LAWRENCE — It’s funny how a little disrespect, intentional or not, can go a long way in college football. And it may have been just that which helped power Kansas State to a 42-17 win over Kansas on Saturday in Lawrence.
Even though K-State was looking for its 17th straight victory in the Sunflower Showdown, because of a less-than-stellar start to the season, the Wildcats came into the game as an underdog for the first time since the opening game of the streak back in 2009.
Chatter in the air suggested that the end of the streak was nigh, and despite the Jayhawks also struggling at times this season, many in Lawrence, and even a few in Manhattan, were convinced that this was the year that Kansas would get the dreaded purple monkey off their back. The problem is, no one asked anyone in K-State’s locker room, and they took exception to that.
“It kind of pissed off a lot of our older Kansas kids,” head coach Chris Klieman said. “And I told them, ‘Guys, you’ve just got to prepare, and you got to prep this week. You can’t worry about Saturday. It’s going to get here. And if we do the things we need to do, I have a feeling we’re going to play really well.’ And these guys were razor sharp and focused.”
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