D
Derek Young
Guest
DEUCE
I mean I look for different content on this piece, I promise, but there’s no other way around it. Deuce Vaughn is a major part of the story in every week so far. Saturday against Texas Tech was no different.
He was the main source of offensive production. He was the only source of explosion. It doesn’t matter. It was enough. Kansas State made it two Big 12 wins in a row with a 31-21 victory over Texas Tech in Manhattan.
Deuce finished the game with 194 total yards. He led the team in rushing and receiving.
STONES
Will Howard has them. He wasn’t perfect. He wasn’t special. But he hung in there in what was a difficult situation for a quarterback to be rushed into the game and was still able to do enough to give his team the win.
He got lots of help. We have already mentioned the impact that Deuce had, especially in terms of yards after the catch in the game-clinching touchdown pass. Briley Moore did the same on a reception from Howard.
It inflated his numbers some. In his first extended action, he was 7 for 12 and tallied 173 yards.
However, his biggest asset was not being too small for the moment. It wasn’t too big for him. He even had some balls where his placement was off, like to Landry Weber. It was catchable, but it wasn’t put in the right spot.
He overthrew Deuce the first time. They came back to it later and he executed it the way they needed.
Howard and Vaughn weren’t the only true freshmen thrusted into action. In the fourth quarter, we also saw a decent dose of Carver Willis at left tackle and TJ Smith at safety.
TALE OF TWO HALVES FOR THE DEFENSE
At halftime, I commended the defense for some great football. They almost held Texas Tech to under 100 yards and didn’t allow a single point. They were helped, of course, by a couple missed field goals, too.
They were on top of everything that the Red Raiders were throwing at them and they were getting off the field on third down.
That wasn’t the case in the second half. Texas Tech got whatever they wanted, delivered on third down, scored three touchdowns and still finished with 471 yards.
They gashed the Wildcats with a number of runs. The game of halftime adjustments was won by the Red Raiders.
At the end of the day, Kansas State made the plays. There was an interception from Jahron McPherson that halted a drive and strong play form Ekow Boye-Doe, Robert Hentz, Kirmari Gainous and TJ Smith.
HEALTH
Obviously, there were a handful of players still out due to CoVid-19 protocols and procedures. However, they lost a few more during the game due to injury.
Everyone knows that Skylar Thompson left the game and did not return. His status is unclear. The way he had to be taken off the field didn’t evoke any optimism, though.
Others that left the game and couldn’t come back were cornerback Justin Gardner, offensive lineman Cooper Beebe and receiver Wykeen Gill.
Beebe’s ailment is something that tends to linger a bit, unfortunately. But we’ll see how he feels in a few days. The way that Gardner and Gill left the field also didn’t make me feel confident about their status in the near future.
I mean I look for different content on this piece, I promise, but there’s no other way around it. Deuce Vaughn is a major part of the story in every week so far. Saturday against Texas Tech was no different.
He was the main source of offensive production. He was the only source of explosion. It doesn’t matter. It was enough. Kansas State made it two Big 12 wins in a row with a 31-21 victory over Texas Tech in Manhattan.
Deuce finished the game with 194 total yards. He led the team in rushing and receiving.
STONES
Will Howard has them. He wasn’t perfect. He wasn’t special. But he hung in there in what was a difficult situation for a quarterback to be rushed into the game and was still able to do enough to give his team the win.
He got lots of help. We have already mentioned the impact that Deuce had, especially in terms of yards after the catch in the game-clinching touchdown pass. Briley Moore did the same on a reception from Howard.
It inflated his numbers some. In his first extended action, he was 7 for 12 and tallied 173 yards.
However, his biggest asset was not being too small for the moment. It wasn’t too big for him. He even had some balls where his placement was off, like to Landry Weber. It was catchable, but it wasn’t put in the right spot.
He overthrew Deuce the first time. They came back to it later and he executed it the way they needed.
Howard and Vaughn weren’t the only true freshmen thrusted into action. In the fourth quarter, we also saw a decent dose of Carver Willis at left tackle and TJ Smith at safety.
TALE OF TWO HALVES FOR THE DEFENSE
At halftime, I commended the defense for some great football. They almost held Texas Tech to under 100 yards and didn’t allow a single point. They were helped, of course, by a couple missed field goals, too.
They were on top of everything that the Red Raiders were throwing at them and they were getting off the field on third down.
That wasn’t the case in the second half. Texas Tech got whatever they wanted, delivered on third down, scored three touchdowns and still finished with 471 yards.
They gashed the Wildcats with a number of runs. The game of halftime adjustments was won by the Red Raiders.
At the end of the day, Kansas State made the plays. There was an interception from Jahron McPherson that halted a drive and strong play form Ekow Boye-Doe, Robert Hentz, Kirmari Gainous and TJ Smith.
HEALTH
Obviously, there were a handful of players still out due to CoVid-19 protocols and procedures. However, they lost a few more during the game due to injury.
Everyone knows that Skylar Thompson left the game and did not return. His status is unclear. The way he had to be taken off the field didn’t evoke any optimism, though.
Others that left the game and couldn’t come back were cornerback Justin Gardner, offensive lineman Cooper Beebe and receiver Wykeen Gill.
Beebe’s ailment is something that tends to linger a bit, unfortunately. But we’ll see how he feels in a few days. The way that Gardner and Gill left the field also didn’t make me feel confident about their status in the near future.
