Another Tough Test Awaits but This Time at Home
Oct 28, 2022 | Football, Sports Extra
By: D. Scott Fritchen
No. 22 Kansas State and No. 9 Oklahoma State find themselves battling the injury bug as they head toward the Wildcats' Homecoming game with the second-place spot in the Big 12 Conference standings at stake with four games to go.
Both K-State, 5-2 overall and 3-1 in the Big 12, and Oklahoma State, 6-1 and 3-1, have incurred a rash of injuries among some key players that could make Saturday's 2:30 p.m. kickoff (FOX) at sold-out Bill Snyder Family Stadium a particular game of interest among top-25 matchups this week.
"Nobody feels sorry for anybody," K-State head coach Chris Klieman said. "Everybody has some injuries right now."
Quarterback remains a game-time decision according to K-State offensive coordinator Collin Klein. The health status of senior quarterback Adrian Martinez remains unclear. Additionally, safety Josh Hayes, linebacker Daniel Green, running back Deuce Vaughn, cornerback Julius Brents, and tight end Ben Sinnott were all injured during a 38-28 loss at No. 8 TCU last Saturday. Indications suggest that a majority of those players saw various amounts of practice time during the week.
As for star Oklahoma State quarterback Spencer Sanders? He's been battling a shoulder injury for a couple weeks. Wide receivers Jaden Bray and Braydon Johnson, offensive lineman Preston Wilson, defensive back Thomas Harper, defensive end Brock Martin, and defensive tackle Brendon Evers were all sidelined during the Cowboys' 41-34 win over No. 22 Texas last Saturday. A few other defensive backs could be questionable for Saturday due to injury.
"You still have to see what they do schematically and realize that they're probably not going to make wholesale changes schematically, which we won't either offensively or defensively," Klieman said.
Sanders was able to fight through his injury and completed 34 of 57 passes for 391 yards and two touchdowns and one interception against Texas.
Junior Will Howard replaced the injured Martinez after the first offensive series at TCU, throwing for two touchdowns and rushing for another. Howard landed hard on his shoulder following a run in the third quarter and went to the sideline, springing redshirt freshman Jake Rubley into action. Howard returned two possessions later and played the remainder of the game.
"Obviously, today, my number was called and I had to go in there, and didn't get the job done," Howard said following the loss. "Obviously, we need to regroup and figure out how to move on from this. I know this team is going to be better from it, though."
As for where Howard has grown between year one to year three?
"There's nothing like when you've been in that fire and have been in those battles and heated moments of games in contention and games on the line and having to make those judgement call decisions with confidence and at full speed," Klein said. "Obviously, having been through that through the first two years, and having worked as hard as he has and to prepare as well as he has to improve his craft and build true confidence, and being able to watch him build on that and go out and perform like he did, I was so proud of him."
K-State, picked fifth in the Big 12 Preseason Poll by a vote of the league's coaches, has been solid so far this season, suffering a seven-point loss to eventual top-25 team Tulane, and a 10-point loss to a top-10 opponent on the road.
A win on Saturday would give the Wildcats bowl eligibility for a second-straight season and for the third time in four years. Meanwhile, K-State looks to avoid its first four-game losing streak to Oklahoma State since the Cowboys won six straight in the series between 1984 and 1989.
Oklahoma State, picked third in the league's preseason poll, has won 20 of its last 23 games and eight of the last 10 top-25 matchups under head coach Mike Gundy, who had his team in the Big 12 Championship Game a year ago.
The Wildcats head toward kickoff knowing they control their own destiny for a spot in the Big 12 Championship Game.
"They know it for sure," Klieman said. "We talked about it (Monday). Everything is still in front of us, but it's all about our preparation and this is the next opportunity. Now we have five one-week seasons left and we have a really good Oklahoma State team coming here to play."
Later, Klieman added, "The fact that we played three of our first conference games on the road and we're 3-1? You know what? We're doing OK. If we come to work this week and have a great week, and lay it on the line, we'll see what happens, but I'm not disappointed in our guys at all.
"We're 5-2 and 3-1 in the league, and you guys know how tough the league is, and we've got two big road wins, and had a chance to get one and didn't get it done, and now we get to come back home."
K-State's last home game — a 37-28 win over Texas Tech on October 1 — marked the third of five-straight games decided by 10 or fewer points.
"I saw something that there were a lot of Big 12 games decided by single digits, and whether that be a team coming back down from 17, it's a 60-minute fight in some of the games," Vaughn said. "The Big 12 is wide open. There are a whole bunch of good teams.
"Every single week you step up to the batter's box, there's another good one."
One week after facing TCU's high-powered offensive attack, K-State prepares to face an Oklahoma State offense that is tied with TCU for third in the FBS with 45.7 points per game and ranks 24th nationally and fourth in the league with 466.9 total yards.
Sanders, a First Team All-Big 12 selection a year ago, ranks 12th in the FBS and first in the Big 12 with 2,952 total yards and seventh nationally and first in the Big 12 with 340.3 total yards per game. His 1,917 career rushing yards are most all-time among Oklahoma State quarterbacks.
Last season, Sanders completed 22 of 34 passes for 344 yards and two touchdowns against no interceptions in a 31-20 win over K-State.
"He's a competitor," Klieman said. "We're going in from the fire to the next one from Max Duggan to Spencer Sanders. He has been really good against us the last three years. He can beat you with his arm and with his legs."
The Cowboys' 538 total yards against the Longhorns marked their most against a Big 12 team this season.
K-State is giving up just 19.7 points and 374.6 total yards per game. This week, the Wildcats rank 16th in the FBS in turnover margin, 17th in interceptions, 18th in fourth-down defense, 23rd in scoring defense, 23rd in sacks, and 24th in tackles for loss.
"We're playing absolutely incredibly hard," K-State defensive coordinator Joe Klanderman said. "We're still improving in our execution, but we get ourselves out of a lot of jams just because our guys play so dang hard across the board. I'm so proud of our guys for that. There are a handful of guys playing an incredible number of snaps and they're just taking it and they're going.
"We've battled through a lot of injuries and things and you wouldn't know it. Our guys just grin and go."
The K-State offense will face an Oklahoma State defense that ranks 86th in scoring defense in allowing 28.7 points and 117th nationally and 10th in the league in surrendering 449.6 total yards.
Martinez and Vaughn lead a ground-gaining attack that ranks 11th nationally with 232.1 rushing yards per game. Martinez and Vaughn are the top quarterback-running back rushing duo nationally with 1,309 rushing yards between them.
Vaughn ranks 13th nationally and second in the Big 12 with 106.3 rushing yards per game and against TCU became the quickest player in Big 12 history to reach 2,500 rushing yards and 1,000 receiving yards in a career.
"Unbelievably mind-blowing," Vaughn said. "To be etched in a record book for the conference is pretty cool."
Vaughn has 2,790 rushing yards in his career, needing just 29 more to pass Ell Roberson for fourth place in school history.
Vaughn has admittedly been slowed by nicks and bruises recently.
"He's an absolute warrior," Klein said. "His progress is better this week than it was last week. He played really well last week, too. He just needs to be Deuce."
One big emphasis for the Wildcats again could be third-down conversions. K-State ranks 114th in third-down conversions (31.9%) while Oklahoma State ranks fourth in third-down conversion defense (25.5%). The Cowboys held the Horned Frogs (3 of 13) and Longhorns (3 of 17) to a combined 6 of 30 on third-down conversions.
"Honestly, it's been a point of emphasis for us the last few weeks because we have struggled in that area to be able to stay on the field," Klein said. "What a great challenge. That's how our guys are looking at it. Oklahoma State really good on defense, they play extremely physical, they're aggressive and tackle well.
"It's a great chance for our guys to step up. We, I, need to put a good plan together to make sure they're in good position."
K-State is in a better position than a week ago in that it'll be at home for the first time in nearly a month and will have a sellout crowd on its side.
K-State players are excited to play in Manhattan again.
"It's been four weeks since we've played at home, and I can't wait to get in front of the best fans in the country and play in front of a packed crowd," K-State defensive end Nate Matlack said.
The end goal? That starts with another one-game season on Saturday.
"Back to work," Vaughn said. "Everything that we still want is out in front of us and we understand that. The same way we got to this point, being a really good football team to this point, we have to attack these last five games.
"We have to make sure the way we handle our business throughout the week is the best and even up a notch because we're playing some really good football teams the rest of the way."
No. 22 Kansas State and No. 9 Oklahoma State find themselves battling the injury bug as they head toward the Wildcats' Homecoming game with the second-place spot in the Big 12 Conference standings at stake with four games to go.
Both K-State, 5-2 overall and 3-1 in the Big 12, and Oklahoma State, 6-1 and 3-1, have incurred a rash of injuries among some key players that could make Saturday's 2:30 p.m. kickoff (FOX) at sold-out Bill Snyder Family Stadium a particular game of interest among top-25 matchups this week.
"Nobody feels sorry for anybody," K-State head coach Chris Klieman said. "Everybody has some injuries right now."
Quarterback remains a game-time decision according to K-State offensive coordinator Collin Klein. The health status of senior quarterback Adrian Martinez remains unclear. Additionally, safety Josh Hayes, linebacker Daniel Green, running back Deuce Vaughn, cornerback Julius Brents, and tight end Ben Sinnott were all injured during a 38-28 loss at No. 8 TCU last Saturday. Indications suggest that a majority of those players saw various amounts of practice time during the week.
As for star Oklahoma State quarterback Spencer Sanders? He's been battling a shoulder injury for a couple weeks. Wide receivers Jaden Bray and Braydon Johnson, offensive lineman Preston Wilson, defensive back Thomas Harper, defensive end Brock Martin, and defensive tackle Brendon Evers were all sidelined during the Cowboys' 41-34 win over No. 22 Texas last Saturday. A few other defensive backs could be questionable for Saturday due to injury.
"You still have to see what they do schematically and realize that they're probably not going to make wholesale changes schematically, which we won't either offensively or defensively," Klieman said.
Sanders was able to fight through his injury and completed 34 of 57 passes for 391 yards and two touchdowns and one interception against Texas.
Junior Will Howard replaced the injured Martinez after the first offensive series at TCU, throwing for two touchdowns and rushing for another. Howard landed hard on his shoulder following a run in the third quarter and went to the sideline, springing redshirt freshman Jake Rubley into action. Howard returned two possessions later and played the remainder of the game.
"Obviously, today, my number was called and I had to go in there, and didn't get the job done," Howard said following the loss. "Obviously, we need to regroup and figure out how to move on from this. I know this team is going to be better from it, though."
As for where Howard has grown between year one to year three?
"There's nothing like when you've been in that fire and have been in those battles and heated moments of games in contention and games on the line and having to make those judgement call decisions with confidence and at full speed," Klein said. "Obviously, having been through that through the first two years, and having worked as hard as he has and to prepare as well as he has to improve his craft and build true confidence, and being able to watch him build on that and go out and perform like he did, I was so proud of him."
K-State, picked fifth in the Big 12 Preseason Poll by a vote of the league's coaches, has been solid so far this season, suffering a seven-point loss to eventual top-25 team Tulane, and a 10-point loss to a top-10 opponent on the road.
A win on Saturday would give the Wildcats bowl eligibility for a second-straight season and for the third time in four years. Meanwhile, K-State looks to avoid its first four-game losing streak to Oklahoma State since the Cowboys won six straight in the series between 1984 and 1989.
Oklahoma State, picked third in the league's preseason poll, has won 20 of its last 23 games and eight of the last 10 top-25 matchups under head coach Mike Gundy, who had his team in the Big 12 Championship Game a year ago.
The Wildcats head toward kickoff knowing they control their own destiny for a spot in the Big 12 Championship Game.
"They know it for sure," Klieman said. "We talked about it (Monday). Everything is still in front of us, but it's all about our preparation and this is the next opportunity. Now we have five one-week seasons left and we have a really good Oklahoma State team coming here to play."
Later, Klieman added, "The fact that we played three of our first conference games on the road and we're 3-1? You know what? We're doing OK. If we come to work this week and have a great week, and lay it on the line, we'll see what happens, but I'm not disappointed in our guys at all.
"We're 5-2 and 3-1 in the league, and you guys know how tough the league is, and we've got two big road wins, and had a chance to get one and didn't get it done, and now we get to come back home."
K-State's last home game — a 37-28 win over Texas Tech on October 1 — marked the third of five-straight games decided by 10 or fewer points.
"I saw something that there were a lot of Big 12 games decided by single digits, and whether that be a team coming back down from 17, it's a 60-minute fight in some of the games," Vaughn said. "The Big 12 is wide open. There are a whole bunch of good teams.
"Every single week you step up to the batter's box, there's another good one."
One week after facing TCU's high-powered offensive attack, K-State prepares to face an Oklahoma State offense that is tied with TCU for third in the FBS with 45.7 points per game and ranks 24th nationally and fourth in the league with 466.9 total yards.
Sanders, a First Team All-Big 12 selection a year ago, ranks 12th in the FBS and first in the Big 12 with 2,952 total yards and seventh nationally and first in the Big 12 with 340.3 total yards per game. His 1,917 career rushing yards are most all-time among Oklahoma State quarterbacks.
Last season, Sanders completed 22 of 34 passes for 344 yards and two touchdowns against no interceptions in a 31-20 win over K-State.
"He's a competitor," Klieman said. "We're going in from the fire to the next one from Max Duggan to Spencer Sanders. He has been really good against us the last three years. He can beat you with his arm and with his legs."
The Cowboys' 538 total yards against the Longhorns marked their most against a Big 12 team this season.
K-State is giving up just 19.7 points and 374.6 total yards per game. This week, the Wildcats rank 16th in the FBS in turnover margin, 17th in interceptions, 18th in fourth-down defense, 23rd in scoring defense, 23rd in sacks, and 24th in tackles for loss.
"We're playing absolutely incredibly hard," K-State defensive coordinator Joe Klanderman said. "We're still improving in our execution, but we get ourselves out of a lot of jams just because our guys play so dang hard across the board. I'm so proud of our guys for that. There are a handful of guys playing an incredible number of snaps and they're just taking it and they're going.
"We've battled through a lot of injuries and things and you wouldn't know it. Our guys just grin and go."
The K-State offense will face an Oklahoma State defense that ranks 86th in scoring defense in allowing 28.7 points and 117th nationally and 10th in the league in surrendering 449.6 total yards.
Martinez and Vaughn lead a ground-gaining attack that ranks 11th nationally with 232.1 rushing yards per game. Martinez and Vaughn are the top quarterback-running back rushing duo nationally with 1,309 rushing yards between them.
Vaughn ranks 13th nationally and second in the Big 12 with 106.3 rushing yards per game and against TCU became the quickest player in Big 12 history to reach 2,500 rushing yards and 1,000 receiving yards in a career.
"Unbelievably mind-blowing," Vaughn said. "To be etched in a record book for the conference is pretty cool."
Vaughn has 2,790 rushing yards in his career, needing just 29 more to pass Ell Roberson for fourth place in school history.
Vaughn has admittedly been slowed by nicks and bruises recently.
"He's an absolute warrior," Klein said. "His progress is better this week than it was last week. He played really well last week, too. He just needs to be Deuce."
One big emphasis for the Wildcats again could be third-down conversions. K-State ranks 114th in third-down conversions (31.9%) while Oklahoma State ranks fourth in third-down conversion defense (25.5%). The Cowboys held the Horned Frogs (3 of 13) and Longhorns (3 of 17) to a combined 6 of 30 on third-down conversions.
"Honestly, it's been a point of emphasis for us the last few weeks because we have struggled in that area to be able to stay on the field," Klein said. "What a great challenge. That's how our guys are looking at it. Oklahoma State really good on defense, they play extremely physical, they're aggressive and tackle well.
"It's a great chance for our guys to step up. We, I, need to put a good plan together to make sure they're in good position."
K-State is in a better position than a week ago in that it'll be at home for the first time in nearly a month and will have a sellout crowd on its side.
K-State players are excited to play in Manhattan again.
"It's been four weeks since we've played at home, and I can't wait to get in front of the best fans in the country and play in front of a packed crowd," K-State defensive end Nate Matlack said.
The end goal? That starts with another one-game season on Saturday.
"Back to work," Vaughn said. "Everything that we still want is out in front of us and we understand that. The same way we got to this point, being a really good football team to this point, we have to attack these last five games.
"We have to make sure the way we handle our business throughout the week is the best and even up a notch because we're playing some really good football teams the rest of the way."
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