Ranking all 30 of Chris Klieman’s football victories with the Kansas State Wildcats

Chris Klieman recently signed a lucrative new contract with Kansas State that is worth at least $44 million over the next eight years.

Now that the Wildcats have locked up their head football coach for the foreseeable future, this feels like a good time to rank all 30 victories of the Klieman era in Manhattan.

Klieman has an overall record of 30-20 during his four seasons with the Wildcats. He has also led his team to three bowl games and one Big 12 championship. So there is quite a bit of competition for the top spot on these rankings.

Which wins made the top 10? How about the top five? And which victory tops them all?

Find out below.

30. Kansas State 31, Southern Illinois 23 (2021)

There wasn’t much to celebrate after this narrow victory in September of 2021. K-State jumped out to a big lead, but the FCS Salukis fought back and led 23-21 at halftime after starting quarterback Skylar Thompson suffered a leg injury and was unable to continue. The Wildcats needed a shutout in the second half to get the win.

29. Kansas State 34, South Dakota 0 (2022)

The Wildcats opened last season with a shutout victory over an FCS opponent. Deuce Vaughn, Malik Knowles, D.J. Giddens and Adrian Martinez all scored rushing touchdowns.

28. Kansas State 52, Bowling Green 0 (2019)

Can you say mismatch? K-State had its way with Bowling Green behind a sensational game from Malik Knowles that featured five catches for 99 yards and two touchdowns.

27. Kansas State 38, Nevada 17 (2021)

Skylar Thompson was unable to play in this nonconference game with an injury, but Will Howard did a nice job managing the offense and the Wildcats won convincingly despite Nevada quarterback Carson Strong throwing for 262 yards.

26. Kansas State 35, Kansas 10 (2021)

Skylar Thompson (19 of 24 for 244 yards and a touchdown) and Deuce Vaughn (162 yards and three touchdowns rushing) showed Lance Leipold how far the Jayhawks had to go to catch up to the Wildcats with this beatdown in Lawrence.

25. Kansas State 34, West Virginia 17 (2021)

Chris Klieman got his first win over West Virginia, which ended a five-game losing streak against the Mountaineers for the Wildcats.

24. Kansas State 31, TCU 12 (2021)

This game shall be remembered as the final appearance for Gary Patterson at TCU. The Horned Frogs parted ways with their legendary coach the following day. This game would rank much higher had Felix Anudike-Uzomah, who was originally credited with six sacks, not been stripped of two sacks after the fact.

23. Kansas State 38, Kansas 10 (2019)

Les Miles made some eyebrow-raising comments about the Wildcats leading up this game. Big mistake.

22. Kansas State 24, TCU 17 (2019)

A freshman quarterback by the name of Max Duggan had some incredible runs for TCU in this game. But the Horned Frogs needed more to keep up with the Wildcats on a day when Skylar Thompson scored three touchdowns.

21. Kansas State 27, Iowa State 17 (2019)

The Wildcats rushed for 231 yards and beat their Farmageddon rivals on a bitterly cold night in Manhattan.

20. Kansas State 21, TCU 14 (2020)

Ugly is a great word to describe this game. TCU gained more yards than K-State (342 to 289) and scored more offensive touchdowns (two to one) but AJ Parker returned an interception for a score that ultimately swung this game in favor of the Wildcats. It was also Will Howard’s first college start.

19. Kansas State 37, Texas Tech 28 (2022)

The Wildcats rushed for 343 yards. The Red Raiders threw for 359 yards. In the end, K-State made just enough plays to hang on at home. Good thing, too. A win by Texas Tech would have sent them to the Big 12 championship game instead of K-State.

18. Kansas State 48, West Virginia 31 (2022)

Will Howard showed how much he had matured as a quarterback last season by throwing for 294 yards and two touchdowns in front of friends and family who made the drive to Morgantown from his hometown in Pennsylvania.

17. Kansas State 31, Texas Tech 21 (2020)

The Wildcats jumped out to a 14-0 lead with Skylar Thompson at quarterback, but this game tightened up real quick when he was sent to the locker room with a season-ending pectoral injury following a questionable tackle from Riko Jeffers. Deuce Vaughn helped K-State win by making several hero plays on his way to 194 all-purpose yards and two touchdowns.

16. Kansas State 49, Nicholls 14 (2019)

It may be hard to remember there was a time when K-State fans weren’t sold on Chris Klieman, given that he just signed a massive contract extension through 2030. But there were doubters going into his first game with the Wildcats. Some of them began to come around after watching this dominant performance in his debut home game.

15. Kansas State 47, Kansas 27 (2022)

This was a memorable night for the Wildcats. Not only did they beat their cross-state rivals by 20 points, they did so on senior day with a spot in the Big 12 championship game on the line.

14. Kansas State 10, Iowa State 9 (2022)

Championship teams usually win close games. They don’t get any closer than this. K-State held Iowa State to three field goals and then stuffed the Cyclones in the fourth quarter thanks in part to an embarrassing drop by Xavier Hutchinson that left ISU coach Matt Campbell looking like he just watched a horror movie on the sideline.

13. Kansas State 55, Kansas 14 (2020)

Les Miles failed to realize that K-State receiver Phillip Brooks was a touchdown threat on punt returns and paid the price. Brooks took advantage of several very returnable punts for 189 yards and two scores.

12. Kansas State 30, Texas Tech 27 (2019)

The Wildcats found a way to win in Lubbock despite getting out-gained by nearly 150 yards. Joshua Youngblood saved the day with a 100-yard kickoff return for a touchdown, while Denzel Goolsby and Da’Quan Patton both grabbed interceptions.

11. Kansas State 40, Missouri 12 (2022)

Nothing was going to stop the Wildcats from beating up on their old Big Eight/Big 12 rivals last season. Not even a string of thunderstorms that passed through Manhattan and delayed the game several hours. K-State rushed for 235 yards and four touchdowns.

10. Kansas State 24, Stanford 7 (2021)

Chris Klieman did his best to quietly switch to a 3-3-5 defense during the offseason, and the Wildcats caught the Cardinal completely by surprise inside AT&T Stadium. Stanford gained 233 total yards and failed to score until the fourth quarter. Deuce Vaughn also had an incredible touchdown run from midfield on a third-and-long.

9. Kansas State 25, Texas Tech 24 (2021)

Texas Tech jumped out to a 14-0 lead and enjoyed a 24-10 advantage at halftime. But K-State found a way to escape Lubbock with a win, thanks in large part to a sensational safety from Felix Anudike-Uzomah.

8. Kansas State 31, Baylor 3 (2022)

Winning at McLane Stadium is not an easy thing to do, but it didn’t seem that way when the Wildcats demolished the Bears last season. Tight end Ben Sinnott was the star of this game, as he caught seven passes for 89 yards and two touchdowns.

7. Kansas State 48, Oklahoma State 0 (2022)

The Cowboys were ranked in the top 10 when they came to Bill Snyder Family Stadium for this game, but the Wildcats beat them so thoroughly that K-State fans were chanting “overrated” at the visitors by the end of the afternoon. Will Howard threw for 296 yards and four touchdowns. Then he was carried off the field in a wild celebration.

6. Kansas State 42, LSU 20 (2021)

The Tigers sent their JV roster and an interim coach to Houston for a Texas Bowl matchup against Kansas State. It showed. The Wildcats made LSU look completely overmatched in this blowout victory. Skylar Thompson won MVP honors by throwing for 259 yards and three touchdowns, but Deuce Vaughn was just as good with 143 all-purpose yards and four touchdowns. Collin Klein made his play-calling debut in this game, and it set the stage for him to become offensive coordinator.

5. Kansas State 41, Oklahoma 34 (2022)

In terms of pure excitement, there haven’t been many better games in recent K-State football history. Adrian Martinez threw for 234 yards and also destroyed the Sooners as a runner, finishing with 148 yards and four touchdowns on the ground. His ability to scramble won the game for K-State and he appropriately took a bow following his final score of the night.

This game would be even higher had it come against a stronger opponent. Unfortunately, Oklahoma only won six games last year.

4. Kansas State 31, Mississippi State 21 (2019)

Do yourself a favor and go re-watch the helicopter tackle that A.J. Parker and Elijah Sullivan combined to make on Garrett Shrader as he tried to extend the game by scrambling for a first down on fourth-and-long in this game. The K-State defenders sent him spinning violently into the air. It was a one-of-a-kind play that defined Klieman’s first road win with the Wildcats.

3. Kansas State 38, Oklahoma 35 (2020)

After opening the season with a home loss to Arkansas State, the Wildcats responded with a totally unexpected victory at Oklahoma. Skylar Thompson threw for 334 yards, Deuce Vaughn amassed 164 yards from scrimmage and K-State intercepted Spencer Rattler three times to pick up a big road win.

2. Kansas State 48, Oklahoma 41 (2019)

What makes this victory over Oklahoma sweeter than the others on Chris Klieman’s resume?

It came against a very good Sooners team that went on to make the College Football Playoff behind senior quarterback Jalen Hurts. You could say this game aged better than the other two.

Oklahoma scored the first 10 points of the day, but K-State responded with a 48-13 run as if it were a basketball game. At one point, the Wildcats reeled off 24 straight points to take a 48-23 lead. Hurts refused to let Oklahoma lose, finishing with 395 passing yards and 96 rushing yards. It just wasn’t enough.

Skylar Thompson answered with four rushing touchdowns, and the Wildcats had their first signature victory of the Klieman era.

1. Kansas State 31, TCU 28 (OT in 2022)

This game had everything.

Will Howard threw for 199 yards and two touchdowns. Deuce Vaughn rushed for 130 yards and one scintillating score. And Julius Brents came up with a key interception in the end zone. The Wildcats needed all those plays and more to hold off the previously unbeaten Horned Frogs.

TCU quarterback Max Duggan, who threw for 251 yards and rushed for 110 more, forced overtime with a fourth-quarter comeback that cemented his status as a Heisman finalist. But it wasn’t enough.

K-State held TCU scoreless in overtime with an epic goal-line stand and then Ty Zentner won the game with a walk-off field goal. The Big 12 championship was up for grabs until the final play, and the Wildcats emerged victorious. The confetti shower inside AT&T Stadium belonged to them. It was their first conference title in a decade.