K-State’s bye week comes at a useful time after the Wildcats dropped their first Big 12 game of the season, a 31-26 loss to Cincinnati. With two weeks between games, K-State has time to recover, evaluate the loss and clean up the mistakes that kept the Wildcats from closing out their first conference road game.

Offensively, K-State struggled to respond when Cincinnati took control in the third quarter. The Wildcats opened the half with a turnover and followed it with a three-and-out, quickly turning a 17-10 lead into a 24-17 deficit. 

Head coach Collin Klein said K-State has to “move the football and calm the storm” in those situations. Klein said the red-zone struggles haven’t come from one consistent issue, but from missed blocks, reads and schemes that have kept the Wildcats from finishing drives. Despite the loss, K-State’s offensive line has allowed zero sacks this season and averages 5.2 yards per carry.

Defensively, the biggest issue was allowing explosive plays. Cincinnati rushed for 271 yards, with just under 200 coming on five plays. Klein pointed to poor eye discipline, gap responsibilities and missed opportunities to finish tackles as reasons for the breakdowns. He said the defense has to become more aggressive and confident when tackling while eliminating the “bleeding yards” that allowed Cincinnati to create big plays.

Now, K-State gets two weeks to turn those mistakes into progress. The Wildcats return to action at 2:30 p.m. on Oct. 10 for their Big 12 home opener against Houston at Bill Snyder Family Stadium. The game will air on Fox.

For K-State, the goal of the extra week is simple — turn a frustrating loss into something useful.