As the ball gets rolling on another Colorado game week, Kansas State coach Collin Klein did not sound like someone preparing to face a 2-5 opponent. Asked during his weekly press conference Monday what he sees on film from the Colorado Buffaloes, his Halloween opponent in Boulder, Klein went straight to the compliments.

“They do a lot of different things schematically on both sides of the football. Both coordinators are very creative and do a lot. They have talent. They’ve got guys that can run on both sides of the ball,” Klein said.

He then added, “Their D-tackles are extremely twitchy and fire off the football. They’re a talented football team.”

Ironically, kind words have become a weekly ritual for Colorado. A week earlier, Oklahoma State coach Eric Morris said the Buffaloes “might be the best two-win team in the nation,” and his Cowboys then pulled away after halftime to hand coach Deion Sanders and the Buffs a fifth straight loss.

Brennan Marion and Chris Marve keep opponents guessing

Klein’s nod to creative coordinators points straight at offensive coordinator Brennan Marion, who brought his Go-Go offense to Boulder, and defensive coordinator Chris Marve, who calls the defense from the sideline. From what it looks like, both have Kansas State’s full attention.

The speed part should worry Klein most. In the same press conference, he lamented the 103 yards Arizona State gained on one-on-one go routes during Saturday’s loss, and Colorado’s receivers will happily take that kind of invitation.

Santana Hopper fits the twitchy description

Klein’s praise for the defensive tackles fits Santana Hopper perfectly. The 6-2, 265-pound fifth-year from Shelby, North Carolina, made Pro Football Network’s preseason All-America first team and led the team in quarterback hurries through his first six starts.

Likewise, Klein knows his own blockers have work to do after a rough night in Tempe. 

“We knew it was going to be about, offensively, winning the line of scrimmage. We did not do that,” Klein said.

A twitchy Colorado interior against a line coming off that kind of night is the matchup to circle, and the numbers behind Marve’s front back up Klein’s concern.

Deion Sanders’ roster still needs results

Be that as it may, talent has not stopped the Buffaloes from dropping all four of their Big 12 games. Turnovers and penalties have undone a lot of good work this season.

Nonetheless, Klein’s words carry weight, because he chose praise over an easy shot at a struggling team.

Collin Klein brings his front range roots back

Looking beyond the X’s and O’s, the trip carries a personal twist for Klein, a former Kansas State quarterback who grew up in northern Colorado. Asked which local teams he followed as a kid, he admitted the family loyalty ran toward Fort Collins.

“My first college game was Colorado State. I was not far from Loveland. My dad actually grew up in Boulder. A lot of family all through the Front Range, but he was more of a Colorado State fan,” Klein said.

However, the family reunion will have to wait until after kickoff at Folsom Field. 

“It will be great that there will be a lot of family there. The focus is about our team and our guys and doing everything we can to make sure that we make the progress and do the things necessary to win the game,” Klein said.