Why Kansas State might shake things up at QB, start Alex Delton with Texas up next

It sounds like Kansas State football coach Bill Snyder might shake things up at quarterback following a 35-6 loss at West Virginia on Saturday.

Snyder didn’t have much praise for his team following the game, but he went out of his way to say nice things about Alex Delton, who took over for Skylar Thompson late in the third quarter and led K-State’s offense the rest of the way.

“I thought Alex played extremely well,” Snyder said.

Delton, a junior, completed 7 of 12 passes for 82 yards and also rushed for 18 yards on eight carries. He guided the Wildcats to one scoring drive, which began at the WVU 39 and ended with a 38-yard field goal from Blake Lynch.

His other two drives ended with a missed field goal from 50 yards and a turnover on downs. Still, Snyder was impressed.

“I probably should have played him a little bit earlier in the ballgame,” Snyder said. “We have said all along that we will always play both quarterbacks … I thought he did a nice job and threw the ball well. He had a few runs and managed the game OK.”

Snyder took a different tone when asked about Thompson.

“How do I think Skylar played?” Snyder said. “Not as well as he is capable.”

It was interesting to hear Snyder speak so differently about K-State’s top two quarterbacks, considering there wasn’t much difference in their performance or statistics.

Thompson completed 11 of 17 passes for 145 yards and also rushed for 16 yards on 12 carries. He failed to lead the Wildcats across midfield in the first half, but K-State started the majority of those drives in poor field position. After some halftime adjustments, he led the Wildcats into the red zone on the opening drive of the third quarter.

That series would have ended with a touchdown if not for tight end Blaise Gammon and receiver Zach Reuter dropping passes in the end zone. Instead, Lynch came on for a short field goal.

But Thompson was unable to take advantage of two early West Virginia turnovers and the Wildcats punted on their first four drives. That clearly bothered Snyder.

West Virginia’s defense seemed ahead of K-State’s offense at every turn, holding the Wildcats to 2.5 yards per rush and 7.8 yards per throw. K-State was only 3 for 14 on third downs.

“We had a lot of trouble moving the ball and converting on third down,” Thompson said. “West Virginia did a great job disguising what they were doing and mixing up their looks. They were giving us a lot of different looks. That was pretty difficult to see and adjust to. I think there in the second half we got some things going … We just have to get a lot better in a lot of different areas. That starts with me being the quarterback of the offense and running things. This falls on my shoulders. It’s something I’ve got to learn from.”

Thompson, a redshirt sophomore, has started all four games for the Wildcats this season and was clearly the best quarterback on the team during nonconference play. Snyder publicly announced Thompson as the starter before K-State faced Texas-San Antonio, and Thompson responded by playing one of his most complete games. The Wildcats won easily 41-17.

Any whisper of a QB controversy seemed over. But that changed when Snyder informed Delton he was going in against West Virginia.

Thompson said that caught him off guard, and he seemed miffed about it afterward.

Delton apparently took advantage.

“I feel like I am always ready,” Delton said. “I take my preparation serious and I take my play serious, so I am always going to be ready. When I come in I expect to be successful.”

It remains unclear how K-State will handle its quarterbacks when it returns to the field against Texas next week, but odds are good Delton will see an expanded role, perhaps even as the starter. The way the Wildcats looked against the Mountaineers, Snyder said all options were on the table.

Delton ran all over Texas late in an overtime loss against the Longhorns last season, finishing with 79 yards and two touchdowns on 12 carries after coming on for an injured Jesse Ertz.

He might get another opportunity next week.