Why K-State began prepping for Army — and its unique offense — months in advance
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- Kansas State began prep for Army’s triple-option offense in the spring.
- Defensive coaches simulated Army schemes to counter run-heavy clock control.
- Maintaining discipline and early lead key to preventing prolonged drives.
Kansas State defensive coordinator Joe Klanderman was not a happy camper when he first learned that the Wildcats agreed to play a football game against Army this season.
“Somebody had an off day somewhere scheduling,” Klanderman quipped earlier this week.
His feelings are understandable. Few defensive coaches look forward to playing the Black Knights. Why? Because they use one of the most unique offenses in college football — the triple option.
On any given play, Army’s quarterback has the option to hand the ball to his fullback, pitch the ball to his running back or keep the ball and run for yards all by himself. The goal of the offense isn’t to gain huge chunks of yards or score quickly. The Black Knights like to gain a few yards on each play and methodically advance downfield while they control the clock.
If a defense isn’t up for the challenge, it can be stuck on the field for an entire quarter.
K-State hasn’t faced the triple option since a 20-17 loss to Navy at the Liberty Bowl in 2019 in which the Midshipmen possessed the ball for 36 minutes, 31 seconds and outgained the Wildcats by a huge margin (421-170).
“It’s not only this style of offense, but they’re really well coached,” Klanderman said. “They’re good at what they do. They’re going to be physical. You’re going to come out of this game sore. But it is what it is.”
Preparing for a service academy is no easy task.
K-State began working on Army all the way back during spring practice. Coaches simulated the Army offense and dedicated a few hours of defensive work against it. The Wildcats also may have been looking ahead to this game a bit last week when they needed a late comeback to beat North Dakota 38-35.
“It was necessary,” Klanderman said. “This is a really hard offense to prepare for in four days. We did a decent job of getting ahead of it.”
Some K-State football players went against the triple option in high school. That could serve them well on Saturday. But it’s still a big change for them compared to some of the high-octane offenses they see in the Big 12.
“You have to have more discipline,” K-State safety VJ Payne said. “You have got to get your eyes in the right place. Because if your eye is not in the right place, you never know what could happen.”
Coming out ready to play and taking an early lead will also be important for K-State in this game. No one wants to play from behind against Jeff Monken’s team.
Army looked sharp at times in its opener against Tarleton State, as the Black Knights gained 280 yards on the ground. But a pair of turnovers from quarterback Dewayne Coleman and sloppy special teams ultimately doomed them to an overtime loss.
They will look to bounce back against K-State, much like the Wildcats will be trying to redeem themselves after a lackluster performance of their own.
Klanderman is confident his defense will be ready for the challenge, even if this game gave him a headache the moment it was added to the schedule.
“If you are what you hope that you are (on defense), it doesn’t matter if you’re seeing triple option or air raid,” Klanderman said. “You should be able to defend it.”
This story was originally published September 5, 2025 at 10:53 AM with the headline "Why K-State began prepping for Army — and its unique offense — months in advance."