Why Kansas State quarterback Skylar Thompson is suddenly throwing for so many yards
When Kansas State surprisingly struggled to run the football against Texas Tech last week, Chris Klieman pulled quarterback Skylar Thompson aside at halftime and told him the Wildcats were about to make a big adjustment.
“We’re going to put the game on your shoulders,” Klieman said.
In other words, K-State was preparing to throw the ball a ton in the second half. The Wildcats trailed 24-10 and the game plan they entered the day with wasn’t getting them anywhere. If they were going to win, they needed to move the ball through the air. Their comeback hopes were going to rely on the accuracy of Thompson’s right arm.
That is a lot of pressure to place on any player, but Thompson didn’t blink.
“He looked at me,” Klieman said, “and said, ‘Let’s go. Let’s do it.’”
In hindsight, the only peculiar thing about that conversation is why it didn’t happen before kickoff. Thompson accepted the challenge head on and responded with one of the finest passing efforts of his K-State career. The senior quarterback completed 24 of 30 passes for 306 yards and a touchdown while leading the Wildcats to an improbable 25-24 victory.
The most impressive part of that stat line is how it happened. Thompson completed passes to a whopping 11 different receivers (K-State found errors in his original stats on Wednesday) and moved his team without scrambling outside of the pocket and gaining yards with his legs.
Those days might be over for Thompson.
“Everybody knows they may get the ball at any point in time,” Thompson said. “I think that gives them the confidence and encouragement to win routes, because they can get the ball thrown to them at any time. It’s big time for us, and I think it makes us harder to defend whenever we have so many guys that can catch the football and make a play.”
Thompson has expanded K-State’s offense by playing like a new quarterback since recovering from a knee injury earlier this season. He is staying in the pocket now, going through his progressions and dumping the ball off to playmakers like K-State running back Deuce Vaughn when his primary receivers aren’t open down field.
He still scrambles when there is no other choice, but he hasn’t rushed for positive yardage since the season opener against Stanford. K-State also no longer uses him as a goal-line runner.
There is no arguing with the results. Thompson has thrown for 832 yards in his past three games, twice clearing the 300 mark. It’s the best stretch of his career.
“The game just feels really slow for me right now,” Thompson said. “I’m seeing things very well and understanding what defenses are trying to do and then how to attack that. Coach (Courtney) Messingham and myself and Coach (Collin) Klein have all been on the same page of how we can exploit that and be successful in helping our team win football games. It was awesome to see that take place this past weekend and lead to a win.”
Klieman has noticed Thompson’s maturation most on the sideline between plays. He is starting to talk about the game like an extra coach.
And he has learned how to win games with his arm.
“He’s such an accurate thrower and even out of tough platforms or under duress, he finds a way to either step up or slide out and put the ball in a position where kids can make plays,” Klieman said. “I’m excited about where he’s at. I know he’s excited about how he’s playing, and there’s going to be games like we had last Saturday where we have to put it in his hands.”
This story was originally published October 27, 2021 at 2:03 PM.