K-State Q&A: Bowl games, senior day, tackling issues and Skylar Thompson’s decision
It’s time for another K-State Q&A.
We’ve got lots of fun topics to cover this week, so let’s dive right into your questions. Thanks, as always, for your participation.
Chris Klieman and defensive coordinator Joe Klanderman both said earlier this week that they would love to have as many seniors return as possible next season. So I think they would choose just about all of them to remain on the team if they could.
But if they could only pick four to return, I suppose the senior power ranking would look something like this:
1. Skylar Thompson: Maybe Will Howard is the quarterback of the future. Perhaps it’s incoming recruit Jake Rubley. But based on what we’ve seen from the position this season, Thompson remains the team’s best quarterback option for next year.
2. Drew Wiley: He has been really good, perhaps an all-conference player, and the Wildcats would love to have another year with the defensive tackle.
3. Justin Hughes/Elijah Sullivan/Cody Fletcher: I list them together, because K-State would benefit from any and all of them returning next season. The Wildcats don’t have much proven depth at linebacker right now. So getting an extra year out of at least one of these three seniors will be important.
4. Noah Johnson: It’s a close call with Johnson over A.J. Parker, Jahron McPherson and Blake Lynch. But center is an important position on the offensive line, and Johnson has been good there this season.
Short answer: I don’t know.
Long answer: The odds of him returning for a sixth year in Manhattan seem better today than they day he was injured against Texas Tech.
Had Will Howard hit the ground running at quarterback and proven himself as the best passer on the team, that probably would have made it hard for Thompson to stick with college football. But that hasn’t happened. The Wildcats have lost four straight games with Howard as the starting quarterback, and while he’s certainly not the only person to blame for those results, it’s reasonable to assume K-State would have a better record right now had Thompson remained healthy.
Maybe Jake Rubley will be ready to lead the way as a true freshman, but I doubt it. The Wildcats could use Thompson next season.
Of course, that it is irrelevant if Thompson is ready to move on to the next chapter in his life. He’s been in college for five years already. It’s entirely possible he wants to do something else next year.
But he has remained with the team while he recovers from injury as a sideline coach/cheerleader. So maybe he’s got another year of college football in him.
There are good reasons for him to stay. There are good reasons for him to leave. The choice is up to him.
EMAIL QUESTION: I just can’t get excited about Kansas State playing in a bowl game this season. Does that make me a bad person? — Andrew B.
I think that makes you a normal person.
K-State will most likely play in a lower-tier bowl game this postseason, regardless of what happens against Texas on Saturday. Even if the Wildcats only finish with four victories, they should be in line for a December bowl in Houston or Fort Worth or Phoenix against a middling team from another conference.
Klieman said earlier this week that he wants K-State to play in a bowl game, because it will give everyone on the team a few extra weeks of practice time. That is always important. Bill Snyder built a lot of his success in Manhattan on bowl practices. The Wildcats should and will accept a bowl invitation if they receive one.
But that doesn’t mean anyone outside the team needs to be excited about K-State playing in a bowl game this season.
Most of the normal perks that come with bowls won’t be present this year. Travel is difficult for everyone right now, and some games have already announced they won’t have fans in the stands.
If fans can’t plan a vacation around going to a bowl game, there’s not a ton of reason to get excited about it, even if it is a good thing for their team.
Outside of the playoff, I’ve got a feeling every bowl game will feel like a glorified exhibition this year.
The biggest problem seems to be a lack of depth and fatigue.
K-State coaches love rotating fresh players into the game, even if they are backups and third-stringers because they want to maximize speed and energy on every play.
That hasn’t been possible in recent games with injuries and COVID-19 sidelining every linebacker other than Cody Fletcher and Daniel Green. Some losses in the secondary have also forced defensive backs like Jahron McPherson, Ross Elder, A.J. Parker, Ekow Boye-Doe and Kiondre Thomas to play more than they normally would.
With K-State starters playing just about every snap, it seems like they are getting warn out in the second half and that is leading to missed tackles.
But there are probably other factors involved. Missing spring practice and dealing with virus restrictions haven’t helped.
Opposing teams have actually forced K-State return man Phillip Brooks to fair catch punts, well, a fair amount lately.
Ever since he went off with a pair of touchdown returns against Kansas, punters have done everything they can do force him into fair-catch situations by booming the ball high into the air, regardless of distance.
But the Wildcats certainly do take more chances in the return game than most teams. Why? Because they are really good at special teams. Why take the ball at the 25 when you might be able to return the kickoff for a touchdown?
No.
The only team I can see wanting to play an extra game for any reason is Oklahoma, as a last-ditch attempt to increase its long shot odds of reaching the playoff. But that won’t be possible.
There is only one date available for Big 12 teams to play an extra game, and that’s next weekend. Oklahoma has already pushed a previously scheduled game with West Virginia back to that slot, so there’s no way the Sooners could make that work.
Even if they (or Iowa State) could, they would need to find a marquee opponent to play at the last possible moment, a week before the Big 12 championship game. So there’s not much point.
The Big 12 would also have to sign off on such a game.
Any other team looking to play an extra game will probably get the opportunity to do so in a bowl. I can’t imagine any Big 12 team is looking for extra games right now.
Without a doubt, my favorite interviews are with football players.
I enjoy talking with Chris Klieman and his assistant coaches, too, but most of those interviews take place in press conferences and there aren’t many opportunities to have actual conversations.
Under normal circumstances, I can talk to players one-on-one for a few minutes each week, and that is the best way to learn more about them and their lives. Hearing their stories and sharing them with readers is the most enjoyable part of my job.
Unfortunately, we have missed out on a lot of that this season. Even player interviews are now entirely on Zoom. I still haven’t even met Deuce Vaughn! Here’s hoping that changes next season.
It is a concern for college basketball.
If too many officials are out with COVID-19, then it might become difficult to play games. Not only could there be a shortage of referees, but if players are deemed close contacts with them then they might not be able to take the court, either.
Bruce Weber mentioned a few times during the preseason that he had a hard time getting refs to Manhattan for intrasquad scrimmages because of the pandemic.
We haven’t seen any problems thus far with COVID-19 and officials, but there’s always a chance they could happen. I assume they face the same protocols as everyone else with testing and quarantine regulations.
Probably.
If there’s one thing you can count on from K-State basketball fans, it’s that at least someone will bring up the topic of Bruce Weber’s job security after every loss. Heck, it happened when he was taking the Wildcats to the Elite Eight and a shared Big 12 championship.
This story was originally published December 4, 2020 at 10:49 AM with the headline "K-State Q&A: Bowl games, senior day, tackling issues and Skylar Thompson’s decision."