Kansas State Football: Year one of Chris Klieman era gives hope for future

Kansas State football couldn’t get the win over Navy in the Liberty Bowl, but that doesn’t mean the 2019 season – the first under head coach Chris Klieman – wasn’t a success.

Kansas State football fans didn’t know what to expect in 2019. They were with a new head coach for the first time since the 2008 season and there’s a reason why Bill Snyder came back to coach again in 2009, as the coach brought in after his initial retirement didn’t pan out.

Well, after one year of Chris Klieman leading the Wildcats, fans have to be feeling pretty good. K-State went 8-4 in their first year under the former North Dakota State head coach and made it to the Liberty Bowl, where they squared off against Navy.

Yes, the Midshipmen ran all over Kansas State to the tune of 323 yards, but let’s put that to the side for a minute and reflect back on the good of this season.

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For one, Kansas State improved on their 5-7 record from 2018, winning three more games and making it to a bowl game. They were ranked on and off throughout the season, making it to as high as 20th in the country.

One of the knocks on Snyder during the end of his tenure as the Cats head coach was the team’s inability to hold their own against better opponents. That wasn’t the case with Klieman, as Kansas State knocked off Mississippi State and upset the then-ranked fifth Oklahoma Sooners in the stunner of the season.

For Klieman to come in and immediately get this team to eight wins should make the fan base feel good about the direction of the program. Now, it is worth noting that he won this year with mostly Snyder’s recruits, but Klieman had a decent Early Signing Day turnout and that’s a great sign of what’s to come for sure.

No, the Wildcats didn’t beat Navy on Tuesday, but this season can’t be looked at as any less successful because of that. Despite allowing over 300 yards rushing to a ranked opponent, Kansas State only lost 20-17 and were in it throughout the entire game. Fans wanted to see improvement this year and Chris Klieman provided three more wins and a bowl appearance.

It’s hard to look at the 2019 season without anything over than optimism moving forward. Who else is already counting the days to the 2020 season kickoff against Buffalo of the MAC? Should be a fun time in Manhattan come September!