Final thoughts on Adrian Martinez, Collin Klein, special teams and a K-State shutout
Bill Snyder used to say he couldn’t properly analyze what happened in a Kansas State football game until after he watched it a second time.
“I will have to look at the film” was one of his favorite lines.
Well, he was right about that. Even though nothing beats watching a game live, you notice much more while viewing it on replay. With that in mind, I went back and took a closer look at Kansas State’s 34-0 home victory against South Dakota on Saturday night.
Here are some final thoughts on the game:
Adrian Martinez
- It was an underwhelming debut for starting quarterback Adrian Martinez. There is no other way to put it. Sure, the game plan may have been simply to run the ball, avoid turnovers and save the rest of the offensive playbook for Missouri in Game 2. Martinez didn’t have a ton of opportunities for highlights. But 53 yards on 11 of 15 passing leaves much to be desired. One could argue he was playing too cautiously. Even when given eight seconds to read through his progressions and find an open receiver, he mostly opted for check downs. He will need to take more chances. On the plus side, Martinez did look good as a runner and at one point escaped for a 17-yard gain. He also delivered a nice throw to Phillip Brooks on his lone downfield attempt. He put it where only his receiver could catch it, but Brooks was unable to reel it in.
Rest of the offense
- Collin Klein promised a faster pace on offense this season, and he delivered in his first game as K-State’s full-time coordinator. The Wildcats were rushing so quickly to the line of scrimmage between plays that the TV crew rarely had time to show replays. That will take some getting used to. Deuce Vaughn called it a “turbo” offense. K-State ran 64 plays against South Dakota. The Wildcats only ran more in two games last season. A few other comparisons to last season: zero turnovers (first), 79% completions (second), 6.6 yards per run (second), 6.1 yards per play (eighth) and 95 passing yards (12th).
- The Wildcats had one play they definitely wish they could have back. They kept their offense on the field for a fourth-and-long in the first half and failed to recognize South Dakota defensive back Myles Harden was blitzing. He sprinted untouched into the backfield and forced Martinez to fumble. KT Leveston scooped up the loose ball to avoid disaster, but it was still a turnover on downs. It was hard to tell who was at fault, the offensive line for not picking up the blitz or K-State receivers for not blocking him.
- Tight end Will Swanson led K-State with 23 receiving yards on Saturday. That is an encouraging stat for the up-and-coming sophomore. Not so much for the rest of K-State’s pass-catchers. Kade Warner led the team with four targets. Both Malik Knowles and Warner led the way with three catches. Brooks was only targeted once and didn’t catch a pass. That needs to change.
- The Wildcats have some athletic offensive linemen. Center Hayden Gillum and guard Cooper Beebe both had great moments as pulling blockers in which they got 20 yards up field and served as lead blockers on a pair of long runs from Vaughn.
- Jake Rubley had some nice moments in the fourth quarter. Fans have been eager to watch the former four-star recruit in a live game since he signed with the Wildcats and he showed promise, albeit in mop-up duty. He completed all four his passes for 42 yards and had one excellent throw to Swanson for 18 yards. It also seemed like he knew when to give up on a play and run. Not bad for a redshirt freshman.
Defense
- Austin Moore might have been the best linebacker on the field. The junior from Louisburg led the Wildcats with five tackles and always seemed to be somewhere around the ball. Little was expected from the former walk-on before coaches and teammates started raving about him in preseason camp. They were ahead of the curve. He looks every bit as good as Cody Fletcher did playing next to Daniel Green last season.
- Junior-college transfer Kobe Savage was asked a simple question following the game on Saturday. I take it you like to hit people? His response: “I love it. I love contact. It’s my favorite thing.” No kidding. Savage had an impressive debut at strong safety, finishing with two tackles that included one for loss. They were both crowd-pleasing stops, especially the first one. He sent South Dakota receiver Javion Phelps flying out of bounds.
Who is Nickendre Stiger? Good question. You won’t find him anywhere within the K-State media guide, but he made his way onto the field and recorded a tackle for the Wildcats as a reserve safety. Stiger was a late addition to the roster. Klieman said he didn’t arrive on campus until July. But he has clearly impressed since then. Stiger played for Wichita East in high school and then spent the past two seasons at Butler Community College.
Special teams
- The Wildcats would like better accuracy from their kicker. Sophomore Chris Tennant missed an extra point and failed to connect on a 43-yard field goal in the season-opener. The Mill Valley product has missed at least one field goal in four of his past five games dating back to last season. He is 5 of 9 for his career.
This story was originally published September 5, 2022 at 10:19 AM.
Kellis Robinett
The Wichita Eagle