What went wrong (and almost went right) on Kansas State’s latest fake field goal
Kansas State’s first fake field-goal attempt of the Chris Klieman era ended in failure last week. Wildcats holder Jack Blumer was tackled seven yards short of the first-down marker while trying to slip past Texas Tech defenders with a surprise run instead of a straight forward kick.
It left fans groaning.
At first glance, the fake lacked any element of surprise and robbed Blake Lynch of an opportunity to try a 44-yard field goal on the game’s opening drive. Many wondered why Klieman, a usually conservative coach, didn’t simply take the points, especially in favor of a fake run on fourth-and-10 from the Texas Tech 27.
But Klieman didn’t let any of that second-guessing bother him. So what if the fake didn’t work out? He thought it was a well-designed and well-executed play that was worth the gamble. He also thought it came oh-so close to resulting in a touchdown.
“We saw a look that we thought we could get it,” Klieman said. “We’d been practicing it for a while. It was there. I thought Jack did a phenomenal job of hitting it. We fell off a block or Jack goes to the end zone and scores.”
An in-depth look at the fake attempt reveals that K-State coaches did their homework on Texas Tech’s special teams unit and saw an opportunity to pick up a first down after their offense stalled just shy of the red zone.
The Red Raiders brought pressure with four defenders on the edges against that field goal formation, leaving the middle of the field open for a big run if the Wildcats could get Blumer past the line of scrimmage.
And it seemed like that might happen when K-State opened up a big hole for him.
When Blumer received the long snap and sprinted to his left, a running lane opened up with three K-State blockers forcing three Texas Tech defenders to the left and every other player in purple blocking to the right. The potential for a big play was definitely there.
“The execution part of it was great,” Klieman said. “We missed one block, and actually we had him blocked and he fell off and made a good play on it, or Jack walks into the end zone.”
That last part is debatable, as a few Texas Tech players were close enough to the hole to catch Blumer from behind. Still, Blumer had a path to a first down, at the least.
So what went wrong?
As Klieman mentioned, a Texas Tech defensive lineman blew up the play. Initially, it looked like K-State offensive lineman Ben Adler had Jaylon Hutchings sealed off from the running lane, but Hutchings made an excellent move that allowed him to retreat and tackle Blumer after a short gain.
This play was a good example of a coaching staff getting a look it liked and calling a play that had an opportunity for success. It just didn’t work out.
That happens.
Still, it did seem like an odd time to pull out a fake field goal. Ten yards is a long way for a holder to run, even when the defense isn’t expecting it. Perhaps a pass would have worked out better? Or maybe the Wildcats would have been better served saving this fake for a fourth-and-two instead of a fourth-and-10.
Then again, maybe that’s what made it a good time to try a fake.
Klieman thinks it was the correct decision several days later.
“It was also against the wind,” Klieman said. “Even though I have so much confidence in Blake, I thought it was the right time, and I know Texas Tech brought pressure all the time with their kicks. Coach (Conor) Riley, who runs that unit, and I both thought if we were going to do it, let’s do it early in the game and maybe try to ease some of that pressure.”