Kansas State HC Chris Klieman Speaks on Playing Oklahoma State in Stillwater
The Oklahoma State Cowboys are up for a big test against Kansas State this week. While it should be a positive thing that the Cowboys are coming off a bye week of their own, the two teams' schedules are synced up so that the Wildcats just had their week off, too.
This matchup has a fun history as well. The Wildcats dominated the Cowboys 48-0 in a shutout win just a year ago. The three years before that? The Cowboys won each of them. The Wildcats haven't won in Stillwater since 2017.
Kansas State head coach Chris Klieman understands this will be no easy trip for the Wildcats despite a slow start from Oklahoma State.
"We know we've got a big task ahead playing in Stillwater," Klieman said at his weekly presser. "[We] gotta play really well. We gotta have a good another day of preparation and get ready for Friday night."
While coming off a bye week and plenty of rest, these teams are matching up on a Friday night primetime game. Klieman also isn't forgetting the big win from last year, though it doesn't impact how he sees this matchup.
"Well it was a big win, for sure," Klieman said. "We played well, but two totally different teams in my mind. A lot of things went right for us last year. ...I don't take a lot from it. Two totally different teams."
Klieman talked about his time heading to Stillwater, and how his teams have typically struggled to run the ball.
"Oklahoma State presents a lot of challenges. When we have gone down there, we have not been able to stop them from running the football," Klieman said. "Winning the line of scrimmage in Stillwater has been difficult.
Evidently, the Cowboys offense hasn't found consistency on the ground game or through the air raid. This game could present an opportunity for them to annihilate the ground game.
The Wildcats are shorthanded at the linebacker position, and Ollie Gordon showed an explosive 71-yard run just a game ago. If the Cowboys really can win in the trenches and throw some good blocks, the Cowboys could truthfully swing this game in a positive direction for themselves.
When asked specifically about playing in Stillwater, Klieman diverted to the fact that they've struggled on the road anywhere, but none of it matters if his team can't win at the line of scrimmage.
"In the Big 12, it's hard to win on the road for sure," Klieman said. "We've got to work the noise a bunch because it's extremely loud down there, but you've still got to be able to execute."
With a standalone Friday night game and a "blackout" theme in Boone Pickens Stadium, the environment could be electric for this one. The Cowboys, however, will have to use it to their strength and not get flat early, as the crowd can get out of the game as fast as it gets in it.
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