Why K-State plans to rotate quarterbacks Will Howard, Jaren Lewis at Oklahoma State
Jaren Lewis saw his first action as a college quarterback last week when he commanded Kansas State’s offense on a pair of scoring drives during a 38-17 victory over Nevada.
It seems he made an impression.
K-State offensive coordinator Courtney Messingham said on Thursday that the Wildcats intend to continue using Lewis in a complementary role behind sophomore Will Howard in their first Big 12 road game of the season at Oklahoma State.
“I don’t know when exactly, but I expect Jaren to play,” Messingham said. “(Howard) will start it and we will go with it as it goes. I think it brings a good dynamic. Jaren has done a good job and put himself in a position to keep getting opportunities.”
It may come as a surprise that K-State is publicly committing to a quarterback shuffle before its conference opener.
Then again, the Wildcats might feel like they have nothing to hide after the way Lewis played against Nevada. Though it was Howard who started and finished the game, the offense didn’t take a step back with Lewis on the field.
Messingham didn’t ask him to do much other than hand the ball off to running backs Deuce Vaughn and Joe Ervin, but Lewis still guided the Wildcats to 10 points in the second quarter of that game.
On his first drive, K-State drove 75 yards in eight plays for a touchdown with Ervin finding the end zone on a physical run. Then Lewis took K-State 38 yards in 10 plays for a field goal to give the Wildcats a 17-7 lead before halftime.
Lewis completed two of three passes for six yards. He didn’t attempt a rush.
“I thought he did well,” Messingham said. “He didn’t get rattled. He managed the situation well. There was even one time where we went in an up-tempo mode on him and he handled it really well.”
Lewis, a 6-foot-1 and 210-pound quarterback from Columbia, Mo., will be asked to do the same in his first road appearance on Saturday.
Howard has thrown for 199 yards and a touchdown while filling in for injured senior Skylar Thompson this season. He has also rushed for 65 yards and three scores.
He commanded the offense for nine drives against Nevada and helped K-State score 28 points.
His quarterback rotation with Lewis will likely end whenever Thompson is able to return from a right knee injury.
Messingham says that could happen sooner than later, as he is now able to do a few things in a practice setting.
“He is doing great,” Messingham said. “I can’t tell you that he is going to be ready tomorrow or two or three weeks from now, but his ability to move around and throw the football happy is something I’ve been happy with.”
This story was originally published September 23, 2021 at 4:08 PM with the headline "Why K-State plans to rotate quarterbacks Will Howard, Jaren Lewis at Oklahoma State."