From the opening drive, the first college football game of the season was far from flawless, but most of the mistakes could be blamed on players being rusty from a lengthy offseason.
That was, until Kansas State Wildcats head coach Chris Klieman decided that his team needed to try to convert on a 4th-and-1... which didn't work out after quarterback Avery Johnson ran for zero yards and the Iowa State Cyclones forced the turnover on downs.
After that, the Cyclones ate up nearly two minutes of the play clock and scored a touchdown to go up by double digits. While the Wildcats were able to respond with a TD of their own, Kansas State was unable to slow down Iowa State enough to get the ball back to score. Just like that, the Cats had fallen to the Clones and were 0-1 to start the season.
Despite the fourth-down attempt arguably leading to Kansas State's loss, Klieman refused to back down from his decision. Immediately, fans from across the country started to rip
"I would do the same thing again, based on how the game was going with us struggling to slow those guys," Klieman said.
Genuinely if you blame this on players.. it’s horseshit… the downfall of Chris Klieman is that he can’t win a big game/ can’t win a game within the first 4 games of the year, look at the history… this is on Klieman, end of story… fight me if you wanna
— Chozwillie (@Chozwilliecats) August 23, 2025
For reference, the Cyclones had only scored 17 points over nearly four quarters of the game. Yet, the K-State head coach defended his choice by throwing his defense under the bus.
I’ve never seen a worse coaching job than what Chris Klieman has produced for K State today. Absolute garbage.
— A.J. 🐘 (@antknee_j) August 23, 2025
Unsurprisingly, Kansas State fans were extremely upset following the loss, especially since it was the Wildcats' third consecutive loss to the Cyclones and their head coach, Matt Campbell, in the rivalry matchup: Farmageddon.
A reminder that Matt Campbell OWNS Chris Klieman and they HATE IT https://t.co/QuLPCJR1qE
— Iowa EveryJer (@clonesjer) August 23, 2025
The game was disastrous from the jump. In the first half alone, the two teams combined for five punts, four fumbles, one missed field goal, and one turnover on downs. While the offenses gained momentum in the second half, Kansas State only earned 383 total yards.
Johnson, who was expected to be a star for K-State this season, had just 21 completions for 273 yards and two touchdowns through the air. Not to mention, his dual-threat capabilities resulted in a resounding 21 yards on the ground.
“Bottom line, we’re disappointed. We came here to win and expected to win," Klieman said. "We have to go back and regroup and get ready for next Saturday.”
Kansas State will face the North Dakota Fighting Hawks on Saturday, Aug. 30, when the Wildcats hope to turn the start of their season back around.