It takes more than a broken hand to slow K-State linebacker Trent Tanking

You may have noticed Trent Tanking made his last few tackles against Oklahoma State with a purple cast on his left hand. It’s still there, and it won’t come off for several weeks — doctor’s orders.

But don’t expect the senior Kansas State linebacker to miss any time against Iowa State this weekend.

It takes more than a broken hand to prevent him from playing.

“There are plenty of tougher guys who are out there playing with worse injuries,” Tanking said earlier this week. “It has got to be able to take you off the field. If it is not severe enough to take you off the field, it is not a real injury in my book.”

Tanking views fractures differently than most. That much was evident during a 45-40 victory at Oklahoma State last week, when he broke a bone in his left hand while falling awkwardly to the ground in the second half.

He felt pain immediately, but he was reluctant to exit the game. It wasn’t until a trainer diagnosed the injury on the sideline that he visited the locker room for treatment.

From afar, it appeared as though he was done for the day. But he quickly returned, sporting a cast, and finished out the game.

“I was more than willing to do that,” Tanking said. “A big game like that, there was no way I wasn’t going to play. It didn’t feel good, that’s for sure, but once they immobilized it, it was just a throbbing type of pain so no movements or impacts hurt it. I just couldn’t move my hand. Once I knew that was all it was going to be, I took my mind off it and played football.”

His teammates expected him back.

“It shows how tough he is,” fellow linebacker Jayd Kirby said. “Earlier this season he hurt his ribs and played through that. Now he is playing through a cast. It doesn’t matter what happens to him. He is going to get out there and get results.”

Tanking played well against Oklahoma State, totaling nine tackles and two pass breakups.

Pro Football Focus gave him a grade of 89.3 afterward, the highest mark of any Big 12 linebacker that day.

Not bad considering he played with a broken left hand. But the cast wasn’t much of a hindrance.

“It’s tough to grab things with something like this,” Tanking said. “You have to focus more on leading with the shoulder and driving with your legs. That is a little different. I was able to figure out some way to get them on the ground.”

Tanking has done a solid job of that all season. Though he is not a flashy player, and he rarely delivers big hits, he is almost always in position. And he has done a masterful job of helping K-State’s front seven line up in the correct positions.

He is the unquestioned leader on defense.

“He is our rock,” defensive end Tanner Wood said. “He is the smartest guy on our defense, and he always gets us lined up in the right call. Without him, we would have a rough time.”

It’s hard to imagine where K-State’s defense would be right now without Tanking, a former walk-on from Holton. He has a team-high 90 tackles, including 2.5 for loss, and four pass breakups.

Another strong game against Iowa State could give him a shot at all-conference honors.

That’s what he is striving for. He won’t let a broken hand get in the way.

This story was originally published November 22, 2017 at 2:27 PM with the headline "It takes more than a broken hand to slow K-State linebacker Trent Tanking."