K-State Q&A: Will Skylar Thompson play against OU? Can Wildcats win without passing?
It’s time for another K-State Q&A.
No need for a lengthy introduction this week. Let’s dive right into your questions on Skylar Thompson, the Oklahoma Sooners, football recruiting, basketball, Big 12 expansion and more. Thanks, as always, for providing them.
Kansas State wants to keep Skylar Thompson’s status as vague as possible in an attempt to make Oklahoma prepare for multiple quarterbacks, so there is no official update to pass along from the team.
Chris Klieman called Thompson “doubtful” to play on Tuesday. Offensive coordinator Courtney Messingham said Thompson was “highly unlikely” to play on Thursday. But both of them left the door open for him to start by saying it depends on how his knee injury responds closer to game time.
We won’t know with 100% certainty whether or not Thompson plays against the Sooners until we see which K-State quarterbacks suit up on Saturday.
That being said, I would say he is much closer to “questionable” or even “probable” than “doubtful.”
Personally, I think Thompson will play. I’m not saying he absolutely will play, but that’s the way I’m leaning.
He returned to practice last week and looked fantastic running and throwing immediately before K-State played Oklahoma State. He has also practiced this week and coaches say he has continued to show progress. Unless he experiences some kind of setback, it’s hard for me to envision him sitting on the bench against the Sooners.
Now, I will admit there is still some doubt. K-State doesn’t play next week, so if there is any concern at all about Thompson’s right knee it would make sense to take a cautious approach and save him until Iowa State visits Manhattan on Oct. 16. That would give him five weeks between games and the best opportunity to close out the season without any fear of re-aggravating his injury.
There is certainly a chance that Thompson plays it safe, given his recent injury history.
But Thompson has also defeated Oklahoma in each of the past two years. This is his chance to do it again and put an exclamation mark on his “super senior” season. He’s going to want to play.
Now, K-State may use multiple quarterbacks to help manage Thompson’s work load and ease him back into game action. But I think that’s as cautious as the coaches get.
It will be a game-time decision. His status is uncertain. But here’s guessing he makes his return on Saturday.
That is one thing I will miss about having two flagship members like Oklahoma and Texas in the Big 12.
Even when they’re relatively down, as Texas has been since Mack Brown was forced out nearly a decade ago, beating them is still celebrated as a major accomplishment.
Same with Kansas in basketball, or Nebraska in football back in the day.
Which new or remaining Big 12 team can replace them? It will depend on success and rankings more than anything.
If K-State were to beat No. 7 Cincinnati or No. 13 BYU tomorrow, I’m sure at least some fans would consider rushing the field. Oklahoma is only ranked No. 6.
Baylor has rushed the field after beating K-State a few times. Kansas will do the same whenever they next with the Sunflower Showdown at home.
I seem to remember Colorado fans once rushing the field after the Buffs beat Kansas when Mark Mangino was still around, simply because the Jayhawks were ranked at the time.
These things are cyclical.
But those wins don’t come with the same bragging rights. BYU and Cincinnati aren’t viewed as national powers the same as Oklahoma and Texas.
Perhaps that will change in time. New teams will have to carry the Big 12 flag after Oklahoma and Texas leave for the SEC. Whichever team that is will likely become the new team to storm the field against. It could be BYU or Houston. It could be Iowa State or Oklahoma State. We’re about to enter a strange new world where anything is possible.
E-MAIL QUESTION: Now has to be the time to create a trophy for Farmageddon, right?!?! After being ditched by OU and UT, and shunned by “The Alliance”, K-State and Iowa State need something to bring them national attention. Something to raise their profile. A Farmageddon Trophy does just that. I suggest an old-fashioned, vintage John Deere Tractor to the victor. How great would it be to see Willie riding high across the 50 yard line after a Wildcat win or God forbid Cy is behind the wheel? Every college football fan will tune in to see which team takes the tractor. It is infinitely better than an ax, jug, egg, or golden hat. Now, I am sure greater minds than mine have concocted even better trophy options. Which raises the question: Why hasn’t a Farmageddon Trophy already been created? Are the schools worried about being labeled two-bit Ag Schools from flyover states? K-State, and the Cyclones desperately need some sizzle. Speaking of sizzle, did you notice the Iron Skillet game was nationally televised over the air on FS1, and not dismissed to streaming on ESPN+? - Matthew E.
I’m sold.
Transporting the tractor between Ames and Manhattan could be a pain. But it sounds good otherwise. Maybe it could be a mini tractor?
There really aren’t many good rivalry trophies in the Big 12. I’ve always thought the golden hat that Oklahoma and Texas play for is kind of lame. The Governor’s Cup isn’t all that cool, either.
It’s hard for me to blame all of Kansas State’s recent offensive woes on coordinator Courtney Messingham.
Yes, the offense has been painfully one-dimensional with the run since Skylar Thompson went down with an injury. But what is the alternative? The backup quarterbacks aren’t gifted passers and they’re throwing to the Big 12’s worst collection of receivers.
K-State actually came out with some creative plays on its opening drive against Oklahoma State. They sprung Will Howard for a 37-yard run and got K-State receivers some touchdown chances against man coverage, but none of them could win those matchups and come down with the ball. Then Howard was injured and the offense went into a shell.
If Howard or Thompson are healthy enough to run against Oklahoma, I expect diverse play calling from K-State. But if Jaren Lewis is the guy, things will remain basic.
Only if K-State blocks three punts and returns them all for touchdowns.
Oklahoma is only allowing 2.5 yards per rush this season, and the Sooners are going to sell out against the run in this game the same way Oklahoma State did last week.
The Cowboys held the Wildcats to 62 rushing yards and laughed as K-State tried to beat them with 31 passes.
K-State will need to throw the ball better to open up the opportunity for rushing success against the Sooners.
Over!
The Wildcats have attempted at least 13 passes in all of their games this season. I can’t imagine a scenario in which they throw it fewer than seven times as a double-digit underdog.
If they go for touchdowns, then K-State could maybe get by with only two deep completions in this game.
Otherwise the number may be closer to five.
The Wildcats got a 55-yard touchdown catch and run from Deuce Vaughn last week, and it wasn’t enough to keep them in the game.
His role seems pretty well defined at the moment.
Jacardia Wright is going to see limited action in every game behind Deuce Vaughn and Joe Ervin. Nothing more. Nothing less.
He has played in all four games this season. He was a little unlucky against Oklahoma State that he was on the field when Will Howard lost a fumble into the end zone. And he wasn’t going to play after the Wildcats fell behind 31-10.
His best hope for increased playing time is for K-State to play from ahead. That way, he can come in and gain yards between the tackles.
An argument could be made that he deserves to play more than he has, as he is averaging 7.5 yards per rush (albeit on only four carries). The problem is Vaughn (5.2 yards per rush) and Ervin (5.4 yards per rush) are playing at a high level.
So you might have to wait a little longer before he gets 10 touches in a game.
Yes, Deuce Vaughn is one of K-State’s secondary returners.
He returned seven kickoffs for 145 yards last season, including one that went for as many as 40 yards.
I’m sure you will see him return a few more this year. But he does so much on offense already that it makes sense to give him a rest on those plays.
E-MAIL QUESTION: Hey Kellis. I have a question about the future of Kansas State’s quarterback positions. Is it wrong that I’m not impressed with Will Howard or Jaren Lewis? Without seeing Jake Rubley, does Chris Klieman need to bring in a transfer quarterback to replace Skylar Thompson? - Andrew B.
K-State coaches definitely need to explore the transfer portal for a quarterback during the offseason.
I’m not saying they absolutely must bring in an older quarterback to compete with Will Howard, Jaren Lewis and Jake Rubley next year, but they need to consider some outside options.
There is a big dropoff from Thompson to any other quarterback on the K-State roster.
When Thompson starts, Klieman has a record of 12-6.
When Howard starts, Klieman has a record of 3-6.
It’s too early to give up on Howard. He could still mature into a quality quarterback. If Rubley lives up to his four-star ranking, he can also be an excellent passer for the Wildcats. But neither of them are there yet.
Fans would feel much more comfortable about the quarterback position if Klieman throws a talented transfer into the mix.
That’s not a question, but I am happy to analyze Chris Klieman’s latest recruiting class nonetheless.
The Wildcats landed three new recruits last week, which brought their 2022 recruiting class up to 13 members. Rivals ranks the group eighth in the Big 12 and 69th nationally.
I would say that is pretty average for a K-State recruiting class. Nothing special, but nothing terrible either.
You have to like that Sterling Lockett is part of the class. Receivers with that last name tend to do big things at K-State. You have to be concerned that there aren’t any four-star players and only eight three-star players. They could also still use a quarterback.
But these are recruits that K-State coaches like and are willing to take early. It’s also a nice development that recruiting has picked back up in recent weeks after it screeched to a halt during the height of conference realignment. Now that Big 12 has a viable future, recruits are committing again.
Honestly, though, high school recruiting is only part of the equation. Managing the transfer portal after the season ends is just as important, if not more.
It doesn’t happen very often.
Michael Beasley and Bill Walker both played for the Miami Heat during the 2014-15 NBA season.
That’s the only recent example I can give you. So you might want to enjoy it while Xavier Sneed and Wesley Iwundu are both playing for the Charlotte Hornets.
This story was originally published October 1, 2021 at 5:00 AM with the headline "K-State Q&A: Will Skylar Thompson play against OU? Can Wildcats win without passing?."