Will Howard in the game against the University of Central Florida. K-State beat UCF 44-31 on September 23, 2023 in Bill Snyder Family Stadium. (Archive photo by Macey Franko | Collegian Media Group)
Kansas State opened up its season in Ireland against conference rival Iowa State in a crushing loss, 24-21. While the game was important to conference title hopes, head coach Chris Klieman said the team needed to put the loss behind them with a lot of season left to play.
So far, it appears that K-State hasn’t been able to do so as they have a narrow win over Football Championship Subdivision North Dakota, an upset loss at home to Army and recently a loss at Arizona. Each week, the Wildcats seem to play a little worse and lose a little confidence. Here is a look at how both sides of the ball have played up to this point.
Offense
The K-State offense was seen as one of the best groups in the Big 12 coming into the season, which had speed and playmakers all over the field. The Wildcats have really lacked explosiveness on offense and will need some key guys to get back from injuries for the offense to get to that form.
K-State is at its best on offense when it can run the football consistently and hit deep shots down the field with its pass game. While the fault is not on one position group, the ‘Cats offensive line hasn’t played well enough in run blocking or pass blocking schemes to open up holes for the running backs or allow Avery Johnson time in the pocket.
For the Wildcats’ offense to improve, quarterback Avery Johnson will need to look to use his legs more. Johnson has thrown the ball well this season, besides the recent Arizona game, but has refused to use his legs for the majority of the season. Using his legs should help to open up the pass game even more while taking pressure off the offensive line to hold their blocks for so long.
Lastly, the Wildcats will need to get healthy on offense and get some of their big stars back. Running back Dylan Edwards left the season opener on his first snap after injuring his ankle, and wide receiver Jerand Bradley has an arm injury keeping him out multiple weeks. Getting those two players healthy and on the field will be vital for K-State to turn around its season.
Defense
The defensive side of the football has been a tale of two stories up to this point. Against Iowa State, the ‘Cats defense looked solid, stopping the run for most of the game and defending well against the pass. Of late, however, the Wildcats have been dominated in the ground game, and the secondary hasn’t played as sharply as they need to.
In the games against Arizona and Army, the Wildcats gave up well over 200 yards of rushing in each game, and were not playing physically enough. Linebacker Austin Romaine, as expected, has been good so far this year, but he needs more push from the defensive line to allow him to flow and make tackles.
As for the secondary, coach Klieman mentioned they were not disciplined enough and played with bad eyes. The Wildcats’ defense hasn’t fully figured it out yet, but with a bye week this week, this gives defensive coordinator Joe Klanderman an extended period to make changes and try to get the Wildcats’ defense fixed.