K-State quarterback Skylar Thompson ‘progressing’ from injury as No. 6 Oklahoma looms
Shortly after Kansas State football coaches found out Skylar Thompson wasn’t lost for the season with a right knee injury earlier this month, quiet optimism began to spread that the senior quarterback might be ready to play by the time Oklahoma appeared on the schedule.
That recovery timeline gave Thompson three weeks to heal after limping off the field during a game against Southern Illinois on Sept. 11.
Hope remains that Thompson will lead K-State’s offense as the Wildcats look to upset the No. 6 Sooners for a third straight season on Saturday. But an imminent return is not considered a sure thing.
“He can throw it, but he’s got to make sure he can run before he can play,” K-State football coach Chris Klieman said following a 31-20 loss at Oklahoma State on Saturday. “I don’t know if that’s two weeks, I don’t know if that’s the open week, I don’t know if that’s three weeks. We’ll keep progressing him.”
Thompson appeared close to a return while throwing with teammates during warmups at Boone Pickens Stadium.
Though he did not dress for the game, Thompson looked near full strength as he moved around the field in shorts and a long-sleeve shirt. He threw the ball short and long, as far as 40 yards away. And he ran for short distances as he simulated moving around in the pocket and throwing on the move.
It was a big step in the right direction for Thompson, as he couldn’t do anything more than walk with a brace on his right knee a week earlier when K-State hosted Nevada. Offensive coordinator Courtney Messingham also said Thompson was able to do some non-contact work during recent practices.
“He’s progressing,” Klieman said. “We wanted him to go out there and throw it around, but it’s not his arm that is hurting. So we will see where he’s at in the coming weeks.”
Klieman didn’t mention Thompson playing against Oklahoma as a possibility when he last spoke to media over the weekend. Thompson is also not listed on K-State’s depth chart this week.
Perhaps those are signs that Thompson requires more recovery time and won’t be ready to play before K-State hosts Iowa State on Oct. 16. Or maybe Klieman is keeping information close to the vest this week in an attempt to make Oklahoma prepare for the possibility of defending multiple quarterbacks.
For now, Thompson’s status is up in the air.
There is also some mystery surrounding the injury outlook of backup quarterback Will Howard. The sophomore was only able to lead K-State’s offense during four drives against Oklahoma State, finishing with 37 yards rushing and 50 yards passing.
Klieman said Howard suffered an unspecified injury on the opening drive of the game, likely when he got hit in the pocket while attempting a pass to Malik Knowles on third-and-10. Howard was able to stay on the field throughout the first quarter and he started the third quarter. But third-string quarterback Jaren Lewis handled every other snap.
“I thought Will saw the field well,” Klieman said. “He had good confidence and had a good 13-play drive. It was in that drive that he got hit and then all of a sudden he just couldn’t get back out there.”
Klieman said the injury took away Howard’s ability to run at full speed. Given that K-State coaches had designed a game plan around his ability to run out of zone-read plays against the Cowboys, they made the decision to go with Lewis for most of the second half. He finished with 148 yards and a touchdown passing.
Howard remained on the sideline with his helmet on the entire game against Oklahoma State. His injury doesn’t seem serious enough to prevent him from playing this week against Oklahoma, if need be. But it could limit him in some ways.
That means there’s a chance Lewis will be asked to play in his third straight game.
K-State would much rather start Thompson. But Howard and Lewis will need to prepare for action until there is clarity.
This story was originally published September 27, 2021 at 2:06 PM with the headline "K-State quarterback Skylar Thompson ‘progressing’ from injury as No. 6 Oklahoma looms."