SE: Seven Things to Know About K-State During the Bye Week
Oct 09, 2021 | Football, Sports Extra
By: D. Scott Fritchen
Kansas State head coach Chris Klieman said earlier in the week that the bye week came at a good time for the Wildcats, 3-2 overall and 0-2 in the Big 12 Conference, prior to playing seven games to finish out the 2021 regular season. Klieman planned to use the week to begin preparations for Iowa State while spending time evaluating and developing younger players on the roster.
Kleiman also said that it was an ideal time for players to refresh.
As K-State hits pause on its regular-season slate, D. Scott Fritchen of K-State Sports Extra takes a look at seven topics that Klieman addressed this week while adding perspective to some of the progress made by the Wildcats and individual players so far in the 2021 season:
1. Klieman is excited to further evaluate younger player in practice.
The bye week is always an ideal time to further inspect the strides and development of many promising players, either to potentially contribute later in the season, or perhaps touch the field the next year. Klieman is fortunate that he has fortified several positions with promising young players that could impact the program. He listed 12 players, in particular, that he intended to keep an eye on during practice. On offense, that included quarterbacks Jake Rubley and Max Marsh, offensive linemen Andrew Leingang and Hayden Gillum, and running back DJ Giddens. On defense, that included linebackers Beau Palmer, Kienen Gaskin and Krew Jackson, defensive tackle Damion Ilalio, defensive backs Desmond Purnell and Marvin Martin, and place kicker Chris Tennant.
"There's a bunch of guys for sure," Klieman said. "In the offensive line, Andrew Leingang is somebody that I'm really excited about because I think he will be a really, really good player here in a short time. He's down with the varsity right now as a true freshman offensive lineman. You don't see that very often, so I'm excited about what he's going to be able to do. We're looking at Jake Rubley quite a bit this week, give him some snaps and Max Marsh from the quarterback standpoint. DJ Giddens is a running back that we think is going to be a really talented guy that just needs repetition.
"Then defensively, Damion Ilalio is a good, good player as a defensive tackle that needs to go against guys like Leingang and Hayden Gillum this week. Beau Palmer and Kienen Gaskin are going to be good inside linebackers. They need reps, and Krew Jackson is a long athletic outside linebacker that we're excited about. Desmond Purnell and Marvin Martin are good, young safety guys that we're excited about. So, it's a bunch of guys. I'm sure I'm missing out on some too. Chris Tennant is going to get a lot of reps this week with kicking and punting, so I'm excited for Chris and he's a really talented guy. So, the list goes on and on. We'll work some Iowa State, and then those guys will go against each other for a period of practice too."
2. The bye week is the perfect time for players to heal injuries
Of course, K-State fans received a surprise when sixth-year senior quarterback Skylar Thompson trotted onto the field to start against No. 6 Oklahoma after missing the previous two games due to a right knee injury against Southern Illinois on September 11. Thompson enjoyed one of the best performances of his career. While Thompson can further nurse his injured knee, the bye week could help a few other key players, in particular, potentially heal their respective injuries to a certain extent. On offense, that includes wide receiver Chabastin Taylor and tight end Daniel Imatorbhebhe. On defense, defensive back Reggie Stubblefield has a week to progress while the healing process begins for defensive end Bronson Massie.
"(Massie) is out for a while," Klieman said. "I don't know if that's two weeks or if that's four weeks. I would say that would be the max it would be. So, two weeks is an outside shot with Iowa State. Four weeks, obviously miss a few games, but it's an upper body injury that we feel like he's going to recover from. It's just a matter of, is it going to take two or four weeks? Can he do enough rehab to get himself potentially ready? I would say he might be able to."
"Reggie is a really good football player. He played a little bit in Stanford, a little bit against Southern Illinois, and had kind of a big game against Nevada, and got injured and missed the trip to Oklahoma State. He came back and got a handful of snaps against OU. He's got a cast on his hand, that's one thing, but he's got some other ailments that we've got to get him healthy because he allows us to play a true nickel defense that we have to be able to get to."
"We've really felt that Chabastin's (Taylor) getting healthier. Nobody forgets about C-Bas for sure, but what some people fail to realize is that it was a December injury. That's usually a nine-month injury – and sometimes longer – and he's starting to gain the strength and starting to gain the confidence that he's going to be a factor for sure this year."
"We had a small package for (Imatorbhebhe) because he thought he could go. He didn't practice all week (prior to OU). I should say he was very, very limited on Thursday and thought there were a few things that he could do, made a big, big catch. But just the way the game was going, I don't think he was going to be the best option for us, and we need to get him healthy."
3. Skylar Thompson can rest up while continuing one of the best statistical careers by a K-State quarterback.
Thompson, one of just 11 active quarterbacks in the FBS to record 5,000 passing yards and 1,000 rushing yards in a career, is the first K-State quarterback in at least 31 years to make 33 career starts — breaking a tie with Ell Roberson (2001-03). Thompson ranks fourth in career passing yards (5,581) and needs just 390 more to pass Jake Waters on the list. Thompson ranks fourth with a 60.62% completion rate (trailing Waters, Carson Coffman and Collin Klein), and fourth with 7.85 yards per passing attempt (trailing Waters, Jonathan Beasley and Roberson). Thompson ranks No. 1 all-time with a 1.97% interception percentage and is tied for sixth with 33 touchdown passes, needing five more to pass Roberson for third in school history. Finally, Thompson ranks fifth among all K-State quarterbacks with 1,107 rushing yards, needing 208 more to pass Michael Bishop for fourth place and needing 293 to pass Jesse Ertz for third all-time in school history. Overall, Thompson ranks in the top 10 in 15 statistical categories among K-State quarterbacks.
Against Oklahoma, Thompson completed 29 of 41 passes for 320 yards with three touchdowns and no interceptions, setting career highs in passing attempts and completions, and tying a career high in touchdowns.
"Just with practice time that he's missed, all the practice time, all the timing with tight ends and receivers and stuff — that's what I'm excited about," Klieman said. "I think he played a really, really good game (against OU). I'm so excited for him, but his best football is still going to be in front of him."
4. Let's put what Malik Knowles has accomplished as a kickoff returner into perspective.
It's sometimes easy to take the K-State return units for granted. But there's simply no other program that has collectively matched the success forged by the Wildcats. While explosive Phillip Brooks ranks just outside the top 10 in K-State history in career punt return yards (392) and career punt-return touchdowns (three), junior wide receiver Malik Knowles, behind expert blocking from the other 10 players on the field, continues to excel as the Wildcats' primary kickoff returner. The 6-foot-3, 200-pound native of Mansfield, Texas, ranks No. 1 among all active players in the FBS in averaging 28.5 yards per kickoff return in his career, and is tied for No. 1 among all active Power 5 players with three kickoff-return touchdowns in his career. Simply put, over the course of Knowles' career, nobody in the FBS has been more deadly.
Knowles' 28.5 career kickoff-return average is tied with Tyler Lockett and Brandon Banks for fourth all-time at K-State — trailing William Powell (34.6), D.J. Reed (32.2) and Morgan Burns (30.8) — and he ranks fourth all-time with three kickoff-return touchdowns — trailing Morgan Burns (five), Brandon Banks (five) and Tyler Lockett (four).
Knowles returned a fourth-quarter kickoff 93 yards for a touchdown against Oklahoma one week after he took one 99 yards at Oklahoma State. He is the only player in the nation to return a kickoff for a touchdown in back-to-back games this season.
"He has tons and tons of confidence," Klieman said. "A ton of credit goes to the guys that are blocking for him because we've made some great blocks. There are a bunch of guys that are a big factor in that."
5. After five games, senior wide receiver Landry Weber has arguably earned Most Improved Player.
Landry Weber had the best game of his K-State career when he recorded four catches for 65 yards and one touchdown against Oklahoma, giving him seven catches for 106 yards and one touchdown this season. This is big. The 5-foot-10, 187-pound senior entered the fall with seven catches for 117 yards during his first three seasons. What makes the efforts by Weber, a native of Lenexa, Kansas, most impressive comes in the fact that he was significantly limited during the 2020 season due to injury. Now he has the third-most receptions this season by a wide receiver on the roster.
"I know what a competitor he is, and I know when he had surgery it was touch and go," Klieman said. "He was hurting all last year and was just a shell of himself. He would tell you that. So, I knew that he had potential to have the type of game that he had (against Oklahoma) from a production standpoint. All the stats, you can throw out the window, whether that kid catches one ball, six balls or zero, the plays that he makes in the run game blocking are instrumental."
6. The offense is showing an aggressive nature on fourth down this season.
After five games, K-State is tied for 12th in the FBS with Alabama and Arizona in converting 77.78% on fourth down while converting 7 of 9 attempts this season — numbers aided by significant aggressive fourth-down tendencies against Oklahoma (K-State was 4 of 5 on fourth down against the Sooners). K-State currently owns its highest fourth-down conversion percentage since at least 2003. The Wildcats have ranked No. 1 in the Big 12 in conversion percentage three years (60.0% in 2016, 72.7% in 2011, and 65.0% in 2010). While K-State went for it on fourth down 10 times all last season, the Wildcats attempted a record 20 fourth-down plays in 2010 and 2018.
"In our league, you have to be more aggressive, because there's a lot of talented offenses out there," Klieman said. "I trusted the sixth-year quarterback that on fourth-and-4 we ought to be able to convert. Fourth-and-8 is a little bit tougher, but I've been in the situation a few times, and I haven't second guessed myself, but I also know you need touchdowns to win."
7. The defense is cutting down on giving up the explosive play in 2021.
One of the glaring deficiencies by the K-State defense a year ago was its inability to clamp down on explosive plays. The Wildcats ranked 114th nationally in allowing 60 plays from scrimmage of 20-plus yards (6.0 per game). After five games, the Wildcats rank 35th in allowing just 17 plays of 20-plus yards (3.4 per game). In the Big 12, only Iowa State (zero) and Oklahoma (zero) have allowed fewer plays of 60-plus yards than the Wildcats (one) this season.
"The one thing that is unique is we haven't given up the explosive plays, which we did last year," Klieman said. "Obviously, last year was a unique, unique year, but we aren't giving up the explosive plays, and that's the encouraging thing. I think the longest run we've given up is 28 yards, which is way, way too much, and that still comes down to tackling."
Kansas State head coach Chris Klieman said earlier in the week that the bye week came at a good time for the Wildcats, 3-2 overall and 0-2 in the Big 12 Conference, prior to playing seven games to finish out the 2021 regular season. Klieman planned to use the week to begin preparations for Iowa State while spending time evaluating and developing younger players on the roster.
Kleiman also said that it was an ideal time for players to refresh.
As K-State hits pause on its regular-season slate, D. Scott Fritchen of K-State Sports Extra takes a look at seven topics that Klieman addressed this week while adding perspective to some of the progress made by the Wildcats and individual players so far in the 2021 season:
1. Klieman is excited to further evaluate younger player in practice.
The bye week is always an ideal time to further inspect the strides and development of many promising players, either to potentially contribute later in the season, or perhaps touch the field the next year. Klieman is fortunate that he has fortified several positions with promising young players that could impact the program. He listed 12 players, in particular, that he intended to keep an eye on during practice. On offense, that included quarterbacks Jake Rubley and Max Marsh, offensive linemen Andrew Leingang and Hayden Gillum, and running back DJ Giddens. On defense, that included linebackers Beau Palmer, Kienen Gaskin and Krew Jackson, defensive tackle Damion Ilalio, defensive backs Desmond Purnell and Marvin Martin, and place kicker Chris Tennant.
"There's a bunch of guys for sure," Klieman said. "In the offensive line, Andrew Leingang is somebody that I'm really excited about because I think he will be a really, really good player here in a short time. He's down with the varsity right now as a true freshman offensive lineman. You don't see that very often, so I'm excited about what he's going to be able to do. We're looking at Jake Rubley quite a bit this week, give him some snaps and Max Marsh from the quarterback standpoint. DJ Giddens is a running back that we think is going to be a really talented guy that just needs repetition.
"Then defensively, Damion Ilalio is a good, good player as a defensive tackle that needs to go against guys like Leingang and Hayden Gillum this week. Beau Palmer and Kienen Gaskin are going to be good inside linebackers. They need reps, and Krew Jackson is a long athletic outside linebacker that we're excited about. Desmond Purnell and Marvin Martin are good, young safety guys that we're excited about. So, it's a bunch of guys. I'm sure I'm missing out on some too. Chris Tennant is going to get a lot of reps this week with kicking and punting, so I'm excited for Chris and he's a really talented guy. So, the list goes on and on. We'll work some Iowa State, and then those guys will go against each other for a period of practice too."
2. The bye week is the perfect time for players to heal injuries
Of course, K-State fans received a surprise when sixth-year senior quarterback Skylar Thompson trotted onto the field to start against No. 6 Oklahoma after missing the previous two games due to a right knee injury against Southern Illinois on September 11. Thompson enjoyed one of the best performances of his career. While Thompson can further nurse his injured knee, the bye week could help a few other key players, in particular, potentially heal their respective injuries to a certain extent. On offense, that includes wide receiver Chabastin Taylor and tight end Daniel Imatorbhebhe. On defense, defensive back Reggie Stubblefield has a week to progress while the healing process begins for defensive end Bronson Massie.
"(Massie) is out for a while," Klieman said. "I don't know if that's two weeks or if that's four weeks. I would say that would be the max it would be. So, two weeks is an outside shot with Iowa State. Four weeks, obviously miss a few games, but it's an upper body injury that we feel like he's going to recover from. It's just a matter of, is it going to take two or four weeks? Can he do enough rehab to get himself potentially ready? I would say he might be able to."
"Reggie is a really good football player. He played a little bit in Stanford, a little bit against Southern Illinois, and had kind of a big game against Nevada, and got injured and missed the trip to Oklahoma State. He came back and got a handful of snaps against OU. He's got a cast on his hand, that's one thing, but he's got some other ailments that we've got to get him healthy because he allows us to play a true nickel defense that we have to be able to get to."
"We've really felt that Chabastin's (Taylor) getting healthier. Nobody forgets about C-Bas for sure, but what some people fail to realize is that it was a December injury. That's usually a nine-month injury – and sometimes longer – and he's starting to gain the strength and starting to gain the confidence that he's going to be a factor for sure this year."
"We had a small package for (Imatorbhebhe) because he thought he could go. He didn't practice all week (prior to OU). I should say he was very, very limited on Thursday and thought there were a few things that he could do, made a big, big catch. But just the way the game was going, I don't think he was going to be the best option for us, and we need to get him healthy."
3. Skylar Thompson can rest up while continuing one of the best statistical careers by a K-State quarterback.
Thompson, one of just 11 active quarterbacks in the FBS to record 5,000 passing yards and 1,000 rushing yards in a career, is the first K-State quarterback in at least 31 years to make 33 career starts — breaking a tie with Ell Roberson (2001-03). Thompson ranks fourth in career passing yards (5,581) and needs just 390 more to pass Jake Waters on the list. Thompson ranks fourth with a 60.62% completion rate (trailing Waters, Carson Coffman and Collin Klein), and fourth with 7.85 yards per passing attempt (trailing Waters, Jonathan Beasley and Roberson). Thompson ranks No. 1 all-time with a 1.97% interception percentage and is tied for sixth with 33 touchdown passes, needing five more to pass Roberson for third in school history. Finally, Thompson ranks fifth among all K-State quarterbacks with 1,107 rushing yards, needing 208 more to pass Michael Bishop for fourth place and needing 293 to pass Jesse Ertz for third all-time in school history. Overall, Thompson ranks in the top 10 in 15 statistical categories among K-State quarterbacks.
Against Oklahoma, Thompson completed 29 of 41 passes for 320 yards with three touchdowns and no interceptions, setting career highs in passing attempts and completions, and tying a career high in touchdowns.
"Just with practice time that he's missed, all the practice time, all the timing with tight ends and receivers and stuff — that's what I'm excited about," Klieman said. "I think he played a really, really good game (against OU). I'm so excited for him, but his best football is still going to be in front of him."
4. Let's put what Malik Knowles has accomplished as a kickoff returner into perspective.
It's sometimes easy to take the K-State return units for granted. But there's simply no other program that has collectively matched the success forged by the Wildcats. While explosive Phillip Brooks ranks just outside the top 10 in K-State history in career punt return yards (392) and career punt-return touchdowns (three), junior wide receiver Malik Knowles, behind expert blocking from the other 10 players on the field, continues to excel as the Wildcats' primary kickoff returner. The 6-foot-3, 200-pound native of Mansfield, Texas, ranks No. 1 among all active players in the FBS in averaging 28.5 yards per kickoff return in his career, and is tied for No. 1 among all active Power 5 players with three kickoff-return touchdowns in his career. Simply put, over the course of Knowles' career, nobody in the FBS has been more deadly.
Knowles' 28.5 career kickoff-return average is tied with Tyler Lockett and Brandon Banks for fourth all-time at K-State — trailing William Powell (34.6), D.J. Reed (32.2) and Morgan Burns (30.8) — and he ranks fourth all-time with three kickoff-return touchdowns — trailing Morgan Burns (five), Brandon Banks (five) and Tyler Lockett (four).
Knowles returned a fourth-quarter kickoff 93 yards for a touchdown against Oklahoma one week after he took one 99 yards at Oklahoma State. He is the only player in the nation to return a kickoff for a touchdown in back-to-back games this season.
"He has tons and tons of confidence," Klieman said. "A ton of credit goes to the guys that are blocking for him because we've made some great blocks. There are a bunch of guys that are a big factor in that."
Malik Knowles takes it to the house! 🏡⚡️
— FOX College Football (@CFBONFOX) October 2, 2021
Don't look now, but @KStateFB is back to within one score pic.twitter.com/33j353Zeok
5. After five games, senior wide receiver Landry Weber has arguably earned Most Improved Player.
Landry Weber had the best game of his K-State career when he recorded four catches for 65 yards and one touchdown against Oklahoma, giving him seven catches for 106 yards and one touchdown this season. This is big. The 5-foot-10, 187-pound senior entered the fall with seven catches for 117 yards during his first three seasons. What makes the efforts by Weber, a native of Lenexa, Kansas, most impressive comes in the fact that he was significantly limited during the 2020 season due to injury. Now he has the third-most receptions this season by a wide receiver on the roster.
"I know what a competitor he is, and I know when he had surgery it was touch and go," Klieman said. "He was hurting all last year and was just a shell of himself. He would tell you that. So, I knew that he had potential to have the type of game that he had (against Oklahoma) from a production standpoint. All the stats, you can throw out the window, whether that kid catches one ball, six balls or zero, the plays that he makes in the run game blocking are instrumental."
— K-State Football (@KStateFB) October 2, 2021
6. The offense is showing an aggressive nature on fourth down this season.
After five games, K-State is tied for 12th in the FBS with Alabama and Arizona in converting 77.78% on fourth down while converting 7 of 9 attempts this season — numbers aided by significant aggressive fourth-down tendencies against Oklahoma (K-State was 4 of 5 on fourth down against the Sooners). K-State currently owns its highest fourth-down conversion percentage since at least 2003. The Wildcats have ranked No. 1 in the Big 12 in conversion percentage three years (60.0% in 2016, 72.7% in 2011, and 65.0% in 2010). While K-State went for it on fourth down 10 times all last season, the Wildcats attempted a record 20 fourth-down plays in 2010 and 2018.
"In our league, you have to be more aggressive, because there's a lot of talented offenses out there," Klieman said. "I trusted the sixth-year quarterback that on fourth-and-4 we ought to be able to convert. Fourth-and-8 is a little bit tougher, but I've been in the situation a few times, and I haven't second guessed myself, but I also know you need touchdowns to win."
7. The defense is cutting down on giving up the explosive play in 2021.
One of the glaring deficiencies by the K-State defense a year ago was its inability to clamp down on explosive plays. The Wildcats ranked 114th nationally in allowing 60 plays from scrimmage of 20-plus yards (6.0 per game). After five games, the Wildcats rank 35th in allowing just 17 plays of 20-plus yards (3.4 per game). In the Big 12, only Iowa State (zero) and Oklahoma (zero) have allowed fewer plays of 60-plus yards than the Wildcats (one) this season.
"The one thing that is unique is we haven't given up the explosive plays, which we did last year," Klieman said. "Obviously, last year was a unique, unique year, but we aren't giving up the explosive plays, and that's the encouraging thing. I think the longest run we've given up is 28 yards, which is way, way too much, and that still comes down to tackling."
See y'all next week#KStateFB ⚒ pic.twitter.com/6x2X9xco3p
— K-State Football (@KStateFB) October 8, 2021
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