they needed a fluky touchdown on the final play of the day to lose 40-12.
Michael Pratt is a skilled quarterback with experience. He has already thrown for 482 yards and five touchdowns this season. Receiver Shae Wyatt already has 150 yards and a touchdown. Tulane is also averaging 177.5 rushing yards through two games.
K-State’s defensive backs will need to play well to stop this offense.
Last year was a forgettable one for the Green Wave, as they only won two games. Even so, they managed to go on the road and challenge Oklahoma before losing by single digits.
For the record, I expect K-State to win and cover the 13.5-point spread on Saturday. Tulane hasn’t played anyone yet. This is also its first road game of the season. There is a big gap between Massachusetts and Alcorn State and K-State. That will be on display at Bill Snyder Family Stadium.
But I also think the Green Wave are going to move the ball on the Wildcats and score a touchdown or two. That is something K-State’s first two opponents weren’t able to accomplish.
Adrian Martinez throws for a touchdown before Deuce Vaughn runs for two.
The first pass goes to Phillip Brooks.
Felix Anudike-Uzomah gets the first sack.
K-State football recruiting coordinator Tayor Braet will probably buy something purple before I finish typing this sentence.
Pretty concerned.
Chris Klieman doesn’t need to lower the DEFCON levels inside Bill Snyder Family Stadium because Chris Tennant has missed a field goal AND an extra point in both games this season. But the kicking situation is less than ideal at the moment.
Tennant is a gifted athlete with impressive leg power. But he seems to lack accuracy. Since he took over as the starter midway through last season, he has missed a kick in five of seven games.
That’s ... not great.
More is expected from Special Teams U. That is something the Wildcats need to figure out before more challenging opponents arrive on the schedule and pressure kicks will be needed to keep winning.
Klieman seems to have extraordinary trust in Tennant, so I’m not expecting a change unless he does something like miss four field goals against Tulane. But kickoff specialist/punter Ty Zentner is the next man up.
E-MAIL QUESTION: Any injury update on Will Honas and/or Shawn Robinson. Even though they haven’t played yet, I have high hopes for both of them with my Wildcats. - Andrew B.
Defensive coordinator Joe Klanderman said Thursday that Honas is making progress and should be ready to help the Wildcats at linebacker in the near future.
I suspect we will see the Nebraska transfer get some action either against Tulane or Oklahoma as a reserve.
The situation is a bit murkier with Robinson.
The Missouri transfer hasn’t dressed for either of K-State’s two home games. He has also been removed from the team’s depth chart. The only thing coaches will say about him is that he is “day to day” or a “game-time decision.”
But then game day arrives and he’s nowhere to be found. Not even on the sideline. It’s a weird situation.
Based on what I’ve heard from insiders, he might not play at all this season.
I’m setting the over/under at 1.5 touchdown passes. And I’m taking the under.
While I do think Adrian Martinez delivers his best passing game in a purple uniform against Tulane (maybe 200-plus yards) I think touchdown throws might be hard to come by.
When the Wildcats get in the red zone, their main scoring threats are Deuce Vaughn and Martinez on the ground. Vaughn has reached the end zone in nine straight games. Martinez has scored a rushing touchdown in each of his two games with the Wildcats.
That seems much simpler than trying to throw the ball across the goal line.
For that reason, I’m not predicting multiple touchdown passes, even though establishing a passing game will definitely be a priority on Saturday.
But let’s forecast one deep ball to Malik Knowles that he turns into a score.
1. Pennant Willie: The logo K-State chose to wear on its new white helmets this week is my favorite one of the bunch. It’s a fun throwback.
2. Sailor Willie: Or is it chesty Willie? Or hat Willie? I’m not really sure which of those phrases best describes the logo. But I like the one that depicts Willie walking down the street in a purple sweater. He looks like he is about to steal your girl.
3. Angry Cat: You don’t want to mess with the K-State logo that depicts Willie angrily looking to the right with its fangs showing. My hope is that one day the Sunflower Showdown will feature the angry versions of the Jayhawk and the Wildcat for a game.
4. Powercat: Bill Snyder more or less created it. The logo is synonymous with winning. Everyone who sees it associates the purple logo with K-State. It’s everything you want in a primary logo. But it’s not as much fun as some others.
5. Leaning on Wildcats Willie: I like that he looks so casual.
6. Furry Willie: The second version of the K-State logo does nothing for me. It doesn’t look cool or make me think of K-State.
This story was originally published September 16, 2022 at 9:56 AM with the headline "K-State Q&A: Chris Klieman, Nebraska, new football uniforms, Adrian Martinez and more."