Grades from K-State’s loss to Navy at Liberty Bowl and a look ahead to next season
The Kansas State Wildcats ended the 2019 season on a low note with a 20-17 loss against the Navy Midshipmen on Tuesday at the Liberty Bowl.
Here is a look back at the game with grades, as well as a look ahead to next season under coach Chris Klieman.
Player of the game
Navy quarterback Malcolm Perry is the obvious choice. He rushed for 213 yards on 28 carries and kept the Wildcats guessing all game long.
But K-State linebacker Elijah Sullivan deserved to win team MVP honors on defense. The junior had a game-high 11 tackles and made several bone-crushing hits that kept the Wildcats in the game until the final seconds.
Play of the game
If you watched the Liberty Bowl, you know all about the game’s biggest play. It came near midfield with less than 30 seconds remaining and the score tied. Perry pitched the ball to running back CJ Williams, and he threw down field to Chance Warren for 41 yards.
No one saw the trick play coming and it won the game for Navy.
Stat of the game
The third quarter was not kind to the Wildcats. They ran seven plays and lost 11 yards while only possessing the ball for one drive. Navy pulled ahead 17-10 and took control of the game before the fourth quarter.
Quote to note
“I thought our defense played really well. If you were to ask Coach Niumatalolo that two of the plays they would basically score on would be trick plays, I think he would be surprised too. Our guys played their tails off on defense and that team is putting up almost 50 points on everybody. We held them to 20, but just gave up a couple of plays.” — Chris Klieman.
Grades
Offense: F. It would be interesting to see how much differently things could have turned out had Phillip Brooks or Jordon Brown caught potential touchdown passes on the opening drive. Instead of taking a 7-0 lead, the Wildcats turned the ball over on downs and fell behind 3-0. K-State went on to gain just 170 yards and only found the end zone once on offense.
Defense: B. The Wildcats held the Midshipmen well below their scoring average and did an excellent job against Navy’s traditional option plays. They were hurt most by trick plays and quarterback scrambles. Elijah Sullivan was impressive. Navy finished with 421 yards and 20 points.
Special Teams: A. K-State was dominant on special teams and almost won this game because of it. Phillip Brooks returned a punt 66 yards for a touchdown, Devin Anctil had a 64-yard punt and Blake Lynch connected on a difficult field goal.
Coaching: C. Chris Klieman and his coaching staff did a nice job preparing K-State’s defense for Navy’s option offense, but the Wildcats looked out of sorts on offense and completely unprepared for trick plays. Navy definitely won the coaching battle.
Next up
K-State football fans should feel good about what next season might bring.
Chris Klieman led the Wildcats to eight victories in his first season with the Wildcats, including a memorable victory over Oklahoma. He is off to an encouraging start in Manhattan.
Skylar Thompson will be back as a senior quarterback. Elijah Sullivan will return as a senior linebacker. And young players like Joshua Youngblood, Malik Knowles, Jacardia Wright and Wayne Jones should be better next season.
That is a strong core to build around.
But there is some uncertainty on the roster. K-State is set to lose five senior starters on the offensive line, and the Wildcats don’t have any obvious replacements at either tackle position. Replacing James Gilbert and Jordon Brown at running back could also be difficult. The same goes for Trey Dishon and Jordan Mittie at defensive tackle.
How Klieman replaces those positions may determine how well the Wildcats perform next season. He has a good recruiting class coming in, which should help. And K-State will play a favorable schedule that reminds some of the slate Baylor faced this season.
K-State should be picked much higher in the Big 12 preseason poll than it was this year when it was selected ninth.