Chris Klieman didn't spend much time talking about football when he addressed Kansas State players following a humiliating 45-0 loss against Iowa State on Saturday at Jack Trice Stadium.
Who could blame him?
There wasn't much to say about that topic. The Cyclones were better than the Wildcats in every way possible, amassing a whopping 539 yards while also handing K-State its first shutout in five years.
Instead, Klieman, K-State's head coach, talked about things like "leadership" and "character" and "resolve" and "holding teammates accountable."
Those seemed like more appropriate topics, considering the Wildcats were coming off a week filled with distractions. The biggest two: An alarming number of K-State players (10) have elected to transfer this season, and some key starters (three) were unavailable for Saturday's game because of COVID-19 testing and contact tracing.
"His message was for us to come together off the field," K-State linebacker Cody Fletcher said. "We need everybody. We can't have people quitting on us, leaving on us. He felt like our effort was there. Mentally, we just weren't there."
This was the type of loss that may have exposed some previously hidden drama within the K-State locker room. When asked earlier in the week about losing nearly a dozen players to the NCAA transfer portal, Klieman downplayed the situation by saying "I think it's just 2020."
But the two players K-State made available for interviews following Saturday's rare blowout Farmageddon loss admitted it's not something that can be easily swept under the rug.
"We faced a lot of adversity within the last few weeks, honestly," Fletcher said. "I think we are just coming together off the field. We need everybody; that one hurts, but at the end of the day it's over and they were the better team. We have dealt with a lot of different things because of COVID and people leaving. Day by day, you just hear different things. It's been really difficult."
Added running back Deuce Vaughn: "We need to take control of our team. We have had some guys leave and some things like that. We need to take control with the guys we have now and get back to working and not taking things for granted. We only have two games left. We are going to give it our all. Coming together as a team is the biggest thing."
Vaughn went on to say that K-State coaches have been pushing players to provide better leadership for several weeks.
It's a challenge he plans to accept, even though he is only a few months removed from high school.
"Once we get that clicking," Vaughn said, "I think we will be unstoppable."
Motivation shouldn't be a problem for K-State as it closes out its season with a road game against Baylor and then a home game with Texas. One victory ensures a .500 season, a commendable record for any team during a pandemic. Two victories would clinch a top-half finish in the Big 12 standings and set the Wildcats up for a quality bowl game, if those are played during this holiday season.
But momentum is not on their side. The Wildcats have lost three straight games after starting 4-1, and they looked at their worst against Iowa State. Starting quarterback Will Howard was pulled late in the second quarter and replaced by Nick Ast. Both passers were ineffective. Klieman said the QB job will be up for grabs next week.
Klieman also said he's not sure if receiver Malik Knowles or linebackers Justin Hughes and Elijah Sullivan, who didn't travel for Saturday's game, will be available against Baylor. That's not encouraging.
None of that matters to Klieman, though. He believes in the next-man-up mentality and refused to use the circumstances leading up to this loss as an excuse.
"I don't want them to forget this feeling," Klieman said. "This one needs to sting."
He was just getting started.
Klieman had plenty to say after this ugly loss, even though he didn't spend much time talking football.
"We are going to find out about the character and resolve of this team," Klieman said. "I think we have tremendous character within this locker room and tremendous leadership, and we are going to challenge guys. It's not just the captains. It's not just the seniors. We need to challenge the freshmen and the redshirt freshmen to lead their class. We played a lot of young kids who hopefully don't like this feeling and realize I have got to step up.
"I need to do more in the weight room. I need to do more off the field. Our issues continue to be us holding each other accountable in all phases, not just football — in phases off the field and in the locker room and in the weight room and in the classroom. That is how championships are built. They aren't built just by what you do on the field. You better be accountable to what you do everywhere."
