Can Kansas State keep winning with backup quarterback Will Howard leading the offense?
A week ago, Kansas State football coach Chris Klieman went out of his way to call Will Howard “the best backup quarterback in the country” following the team’s opening victory against Stanford.
That comment came as no surprise to anyone who follows the Wildcats. Klieman also pumped up Howard during the spring and the summer, saying he was one of the most improved players on the entire roster. Klieman has praised Howard so regularly that some thought the Wildcats might juggle two quarterbacks this season, even if starter Skylar Thompson was completely healthy.
It all sounded great at the time. Now? It’s hard to describe Klieman’s words about Howard as anything other than hyperbole.
Howard was inserted into K-State’s 31-23 victory over Southern Illinois on Saturday at Bill Snyder Family Stadium after Thompson was forced out of the game with a knee injury, and things did not go well.
“I did not play nearly my best game tonight,” Howard said. “I have some things to fix.”
He can start with turnovers. Even though his stat line (8 of 17 for 76 passing yards plus 9 rushing yards on eight carries) left much to be desired, giving extra scoring opportunities to Southern Illinois was his biggest error.
Howard lost a fumble in the backfield that set up an easy touchdown for the Salukis late in the first half. Then he threw an interception that PJ Jules returned 41 yards for a touchdown. Then Howard nearly threw another interception. At that point, it was clear K-State offensive coordinator Courtney Messingham had seen enough.
The Wildcats were in total control leading 21-3 midway through the second quarter, and yet they somehow trailed 23-21 going into halftime.
They mostly handed the ball to star running back Deuce Vaughn from there. He ran for 120 yards and three touchdowns on 26 carries, so it was enough for K-State to come back and win thanks to the help of a strong defensive performance.
But things were much harder than they probably would have been had Thompson remained in the game. Trading him for Howard turned a blowout until a nail-biter. That’s not a good omen, considering Thompson is out indefinitely.
“Turning the ball over is bad,” Howard said. “I just had a bad throw on that one route to Tyrone (Howell), and on that sack I have just got to protect the football. At the end of the day, it’s pretty simple.”
K-State will hope Howard’s lousy game can be explained by the fact that he entered it cold and never found a rhythm on a night when he didn’t expect to play much beyond potential garbage time.
That certainly could have been a factor.
Howard admitted afterward entering a game as the starter vs. as the backup makes a world of difference.
“I try to prepare like I’m the starter, even this week when I’m in that backup role,” Howard said, “but it’s different when you know you’re going to start and you’re getting all the first-team reps. If (I start next week) then I’m hoping that I can be more prepared and do whatever I can to help this team win.”
For what it’s worth, Klieman said he didn’t lose any confidence in Howard on Saturday.
He still found a way to praise him.
“He struggled a little bit,” Klieman said, “but some of it was, credit to Southern Illinois. They did some really good things, and then he made a big-time throw on the last drive to keep it alive when we were starting to wear down on defense. So the kid made a play.
“Will is a good football player. I have told you guys that. And I’m counting on him if (Thompson can’t play) to take the lion’s share of the (starting) reps and have a great week and be ready to go. He’s got a great presence in the huddle, and he calmed us down, which I do appreciate. But everybody on offense needs to play a little bit better when a guy like Skylar goes down.”
Howard, now a sophomore, started seven games last season after Thompson suffered an injury to his throwing arm. Howard came off the bench to help K-State beat Texas Tech and then led the Wildcats to victories over TCU and Kansas.
It seemed like he had a bright future. But then K-State’s offense stalled and the Wildcats lost their final five games.
Everyone, including Howard, seemed happy that Thompson was returning as a “super senior” to lead the offense. With a year to learn behind a veteran passer, perhaps Howard would thrive in 2022.
But it now appears that K-State will once again rely on Howard as its starting quarterback. Klieman said that is currently the plan for the “foreseeable future.”
Can the Wildcats keep winning with him at the helm?
It’s a fascinating question. He was less than impressive on Saturday, but he is bigger and stronger than he was last season. He is also a talented runner, and his teammates seem to have confidence in him.
“Will Howard is a fantastic quarterback,” Vaughn said. “Whenever we put him in the game I knew we weren’t going to change anything. We were going to keep playing K-State football, because that is what Will Howard does. He is a great football player who, whenever his name is called, comes in and does his thing.”
K-State’s next four games will all be difficult. Nevada has an explosive offense led by a pair of NFL prospects, Oklahoma State is ranked in the top 25. Oklahoma and Iowa State were preseason favorites in the Big 12.
The Wildcats would have taken their chances in all of those games with Thompson in control of the offense. But their outlook is much less rosy if a backup quarterback is now in command.
Perhaps Howard will rise to the occasion. But one thing is for sure: He will need to be better than he was against Southern Illinois.
This story was originally published September 12, 2021 at 12:49 AM with the headline "Can Kansas State keep winning with backup quarterback Will Howard leading the offense?."