Rapid Recap: Kansas State adjusts to being the hunted

HOW KANSAS STATE WILL REPLACE DEUCE VAUGHN

It is no easy task to replace Deuce Vaughn. He tallied over 1,800 yards from scrimmage the last two seasons for Kansas State. Going into 2023, it appears K-State will try to replace Vaughn with an approach that resembles more of a committee.

DJ Giddens received a tremendous amount of praise from Kansas State head coach Chris Klieman on Thursday morning in Arlington. He called Giddens a special player and a rising star who will surprise a lot of people.

Giddens ran for 518 yards and six touchdowns last season as a redshirt freshman behind Vaughn.

K-State also added Treshaun Ward from Florida State during the offseason.

He was a productive player for the Seminoles a year ago when he rushed for 628 yards and seven touchdowns. Ward was out most of the Spring due to an injury, but he is fully cleared now. Due to his injury, they are still in the process of determining how to use him.

THE BEST VERSION OF WILL HOWARD

Will Howard has had a wild journey throughout his Kansas State career. The last three seasons, he has been thrust into action out of necessity and not by design or an intentional plan. He enters this season as the unquestioned starter.

Confidence and belief are two words Klieman used to describe his senior signal-caller. The whole team believes in him and knows they can win the Big 12 with him under center. Howard is also turning into more of a leader and has shared his knowledge of the game with the rest of the K-State roster.

Klieman believes 2023 will be the best version of Howard that we have seen.

ADJUSTING TO BEING THE HUNTED

The Wildcats are in a bit of a unique position in 2023. Instead of being a team and program that is overlooked, Kansas State has received a lot of praise in the offseason and were picked to finish second in the conference by the media.

It is an adjustment to be the hunted, but the K-State coach is excited for it.

However, every team circles every game in the league, so there is not going to be a huge target painted on the back of the Wildcats. It is also not unique to Klieman, as they had to defend national championships at North Dakota State and the expectation was to always repeat.

The biggest remedy to being the hunted is to stay humble and hungry. Focusing on the task at hand is extremely important because you can lose to anyone in the conference if you’re not playing your best football.

OFFENSE JUST SCRATCHING THE SURFACE

Collin Klein returns for his second year as the Kansas State offensive coordinator. The Wildcats averaged 32.3 points per game last season under his watch, which was good for No. 37 in the country. K-State also averaged 418 yards per game.

Klieman believes they are in line for a jump on offense. They are just scratching the surface of what they can accomplish on the offensive side of the ball. We have heard a few times that the goal is to average 40 points per contest.