Kansas State needs more from passing game against OU, with or without Skylar Thompson
There are only six teams in all of college football that have attempted fewer passes than Kansas State this season.
Considering that three of those teams are service academies (Air Force, Army and Navy), which use a triple-option offense, that means the Wildcats are throwing the ball more than just three teams that don’t enter games expecting to run on almost every play.
One can point to several reasons for that statistic, ranging from losing starting quarterback Skylar Thompson with an injury to playing from ahead against non-conference opponents. The Wildcats didn’t have much incentive to throw in their first three games.
But they also haven’t been getting much production from their wide receivers.
In fact, they are the only receiving corps in the Big 12 that hasn’t caught a touchdown pass this season.
That showed during K-State’s most recent loss at Oklahoma State. The Cowboys jumped out to an early 31-10 lead and then dared the Wildcats to try and play catch up by passing. They stacked defenders at the line of scrimmage to take away the run, brought pressure on the quarterback and lined up in man coverage against K-State’s receivers.
K-State tried to take advantage against some of those looks, but Will Howard and Jaren Lewis combined to connect with their receivers on eight of 20 targets for 87 yards. All the while, Oklahoma State kept loading up against the run and held the Wildcats to 62 rushing yards after averaging 225.7 yards in their first three games.
“It’s everybody. It’s not just the wide receivers,” K-State football coach Chris Klieman said. “We have to design some things better for them from a coaching standpoint to get the ball out maybe a little bit quicker. We’ve got to protect a little bit better.
“We had some good max protection things called on Saturday. We missed a block and we had to throw the ball early to Malik (Knowles) or maybe we have a chance (on that play).”
Kleiman said igniting the passing game doesn’t fall solely on any one person or position group.
“It’s just some little details,” he said. “It’s not just the quarterback, it’s not just a receiver, it’s not just an offensive line. It’s a tight end. It could be somebody in that group, could be how we designed the play, but we’ve got to be able to throw the football more efficiently and more effectively.”
Coming into the season, wide receiver was considered one of the biggest question marks on the entire team. For good reason.
Running back Deuce Vaughn and tight end Briley Moore led K-State in both receptions and receiving yards last year. Chabastin Taylor was the top returning receiver with 19 catches for 293 yards and a touchdown, but he has barely played since while recovering from a torn ACL.
Phillip Brooks is currently leading the unit with 11 catches for 170 yards. Malik Knowles ranks second with nine catches for 151 yards and Landry Weber is the only other receiver on the roster with multiple catches.
Overall, K-State receivers have combined to catch 26 passes for 397 yards and, as mentioned earlier, no touchdowns.
K-State’s only two passing touchdowns of the season went to tight end Daniel Imatorbhebhe on a scripted play against Nevada and Vaughn on a broken play against Oklahoma State.
K-State quarterbacks have combined to complete 43 of 79 passes for two touchdowns and four interceptions.
That likely needs to change if K-State hopes to win games this season. Oklahoma State provided a defensive blueprint for other Big 12 teams to follow. Oklahoma is allowing 2.4 yards per rush. You better believe the Sooners will dare K-State to defeat them through the air, even if senior quarterback Skylar Thompson is healthy enough to play.
Beating defenders for 50-50 balls has been a focus this week in practice in Manhattan.
“We have just got to make the tough plays,” K-State senior receiver Landry Weber said. “Against OSU there were some plays that were tough plays, but you’ve got to make them. The Big 12 is a great league and to win some football games you have to make tough plays. That is going to be key for us.”
This story was originally published September 30, 2021 at 5:00 AM with the headline "Kansas State needs more from passing game against OU, with or without Skylar Thompson."