Rapid recap: The Kansas State two-quarterback system
Kansas State defense shines
While most of the headlines will be about the Kansas State offense, the defense only allowed three points on Saturday night. They may have even stolen the show. TCU has an explosive offense and the Wildcats held the Horned Frogs to just four explosive plays.
Controlling the line of scrimmage was important for K-State.
One player that head coach Chris Klieman made sure to single out was sophomore linebacker Jake Clifton. He has now played all three linebacker spots this season but started Saturday at the ‘Mike’ spot for the injured Austin Romaine. In his first start, Clifton had three tackles.
Two quarterback system
Both Kansas State quarterbacks Will Howard and Avery Johnson played against TCU. They alternated every series. Klieman is not sure about what the two-quarterback system will look like going forward and admitted he isn’t sure if they’ll continue to rotate them as they have the last two games.
Klieman and K-State offensive coordinator Collin Klein knew they had things on their play card for both Johnson and Howard to be successful. The Kansas State head coach also pointed out both throws Johnson had to Jayce Brown and called them dimes.
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Howard also had some nice runs and ended with 62 yards rushing for the game. Both quarterbacks can run and pass well to put K-State in a position to win. Klieman also reiterated the Wildcats will need both quarterbacks the rest of the season.
Praise for Purnell
For the second time this season, Klieman had very strong praise for sophomore linebacker Desmond Purnell. The Topeka native seems to be getting more and more comfortable in the defense and is playing with confidence.
The game appears to be slowing down for Purnell who had five tackles including half a sack and added an interception. According to his head coach, the Kansas State linebacker is playing at an All-Big 12 level and is one of the best players on the K-State defense.
