Kansas State senior quarterback Collin Klein has made big improvements since his struggles as a junior, and Wildcats head coach Bill Snyder chalks that up to the 23-year-old's experience and work ethic, according to comments made at a weekly press conference.
Klein threw for 1918 yards, 13 touchdowns and six interceptions as a junior in 2011, but only completed 57.3 percent of his passes. Through three games in 2012 his completion percentage has jumped to 72.9, and he's thrown for 609 yards, five touchdowns and two interceptions, while leading the explosive Wildcats offense.
Snyder cites Klein's experience and hard work as the reasons behind the marked improvement:
"It probably runs across the board. I think a year in the system has given him a better understanding of both our offense and opponents' defenses. It allows him to make decisions a little bit quicker than he might have done perhaps a year ago. Probably all of it, you know, we've addressed this many times. Collin is just adamant about improving all aspects of his game and certainly works diligently to do that, but I think those things probably stand out immensely. I think he feels more confident. He has the capacity to make decisions a little quicker. It gives him the opportunity to get rid of the ball a little bit faster. It all works hand-in-hand."
The No. 15 Wildcats (3-0) will face their toughest test of the young 2012 season on Saturday as they face the No. 6 Oklahoma Sooners (2-0) at Oklahoma Memorial Stadium. Kickoff is scheduled for 6:50 p.m. CT and the game will be televised on FOX.