Kansas State quarterback Joe Hubener taking extreme measures to improve passing accuracy

At the end of every Kansas State football practice, receivers atone for their mistakes with exercise.

They assemble in front of assistant coach Andre Coleman as he reads off a list of each player that dropped a pass that day. Those mentioned stay late and perform up-downs. The more errors they commit, the longer they sweat.

Lately, they have been joined by a special guest: junior quarterback Joe Hubener.

The extra cardio is not required for quarterbacks. Still, Hubener requested to participate, asking Coleman to keep track of his poor throws during practice and dole out punishment afterward. Why? He wants to improve his completion percentage of 45.5, which ranks 122nd out of 126 qualified passers nationally, according to ESPN statistics.

“I just really need to focus on that,” Hubener said.

K-State’s offense would benefit greatly from a more accurate Hubener. The Cheney native has not thrown a touchdown since the start of Big 12 play, and he has tossed four interceptions. He was so ineffective against Oklahoma – 4 of 12 for 39 yards and two picks – that coach Bill Snyder pulled him from the game late in the second quarter in favor of receiver Kody Cook.

Hubener nearly threw another interception on K-State’s opening series and misfired on what should have been a touchdown pass to receiver Deante Burton the next time K-State had the ball. The Wildcats fell behind early and lost 55-0.

His confidence was shaken.

“It’s all right,” Hubener said Tuesday. “During the game it was pretty low. I mean, that was embarrassing and that was rough, but you can’t dwell on that. You have to put it behind you. We have shown that we can be successful, and I have shown that I can be successful. We just have to put it together. I have to forget about what happened Saturday and work on some things that will help me improve.”

Now is the time. He considers Saturday’s game at Texas a must-win.

“It’s crucial,” Hubener said. “We need a win for morale as much as anything. We can’t afford another loss, or I think spirits are going to go down.”

Snyder says Hubener will likely start against Texas. But the coaching staff will keep him on a short leash.

Hubener has a much stronger arm than Cook, but Cook can complete short passes, allowing K-State to utilize screens and misdirection. If Hubener continues to falter, Cook will replace him.

“The accuracy more than anything else,” Snyder said about what he wants his quarterbacks to improve, “making good decisions about where they are throwing the football, who they are throwing to and being accurate about their throws. I have seen them do it over and over and over and over again.

“The (fourth) throw of the (Oklahoma) game, our wide receiver has a chance to get in the end zone and we overthrow it. It’s not as though we are asking Joe to do something he can’t do, because he made the throw in practice.... We have to be more adept about it on game day.”

Hubener will be performing up-downs until that happens.

This story was originally published October 23, 2015 at 10:45 AM with the headline "Kansas State quarterback Joe Hubener taking extreme measures to improve passing accuracy."