Kansas State coach Chris Klieman faces QB conundrum with Avery Johnson & Will Howard
Who will start at quarterback this week for Kansas State?
Nobody expected that question to be tossed around so seriously by the Wildcats at the midway point of this season, so long as Will Howard remained healthy.
But here we are six games into the year and that question is being asked with fervor by the entire fan base. Howard is completely healthy, and he has thrown for 1,310 yards and nine touchdowns in six games, but Avery Johnson looked like a future All-American while running for 90 yards and a school-record five touchdowns over the weekend against Texas Tech.
It will be interesting to see how head coach Chris Klieman handles the position starting with Saturday’s home game against TCU. He could stick with Howard, a veteran passer who led K-State to a Big 12 championship last season. Or he could pivot to a freshman who just gave the offense a major jolt. Or he could play them both.
Talk about a difficult decision.
“We will discuss it each week,” Klieman said. “But I know this: Both kids, Avery and Will, are really good football players, and we need both.”
When K-State released its weekly depth chart on Monday, the Wildcats listed Howard “or” Johnson at QB1. That means the Wildcats will head into Saturday’s game without a definitive starter.
Experience and passing accuracy would seem to favor Howard, although he has thrown seven interceptions this season. Speed and rushing ability would seem to favor Johnson.
Perhaps a look into the past will give us a clue on how Klieman will ultimately decide to handle the situation.
The Wildcats were in a similar position last season when Adrian Martinez endured a string of lower-body injuries, which forced Howard into action. Howard looked incredible as he led K-State to 28 points during a loss at TCU and then engineered a 48-0 blowout over Oklahoma State the following week. But Klieman went back to Martinez as the starting QB during a 34-27 loss to Texas and then again during a road victory at Baylor.
There were obvious signs that Howard might be an upgrade over Martinez, because of his ability to open up the offense with his arm, but the Wildcats favored the incumbent until he got hurt again (at Baylor) and Howard became the only choice.
Howard served as the unquestioned starter as K-State finished the year on a winning streak and beat TCU in the Big 12 championship game.
Even so, K-State found a way to use Martinez in a complementary role during a Sugar Bowl loss against Alabama.
Perhaps a rotation between two quarterbacks is the way to go. The Wildcats were not afraid to use Johnson on a limited basis in a pair of early games. Maybe there is a way for them to co-exist and make the offense stronger together.
That might not be Howard’s first choice, but he didn’t seem bothered when Johnson stepped into the spotlight at Texas Tech.
“He told me a million times how proud of me he was,” Johnson said. “Whenever you score a touchdown you come to the sideline and he’s grinning and he’s giving me high fives. He is the type of person who doesn’t care how it gets done. (Saturday) was my night, but at the end of the day he cares more about this team than anybody. He just wants us to come out with a win.”
Klieman was also proud of the way Howard handled that game.
“He’s a great teammate,” Klieman said. “He plays for Kansas State. He doesn’t play for Will Howard University. That’s the kind of guys we have in that locker room.”
Howard could return to his starting role on Saturday. Or K-State could ask him to do something different. All options seem to be on the table this week.
This story was originally published October 16, 2023 at 12:49 PM with the headline "Kansas State coach Chris Klieman faces QB conundrum with Avery Johnson & Will Howard."