How Kansas State is handling QB position with Skylar Thompson questionable for TCU
There is a chance Skylar Thompson will be healthy and ready to start at quarterback for Kansas State on Saturday, but that is far from a given as the Wildcats begin preparing for TCU this week.
So how does K-State football coach Chris Klieman plan on handling practice with uncertainty swirling around the all-important QB position?
Simply put: he won’t be placing all of his eggs in one basket.
Klieman said Thompson didn’t practice with the team on Monday and took “mental reps” from the sidelines as backup freshman Will Howard and reserve junior Nick Ast handled all of the reps. His hope is that Thompson will take some of the practice reps on Tuesday and then handle even more on Wednesday, putting him in good shape to return to the starting lineup one week after being knocked out of the Texas Tech game with an injury that left him wearing a sling on his right arm.
“Obviously, that is contingent on what he can do today and tomorrow,” Klieman said, “but we will split those reps up. I want to make sure that Will and Nick, as well, can take some snaps and be able to operate our system in case Skylar, after Tuesday or Wednesday, doesn’t feel like he can go. But we feel like he can.”
Later on during his weekly video conference with reporters, Klieman continued to hedge his bets on K-State’s quarterback situation when asked if Howard is mentally ready to make his first start as a college player.
“We don’t know if it’s going to be Will,” Klieman said. “There is still a good chance it is going to be Skylar. We are going to give them both a fair amount of plays.”
Odds probably point to Howard leading the offense against TCU, given that the game is followed by an open week on the schedule. Allowing Thompson to take a full two weeks off to recover before the Wildcats play six games in seven weeks seems like the safest possible way to handle his injury.
Then again, Klieman said earlier this week that Thompson didn’t suffer any broken bones or fractures during the Texas Tech game. Perhaps he escaped without any lingering injuries and there is little reason to keep him on the sideline.
Thompson has thrown for 626 yards and four touchdowns this season without a single interception. He has also rushed for 38 yards and three touchdowns. He guided K-State to an early lead over Texas Tech before Howard took over and helped the Wildcats win 31-21 by throwing for 171 yards and a touchdown.
K-State would prefer to play Thompson, a fifth-year senior, against TCU. But teammates also have high praise for Howard, a true freshman. For now, the Wildcats seem comfortable with either quarterback.
“Point blank: Will is a baller,” K-State senior tight end Briley Moore said. “He showed us that in fall camp, and he showed us that in the reps he has gotten in the past three weeks. He completed a pass in his first game. Then to go in to that game with some pressure and the game on the line, to hold his composure the way he did and command the offense the way he did, we are not going to blink if (he plays Saturday). We don’t really know (who will play), but I can tell you, as a team, we have got his back.”
Howard signed with K-State after throwing for 5,308 yards and 48 touchdowns during his high school career in Downingtown, Pa. The Wildcats rarely recruit players from that part of the country, but they explored new territory when they watched his highlight videos.
Klieman said he could tell Howard “was a winner” and that was reinforced when he arrived on campus and “did all the little things right to try and learn our offense.” Not even missing spring football because of the coronavirus pandemic slowed him down.
By all accounts, it seems like Howard has a bright future at K-State. But he is also capable of helping the Wildcats now.
That much was clear when coaches let him throw on third downs with K-State protecting a 24-21 lead in the final minutes against Texas Tech. It would have been easy for the Wildcats to run the ball, punt and let the defense try and win the game. But they trusted Howard, and he rewarded them by finding running back Deuce Vaughn for a 70-yard touchdown that clinched victory.
“That tells you all you need to know,” Klieman said, “about the confidence that we as a coaching staff and the players have in Will Howard as a quarterback.”
This story was originally published October 6, 2020 at 3:08 PM with the headline "How Kansas State is handling QB position with Skylar Thompson questionable for TCU."