K-State will face another elite QB at Cactus Bowl, UCLA’s Josh Rosen

The Kansas State Wildcats have faced a boatload of talented quarterbacks this season, and they expect to go against another one in the Cactus Bowl.

UCLA quarterback Josh Rosen might trail Big 12 passers Baker Mayfield and Mason Rudolph slightly in terms of gaudy statistics, but he has just as much talent.

“We’ve had the opportunity to compete against some very, very fine quarterbacks in our conference,” K-State coach Bill Snyder said, “and this is a young guy that stands right up there with them.”

Rosen, a 6-foot-4 junior, is viewed as one of the top pro prospects in college football. The strong-armed, smart and outspoken quarterback threw for 3,670 yards and 23 touchdowns this season. And those numbers would have been higher if not for concussions knocking him out of two games. He lit up Texas A&M for 491 yards and four touchdowns during a wild come-from-behind victory in the Bruins’ first game. Then he backed that up with five touchdowns against Hawaii and four more against Memphis.

K-State arrived in Phoenix on Thursday and began its final preparations for its game against UCLA on Tuesday. The team went straight from the airport to the practice field.

Snyder’s main focus: Devising a plan to stop Rosen.

“We’ve still got four days of practice, including a few minutes from now,” Snyder said. “And we’ll need every bit of it, I assure you of that. Josh is a very talented guy.”

The Bruins are sure to throw the ball in the Cactus Bowl. The Wildcats have struggled against elite passers this season, allowing 310.2 yards per game. That number ranked last in the Big 12 and nearly last in the country.

Big 12 quarterbacks Sam Ehlinger (380), Kenny Hill (297), Carter Stanley (418), Nic Shimonek (405), Will Grier (372), Kyle Kempt (264), Mayfield (410) and Rudolph (425) all threw for big yardage against the Wildcats.

Rosen told reporters Wednesday that he remains in UCLA’s extended concussion protocol, so there’s a chance he may not be cleared to play, but he has been taking first-team reps in practice. If he does not play, backup Devin Modster would likely start in his place.

But Snyder expects Rosen to play, and present another challenge.

“I greatly appreciate the kind of player he is,” Snyder said. “I think he’s a quality leader. I think he understands the game very well. He obviously understands their schematics and their offense. He’s a young guy that throws the ball with a good deal of velocity and has great accuracy and makes good decisions about where he’s going with the football and goes through progressions quite well. He’s a very, very complete player. So we’ll certainly have our hands full.”

This story was originally published December 21, 2017 at 4:58 PM with the headline "K-State will face another elite QB at Cactus Bowl, UCLA’s Josh Rosen."