Striving for Consistency - Kansas State University Athletics

By: D. Scott Fritchen

Collin Klein has been around college football for nearly 20 years. The first-year Kansas State head coach has never experienced anything quite like this.

The possibility exists that when K-State, 4-3 overall and 1-3 in the Big 12 Conference, visits Colorado, 2-5 and 0-4, in Saturday's 1:00 p.m. (CT) kickoff at Folsom Field, the Wildcats will likely start a different quarterback for a third straight game.

No telling the last time such an unfortunate fate has fallen upon a K-State program that has relished in having a strong, consistent quarterback presence through the years. K-State started three different quarterbacks in a single season in 2015 and 2017.

But as for a different starting quarterback in three consecutive games?

"I've never experienced anything like this," Klein said. "It's a brutal, physical game and stuff happens, but to have the situations we've had this year and some of the freak nature of non-contact, non-game type stuff, it's been very strange."

After making 32 consecutive starts, senior Avery Johnson is out for a second straight game as the school's all-time leader in total offensive yards and touchdown passes last guided the Wildcats to a 35-24 win over Kansas on October 17.

Fifth-year quarterback Jacob Knuth made his first career start in last Saturday's 28-17 loss at Arizona State. Unbeknownst to many at the time, Knuth in his valiant effort suffered ankle sprains, and is doubtful to play at Colorado.

That likely leaves starting quarterback duties to either redshirt sophomore Blake Barnett or sophomore Dillon Duff. Both quarterbacks were sidelined due to injuries earlier this fall. Barnett played in four games as a running quarterback last season after not seeing the field in 2024. Duff has yet to see action in a game.

Asked how he planned to manage the quarterback situation heading toward Saturday's game, Klein replied, "There are some real challenges."

"That's a part of it, and we have to be able to find solutions and build around the situation as best we can to give them the best chance to be successful and go find a way to win," Klein continued. "We're right there last week and didn't find those ways to finish the deal and get it done, but that's what we're going to do this week, and we're going to do it again."

While K-State seeks its first road win of the season, Colorado and head coach Deion Sanders are still looking for a win of any kind after a six-week drought.

Since opening the 2026 season with a 14-13 win at Georgia Tech and a 52-21 win over Weber State, the Buffaloes have dropped five straight games at Northwestern (41-7), at Baylor (23-13), against Texas Tech (29-7) and Utah (27-24) and at Oklahoma State (57-24).

The Buffaloes are marred in the second-longest active losing streak among Power 4 teams. Michigan State has lost six straight games.

"Put it on me, man. I'm good," Sanders said. "My shoulders are good. The staff is doing well. We're encouraging them as well. They're not happy where we are, truly, but it's not on them. That's me."

Colorado trailed 13-0 at halftime against No. 11 Utah and had 82 penalty yards and 70 total yards after two quarters, but the Buffaloes scored 17 straight points and pulled within a field goal with 1:21 remaining. Utah recovered the onside kick only to punt with just over a minute left, leaving the Buffaloes with one final opportunity. However, their Hail Mary pass in the end zone fell incomplete for a 27-24 loss at Folsom Field.

Last Saturday, Colorado took a 24-23 lead over Oklahoma State at halftime before the Cowboys scored 34 unanswered points. After moving the ball with ease in the first half, Colorado punted four times and committed three turnovers the rest of the way.

"They're tremendous," Klein said. "They're a very dangerous football team. Every game they've played, they've been right in it, maybe minus or one or two, and they've had leads into the second half even. It's going to take a good effort. They have a lot of talent."

Colorado, in its four seasons under Sanders, has suffered five-game losing streaks in 2023, 2025 and now in 2026. The Buffaloes have one winning season during the stretch as they went 9-4 in 2024. However, they went 3-9 last season and have just two wins this fall.

Klein brushes that aside.

"It's going to be a challenge," Klein said. "We haven't played well on the road the last couple outings, and that has got to change."

Although Colorado leads the all-time series 45-22-1, including a 28-6 mark in Boulder, K-State has won five of the last seven meetings, which is its best seven-game stretch against the Buffaloes since between 1997 and 2003.

K-State proved to be a consistent winner lately against Colorado with a 31-28 win at Boulder in 2024 and a 24-14 win in Manhattan last season — and Klein repeats that consistency is the key ingredient to give the Wildcats the best chance at success.

"Across college football right now, consistency is fleeting and hard to find from anybody," Klein said. "It's human nature at its core, and we need to fight that better and win that better and get on that consistent plane so we're playing our best football week in and week out. The ability to be consistent makes you elite in today's world of college football. Everyone is striving for it.

"We have work to do, and we're building the foundation to create that consistency."

Meanwhile, Colorado's actions are consistently drawing those feared yellow handkerchiefs on the field.

Penalties have stunted Colorado's efforts this season. The Buffaloes rank 136^th in the FBS with 9.4 penalties per game. Only Syracuse (9.7) and Liberty (10.1) average more in the country.

Colorado had 10 penalties for 93 yards against Utah, and it had 11 penalties for 84 yards at Oklahoma State.

Asked how Colorado might change its fortune against K-State, Sanders said, "We must be consistent. We're not consistent."

"We've been consistent the last couple weeks on special teams, but defensively, offensively, running the ball, throwing the ball, creating turnovers, eliminating penalties — we got to have some kind of consistency," he added. "That's the only thing we're consistent in, is getting penalties, and that doesn't make sense to me. We have to do better and prepare much better."

K-State ranks 43^rd in the FBS in scoring offense (32.9) and 47^th in scoring defense (21.1).

Colorado ranks 120^th in the FBS in scoring offense (20.1) and 112^th in scoring defense (30.1).

Isaac Wilson has completed 77-of-128 (60.2%) passes for 979 yards and six touchdowns and seven interceptions. He has thrown at least two interceptions in each of his last three performances.

"He's provided some explosive plays for them," Klein said. "They're very creative offensively, and they'll put a lot of new wrinkles in week to week, so you really have to have good fundamentals and be true to your principles to adapt to whatever call or situation you're in, because they'll throw a lot of different things at you."

Joseph Williams has 46 catches for 643 yards and five touchdowns, and DeAndre Moore Jr. has 28 catches for 418 yards and three touchdowns.

Sophomore JaQuail Smith leads the Buffaloes with 64 carries for 298 yards, while junior Micah Welch had 45 carries for 220 yards and two scores.

Colorado has struggled at times on defense and ranks 112^th in scoring defense (30.1), 105^th in total defense (391.6), 120^th in passing defense (253.0) and 66^th in rushing defense (138.6).

"Defensively, it's a really good defensive front with some really good defensive linemen, good length and good twitch, so we have to set the tone and make sure we're on point from a detail standpoint," Klein said. "We have to be in that attack and play-free mode. I told the guys you have to have the foundation of discipline and incredible detail to have that consistency, and you have to play fast and free. We're finding that balance."

Although K-State appears uncertain at quarterback, it packs a punch behind a running back duo that can cause problems for defenses. Junior Rodney Fields has 81 carries for 422 yards and five touchdowns, and senior Joe Jackson has 77 carries for 371 yards and two touchdowns.

Senior Jaron Tibbs (34 catches for 325 yards and four touchdowns), junior Derrick Salley Jr. (19 catches for 311 yards and one touchdown) and senior Josh Manning (26 catches for 254 yards and two touchdowns) lead a receiving corps that continues to improve as well.

K-State could receive good news as senior tight end Garrett Oakley, an All-Big 12 Honorable Mention performer last season, might be back after suffering an illness that kept him out of the past two games. Oakley has 16 catches for 196 yards and one touchdown in five games, and his 3.2 catches per game ranks third on the team.

"Our players are resilient in being able to bounce back from some of the curveballs we've had and have guys step up and do what they've done," Klein said. "We're right on the cusp of things, and we've made progress in certain areas. How they've been able to manage that through everything, I'm incredibly proud of them. It's a part of the growth process."

Sanders hopes the Buffaloes can finally get over the hump with a victory that would be their first since September 12.

"I'm not blind," Sanders said. "I feel good about it. I don't see we're going to get our butts kicked, I never see that, I'm not built like that, I'm not wired like that. What I see on a daily basis are guys that are still fighting and loving the game and speaking life into their teammates and doing their jobs."

On Saturday, K-State will look to get the job done and capture its first road win of the season against Colorado, hoping to turn any lingering quarterback questions into a spirit-salving statement.

Schedule

Players Mentioned

Blake Barnett

Dillon Duff

Joe Jackson

Avery Johnson

Jacob Knuth

Josh Manning

Garrett Oakley

Derrick Salley Jr.

Jaron Tibbs

Footer

Upcoming Events

Results

Related News