Texas loss shows why Bill Snyder should end QB controversy and trust Skylar Thompson
After watching Kansas State accomplish nothing on offense with Alex Delton and then roar to life when he was replaced by Skylar Thompson during a 19-14 loss to Texas on Saturday, coach Bill Snyder was asked if he regretted waiting until the third quarter to change quarterbacks.
His answer: “No.”
If you thought the Wildcats’ QB drama couldn’t get any more bizarre than it already was, well, think again. Snyder chose to start Delton against the Longhorns even though Thompson has been K-State’s best quarterback this season. He’s thrown better passes, shown superior pocket awareness and engineered more touchdown drives.
Then he went out and lapped Delton against Texas. But Snyder wouldn’t admit it.
“In all reality,” Snyder said, “who starts probably does not impact the ballgame.”
Really?
K-State plodded its way to 64 yards and no points with Delton leading the way in the first half. Yes, he was victimized by an ugly drop in the end zone from fullback Adam Harter on the final play of the second quarter. But that came on fourth-and-goal from the 2. If the Wildcats score on their first three chances from inside the 6, that play never happens.
He completed 3 of 7 passes for 14 yards and ran for 27 yards on 16 carries. He also was tackled for a safety. For Delton, it was a day to forget. Texas led 19-0 at halftime.
Everything changed when Thompson took over in the third quarter. He completed 8 of 18 passes for 96 yards and also scored on a touchdown run of seven yards. He gave the Wildcats life by engineering an 82-yard touchdown drive on the opening series of the second half. Later, he marched them 70 yards to pull K-State within a single score.
K-State’s defense fed off those points and gave Thompson an opportunity to take the lead midway through the fourth quarter, down 19-14. The Wildcats went three-and-out, and the Longhorns never gave the ball back again. Thompson’s comeback attempt fell short.
But it’s fair to wonder what might have happened if K-State used its best quarterback for the entire game instead of only half of it.
“It definitely hurts, I think, from a rhythm standpoint having two guys back there and always having to alternate like that,” receiver Dalton Schoen said. “But we rep with both of them all offseason and all the time in practice. It’s not something we aren’t used to.”
Neither Delton nor Thompson spoke with media following the game, but one former player was highly critical of Snyder on social media.
Travis Tannahill, a tight end who helped the Wildcats win a Big 12 championship in 2012, wrote the following on Twitter: “Coach Snyder tried really hard to play Samuel Lamur over Collin Klein in 2011. Maybe he’s just a bad judge of QB talent.”
Now seems like the time for Snyder to commit to Thompson as the team’s starting quarterback. That doesn’t mean Delton has to spend the rest of the season on the bench. The Wildcats can find creative ways to get him on the field and use his mobility in certain situations. But Thompson has proven himself as QB1.
Texas loaded defenders in the box and stopped Delton in his tracks every time he tried a QB keeper on Saturday. Baylor, the next team on the schedule, is likely to do the same if Delton continues to lead the offense.
The choice seems simple. But Snyder is complicating matters.
“Some of you don’t want to hear what I am saying. Both quarterbacks are going to play,” Snyder said. “Both of them have an impact on the capabilities of our offensive football team and both of them will get on the field. How much and what situations always remains to be seen. I haven’t looked at the next opponent yet. When we do we will define that. But, yes, both of them are going to play.”
A quarterback change wasn’t the answer K-State was looking for against Texas.
Now is the time for the Wildcats to roll with Thompson. They would be better off trusting in their best passer than creating a quarterback controversy that isn’t there.
This story was originally published September 29, 2018 at 7:40 PM.