Big 12 title, Sugar Bowl on horizon for Kansas State after remarkable regular season
K-State football coach Chris Klieman was rooting for Texas earlier this week. Believe it or not, he wanted the Longhorns to win their final game of the regular season against Baylor, even though a loss would have guaranteed a spot for Kansas State in the Big 12 championship.
While that probably comes as a surprise, there was a method to his madness. And it helps explain why he was in such a good mood following the Wildcats’ 47-27 victory over the rival Kansas Jayhawks on Saturday at Bill Snyder Family Stadium.
Earning a rematch against undefeated TCU in next week’s Big 12 championship game, and (in all likelihood) an invitation to the Sugar Bowl afterward, was a goal that Klieman has been aiming toward since he took over as coach four seasons ago.
He wanted to kick the door in himself and accomplish it, not rely on someone else to do it for him.
“We didn’t want to back in by having Texas lose yesterday,” Klieman said after his team’s victory Saturday night. “We needed to win this and the guys needed to win this. We’re smart enough to realize there was a lot of pressure on us as coaching staff, us as players, everyone to finish this deal. We had one more chapter in the regular season, and they finished the chapter the right way and earned the opportunity.”
Earning a spot in the Big 12 championship game is a special achievement for any team. But it feels especially sweet for these Wildcats for a few reasons.
Consider the following:
- K-State has not played in a conference championship game since 2003.
- The Wildcats haven’t won a league title since 2012, when there was no championship game.
- No K-State team has played in a New Year’s Six bowl game since the playoff was formed.
- This team was picked to finish fifth in the Big 12 preseason poll.
“I’m so happy for the guys in that locker room,” Klieman said. “They found a way when there were a lot of people who doubted these guys all season long. Not many people thought we would be in the position that we’re in. The guys downstairs did, and this is a total body of work. That’s not just this football game. These guys believed in each other. They believed in the plan. They took ownership in their program and we had great player ownership. Then we rose up when people doubted us.”
Looking back, it is remarkable that this K-State team is breaking so many streaks. Even the most optimistic of fans didn’t see this coming when the Wildcats lost their final nonconference game at home to Tulane. Things also looked bleak when they lost at home to Texas a few weeks ago.
But K-State found a way to hit its stride late in the season with Will Howard at quarterback. He is 3-0 as a starter this season, and the Wildcats have averaged nearly 48 points in those games.
They finished the regular season with a 9-3 record, including a 7-2 mark in the Big 12. They might be ranked in the top 10 by the end of the weekend.
It has been a special season any way you slice it, but playing for a Big 12 championship truly validates everything this team has accomplished.
“It means everything,” Howard said. “Just to be able to represent K-State nation in this and to be able to go down there and have a chance to do something that every team that comes through here wants to do. This is always our goal, every year, to win a Big 12 championship. To be here now and have that in front of us, it means the world.”
K-State earned its trip to AT&T Stadium on Dec. 3 in style. The Wildcats pulled away from the Jayhawks in the second half on Saturday with a dominant running game and several excellent plays on special teams. Kansas put up a better fight than it has in the past in this rivalry game. K-State players admitted as much. But the home team was simply too strong.
This team had its sights set on bigger and better things. It wasn’t about to be denied here.
“You come to Kansas State, you don’t lose to the Jayhawks,” Howard said. “We weren’t going to do that tonight. We knew what was on the line, and we know what we have got ahead of us. I’m excited for it.”
The mission isn’t over.
Now, the Wildcats want to bring a trophy home to Manhattan. After all they’ve been through, they think they can accomplish that too.
Matter of fact, K-State players think TCU was also rooting for Texas earlier this week.
“A rematch is better for us,” K-State defensive back Drake Cheatum said of TCU. “We’re definitely not going to do the same thing as we did last time. I’m not sure if they want to see us again.”
This story was originally published November 27, 2022 at 1:07 AM with the headline "Big 12 title, Sugar Bowl on horizon for Kansas State after remarkable regular season."