Kansas State Q&A: Dalvin Warmack, Alex Delton, Jesse Ertz, Byron Pringle, Big 12 refs and bye weeks

It’s time for another K-State Q&A.

Lots of great questions this week. Let’s dive right in. Thanks, as always, for asking them.

I expect big improvement from K-State’s offensive line. The front five was sub-par against Stanford, especially on the left side. Freshmen Scott Frantz, Tyler Mitchell and Reid Najvar were continually pushed back at the line of scrimmage, forcing K-State quarterbacks to scramble and make awkward throws.

In all, Jesse Ertz and Joe Hubener were sacked eight times. Eleven more times they were hurried. That’s no way to run a productive offense, even though Ertz occasionally hurt members by holding onto the ball too long.

Frantz, Mitchell and Najvar were all making their first starts. They should play quite a bit better against lesser competition.

Thanks for giving me the opportunity to plug the story I wrote on Dalvin Warmack earlier this week. Plug!

Why didn’t he play more against Stanford? It’s hard to figure, considering he averaged 10 yards per touch and good things happened when he was on the field. He has speed and pass-catching abilities that Charles Jones and Justin Silmon can’t match. He may not be ready to start, but he should get more than two touches.

At the very least, he should see time on third-and-long. He could be a great escape valve for K-State quarterbacks.

Of course, I have no idea if K-State coaches agree with that line of thinking. Though Warmack can be sent into motion in ways Jones and Silmon can’t, it appears Jones and Silmon are stronger blockers. Maybe they don’t trust Warmack against the threat of a blitz.

It seems like any increased usage he gets will come at the expense of Silmon. K-State coaches named Jones one of the team’s offensive players of the week following the Stanford game, in which he had 43 yards on the ground and 39 more as a a receiver. The Wildcats seem happy with their senior starter. Silmon rushed the ball seven times, gaining 26 yards. He has lots of upside, but he didn’t show it last week.

Allowing a team to complete 100 percent of its passes in a half is a big warning sign, especially when the QB is a first-time starter. Also, the Wildcats struggled against the pass last season. Duke Shelley got burned for a touchdown pass, and zone coverage looked soft early.

K-State proved it could stop the run against Stanford, but the Big 12 is a passing league.

The Wildcats are off to a promising start on defense, but it is fair to wonder how they will perform against a spread offense like Texas Tech or Oklahoma.

On Delton: I suspect we see him in both of the next two games, but he will need to do something special to play once conference games begin. He seems like the clear-cut QB3 right now. Bill Snyder said the Wildcats were determined to get Joe Hubener on the field against Stanford, regardless of how Jesse Ertz played. Delton never even put his helmet on.

It is pretty lame to go from a fun opening game at Stanford to nothing the next weekend. Bye weeks should be forbidden before Week 4, unless your team does something crazy like travel to Australia for its opener. Then, maybe you take the next week off.

Still, I wouldn’t say it’s the WORST THING EVER. I mean ...

Nothing has been said about it? Replays of the no-call were passed around widely on the Internet. I feel like it will go down as the poster child for terrible pass-interference calls (or, in this case no-calls) this season.

It’s not often you see a receiver get tackled by a defender while the ball is in the air ... And nothing is called.

Still amazes me that was deemed legal. Then again, a Big 12 officiating crew was working the game.

Maybe it would have been a bigger deal if it had a bigger impact on the game. The no-call came in the first half and Stanford jumped out to a 17-0 lead. Questionable officiating didn’t decide the outcome.

Touched on this a little here, but let’s break down the numbers of every first start for a K-State QB since Snyder came out retirement.

Jesse Ertz vs. Stanford: 16 of 34 for 207 yards a touchdown and an interception. Also, 20 yards rushing.

Collin Klein vs. Eastern Kentucky (first start as established player): 13 of 21 for 128 yards, a touchdown and an interception. Also, 78 yards rushing.

Collin Klein vs. Texas (first surprise start): 2 for 4 for 9 yards. Also, 127 yards and two touchdowns rushing.

Jake Waters vs. North Dakota State: 21 of 29 for 280 yards with two touchdowns and two interceptions. Also, one yard rushing.

Joe Hubener vs. UTSA: 12 of 23 for 243 yards. Also, 58 yards and a touchdown rushing.

Kody Cook vs. Arkansas: 12 of 24 for 163 yards and a touchdown. Also, 9 yards rushing.

Carson Coffman vs. Massachusetts: 14 of 27 for 182 yards, two touchdowns and an interception. Also, 12 yards and a touchdown rushing.

Grant Gregory vs. Iowa State: 16 of 23 for 206 yards, two touchdowns and an interception. Also, 29 yards and a touchdown rushing.

Ertz’s start seems in line with those others. Not as good as Collin Klein vs. Texas, by any means, but on par with Klein did in his first start as a junior. Jake Waters couldn’t even beat a FCS opponent in his debut. K-State quarterbacks tend to get better as they gain experience. The same should happen with Ertz.

Maybe 75 percent?

It’s not like anyone is making a big push to replace him. Hubener threw an interception on his first play, Delton didn’t get in the game and Skylar Thompson is redshirting.

Ertz figures to be the man as long he stays healthy.

(Had issues embedding this next question, so it’s written in bold.)

From @PeterNicklin:

Jesse Ertz to Byron Pringle. Will we get to see a heavy dose of that vs. Florida Atlantic?

You have permission to panic if we don’t.

We saw a heavy dose of it against Stanford. Ertz targeted Pringle 10 times. It’s just that none of those throws resulted in a catch.

Disappointing start from the quarterback and receiver many thought would lead K-State’s offense to bigger and better things this season. But they should get back on track against Florida Atlantic and Missouri State. Pringle saw tight coverage against Stanford. Here’s guessing he can create separation in these next two games.

Ertz was essentially starting his first game last week, and it was Pringle’s first time in a K-State uniform. We should get a better grasp of what they are capable of in Game 2.

Delay of game is always a concern for K-State’s offense. Heck, they got flagged for it during a two-minute drill against Stanford.

I understand why the Wildcats prefer a slow pace on offense. It helps them control clock and get the best possible look at a defense before the snap. But the goal should be to have about five seconds left on the play clock, even after an audible, when the ball is snapped. Not one, or zero.

Delays are needless penalties K-State should try its best to avoid, but until something changes fans will keep seeing them.

Depends on two things.

1. Will he still be the athletic director when Bill Snyder retires?

2. Does Bruce Weber win or get fired this season?

Currie has done a marvelous job on the fundraising front and he has helped transform the football stadium. Those will always be big pluses on his resume, but there’s not much left to build. His biggest tasks now are getting the basketball team back to the NCAA Tournament and bringing in the right coach to follow Snyder. His legacy will be tied to how he handles them.

K-State fans should travel well to Vanderbilt, but I have a hard time believing it will be as big a draw as Palo Alto. The California bay area has more to offer. Then again, Nashville has country music and a great party scene. So maybe it will be every bit as popular a trip. All I know is I’m looking forward to it.

This story was originally published September 9, 2016 at 12:36 PM with the headline "Kansas State Q&A: Dalvin Warmack, Alex Delton, Jesse Ertz, Byron Pringle, Big 12 refs and bye weeks."