Five observations from Kansas State Wildcats football practice ahead of Sugar Bowl
The Kansas State football team held its third Sugar Bowl practice of the week inside the Superdome on Wednesday.
This workout was different than the others on its schedule, because media were allowed to watch portions of it. Chris Klieman and the Wildcats didn’t treat reporters to a sampling of trick plays, but I still walked away from the practice with a few notable observations to pass along.
Here is what caught my eye at K-State football practice:
Adrian Martinez appears ready to play QB in some role
K-State fans haven’t seen Adrian Martinez in full uniform since he suffered a lower-body injury more than a month ago against Baylor.
But that will change when the Wildcats take the field against Alabama at 11 a.m. on Saturday in the Sugar Bowl.
Martinez was a full participant at practice on Wednesday and took reps behind Will Howard, signifying he will likely serve as his backup this weekend. He threw good passes to running backs and receivers. He also moved around well during warmups. The only question with Martinez is how mobile he will be as a runner. He was wearing a wrap on his right ankle and never showed off his top speed at this practice.
Still, Klieman has indicated that he would like to use Martinez in some way against Alabama if he is healthy. That could mean anything from a wildcat package to trick plays or full drives.
At the very least, it looks like he will be available.
Malik Knowles also back at practice
Some more good news for K-State on offense: They will have their leading receiver on Saturday.
Malik Knowles was unable to finish the Big 12 championship game against TCU after suffering some sort of injury in the first half of that game. He spent the second half watching from the sideline in sweat pants. His status for the Sugar Bowl was somewhat in doubt early on during postseason practice. But it appears as though he is healthy.
Knowles ran crisp routes and sprinted at full speed Wednesday. The only change with him is that he was wearing a brace on his right knee. Perhaps that was the result of his injury earlier this month.
Ekow Boye-Doe nearing full strength
The biggest question mark of all from a health standpoint heading into this game was probably on defense.
Would starting cornerback Ekow-Boye Doe be healthy enough to play against Alabama? The answer also appears to be yes. The senior defender has been practicing all week and he looked ready to go Wednesday.
Defensive coordinator Joe Klanderman has also said fans can expect Boye-Doe to play after suffering an injury against TCU during the Big 12 championship game.
“Ekow practiced yesterday,” Klanderman said. “He practiced on Monday, also. He seems to be not showing any ill effects of anything. I think he’s good to go.”
‘The Pit’
When K-State players are too injured to take the field for practice, they are still required to work hard, just like their teammates.
Injured players spend their time off to the side during practice in an area that is affectionately referred to as “The Pit.”
What does that look like? We got a glimpse on Wednesday. Kobe Savage and some of his teammates spent time pumping their legs on a stationary bike. Other injured players ran up and down the stairs of the Superdome behind them. They built up a sweat. It was far from a day off for them.
Speaking of Savage, it looks like he is recovering nicely from his season-ending injury. The same goes for offensive lineman Taylor Poitier.
The Superdome is a big place
K-State has plenty of experience playing inside a large, domed stadium.
The Wildcats opened the 2021 season inside AT&T Stadium in Arlington, Texas with a victory over Stanford. And they finished this year’s regular season at the same place, beating TCU. In between, they defeated LSU at the Texas Bowl inside NRG Stadium in Houston.
Perhaps that will prepare them for another indoors game against Alabama.
But the Superdome feels more cavernous than either of the NFL stadiums in Texas. Unlike Jerry World, there’s no massive video board hanging over the field in New Orleans. Nor are there windows that allow in outside light, or a roof that opens and closes on demand.
It’s just a big stadium where teams can play football.