Kansas State quarterback Skylar Thompson has complicated history with Texas Tech
Skylar Thompson has lots of football memories that involve Texas Tech.
Some are good. Some are bad.
The Kansas State quarterback played his first meaningful snaps as a redshirt freshman at Jones AT&T Stadium, where he replaced an injured Alex Delton and led the Wildcats to a 42-35 overtime victory against the Red Raiders in 2017. That was one of the best moments of his life.
But he also saw his original senior season end abruptly when Texas Tech linebacker Riko Jeffers drove him to the ground with an illegal tackle last year that forced Thompson to undergo surgery on his throwing arm. That was a dark day.
Overall, K-State is 5-0 against Texas Tech since Thompson arrived on campus. That is a fun stat.
What does he think about Texas Tech as he prepares to face the Red Raiders one final time on Saturday in Lubbock? Is this game personal for him? It’s complicated.
“No, it’s not,” Thompson said. “I know it’s going to be a competitive game. Watching them on film, you know they’re a good football team. They are 5-2 for a reason, and they’re doing a lot of good stuff on defense, mixing up a lot of different things and doing a whole bunch of different stuff to make it challenging on us.
“I’m looking at this game just like any other game. I know it’s going to be a good environment, and I’ve enjoyed playing in Texas Tech the the past couple of times I’ve been down there. I love the tortillas and all that stuff. It is a good time. But no, it’s not anything personal for me. I’m just focused on this team and and getting a win. That’s what we need.”
Thompson’s answers have changed a bit over the past few months when he has been asked about the Red Raiders.
When he returned to the field with his right arm in a sling last season, some wondered if Jeffers intentionally injured Thompson and deemed his tackle dirty. Earlier in the game, K-State defensive end Khalid Duke injured Texas Tech quarterback Alan Bowman with a questionable tackle of his own. Was it retribution?
Thompson originally took his injury hard and later said he was looking forward to playing Texas Tech again because of it while speaking at Big 12 Media Days back in July.
But he has never admitted to holding a grudge. He even complimented Jeffers for his recent play this week.
“I don’t think he intentionally tried to hurt me at all,” Thompson said of Jeffers. “It was just a football play. But he got a targeting penalty and then got kicked out of the game, so I think that kind of speaks for itself. In saying that, it’s football and those types of things happen. That’s the risk that we take every time we step out on the field ... I just happened to be on the wrong side of it.”
In any case, Thompson has a rare opportunity to win a road game against Texas Tech for the third time on Saturday.
Another victory will leave Texas Tech fans with five years of bad memories that involve Thompson.
This story was originally published October 20, 2021 at 11:40 AM with the headline "Kansas State quarterback Skylar Thompson has complicated history with Texas Tech."