Here’s what Chris Klieman had to say after K-State arrived in Phoenix for Rate Bowl
Chris Klieman couldn’t help but chuckle when he heard the question.
Is Kansas State prepared to play inside a dome when the Wildcats face off against the Rutgers Scarlet Knights on Thursday at Chase Field in the Rate Bowl?
“My whole life has been in domes,” Klieman said on Monday at a news conference in Phoenix.
When Klieman played defensive back for Northern Iowa all of his games were played indoors at the UNI-Dome. Later, when Klieman became the head coach at North Dakota State, the Bison played their home games at the Fargodome. For good measure, the Wildcats have played four games inside domes since he took over at K-State in 2019.
Coaching and playing inside is second nature for him.
Still, this week’s game will mark the first time he has coached or played inside a dome that was built for baseball instead of football. So he has done some homework about the place that the Arizona Diamondbacks call home.
“I was behind the scenes for about two years to set up a game at Target Field, where the Bison played at the Twins’ stadium, and that year is when I came to Kansas State that offseason. So as much as I got to do everything, go and check it out, all that stuff, I never got to to there.
“I made sure when I found out we were playing at Chase Field that I called the people at NDSU and said, ‘Send me all the documents that I had before, that I was learning about. Kacey Feldkamp, who came down here with a group of K-Staters, did a great job of showing me a lot of the layout. I think it’s going to be really special. I think it will be really cool.”
The football setup for Chase Field is unique. The field runs along grass where the outfield would usually be. And temporary bleachers are brought in to give the game an intimate atmosphere.
K-State fans will remember the arrangement from when the Wildcats beat UCLA in the 2017 Cactus Bowl.
Other topics were also on Klieman’s mind when the K-State football team arrived in Phoenix for its bowl games.
On sophomore quarterback Avery Johnson: “It was a year ago we were preparing a true freshman for the Pop-Tarts Bowl, and for it to be his first start. He handled that really well. He’s a calm, cool kid. Then to have 12 straight starts this year and grow from each start and get better each week and have big wins on the road at Colorado and winning our rivalry game with KU. I think he’s played really well, and I think he’s come into his own.”
On the Scarlet Knights: “We can’t turn the football over, and we’ve got to do a really good job of winning on third down and then winning in the red zone. Rutgers is very similar to us. They typically a a team that doesn’t beat themselves.”
He is also excited to spend a few days in warm weather.
“It was 55 when we left today,” Klieman said, “75 is a little bit nicer.”
This story was originally published December 23, 2024 at 7:58 PM with the headline "Here’s what Chris Klieman had to say after K-State arrived in Phoenix for Rate Bowl."