KANSAS CITY, Mo. — Coming off the bye week, the Wildcats are preparing for Iowa State on Saturday in Ames, Iowa, at Jack Trice Stadium.
Preparation is not simple in Manhattan, Kansas, this week as Kansas State’s football team is down at least a dozen players due to COVID-19.
Some players could be out due to a positive test, while others are sidelined due to contact tracing.
In a press conference Tuesday, head football coach Chris Klieman said the team is down so many players that he can not move others around to fill voids.
“We don’t have enough guys to shift around, that’s probably our issue, and we’re playing with the guys that we have and just knocking on wood that we’re able to get through Wednesday’s test, which will come back Thursday’s test and Friday’s test, obviously that will come back and we’re not the only in the country dealing with this. There’s teams all over the country in every conference dealing with this,” Klieman said.
Klieman did not specify the number of players who are out Tuesday, or the positions that have been hit the hardest.
“I’m just knocking on wood that we get good results here in the next week,” Klieman reiterated.
Last week, Klieman said the freshman class had been hit the hardest, making it difficult to form a scout team for practice.
Nearly halfway through the season, the Wildcats have not had to postpone or cancel any games due to COVID-19 complications, but this week could present a problem.
Klieman said on Monday that his roster was close to falling below the Big 12 threshold at certain positions required to play a game. Both teams are required to have 53 available players, including seven offensive line, four interior defensive linemen and one quarterback
The Wildcats undergo COVID-19 testing three times per week.
