K-State used two quarterbacks against TCU ... and its offense has never looked better
Kansas State offensive coordinator Collin Klein deployed one of the strangest quarterback rotations you will ever see during a 41-3 victory over TCU on Saturday at Bill Snyder Family Stadium.
The game began with Will Howard handing the ball off to Avery Johnson (wait, what?) on a jet sweep. Then Johnson left the field and watched as Howard led the Wildcats to a 75-yard touchdown drive. But Johnson took over as quarterback on the next series and he engineered a 73-yard scoring drive.
Next thing you knew, Howard was back in the game. Then it was Johnson. Back and forth they went in a never-ending rotation that saw them split QB duties evenly without ever playing on consecutive drives.
It was such an odd setup, that Howard compared it to one of his earliest football memories.
“The last time I did that,” Howard said, “was (junior-varsity) high school football my freshman year.”
Still, it was hard for him or anyone else to complain about the results that bizarre QB plan yielded against the Horned Frogs. The strategy worked better than Klein drew it up, as the Wildcats steamrolled their way to 41 points and 587 yards on 78 plays.
K-State was so efficient that it averaged 7.5 yards per play (compared to 4.6 for TCU) and 4.55 points per drive (compared to almost zero for TCU).
The Wildcats were at their best in the first half as they gained a whopping 406 yards. Would you believe they felt like they should have had more?
“We left stuff out there,” Howard said. “Honestly, I think that one drive that I was in when we stalled out on we had a couple of plays that went awry. It wasn’t perfect, but it was really good.”
Howard completed 10 of 16 passes for 154 yards and three touchdowns without making a single notable mistake. He also rushed for 62 yards on four carries. You could say he redeemed himself for some of his previous struggles.
“Will Howard is our unquestioned leader on this football team,” head coach Chris Klieman said. “It was hard on Will, but he is the lifeblood of our offense and that kid is still a captain and still a guy who hoisted a Big 12 championship trophy and he’s a dang good football player. I love the kid, because he just went back to work.”
Johnson rushed for 73 yards on 16 carries. He also completed five of 10 passes for 90 yards and a score. There is no slowing his hype train, but the Horned Frogs did make him look mortal on a few plays in the second half.
Perhaps he can use that as a learning tool moving forward.
For those scoring at home, the K-State offense was better with Howard. The veteran led the Wildcats on four touchdown drives and moved them 51 yards before turning the ball over on downs the lone time he failed to score. Johnson guided the Wildcats on one touchdown drive. His other three opportunities ended with two field goals and a punt.
But both were effective.
“We had a hard time defending the run game,” TCU coach Sonny Dykes said. “That’s something, obviously, that we’ve got to get fixed. It was bad performance. We never slowed them down. They could have scored as many points as they needed to to beat us.”
Head football coach Chris Klieman said he had “a hunch” that rotating Howard and Johnson was the right move.
“I don’t want to make any more of it than what it is,” Klieman said. “We had some things on the card that we thought both guys could do really well. I thought Will ran the ball well the first few series and I thought Avery threw two dimes to Jayce Brown. That’s the thing. They both can do both. I think some of the thought was one is a thrower and one is a runner. Well, they’re both really good quarterbacks.”
Turns out, Klieman knew exactly how to handle them.
As Howard and Johnson rotated in and out of the lineup, they piled up impressive numbers almost as if they were motivated to one up the other.
Many were skeptical that K-State could be successful playing two quarterbacks. There is a reason why most teams do everything they can to avoid controversy at the position. But that doesn’t seem to be an issue for this squad. Not only can they win with two quarterbacks, it appears that they thrive with them.
“I would say it’s different just because I’ve never done it before,” Johnson said. “But I wouldn’t say it’s weird in any way. I have 100% confidence in Will and I’m sure he has 100% confidence in me and (Klein) has confidence in both of us. So, at the end of the day, I don’t really care how it gets done as long as we come out as the winner.”
Six different K-State players caught a pass on Saturday. Nine different K-State players logged a rushing attempt, with four topping 60 yards on the ground.
They weren’t complaining about the QB system.
“Right now other teams have to prepare for both Will and Avery,” K-State running back Treshaun Ward said. “Will did his thing today. Avery did his thing today. We just have to keep that going.”
It is unclear if K-State will use a similar QB rotation in future games. Based on this result, it would seem wise for the Wildcats to give Howard more snaps. But that is a debate for another day.
For now, there is no questioning it.
“Is that what we want to do all season? I don’t know. I don’t think so,” Klieman said. “But, like last week, it worked. It really worked.”
This story was originally published October 22, 2023 at 12:20 AM.