Chris Klieman’s recruiting chops on display as newcomers lead K-State past Texas Tech
In order to properly put Kansas State’s 31-21 victory over Texas Tech into perspective, you must first consider what Will Howard, Briley Moore and Deuce Vaughn were doing at this time last year.
None of them were living in Manhattan. Two of them were in high school. And the other was sitting out with an injury at Northern Iowa, a FCS school.
It seemed improbable that they would become teammates a few months later with the Wildcats, let alone make game-breaking plays immediately after arriving on campus. And yet, that is exactly what K-State’s top three newcomers have done this season.
“The freshman class has been huge,” senior linebacker Elijah Sullivan said. “From (Keyon) Mozee to Deuce to Will Howard stepping up today to T.J. Smith, it is a true testament to our team. We have that next-man-up mentality. When you come in you have to do your job and do it to the best of your ability. All these new guys and those freshmen have stepped up and (excelled) in their role really well. I am proud of every one of them to come in and do their thing and show their talents.”
They were at their best with the game on the line against the Red Raiders.
That was surprising given that K-State coughed up a 14-0 halftime lead after starting quarterback Skylar Thompson was knocked out of the game with an injury to his right shoulder and the Wildcats trailed 21-17 early in the fourth quarter.
Momentum had swung to the Red Raiders, and the Wildcats needed an answer if they hoped to build off last week’s upset at Oklahoma. Not an easy task for Howard, a freshman quarterback playing in his second college game, or Vaughn, a freshman running back playing in his third college game, or Moore, a graduate transfer tight end still adjusting to games at the Big 12 level.
It was easy for outsiders to doubt them. But their confidence never wavered.
“There was never really a doubt,” Howard said. “We all knew what we had to do. We just kept talking about one team, one heartbeat, one play at a time. That was our big emphasis today.”
With the game hanging in the balance, Howard responded by hitting Moore for a 66-yard gain in which Moore made a pair of defenders miss and then rumbled down the sideline to set up a short go-ahead touchdown run from Harry Trotter moments later. Moore is the best pass-catching tight end to play for K-State in years.
Then, following a key interception from Jahron McPherson, the Wildcats iced the game when Howard hit Vaughn for a 70-yard touchdown on third down. Texas Tech brought pressure to try and rattle the young passer, but he was smart enough to recognize a linebacker trying to cover Vaughn one-one-one out of the slot and hit Vaughn with a quick pass.
The throw wasn’t particularly good. Vaughn had to spin around to catch it. But it was good enough for him to outrun everyone on the field to the end zone and clinch the game.
“They put 41 on me, who is a linebacker,” Vaughn said. “Right then, I kind of looked at Will and Will kind of looked at me. I beat him across his face and got to running.”
“When you have got Deuce one-on-one with a linebacker, I am going to take that every day of the week,” Howard said. “… I knew Deuce was going to make a play, and he did. All I had to do was get it in his hands. I was licking my chops.”
Two other newcomers that contributed at a high level on Saturday: Smith (four tackles, all of which were big hits) and Justin Gardner (five tackles in relief of absent corners Lance Robinson and Kiondre Thomas). Several other freshmen and transfers also played well in unsung roles.
That is a testament to the job K-State coach Chris Klieman has done on the recruiting trail. He has seriously upgraded the Wildcats in terms of young talent since he replaced Bill Snyder, and it is beginning to show.
Vaughn, who has 439 all-purpose yards and four touchdowns three games into his college career, is on pace to become the best true freshman in school history. He was once again electric on Saturday, piling up 113 yards on the ground and 81 through the air.
And Howard showed serious promise by helping the Wildcats hold of the Red Raiders after watching Thompson, the team’s senior captain, go down in the second quarter. Howard completed 7 of 12 passes for 173 yards and a touchdown.
Klieman had to work hard to bring his recruiting class of 2020 to Manhattan. Howard was a three-star recruit who put up huge numbers in Pennsylvania, but that is not traditionally a recruiting hotbed for the Wildcats. Moore had offers from Baylor and Missouri. Vaughn was overlooked in his home state of Texas, but he had SEC offers. K-State coaches convinced him he could be a star with the Wildcats.
Klieman praised his recruiting class of 2020 afterward, saying that they are an example of what any new player can accomplish if they put in hard work.
Saturday was proof they can do a lot. They won the game for K-State.
“I believe our class is going to be very special,” Howard said. “Think about it. We had a lot of guys who played significant time today as true freshmen. We are going to be special moving forward. The fact that Deuce is making plays already, it’s really promising. And we will get better the more we come along and gel.”
This story was originally published October 3, 2020 at 8:42 PM with the headline "Chris Klieman’s recruiting chops on display as newcomers lead K-State past Texas Tech."