From The Couch – After Colorado Win, Klieman Blames Injuries, Lack Of Money For Poor Season
K-State beat Colorado 24-14 on Saturday on a cold, snowy, rainy, and windy day at Bill Snyder Family Stadium. Running back Joe Jackson ran for 142 yards and three touchdowns in the win, his second great game in a row. The sophomore looks more than ready to take the mantle of K-State’s number one running back going into 2026. Jackson’s performance was the highlight of the game for me. I made the incorrect prediction a few weeks back that K-State would easily handle Oklahoma State and Colorado, two of the worst teams in the Big 12. Instead, they struggled with both despite getting the wins. Colorado outgained K-State by a couple of yards, and if not for Jackson’s three touchdowns, the game may have had a different result.
The win improved K-State’s record to 6-6, which means that they are bowl eligible for the fifth consecutive season. A representative of the Independence Bowl was at the game, and he wasn’t there to watch Colorado. Apparently, he was in the post-game press conference, handing out Independence Bowl pins. The Independence Bowl will be played on December 30th at 1:00 Eastern time, if you’d like to write it down in pencil in your calendar.
Chris Klieman’s post-game comments were interesting yet again. While there was no teary breakdown this week, he gave some curious answers to questions posed by reporter Mason Voth. It is this two-minute-and-55-second back-and-forth that I would like to focus on today.
“One, that’s why we don’t have polls anymore.”…K-State head coach Chris Klieman, post-game
JM: This was Klieman’s deflection to a question about preseason expectations of competing for the Big 12 championship. While there was not an official preseason poll, oddsmakers in Vegas gave K-State the best odds on winning the Big 12 this season. Boy, were they wrong.
“For starters, we’ve got to find ways to fill up the roster better with more options for when we get guys knocked out like we did. We don’t have another Jayce Brown. We don’t have another Austin Romaine. It’s hard when you lose some of your best dudes.”…Chris Klieman, post-game
JM: Jayce Brown was injured in the Oklahoma State game, the ninth game of the season. The Wildcats were 4-5 at the time, meaning he had played in nine games already. Same with Austin Romaine, who was injured in the previous game against Texas Tech. Apparently, Romaine played hurt through much of the season, but was still very productive.
I think most of us understand that K-State doesn’t have the depth that a lot of programs have, but to blame a poor season on these injuries, which it appeared Klieman was doing, is pretty ridiculous. Every team has injuries. Don’t blame a losing season on injuries, especially injuries that happened late in the season. Fans don’t want to hear it. And in this case, it is not a valid excuse. If you lose your starting quarterback and don’t have a good backup, fine. But that’s not what happened here.
“We’ve gotta find ways to get over that hump and continue, but that’s everyone in the league that’s in a price tag like we are. There’s only a couple of them that are unlimited price tags.”…Chris Klieman, post-game
JM: Translation: You can’t expect me to win consistently if I don’t have the money that other schools in the conference have. Voth followed up this answer with a question about the state of college football in general…
“It’s the most money that’s going to win. The teams that have the most money SHOULD win. Until we can get that thing squared away.”…Chris Klieman, post-game
JM: I agree with Klieman’s sentiment here, but I don’t really want to hear it as an excuse for going 6-6 in this conference. How much money does Army have? Iowa State? North Dakota, who you needed a last-minute touchdown to beat? Coaching is why you lost most of your games, not a lack of funds in an NIL account.
“I’m going to go have a beer here in a minute, so we ain’t gonna get on a soap box right now.”…Chris Klieman, post-game
JM: Klieman looked at his watch as he said this, which was rude and dismissive of the questioner. He acted like he didn’t have time to answer the question because he wanted to go have a beer.
“You guys are smart enough to realize that those that have the most money have the best players and they’re spending 40 to 50 million. The ones like us that don’t, man we’ve gotta scratch and fight and claw like a lot of the other ones to try to get in position to be successful. And until it changes, and I don’t know if it will ever change, the rich are going to get richer.”…Chris Klieman, post-game
JM: It took Klieman five seconds after saying he wasn’t going to get up on a soap box before he got right up on that soap box with a big megaphone. What a piss-poor advertisement for the athletic department to sell season tickets for next season and for fans to support the program.
Look, Chris Klieman and I are on the same page regarding the current state of college football, but he appears to be beat down and frustrated by it. Instead of finding ways to win games at K-State, he is making excuses for losing and feels there is no way for K-State football to win at the highest level any longer. You can’t have a coach leading your program with this attitude. Unless his attitude changes, he needs to step aside and give someone else an opportunity to get it done. I refuse to support a program that is led by a coach who excuses a poor season due to injuries and lack of money. Figure out a way to get it done or find someone who can.
“I’ll do that at another time.”…Chris Klieman, post-game
JM: This was Klieman’s answer when asked by Voth to evaluate the offensive staff led by Matt Wells. Oh, I can’t wait to hear this, if he ever decides to answer this question.
“A whole bunch of emotions, just because it’s the last time we’re going to play on the field this year with that group of seniors and everything they poured out into the program and to one another, and then just joy. Really these last two weeks, just so much joy for Joe Jackson, because I know the offensive line opens up holes for him. I know he doesn’t do it by himself. But man, just being in treatment with him this week, because I’m not usually in treatment, but I was this week, and just seeing how many different injuries that dude battles through each week, and he comes to practice and games each day with a smile and works hard. I think that’s two games in a row with three touchdowns and one of the best, if not the best, running back performances this place has ever seen, and [college football] in general has ever seen last week. That’s really a guy I’m so thankful to call my brother and so thankful to be roommates with and just spend every day with because he’s so deserving of everything that he’s gotten these past couple of weeks.”…K-State quarterback Avery Johnson, post-game
JM: Major props to Joe Jackson. Hindsight is 20/20, but I wonder how good his season would have been if the coaches had told him “you’re our number one guy” from the very first game of the season.
JM: It is a good sign that it appears that Avery Johnson will be returning. But what will the roster around him look like? Nobody knows. Not even Chris Klieman.
