K-State Q&A: How the Wildcats can upset OU ... again. Plus QBs, rushing woes and more
Somebody asked me recently about my biggest takeaway from Kansas State’s first football game of the coronavirus era, and after thinking about that question for a while all I can really say is that we are in for a wacky season.
That was one of the strangest games I have ever covered. Everything from making the drive from my house to the game in less than five minutes to asking Chirs Klieman questions over a Zoom call from the press box was way different than usual.
There was enough crowd noise to make the atmosphere feel close to normal. But the game itself was very strange.
K-State had 30-40 players watching the game from the sideline in matching sweats as if they were yell leaders. D.J. Render usually plays defensive back but changed positions and played 20 snaps at receiver. Noah Johnson, the starting center went down in the first quarter.
Both of K-State’s starting safeties, Wayne Jones and Jahron McPherson, were unable to finish the game. Skylar Thompson missed throws most expected him to put right on the money.
And then there was Arkansas State, pulling off three trick plays and throwing the ball to Jonathan Adams like he was Terrell Owens.
This season is going to be about survival as much as it is going to be about talent, coaching, X’s and O’s, home-field advantage or any other reason you can think of that normally helps a team win football games.
Elsewhere around the country, games are getting canceled and postponed at a startling pace. Poor Houston hasn’t played a game yet, and the Cougars are in a conference that is allowing its teams to line up a full schedule.
Though I expect K-State and Oklahoma to play as originally scheduled at 11 a.m. on Saturday, I’m waiting until both teams undergo COVID tests on Friday and confirm the game is on to start making the drive south to Norman or book a hotel. Sadly, that is probably how things are going to go all season. I guess it’s time to get used to a new normal.
Now, let’s dive into your questions. Thank you, as always, for providing them.
It’s time for another K-State Q&A!
This question makes me think back to the classic Simpsons episode when Moe Szyslak tells Homer Simpson, who is hilariously about to fight Drederick Tatum for the Boxing Heavy Weight Title, that he can win the match as long as he can visualize himself doing it.
So Homer imagines himself raising his right hand in triumph when Tatum is unable to step into the ring because of a heart issue.
Let’s just say none of K-State’s coaches will cry if a handful of key OU players are ruled inactive for this game at the last possible moment.
I share that story mostly as a joke. Kansas State upset Oklahoma 48-41 last season in Manhattan as a huge underdog, so never say never. The Sooners are 27 1/2-point favorites this time around, and I’m not predicting an upset, but the Wildcats still have a much better shot against them than Homer did against Tatum.
If K-State can find some success running the ball and force Oklahoma to play the game at a slow pace, its chances of victory will go up exponentially. The Sooners don’t like playing that style. Problem is, the Wildcats only rushed for 91 yards two weeks ago ... against Arkansas State.
The Wildcats will also need to win the turnover battle and probably get a score on special teams to pull off the road upset.
It’s happened before. Remember, K-State has won three of its last eight against Oklahoma. That’s better than any other team in the Big 12, by the way.
Eliminating quick-strike touchdowns will also be of vital importance. The Wildcats have fallen for trick plays and struggled to defend imposing receivers of late. You can bet the Sooners will take some shots in this one.
K-State will be missing some players on defense, and that will probably make Oklahoma even more aggressive than usual on offense.
A good game from Skylar Thompson will also be needed. If a big play presents itself, he will need to take advantage for K-State to remain competitive against the best team on its schedule.
In short, K-State will need to play very well. Oklahoma playing poorly would also help.
Yes, I know it was a very small sample size, but I liked what I saw out of Will Howard in his first game. Do you think it’s a good idea for Kansas State to keep playing him a little bit every week? - Jeff M. via -email.
I have gone back and forth on this all week.
Skylar Thompson plays his best football when he isn’t worried about competition at the quarterback position. He has spoken at length about how much he despised splitting time with Alex Delton and seemed somewhat relieved last season when John Holcombe announced he was transferring. So maybe it’s not the best idea to give Will Howard a few snaps each game.
Then again, Thompson is a fifth-year senior now, and I think he realizes the future benefits of getting Howard on the field every now and then. Perhaps he wouldn’t feel slighted by sharing the occasional snap. Maybe it could work out well like Chris Leak and Tim Tebow or Brad Smith and Chase Daniel.
As long as K-State coaches do it in the right way, I think it’s a decent idea.
Problem is, Howard isn’t a running specialist that K-State can create a wildcat formation package around. He’s an all-around quarterback that coaches are very high on. So how do you decide when to play Howard?
The Wildcats used him for two plays against Arkansas State because Thompson was a little banged up and they wanted to give him a breather while they let another quarterback handle a running play. Then they left him in to complete a pass to Jax Dineen. Then Thompson returned to the field and finished out the game.
I suspect we will see Howard for at least a few plays against Oklahoma, given that he handled a larger role in practice last week while Thompson recovered from some aches and pains.
Klieman also told a story on his radio show about he decided to let Trey Lance play behind Easton Stick for three games when he was a freshman at North Dakota and that was enough to tell him he was going to be a special player.
If handled correctly, playing Howard a little more here certainly could be a positive for the Wildcats.
Probably not.
I hesitate to come right out and say “no,” simply because I’ve never been a savant at breaking down offensive line play. There could have been worse games up front over the past decade, but it would take a trained eye to spot it.
The numbers suggest it was a miserable game, as K-State rushed for 91 yards and the offensive line allowed four QB hurries and two sacks.
It was also hard to watch Harry Trotter repeatedly get swarmed at the line of scrimmage for no gain. As offensive coordinator Courtney Messingham said Thursday, it’s never good to see “running backs try to make a defender miss in the backfield instead of three or four yards past the line of scrimmage.”
Both tackle positions are a big problem, and K-State will go through some growing pains there this season.
That being said, I think it’s too early to judge K-State’s offensive line. The starting unit only played three snaps together against Arkansas State because Noah Johnson went down with an injury.
Left guard Josh Rivas was the only player that appeared to stay in the same spot all game. We saw Ben Adler, Hayden Gillum and Johnson at center. We saw Adler and Johnson at right guard. We saw Kaitori Leveston, Cooper Beebe and others at both tackle spots.
Christian Duffie also wasn’t out there.
Replacing five seniors up front is never easy. It’s possible some experience and continuity will help the situation. Messingham said Johnson should return to the starting lineup on Saturday, which is huge.
Let’s put it this way: Offensive line was a problem for K-State in Game 1, but it doesn’t have to be a problem all season.
Hey again, Kellis! Klieman said Kansas State gained 12 players and lost 10 players this week. Can you please provide another injury report (or maybe I should call it a COVID report?) for the Oklahoma game? - Andrew B. via e-mail.
Most of the good news (players returning to the active roster) came at wide receiver. After missing the Arkansas State game, I fully expect Joshua Youngblood, Wykeen Gill, Landry Weber and a few others to play against Oklahoma.
I’m also hopeful that Christian Duffie will be available to help the offensive line and Khalid Duke will make his debut on the defensive line. But that remains up in the air.
The best news of all, from a K-State perspective, is that it sounds like Noah Johnson and Jahron McPherson will play.
But there are also a few players I’m not expecting to see on Saturday.
The biggest name I would list as doubtful is starting running back Harry Trotter. Messingham said he expects to get Tyler Burns and Jacardia Wright more involved at running back this week, and I think that is because Trotter is unavailable.
I will also be surprised if Wayne Jones, Nick Lenners, Eli Huggins, Logan Long and Ryan Henington see any action.
This is far from a complete injury report. I believe K-State is dealing with losses at defensive back and up front on the defensive line.
We might see some new faces on defense this weekend.
Let’s handle this answer rapid-answer style:
What are the odds K-State and Oklahoma play on Saturday?
Maybe 75%. K-State and Oklahoma have both cleared the first two testing hurdles this week. If their Friday tests go well, the game will be played.
Who needs to stand out against Oklahoma?
Skylar Thompson. He played brilliantly against the Sooners last season (213 passing yards and four rushing touchdowns) and that’s a big reason why the Wildcats won the game.
What changes will they make on defense to slow Oklahoma down?
Maybe try more zone coverage to keep receivers in front of the secondary? Not sure on that one.
Who steps up on defense?
Here’s hoping we get to see Khalid Duke for the first time.
Tempting as it may be to connect the dots between COVID numbers at Memphis, Arkansas State and Kansas State, I doubt any of those teams actually spread the virus to the others.
Football players are getting tested and contact traced more than anyone else on college campuses right now. Conferences are going to great lengths to make sure playing conditions are safe. It seems much more likely to me that players on those teams picked up COVID off the football field rather than on it.
Not saying there’s no way that could have happened. But there are many other possibilities.
Remember, K-State was down nearly 40 players before the Arkansas State game.
For those just tuning in, let’s recap the connection between these three teams.
- Memphis opened the season with a home victory against Arkansas State and then had to postpone a game against Houston because of a coronavirus outbreak on its roster after several of its players reportedly celebrated the ASU win by hopping on a party bus.
- Arkansas State bounced back from its Memphis loss by beating K-State and then had to postpone its next two games against Central Arkansas and Tulsa because a COVID outbreak decimated a key position on their roster.
- Kansas State lost 10 players due to positive tests and contact tracing following its loss to Arkansas State, according to Chris Klieman, and is flirting with the Big 12’s threshold numbers at one position. But the Wildcats haven’t postponed any games and should play the Sooners on Saturday as originally scheduled if testing goes well for both teams on Friday.
Close to one out of every five college football games have already been canceled or postponed this season. Making it to kickoff has been difficult for everyone.
This is always a tricky question for me to answer, because part of my brain focuses on the student-athletes that impressed me most on the field and another part of my brain focuses on the student-athletes that helped me out the most in the interview room.
To make things simpler, let’s just go ahead and break it down into two categories for both sports.
Favorite football stars: Arthur Brown, Jake Waters, Tyler Lockett, Daniel Thomas, Collin Klein.
Favorite football quotes: Curry Sexton, Chris Harper, B.J. Finney, Ryan Mueller, Alex Barnes.
Favorite basketball stars: Jacob Pullen, Wesley Iwundu, Rodney McGruder.
Favorite basketball quotes: Shane Southwell, Jamar Samuels, Victor Ojeleye.
Now that I have listed all those players, the two that stand out most are probably Finney and Iwundu.
Finney was a stand-up guy that never turned down an interview and invited me to his draft party, which turned out to be a great story even though he went undrafted. He also helped the Wildcats win a Big 12 championship in 2012.
Iwundu called me the day he committed to Bruce Weber and could barely speak he was so excited. By the end of his college career, he personally thanked me for covering K-State’s road games when few others did. I always appreciated that. He was also pretty good at basketball.
Drinking pumpkin beer in the fall is like setting off fireworks in the summer.
There’s something wrong with you if you don’t enjoy both.
I sadly didn’t discover pumpkin beer until my mid 30s, so I have only been drinking it for a few years. But I’m trying my best to make up for lost time. If you take a peak in my beer fridge right now, you will find a large assortment of pumpkin-flavored ales and Octoberfest beers that are perfect for this time of year.
Seemed strange to see them arrive on the shelves in July, but that didn’t stop me from stock-piling them. The sad thing about fall beer is if you wait until the fall arrives to buy them they can be difficult to find.
I’m always willing to try a new one, so it’s been fun to see all sorts of pumpkin brews popping up on social media. Everyone should join in.
I’ve done a little digging on this topic.
From what I understand, K-State will mix and match its uniform combinations throughout the season and possibly create some new looks like we saw last year with white pants and white helmets.
Depending on how big of a uniform nerd you are, the Wildcats modified their uniforms ever so slightly this season by wearing a different shade of purple.
Klieman said on his radio show that he planned to take a trip to Nike headquarters with athletic director Gene Taylor back in the fall to take a look at some new uniform concepts, but when that trip fell through because of the coronavirus pandemic new uniforms were lost with them.
So don’t expect a completely new uniform like we see other schools show off each season any time soon. Keep your fingers crossed for 2021.
This story was originally published September 25, 2020 at 5:00 AM.