Five takeaways from Kansas State’s injury filled 38-28 loss against TCU Horned Frogs
It’s hard to pinpoint the biggest reason why Kansas State was unable to protect a big lead against TCU and suffered its first conference loss of the season, 38-28 on Saturday at Amon G. Carter Stadium.
Did the 17th-ranked Wildcats lose the game?
Did the eighth-ranked Horned Frogs win it?
Or were injuries the biggest factor?
Take your pick. K-State looked like the best team in the Big 12 early on and raced to a 28-10 lead, but it suffered costly injuries at important positions along the way. Starting quarterback Adrian Martinez only lasted one series. Backup Will Howard had to leave the game briefly in the second half. Third-stringer Jake Rubley played the first meaningful snaps of his career. Deuce Vaughn, Julius Brents, Daniel Green and Josh Hayes also spent time in the locker room.
As the game went on, TCU took advantage of its depleted opponent and reeled off 28 straight points to take command.
It would be interesting to know how much differently things would have unfolded had the Wildcats been at full strength for the entire game. Alas, we will never now.
TCU (7-0, 4-0 Big 12) is now in sole possession of first place in the conference standings. K-State (5-2, 3-1) suffered its first loss since Week 3 and will try to bounce back in its next game against Oklahoma State.
Here are some key takeaways from Saturday’s action:
The best backup QB in the country
K-State football coach Chris Klieman once referred to Will Howard as “the best backup quarterback in the country.”
Howard had never previously lived up to that high praise, but that changed when he took over for an injured Adrian Martinez and led the Wildcats to four consecutive touchdown drives in the first half.. You wouldn’t have known he was a backup based on the way he was throwing the ball.
He was ready for his moment, despite not playing in any other game this season.
Howard went on to complete 13 of 20 passes for 225 yards and two touchdowns. Many assumed the Wildcats would struggle without Martinez leading the offense, but they had no issues moving the ball with Howard running the show. At least in the first half. He looked confident from the get-go and gained yards with both his arm and his feet.
His best play came on a 28-yard touchdown pass to Kade Warner in which the K-State receiver made a fantastic catch over his defender. But he also had an impressive throw to Malik Knowles that went for a gain of 37 yards.
Howard couldn’t keep that momentum going in the second half and had to briefly leave the game for two drives in the third quarter with an injury of his own. He couldn’t lead the Wildcats to victory, but he proved what he was capable of.
There is no QB controversy at K-State. It’s almost certain that Martinez will slide back in as the starter whenever he is healthy enough to do so. But if he isn’t ready to play next week against Oklahoma State, the Wildcats can have confidence in Howard.
Injuries mount for the Wildcats
K-State had to deal with a myriad of injury issues on Saturday.
It wasn’t just Adrian Martinez who was unable to finish the game. Deuce Vaughn, Daniel Green, Julius Brents and Josh Hayes also had to visit the locker room with various ailments.
Tight end Ben Sinnott also went down with an injury in the second half.
On top of all that, linebacker Khalid Duke was disqualified for targeting in the fourth quarter, which means he won’t be able to play in the first half of K-State’s next game.
Vaughn quickly returned to the field and played well enough to make an impact with 83 yards rushing and a touchdown. But Brents and Hayes were both in and out the rest of the way. Green didn’t play at all in the second half, which meant the Wildcats had to use several unproven linebackers in his place.
K-State entered this game dealing with injuries at several key positions. Klieman was hopeful that an off week gave the Wildcats enough time to get healthy. It appears they could have used a little more time to heal before kickoff.
Klieman did not share any updates on injuries after the game, saying it was too early to know who will be ready to play next week.
Encouraging game from Deuce Vaughn
K-State’s star running back had been quiet by his standards over the past few weeks.
He didn’t score a touchdown against Tulane, Oklahoma, Texas Tech or Iowa State. And he only rushed for 23 yards against the Cyclones.
But he bounced back with several highlight runs against the Horned Frogs, including a 47-yard run in the second quarter when he dove into the end zone to give the Wildcats a 28-10 lead. He also eluded a TCU defender on a pass in the flats and picked up a first down when it looked like he was going to get dropped for a loss.
He can make anyone miss.
Vaughn finished the day with 121 all-purpose yards and a touchdown.
Nate Matlack more of a factor
One of the few positive injury developments for K-State on Saturday came in the form of a big sack from Nate Matlack in the first half.
Matlack has been slowed by injury for several weeks, but he is returning to his normal role and was a factor for the Wildcats as a pass-rusher on several third downs.
Gavin Forsha and Robert Hentz also both came in as reserves and delivered sacks for the K-State defense. They were bright spots on a day filled injuries.
TCU fans can start making plans for the Big 12 title game
The Horned Frogs are now all alone at the top of the Big 12 standings, and it’s hard to see any other team catching them.
TCU is undefeated with wins over Oklahoma State and K-State. It will be favored in its next two games against West Virginia and Texas Tech. If the Horned Frogs take care of business against those opponents they will have a chance to enter the playoff conversation with a closing stretch that features games at Texas and Baylor.
The Bears and Longhorns already have multiple losses in league play. The Cowboys and Wildcats are a game back and lose any head-to-head tiebreaker against TCU.
Everyone is playing catch-up against the Horned Frogs the rest of the way.
As for K-State, its conference title hopes can go in several different directions over the next few weeks with upcoming games against Oklahoma State, Texas and Baylor.
This story was originally published October 22, 2022 at 10:42 PM with the headline "Five takeaways from Kansas State’s injury filled 38-28 loss against TCU Horned Frogs."