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Kansas State Football: Chris Klieman ends tenure at NDSU with title

By Leigh Oleszczak

FRISCO, TX - JANUARY 05: head coach Chris Klieman of the North Dakota State Bison celebrates with Josh Babicz #81 of the North Dakota State Bison as they take on the Eastern Washington Eagles during the Division I FCS Football Championship held at Toyota Stadium on January 5, 2019 in Frisco, Texas. (Photo by Tim Nwachukwu/NCAA Photos via Getty Images)
FRISCO, TX - JANUARY 05: head coach Chris Klieman of the North Dakota State Bison celebrates with Josh Babicz #81 of the North Dakota State Bison as they take on the Eastern Washington Eagles during the Division I FCS Football Championship held at Toyota Stadium on January 5, 2019 in Frisco, Texas. (Photo by Tim Nwachukwu/NCAA Photos via Getty Images) /
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Kansas State football fans were eagerly watching Saturday’s FCS Championship Game between the North Dakota State Bison and Eastern Washington Eagles, as future head coach Chris Klieman was vying for yet another title.

When Bill Snyder decided to call it a career (likely for good this time), the Kansas State Wildcats had the tall task of finding a replacement. One simply does not replace Bill Snyder and all that he did for the K-State football program, but the Wildcats have to feel good about the man they hired.

That man is Chris Klieman, who has spent the last five seasons as the head coach at North Dakota State. Klieman led his Bison to a seventh title in eight years (he was a part of all of those, as he’s been with the program since 2011, as defensive backs coach and defensive coordinator).

While FCS football probably isn’t something Kansas State fans typically get into, they had their eyes glued to their television sets during Klieman’s run to the top. The Bison beat Eastern Washington on Saturday by a score of 38-24 and if his success translates to Big 12 football, KSU fans will be in for a treat these next few years .

Kansas State had a down year in 2018, not qualifying for a bowl game for the first time since 2009, when Snyder had come out of retirement and re-took the reins over the program.

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Klieman did his job wonderfully in his final game at NDSU, getting out to a 17-10 lead at halftime over the Eagles. Quarterback Easton Stick wasn’t perfect through the air, but he was effective enough, throwing for 198 yards, two touchdowns, and two picks.

Stick is the type of quarterback K-State would covet, as he crushed the Eagles on the ground, rushing for 121 yards and three touchdowns. Klieman clearly likes the running quarterback and that’s been K-State’s bread and butter over the last decade plus.

The Bison ended the day with 290 rushing yards and three touchdowns (all three scores were thanks to Stick).

The defense surrendered 157 yards on the ground and 200 yards through the air, but managed to outscore their opposition. That’s all that matters at the end of the day.

Next. All-Time Rushing Leaders at Kansas State. dark

The FCS isn’t quite on the level that the Big 12 is at, but Klieman’s success at North Dakota State should give Kansas State football fans hope for the future. When Snyder left the first time, the program went downhill quickly, but hopefully that won’t be the case this time around.

Congrats to Coach Klieman and now let’s bring some hardware to Manhattan!

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