Why Kansas State Wildcats still have ‘full confidence’ in struggling QB Will Howard
Just in case there’s any doubt surrounding the topic, Kansas State football coach Chris Klieman is making it abundantly clear that Will Howard is still the team’s unquestioned starting quarterback.
“We believe in Will,” Klieman said during his weekly news conference on Tuesday. “Let’s not forget that he helped us win a Big 12 championship. So we are not going to give up on him like I think people want us to.”
Howard has received a large amount of criticism with the Wildcats off to a 3-2 start this season. The junior quarterback has not been as sharp as he was a year ago when he guided K-State to 10 victories and a conference title. So far, he has completed 61.3% of his passes for 1,224 yards and nine touchdowns, but he has also thrown seven interceptions. No quarterback in the Big 12 has committed more turnovers.
That has made some fans question why freshman quarterback Avery Johnson hasn’t been used in at least a complementary role in either of K-State’s past two games.
Howard was at his worst on Friday when he tossed three interceptions, including a pick six, during a 29-21 loss at Oklahoma State. But his teammates consider that performance as nothing more than a hiccup and expect him to bounce back.
“We have 100% confidence in Will,” K-State receiver Seth Porter said. “ We told him at halftime on Friday and we told him after the game on Friday that there’s no one else we want to ride behind. I have full confidence in his ability to lead and in his ability to perform and throw touchdowns.”
To his credit, Howard has not tried to hide from his slow start to the 2023 season. In fact, he shouldered the blame for K-State’s loss at Oklahoma State.
He answered every question during a frustrating interview session with reporters immediately after the Oklahoma State loss and then faced the proverbial music again on Tuesday when he attended the team’s weekly media availability.
“That was the worst I have played since my freshman year, probably,” Howard said. “But I feel like up until that point I had been playing well. I don’t think I have been playing my best, but we could all say the same thing as a team. Nothing is changing drastically, but there is definitely a mindset switch to snap back to reality a little bit and focus more on the inside noise than the outside noise.”
Howard will have an opportunity to make up for a disappointing game at Oklahoma State when he leads K-State onto the field against Texas Tech on Saturday at AT&T Jones Stadium.
A road victory over the Red Raiders could get the Wildcats back on track.
No one understands that more than him. That’s why Howard wants to do a better job of reading the defense this weekend, while also playing confident and free.
Howard played with that balance last season. He hopes to find it once again this week.
His coach and his teammates still believe in him.
“He has got to take care of the ball better,” Klieman said.” I like him to be aggressive, but it can’t be to a point where he puts the team and the offense at risk. There were a couple of throws last week that he absolutely knows he can’t make. He hasn’t made them in the past. ... We will get this figured out.”
This story was originally published October 10, 2023 at 3:33 PM.