Injury report, grades and game analysis from Kansas State’s road loss against TCU
Chris Klieman tried his best not to talk about injuries following Kansas State’s 38-28 loss against TCU on Saturday at Amon G. Carter Stadium, saying he didn’t have any updates to share immediately following the game.
But it was impossible for him to ignore the topic completely.
Several marquee K-State players went down against the Horned Frogs, including starting quarterback Adrian Martinez, and their health status will be closely monitored as the Wildcats prepare for their next game against Oklahoma State.
“I wish I could tell you more,” Klieman said. “I don’t have any idea. We’ve got to get the report. Each guy when they went out I asked (the trainers), ‘Is he coming back?’ They would say, ‘Nope, he’s done for the game.’”
Here is a full rundown of K-State’s injury report, with some thoughts on how long each player will be out.
Adrian Martinez: The Nebraska transfer started at quarterback and led K-State to 26 yards on its opening drive against TCU, but he left the field immediately afterward with a lower-body injury and did not take another snap. Klieman said he was ruled out for the remainder of the game almost immediately. M
artinez spent some time in the locker room but was able to watch most of the game from the sideline in full uniform, including his helmet. Martinez threw passes with teammates between possessions and seemed to be moving around fine while he mentored Will Howard. A quick return seems possible, but that may depend on how his body responds this week.
Will Howard: K-State’s backup quarterback missed two drives in the second half with a shoulder injury. He spent a long time in the sideline injury tent before returning to the field and finishing out the game. It seems like he should be ready to play again next week, but Howard described himself as “day-to-day” when he spoke with reporters on Saturday night.
Daniel Green: The senior linebacker left the game in the first quarter and spent the rest of the night in the locker room. That may not bode well for his availability against Oklahoma State, or beyond.
Julius Brents: The K-State cornerback seemed to be dealing with several ailments against the Horned Frogs, as he went to the locker room several times during the game. They caught up with him when he came up lame trying to defend a deep pass to Quentin Johnston, which went for a touchdown. Klieman said later that Brents probably shouldn’t have been on the field for that play, and he spent the rest of the game on the sideline.
Josh Hayes: His status will be worth monitoring next week. The K-State safety was in and out of Saturday’s game with injuries.
Ben Sinnott: The K-State tight end went down with an injury in the second half and did not return.
Deuce Vaughn: He rolled his ankle in the first half, had the injury examined in the locker room and then returned to action. Vaughn might not be at full strength, but he was healthy enough to finish out the game and deliver 121 all-purpose yards and a touchdown. He should be ready to go next week.
With the loss, K-State (5-2, 3-1 Big 12) fell a game behind TCU (7-0, 4-0) in the conference standings.
Now, let’s look back on the action from Saturday and hand out a few awards and grades.
Play of the game
Deuce Vaughn rumbled 47 yards for a touchdown run that gave K-State a 28-10 lead midway through the second quarter. He punctuated the highlight play by diving into the end zone for the score.
K-State’s star running back hadn’t scored a touchdown since the Missouri game in Week 2. It was nice to see him return to the end zone.
Player of the game
TCU running back Kendre Miller.
He gained 153 yards and scored two touchdowns on 29 carries. Several K-State defenders went out of their way to say he was the best playmaker they had gone against all season.
Stat of the game
TCU held the ball for 38 minutes, 5 seconds and won the time of possession battle by a wide margin. The Wildcats had little chance of winning with a tired defense on the field.
Quote to note
“We had them on the ropes” - K-State coach Chris Klieman.
Grades
Offense: C. The Wildcats didn’t miss a beat when Will Howard took over for Adrian Martinez in the first half. K-State’s backup quarterback led the offense to touchdown drives on four consecutive drives for a 28-10 lead. Kade Warner and Vaughn both had impressive scoring plays. But little went right from then on. K-State didn’t score a single point after halftime. It also lost two interceptions.
Defense: C. The Wildcats have gone up against two offenses that could be described as “elite” this season. And they have been absolutely torched by both. Oklahoma rolled to 34 points and 550 yards earlier this year. Then TCU followed with 38 points and 495 yards. K-State was obviously hindered by injury problems against the Horned Frogs, but those are still disappointing numbers.
Special Teams: D. Chris Tennant missing two field goals was a big factor in the game. It was windy at Amon G. Carter Stadium and kicking was difficult for both teams. But TCU kicker Griffin Kell made his only attempt from 43 yards.
Coaching: C. Chris Klieman deserves credit for having the Wildcats ready to play a tremendous first half without several key players. But anytime a team coughs up a double-digit lead at halftime and gets shut out in the second half it reflects poorly on coaching.
Next Up
K-State will return to action next weekend when it hosts Oklahoma State at 2:30 p.m. on Saturday at Bill Snyder Family Stadium. The game will be televised by FOX.
That will be another difficult game for the Wildcats. Mike Gundy has the Cowboys playing at a high level this season. Their only loss came in double overtime at TCU. They are coming off a thrilling come-from-behind victory over Texas.
Spencer Sanders is one of the best quarterbacks in the Big 12. He threw for 391 yards and two touchdowns against the Longhorns.
The Cowboys are from elite on defense, though. K-State should be able to move the ball on them, regardless of who suits up at quarterback.
Gundy has gotten the better of Klieman in their previous matchups. Though they have only gone head-to-head three times as head coaches, Oklahoma State has won all three games.
This story was originally published October 23, 2022 at 1:30 PM with the headline "Injury report, grades and game analysis from Kansas State’s road loss against TCU."