Kansas State is talking trash and practicing in a new way after ugly 1-3 start
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- Kansas State seeks improved energy after 1-3 start, worst since 1989.
- Coaches emphasize trash talk and third-down drills to boost practice intensity.
- Wildcats aim to rebound against UCF, leveraging raised energy from bye week.
Kansas State football coach Chris Klieman emphasized one word while the Wildcats were on the practice field last week.
Energy.
He wants more of it. Lots more.
“We played with our hair on fire against Iowa State,” Klieman said during his weekly news conference on Monday. “They got us by a field goal, but they’re a really good football team. I didn’t see that same fire the previous weeks. We need to get back to that, and we need to emphasize that. We need to do that at practice, because you’re not going to turn on a switch on Saturday.”
K-State (1-3, 0-1 Big 12) is off to its worst start since 1989, and the vibe in the locker room is understandably low. Klieman thinks his team’s energy level during games is a big reason why. Things won’t improve until that changes.
How does a football team learn to play with more energy in practice?
For K-State, the process started with trash talk.
“This past week, we had a lot of competition and guys chirping at each other,” K-State defensive end Travis Bates said. “We just had a lot of competition and a lot of energy. I feel like that has been one big thing that we’ve been trying to harp on. Man, celebrate when things are going good. This year, it hasn’t been going well. So when things do happen good we have got to celebrate those things and we have got to get hyped.”
The biggest celebrations, and the most entertaining trash talk, occurred on third-down drills. Klieman instructed K-State’s starters to go head-to-head more than usual and each result felt like a game-winning play.
Defensive back Zashon Rich led the way with colorful words on defense. Avery Johnson let his play do the talking on offense.
The Wildcats may have been on their bye week, but intensity levels were high.
“We worked our butts off,” K-State linebacker Austin Romaine said.
“Man, it was a fun week of practice,” added K-State defensive back Wesley Fair.
“Guys were flying around,” Bates said. “The energy was high. It’s always fun to talk trash and go hard in practice.”
Up next is an 11 a.m. home game against UCF (3-0) on Saturday.
If the Wildcats play with the same energy they showed in practice last week they may be able to end their losing skid and take care of business as a home favorite. A win would also signal to the rest of the Big 12 that K-State isn’t ready to fold after a poor start that featured low energy.
“We just want to prove that we can win in the Big 12, and that we can dominate in the Big 12,” Bates said. “That’s what any Big 12 team wants to do is dominate. I feel like that’s what we have the capability to do.”