If you have paid attention to K-State football this season, you’re well aware that there is something “off” about the team. There are many reasons for the disappointing 5-5 record thus far, but I’m more concerned with how they will fix it moving forward. Offensive coordinator Matt Wells has faced criticism, as has head coach Chris Klieman, but defensive coordinator Joe Klanderman appears immune to criticism from fans and the media.

Neither the offense nor the defense passes the eye test, so I decided to do a deeper dive into the numbers to see if I could identify if there is a drop-off in production compared to prior seasons under Chris Klieman and try to figure out if the coordinators may be to blame. More importantly, should Matt Wells be replaced after just one season as sole offensive coordinator?

I used www.ncaa.com to find K-State’s offensive and defensive numbers since 2019, Chris Klieman’s first year as head coach. Here is a grid showing the year, the person who coordinated the offense that year, total average yards per game, and national ranking. I also broke the numbers out into rushing and passing numbers, and the team’s record each season. Check it out….

Year	Coordinator	Total offense yards per game/national ranking	Rushing offense yards per game/national ranking	Passing offense yards per game/national ranking	Team record
2019	Courtney Messingham	358.9/103	178.0/47	180.9/108	8-5
2020	Courtney Messingham	337.4/106	151.7/77	185.7/107	4-6
2021	Courtney Messingham	362.3/95	162.4/64	199.9/96	8-5
2022	Collin Klein	418.8/40	208.3/15	210.5/92	10-4
2023	Collin Klein	445.2/23	204.1/11	241.2/53	9-4
2024	Conor Riley/Matt Wells	426.8/31	215.5/11	211.4/85	9-4
2025	Matt Wells	354.6/90	137.8/89	216.8/80	5-5

Keeping in mind that personnel changes year-to-year, this is a good snapshot of how K-State’s offense has performed each season under Chris Klieman. Here is what sticks out to me:

-Courtney Messingham’s offenses were the worst ranked offenses under Klieman and were some of the worst offenses in the country. He deserved to be replaced after three seasons.

-Collin Klein took the position and immediately elevated it 55 spots in 2022, and 17 more spots in 2023, coordinating the 23rd ranked offense in the country that year. His rushing offenses were fantastic, ranking in the top 15 each year. Having Deuce Vaughn helped, but Vaughn had already graduated in 2023 when DJ Giddens took over and production stayed about the same.

-K-State’s offense under Conor Riley was not as good as it was under Collin Klein, but it was still respectable. They ranked 31st in the country overall and 11th in rushing offense.

-K-State’s offense under Matt Wells has nosedived to levels not seen since Courtney Messingham was running the offense. Wells’ offense ranks 90th in the country, (89th in rushing offense) after ranking 31st last season.

The next question I asked myself was regarding the defense during the Klieman years. Was it consistent? After all, a poorly performing defense may affect the numbers the offense puts up.

Here are the defensive performances each season under Klieman.

Year	Coordinator	Total defense yards per game/national ranking	Rushing defense yards per game/national ranking	Passing defense yards per game/national ranking	Team record
2019	Scottie Hazelton	368.4/44	165.5/76	202.9/33	8-5
2020	Joe Klanderman	444.7/97	177.2/78	267.5/109	4-6
2021	Joe Klanderman	344.7/29	129.5/31	215.2/44	8-5
2022	Joe Klanderman	375.1/63	150.8/67	224.4/62	10-4
2023	Joe Klanderman	372.5/57	147.5/54	225.1/68	9-4
2024	Joe Klanderman	343.4/43	118.7/28	224.7/77	9-4
2025	Joe Klanderman	376.0/77	152.2/76	223.8/76	5-5

Here’s what sticks out to me:

-This (2025) is Klanderman’s worst defense since his first season as defensive coordinator, which was the Covid year.

-Klanderman’s defenses have been fairly consistent since his first season on the job. They have ranked as high as 29th and as low as 63rd.

-The last four seasons, Klanderman’s pass defenses have given up 224, 225, 224, and 223 yards per game. That’s strange. Talk about consistent!

-I don’t think these numbers vary enough to affect the offensive numbers at all.

Therefore, it is obvious that firing Matt Wells after one season is justified due to the pathetic numbers that they are putting up. I don’t believe this will happen, but if the program wants to turn things around, the offense must shift in a positive direction as soon as possible.

I will also note that if K-State wants to compete for championships, both the offense and defense must produce at a much higher level. It’s not all coaching, but coaching is a big part of the puzzle. Chris Klieman has lost at least four games every season as head coach at K-State. Is this good enough for you as a fan? It’s not good enough for me, but I also realize there is little I can do about it. Fans will have to pressure the athletic director en masse if they want changes made. I don’t see that happening right now.