Chris Klieman shares injury news on K-State quarterbacks Adrian Martinez, Will Howard
Kansas State football coach Chris Klieman doesn’t know who will start at quarterback for the Wildcats when they play the Oklahoma State Cowboys on Saturday at Bill Snyder Family Stadium.
He is hopeful that Nebraska transfer Adrian Martinez will be healthy enough to lead the K-State offense, but it is too early for Klieman to say anything definitive about Martinez’s status.
“He didn’t do anything yesterday,” Klieman said of Martinez during his weekly news conference on Tuesday. “I don’t know if he will be available.”
Martinez took every meaningful snap for the Wildcats in their first six games, throwing for 900 yards and four touchdowns on top of rushing for 546 yards and nine touchdowns, but his health status has been a mystery since he suffered a lower-body injury in the first quarter of a 38-28 loss at TCU on Saturday. He had been dealing with a lingering knee injury since the Iowa State game, and it is suspected that he re-aggravated it against the Horned Frogs.
Unable to finish out the game, he spent a few minutes in the locker room with team trainers and then watched the final three quarters from the sideline in full uniform.
Klieman didn’t share many details about the injury, but he said it wasn’t season ending. He went on to say that Martinez will likely get a few days off and then try to lead practice later in the week. If he is able to run at full speed and throw without pain, he will likely play against the Cowboys. If not, the Wildcats will likely turn to Howard.
It seems as though Martinez is being treated as a game-time decision.
Klieman provided a more definitive health update on Howard.
“He will be able to play,” Klieman said. “Will got banged up. As we know, he came back into the game. His was something the trainers were able to adjust. If Adrian doesn’t go then Will will play.”
Howard looked terrific in place of Martinez over the weekend when he threw for 225 yards and two touchdowns while leading the Wildcats to a 28-10 lead midway through the second quarter. But he cooled off in the second half and was briefly knocked out of the game with an injury to his left shoulder in the second half.
Following the injury, Howard spent several minutes in the sideline injury tent but emerged after missing two drives and finished out the game.
He described himself as “day-to-day” after the game, but it appears his status has been upgraded since then.
Howard has seen plenty of action over the past three years. He played in nine games as a freshman and six more as a sophomore while filling in for former quarterback Skylar Thompson. Then he saw extended action against TCU after Martinez went down.
K-State will call upon him once again if Martinez is unable to play against TCU.
Should the Wildcats need additional quarterbacks in that game, Klieman said they would turn to Jake Rubley and the Jaren Lewis.
Klieman also provided some injury updates on other K-State football players. Cornerback Julius Brents, safety Josh Hayes, linebacker Daniel Green and tight end Ben Sinnott also missed time against TCU with ailments of their own.
It sounds like K-State is expecting Brents and Hayes to suit up. But Green and Sinnott could be described as questionable or worse.
“Time is going to tell this week,” Klieman said. “We are going to not have some answers, legitimately, probably until Thursday on a few guys.”
This story was originally published October 25, 2022 at 2:55 PM with the headline "Chris Klieman shares injury news on K-State quarterbacks Adrian Martinez, Will Howard."