KSU’s Klieman after loss: ‘we came here expecting to win’
Kansas State’s Chris Klieman didn’t hide his disappointment after the Wildcats’ season-opening loss to Iowa State, but he made sure to credit the opponent. “[I want to] congratulate Iowa State coach Campbell…really good football game. I knew two really good teams were playing each other, and it was game one so there were going to be some mistakes,” Klieman said.
The back-and-forth contest was tied 7–7 at halftime, with both defenses keeping their teams in it. “Both teams had an opportunity and both defenses stepped up and got big stops or turnovers in the red zone,” Klieman noted.
But it was the second half where the tide turned. “We struggled with a little bit of rhythm at first offensively and then they got a little bit of rhythm and were able to get up a score,” he said. Still, Klieman praised his players for not backing down. “Proud of our guys to come back and fight and get it tied and go down again. Bottom line, we’re disappointed. We came here expecting to win and didn’t win, but I’m proud of the guys.”
Final pic.twitter.com/2BivYu0IjU
— K-State Football (@KStateFB) August 23, 2025
Fourth downs proved costly for the Wildcats. “They just made a couple plays on fourth down…couple of them were short and they made…and we didn’t,” Klieman admitted.
Despite the setback, the coach kept his message forward-looking. “Regardless of what this game was, we have 11 more left…these guys ain’t letting [outside noise] happen. They see what I see…a really good football team.”
The Wildcats will try to rebound at home next Saturday night when they host North Dakota.
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