Why K-State running back Deuce Vaughn is suddenly making so many plays as a receiver
One of the many things that makes Deuce Vaughn such a good running back is that he does more than carry the ball out of the backfield on designed run plays.
He also gets upfield to block for his teammates and catches the occasional pass.
Well, “occasional” is probably the wrong word to use for his receptions these days. Vaughn, a 5-foot-6 junior, has been catching lots of passes for the Kansas State football team in recent weeks ... 23 for 192 yards and three touchdowns over the past four games, to be exact.
He ranks first on the entire team in catches and second in receiving yards over that span. You could say Vaughn has been K-State’s best running back and receiver since Will Howard began targeting him at a high frequency four weeks ago.
“It’s one other guy you have to think about,” K-State offensive coordinator Collin Klein said. “What has been cool is we have grown this season and our offense has allowed us to generate opportunities and spread the field and get it in different guys’ hands. His playmaking ability has been tremendous.”
Vaughn catching the ball on the perimeter and making linebackers miss has been a welcome addition to the K-State offense.
Question is: Why did the Wildcats only just now start utilizing him as a receiver? He caught just 15 passes for 74 yards in the first six games of the season.
“A lot of it has to do with how teams have been playing against us,” Vaughn said. “Baylor, this past weekend, came at us with a lot of blitzes. Credit to Will Howard for getting the ball out quick and recognizing where the blitz was coming from. Every time I saw a guy coming across my face I knew to get my head around and look for a pass.
“Texas played a lot of man against us with safeties back, which opened up the middle for me to gut them with some catches. A lot of it has been scheme and a lot of it has been game-planning. I’m excited to keep that going in these next two games.”
Earlier in the season, K-State football coach Chris Klieman said the Wildcats looked to utilize Vaughn as a receiver. But defenses focused on him every time Vaughn motioned to the slot or ran a wheel route. Nobody had the guts to try and cover him with just a linebacker.
That changed over the past few weeks.
Howard is also more of a pass-first quarterback than Adrian Martinez, who is currently out with an injury. All those things combined for a perfect storm that led to more catches for Vaughn.
“How are people playing him in the pass game?” Klieman said. “Some people double him in the pass game and don’t allow him to be a threat. Some people don’t. We had some situations where we thought we had him one-on-one (at Baylor) and that is a tough matchup for a linebacker.”
No kidding.
Creating more of those matchups with Vaughn as a receiving threat will once again be a high priority for the Wildcats when they play their next game at West Virginia on Saturday.
“Anytime I am in a position where I have a one-on-one I am going to take myself 10 times out of 10,” Vaughn said. “It doesn’t happen a whole bunch. Anytime I can get that I’m in love.”
This story was originally published November 17, 2022 at 3:03 PM with the headline "Why K-State running back Deuce Vaughn is suddenly making so many plays as a receiver."