K-State Q&A: Alex Delton, Dalton Schoen, MHK breakfast spots and TCU

It’s time for another K-State Q&A.

Before we get to your questions, let’s all pause for a moment and collectively hope for decent weather Saturday afternoon. The last thing any of us wants is a repeat of last year’s Missouri State game, which was delayed hours by lightning and then lasted just two quarters.

Now let’s get to it. Thanks, as always, for your participation.

My guess is Dana Dimel will reluctantly revert back to an offense that resembles what worked so well for K-State late last season after Ertz injured his throwing shoulder.

That means lots of keepers, hand-offs and short, safe passes. I doubt Delton will have the green light to chuck it like Ertz.

If K-State gets stuck in a position where it has to throw long, I could see the Wildcats using Skylar Thompson. But the preference would be to roll with Delton. The offense he ran at Texas was simplistic and focused almost entirely around quarterback draws, and it worked. While I think the Wildcats will continue to use that play against TCU, they will probably expand things to incorporate some passing. TCU has the nation’s 15th rated run defense, allowing 104 yards per game and 3 yards per carry. You can’t pull a Collin Klein/Daniel Thomas vs. Texas and just run all game. At least, I don’t think you can.

We’ll see how it goes. Delton has never played more than sporadically in games. This will be new for everyone.

Maybe. It really depends on how Delton plays. I think it would be wise to use Thompson for at least a series or two, as he would represent a drastic change-of-pace and I think he is good. But he’s also a redshirt freshman who has never taken a meaningful snap. Experience trumps all for Snyder, so he might not want to go there.

K-State will win by a lot more than my 28-27 prediction if they do.

I don’t think 400 is in the cards, especially against a strong run defense. But it could be a high number. Maybe 200 or 250? Justin Silmon and Ertz combined for 303 rushing yards against TCU last year.

Alex Delton averaged 6.6 yards per carry against a stingy Texas defense last week. Maybe this is finally the week K-State lets Alex Barnes run between the tackles? Getting big yardage from both of them on zone-read plays will probably be the goal.

Hard to say. K-State will beat KU, but that’s the only thing I’m sure of right now. Every other game on the schedule is a toss-up.

I like the Wildcats’ chances at home against TCU, but don’t like their chances on the road against Texas Tech. Weird, I know. The Oklahoma schools will be hard to beat. West Virginia and Iowa State are at home, but they’re playing well. I can envision a lot of scenarios. If Vegas set over/under win totals midseason, here’s guessing K-State’s would be 6.5.

Remember, though, K-State bounced back from a 3-3 start last season and went 9-4. This team is capable of doing the same. The Vanderbilt loss stinks, but Texas is improving. There was too much doom and gloom after that defeat. If the Wildcats can win one of their next two, which I think they will, they could build on that.

The biggest key in my mind is improving the pass rush.

The vast majority of K-State’s sacks this season have come from linebackers and defensive backs. Edge rushers Tanner Wood, Kyle Ball and Reggie Walker have combined for ... Wait for it ... No sacks. That’s a problem. The Wildcats have been forced to blitz more than they should, because of this, and that cost them against Texas. All the Longhorns had to do was spot where the blitz was coming from and then run away from it.

There are improvements to be made on offense, too. K-State’s completion rate (54 percent) is too low, and Schoen is the only consistent receiver. The running game has also been lacking, with Alex Barnes and Justin Silmon dropping off from a year ago.

But a pass rush would help the most.

On a scale from 1 to panic button, it’s about a 7.

The first game didn’t seem like that big of a deal to me, because it was the opener and the opponent wasn’t any good and nobody in the Big 12 runs the option. Forgivable.

But this is a coaching staff that prides itself on knowing everything about its opponents. They compile scouting reports on them several times throughout the year. For the Wildcats to act like they had no clue Texas QB Sam Ehlinger was a scrambler was very alarming. Not only should K-State players have known what was coming, they should have adjusted more quickly on defense.

Makes you wonder what they might miss next.

Excellent question, Sam! Thanks for dropping by.

While it’s funny to hear Bill Snyder say he is faster than Dalton Schoen, I don’t understand why he keeps making jokes about Schoen’s speed. He looks plenty fast to me. You don’t outrun defenses for touchdowns of 70 and 82 yards if you’re slow. Alex Delton said this week Schoen had the fastest shuttle time on the team during preseason camp.

All I know is: I want to be there when Snyder and Schoen race.

1. The Chef -- Not the easiest place to get into on the weekends, but if you can beat the line the food truly is great.

2. Coco Bolo’s -- It’s more brunch than breakfast, but man is it good!

3. Varsity Donuts -- A favorite for kids and adults. Just pray they haven’t sold out of cookie monsters.

4. Early Edition -- Solid breakfast joint.

5. Bob’s Diner -- I guess? Never eaten there, but it’s local and probably better than Denny’s. Frank Martin also claimed this is where he met Bob Huggins when Huggins wanted to talk about leaving for West Virginia.

What’s wrong with boneless wings? Smother them with some sweet barbecue sauce and then dip them in ranch ... They taste good to me.

But I get what you’re saying. They’re not really wings, at all. My favorites are the flats, but the drums are really good, too.

Never been all that adventurous when it comes to sauces. Smoked wings without sauce are probably my favorites. Still, Buffalo and sweet BBQ are good. Sometimes I’ll move it up to hot. Pineapple Teriyaki is solid. Tried Dr. Pepper flavored wings once at Pluckers in Austin. Those were bad. Just about everything else I’ve tried has been acceptable. I got a lot of use out of the media swag we got at the Buffalo Wild Wings Bowl.

I have never had the pleasure of eating at Bionic Burger. But I can already say it’s website is amazing.

Do you mean fast food or gourmet burgers? Heck, I will just answer both possibilities.

Fast food: Five Guys or In-N-Out.

Gourmet: So Long is the best spot in MHK. I love The Burger Stand in Lawrence/Topeka, as well.

Thanks. Now I really want to eat some burgers.

It’s basically the same as coaches out here complaining about playing morning games.

Kind of funny to think how people on the East side of the country want later games and people on the West side of the country want early games. ESPN should promote a day of reverse programming and have the early game in Hawaii and the late game in Miami. That would be sweet!

Obviously, it’s not ideal to have a schedule loaded with games before noon or late at night, but it’s also a necessarily evil if you demand networks pay millions for the right to broadcast your games. If controlling kickoff times meant that much to conferences, they would mandate start times in TV contracts and take less money.

He’s been bad, but I don’t know about that bad.

I can’t explain what has happened to the guy everyone expected to be K-State’s No. 1 receiver. He went off in the opener, but has done basically nothing since. He’s been more like K-State’s No. 5 receiver. The Wildcats have stopped going to him when defenses put a lone corner on him. Players say they remain confident in him, but I think he needs to gain back trust. He’s got a long way to go before he catches up to Schoen.

But football is a funny game. If he can get his confidence back, he could get going and make a big impact. Maybe a new QB will help.

Some have been better than others.

Alex Delton appears more than capable. Eli Walker looked promising early. Johnathan Durham left a bit to be desired last week against Texas, and will need to be better against TCU if he starts at nickelback.

Elijah Sullivan has played well when he has been in, as has A.J. Parker. Right tackle Nick Kaltmayer looked solid when he filled in for Dalton Risner. Like what I’ve seen from Dalvin Warmack. Receivers could be better across the board, with the exception of Schoen.

A TCU loss would be bad for the league, but it wouldn’t cripple the Horned Frogs’ chances of reaching the playoff.

If TCU goes 13-0, it is definitely in the playoff. No doubt about it. But it could get there at 12-1, if it beats another highly ranked team in the Big 12 championship game. The best thing for the conference, short of an undefeated TCU, is for a pair of 11-1 teams to meet in Arlington. Say Oklahoma wins out, and TCU only losses in Norman. That’s a great title game that gives the winner a shot at the top four. Or say Oklahoma State wins out and meets TCU (at 12-0 or 11-1) in the title game. Another dream matchup.

Odds are good a 12-1 team will make the playoff out of the Big 12. But odds are much worse for an 11-2 team. TCU is the only team left that can afford a loss. If the fall in Manhattan, they will have to run the table.

I ranked the Horned Frogs fourth this week on my AP top 25 ballot, so I think they are better than No. 6. TCU has already beaten Arkansas and Oklahoma State on the road, and West Virginia at home. SMU is another solid win. They’re really good. Never mess with Gary Patterson coming off a losing season.

My worry with them is that things may have come too easy. Arkansas and Oklahoma State didn’t put up much of a fight. And K-State has historically played well against TCU, going 3-2. Remember two years ago when the Frogs had to come from way back to beat Joe Hubener?

This game sets up well for K-State, but TCU might be the class of the league.

This story was originally published October 13, 2017 at 10:12 AM with the headline "K-State Q&A: Alex Delton, Dalton Schoen, MHK breakfast spots and TCU."