‘Not an excuse’: Why Kansas State refused to blame frustrating TCU loss on injuries
Chris Klieman was handed a double-dose of gut-wrenching news quickly into Kansas State’s football game against TCU on Saturday at Amon G. Carter Stadium.
Starting quarterback Adrian Martinez suffered a lower-body injury on the opening drive and was out for the remainder of the day. Shortly afterward, top linebacker Daniel Green was also ruled out with an ailment of his own.
Things got even worse as the game went on and key players such as Deuce Vaughn, Julius Brents, Josh Hayes, Ben Sinnott and Will Howard all had to miss time because they were hurt. It felt like Murphy’s Law was in effect, especially when the Horned Frogs rallied from an early deficit for a 38-28 victory.
But Klieman didn’t blame injuries when the game was over.
“A handful of guys were down, but it is what it is,” Klieman said. “I mean, that’s not an excuse. The next guy has got to step up.”
This had to be a difficult result for anyone associated with K-State (5-2, 3-1 Big 12) to swallow. The Wildcats surged ahead 28-10 late in the second quarter against TCU (7-0, 4-0) behind the impressive play of Howard. Even though the junior quarterback was playing in his first game of the season, he showed no signs of rust and led his team to four consecutive touchdown drives in the first half.
He finished with 225 yards and two touchdowns passing. He also rushed for 31 yards and a score. He provided highlight plays when he connected with Kade Warner for 28 yards in the end zone and again when he found Malik Knowles for 37 yards over the middle.
You wouldn’t have even known he was a backup.
“We had them on the ropes,” Klieman said.
Even with significant players dropping like flies on the K-State depth chart, the Wildcats had an opportunity to hand TCU its first loss of the season, take sole possession of first place in the Big 12 standings and maybe even host ESPN’s “College Gameday” next week when Oklahoma State visits Bill Snyder Family Stadium.
Healthy or not, the Wildcats let it all slip away.
“It’s part of it,” Klieman said. “That’s why you got 85. We knew other guys were going to have to step up and play. We will be OK. The thing about it is, our kids knew that they had an opportunity to win the game no matter who was playing. We had an opportunity to win the game. We just didn’t make plays. We’re not going to make excuses on who’s playing or who’s injured.”
That’s a perfectly reasonable statement for a football coach to make.
But injuries clearly caught up with the Wildcats on Saturday. Howard ran out of gas in the second half. Brents came up lame while trying to cover TCU receiver Quentin Johnston on a 55-yard touchdown catch in the third quarter. K-State looked lost at times without Green at linebacker.
K-State scored 28 points in the first half and then zero in the second. TCU punted twice and turned the ball over on downs in the early going and then looked unstoppable the rest of the way.
It would be interesting to know how much differently this game would have transpired had both teams been at full strength the entire time.
“Injuries or not, it gave us confidence,” Warner said. “They are a very, very good team. You saw that and they’re ranked eighth in the country. They are the best team we played so far, and we hung with them and had a chance to win the football game.”
There are certainly reasons for K-State to feel encouraged after a game like this. Vaughn amassed 121 all-purpose yards and a touchdown. It was the best he had looked in several weeks. Howard proved himself as a capable passer if he is needed at any point down the line this season. And the Wildcats had the Frogs and their high-octane offense rattled early.
But there was plenty to feel discouraged about, as well.
The offense ran into a metaphorical wall in the second half. Chris Tennant missed a pair of field goals. K-State’s defense allowed TCU to gain 495 yards with Max Duggan throwing for 280 and Kendre Miller rushing for 153.
With more challenging games on the horizon, those are issues the Wildcats will need to address along with their injury situation.
“This game was disappointing, but it is not the end for this team,” Howard said. “This team is going to bounce back. This team is going to be better from this. I know that for a fact. We control our own destiny going forward, and I’m excited to see what kind of fire this brings for this team.”
This story was originally published October 23, 2022 at 12:45 AM with the headline "‘Not an excuse’: Why Kansas State refused to blame frustrating TCU loss on injuries."