K-State Coach Chris Klieman Made A Key Offensive Adjustment To Fix RB Woes
Kansas State Wildcats coach Chris Klieman needed a spark in the worst way during Saturday afternoon's road contest against the Houston Cougars.
Despite the eventual 24-19 upset loss, which dropped the Wildcats five spots from No. 17 to No. 22 in the AP Poll, Klieman attempted to rely on quarterback Avery Johnson to win the game instead of going back to what was not working: the run.
The Wildcats were out-gained 121-89 on the ground. The Cougars (4-5, 3-3 Big 12) held running back D.J. Giddens to 50 yards, his fewest of the season thus far. Colorado transfer Dylan Edwards was held to under 100 yards for the ninth-straight game, finishing with 31 yards. Despite Edwards' longest run of 13 yards, it wasn't enough for Klieman to stick to the ground game with a nine-point lead late in the fourth quarter.
"We weren't running the ball a lick," Klieman said. "Getting one yard, getting two yards, and he made an errant throw, and it happens... Our inability to rush the football makes it harder to throw."
Johnson struggled with the game on the line, finishing 23-for-39 for 238 yards. Johnson threw a touchdown, but two costly turnovers made the difference in the Wildcats' first loss since falling to BYU, 38-9, Sept. 21. Kansas State was held scoreless in the fourth-quarter.
The Wildcats (7-2, 4-2 Big 12) are still alive in the conference title race. They sit on the outside of a three-way first-place tie, which features Colorado (4-1 Big 12), Iowa State (4-1 Big 12) and BYU (5-0 Big 12). Therefore, there is no margin for error moving forward.
Kansas State concludes the regular-season in Ames Thanksgiving weekend, which could be a win-and-in scenario barring what happens over the next few weeks. The Wildcats hold the head-to-head tiebreaker against Colorado.
Kansas State plays Arizona State Nov. 16.
Zain Bando is a contributor to Kansas State Wildcats On SI. He can be reached at zainbando99@gmail.com and on Instagram/'X' @zainbando99.
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