K-State QB Will Howard predicted his TD pass to Daniel Imatorbhebhe a week in advance
Courtney Messingham is the type of offensive coordinator who likes to script plays for the opening drive of football games.
That means Kansas State players typically know the exact order of his early calls well in advance, sometimes as many as five days before kickoff.
Will Howard fell in love with one of those plays about a week before the Wildcats took the field against Nevada on Saturday. He couldn’t wait for Messingham to dial up a pass to senior tight end Daniel Imatorbhebhe that was designed for him to run a short route and find open space near the sideline.
Why? He had a slight modification in mind if the Wolf Pack showed a particular defensive look, and he thought it would lead to an explosive play.
“We started talking about that on Tuesday,” Imatorbhebhe said. “By Thursday, Will was saying, ‘I’ve got a really good feeling about our second play of the game. I think we are going to score.’ I was like, ‘All right, bro. Let’s do it.’”
Sure enough, Howard connected with Imatorbhebhe for a 68-yard touchdown pass on K-State’s second play from scrimmage.
The play unfolded exactly how Howard predicted it would.
Nevada showed a defensive look that featured five defensive backs spread across the field and a gap between the safeties in the middle. He expected some of those defenders to close in on Imatorbhebhe as soon as he cut toward the sideline, creating acres of running space between the hashes. So Howard signaled for him to run a stop-and-go route instead.
“That was next-level communication by a kid that is settling in and sees the field really well,” K-State football coach Chris Klieman said. “(Imatorbhebhe) was supposed to run an out-breaking cut and (Howard) changed it to an in-breaking cut, because he thought the safety was overplaying it, and he was.”
Imatorbhebhe carried out the assignment flawlessly.
The Illinois transfer baited defenders into thinking he was running a short route out of the slot, only to then sprint up field wide open on a post route.
“That was a play that we worked on all week in practice,” Howard said. “He made a real good play, stuck his foot in the ground and got open.”
Howard, who was well protected by K-State’s offensive line, spotted Imatorbhebhe and lobbed a pass down field. Imatorbhebhe did the rest by beating everyone to the end zone.
“Will called it,” Imatorbhebhe said. “I saw him (on Friday) at the hotel and he said, ‘I’m telling you, we are going to score. It was a lot of fun to see that play come full circle.”
Few outside of K-State’s offensive huddle saw it coming.
The Wildcats have not been an impressive passing team of late, and they were playing without starting quarterback Skylar Thompson. It was K-State’s first passing touchdown of the season and the team’s longest passing play since Howard connected with Deuce Vaughn on a 70-yard score last year against Texas Tech.
They needed it. K-State quarterbacks only attempted 13 passes and threw for 129 yards in the entire game. The Wildcats got more than half their air production in one play.
“When you’re able to score real quick like that in front of 50,000 people and they’re all going nuts,” Howard said, “it really takes the air out of that other sideline and pumps you up.”
Howard soaked up the moment and later said it was the most fun he’s ever had on a football field.
Who could blame him. He saw it all coming.
This story was originally published September 21, 2021 at 5:00 AM.