MANHATTAN, Kan. (Kansas State Athletics) – After guiding Kansas State to a 5-1 record – which includes a 3-0 ledger in Big 12 play – at the halfway mark of the 2022 season, head coach Chris Klieman is one of 20 coaches in the nation and two from the Big 12 to be named to the midseason watch list for the Bobby Dodd Trophy, the Bobby Dodd Coach of the Year Foundation and Peach Bowl announced Wednesday.
It is the first time in Klieman’s career he has been on the watch list for college football’s most coveted national coaching award, which celebrates the head coach of a team who enjoys success on the gridiron, while also stressing the importance of scholarship, leadership and integrity – the three pillars of legendary coach Bobby Dodd’s coaching philosophy.
“All of the men on the midseason watch list represent The Dodd Trophy’s three pillars of coaching: scholarship, leadership and integrity,” said Jim Terry, chairman of the Bobby Dodd Coach of the Year Foundation. “While their teams’ performances on the field have been impressive, these coaches have also shown a commitment to their student-athletes by ensuring they are prepared for life after football as well.”
After non-conference wins against South Dakota (34-0) and Missouri (40-12), Klieman has guided K-State to a 3-0 start in Big 12 play for the second time in his four seasons in Manhattan. Additionally, it is the seventh time overall the Wildcats have been perfect in their first three games since the Big 12 began in 1996.
The perfect start to conference play has been unique considering the Wildcats have won in different ways. K-State earned a 41-34 win at then-No. 6 Oklahoma, which was its 11th all-time victory against an Associated Press top-10 team and the fifth in a road game. The Wildcats racked up 509 yards and held a 41-27 lead with less than two minutes remaining.
The next week against Texas Tech, K-State won a 37-28 contest as it scored 17 fourth-quarter points after the game was tied 20-20 entering the final frame. Then, at Iowa State, the Wildcat defense rose to the occasion by holding Iowa State to 276 yards and just three field goals in a 10-9 win. The nine points allowed were the fewest in a Big 12 road game since 2016 (6 at TCU), while the 10 points scored were the fewest in a conference road victory since 1982 (9 at Iowa State).
Kansas State, ranked 17th in both national polls entering this week, takes on another Big 12 unbeaten in eighth-ranked TCU, which is 6-0 this year. The Wildcats and Horned Frogs kick off Saturday inside Amon G. Carter Stadium in Fort Worth, Texas, at 7 p.m., in a game televised by FS1.
K-State then returns to Manhattan for two-straight home games, Oct. 29 against Oklahoma State and Nov. 5 against Texas. Standing-room only tickets are available for the games against the Cowboys and Longhorns by visiting www.k-statesports.com/tickets or by phone at 1-800-221-CATS.
