MANHATTAN, Kan. (AP) Chris Klieman has every reason to be wary about Nicholls State, one of the up-and-coming schools in the Football Championship Subdivision, spoiling his long-awaited debut as the Kansas State coach.
Just last year, the Colonels rolled into Kansas and beat the Jayhawks just down the road in Lawrence. They return most of their key players, including quarterback Chase Fourcade, and are pegged at No. 11 in their division in the preseason rankings.
It also wasnt that long ago that Klieman was on the staff of Craig Bohl when North Dakota State visited Manhattan and beat his current school to open the 2013 season.
I know what those teams are going through, said Klieman, who later succeeded Bohl as head coach of the Bison and won four FCS national titles in the past five seasons. You prepare all summer and all fall camp for your opportunities to lay an FBS opponent. We talked about that.
In the same respect, Klieman continued, I think its a big opportunity for our players at Kansas State to put their best foot forward in what we hope to be a really successful season.
The expectations that surround the Wildcats this season are somewhat mixed.
Yes, their new coach comes with a gaudy 72-13 record as a college head coach, but Klieman has very little experience at the highest level. Yes, they return a bevy of starters led by quarterback Skylar Thompson, but they are also plugging plenty of holes with transfers and freshmen.
Not to mention, Klieman is replacing a Hall of Fame coach in Bill Snyder.
It doesnt matter how I perform or how the coaches perform we have our jobs to do on Saturday but its the players that have the biggest job and its the players game, Klieman said. I want those guys to have excitement and energy when theyre coming out. I know they will.
The Colonels are the defending Southland Conference champions and picked to win their league again, and theyre coming off a season in which they finally notched a playoff victory.
That has raised expectations in Thibodaux, Louisiana, to a new level, starting with Saturdays game on the road against a Big 12 opponent.
Its a new team. Its a new identity, Fourcade said. I feel like were doing a great job of working hard, competing and getting the young guys right and our team right.
NEW JUICE
Things changed at a glacial pace at Kansas State under Snyder, whose nearly three decades at the helm were interrupted only by a brief retirement. But Klieman has brought a fresh feel to the program, embracing the schools marketing, social media and recruitment efforts.
Once again, this is a players game, he said. Weve kind of talked about some things but well let that unfold on Saturday.
