Four things to know about TCU’s next opponent, the Kansas State Wildcats
The similarities between TCU and Kansas State the last two seasons have been staggering.
Both schools came out of nowhere to reach the Big 12 championship a year ago led by backup quarterbacks. Max Duggan was a Heisman finalist while K-State’s Will Howard became a local legend in Manhattan for leading the program to the title over the Horned Frogs.
This year both entered the year with lofty expectations. K-State started the year ranked 16th, TCU (4-3, 2-2) started 17th. They’ve both suffered stunning upsets: TCU’s losses to Colorado and West Virginia and K-State (4-2, 2-1) rolled at Oklahoma State.
Both teams also won in convincing fashion this past week setting up a huge Big 12 showdown on Saturday that will determine who’s a contender or pretender in the conference.
Here’s four things to know about TCU’s next opponent, Kansas State:
Battle of the backups?
A few hours after Josh Hoover put on a clinic against BYU, the Wildcats’ backup quarterback had his breakout moment. Avery Johnson, a four-star recruit from the 2023 class, came in to spark the Kansas State offense by rushing for five touchdowns and 90 yards on 13 carries.
K-State head coach Chris Klineman didn’t name Johnson the starter for this week’s game, but it’s hard to envision Howard keeping the starting role. Howard threw three interceptions in the upset loss at Oklahoma State and has thrown seven on the year to just nine touchdowns. He hasn’t been the same player that he was down the stretch last season which may have opened the door for Johnson.
Johnson was ranked a top-100 recruit in his class and is listed at 6-foot-2, 188 pounds. At this stage, he’s more of a runner than a polished passer, but is clearly a dangerous playmaker. TCU will once again must prepare for two quarterbacks.
Replacing Deuce
Deuce Vaughn went down as one of the best players in Kansas State history and replacing the small, but mighty All-American running back has gone better than expected. The Wildcats are actually averaging more rushing yards per game than they were a year ago, but it’s been with a committee approach.
Three players have four rushing touchdowns or more and three players have 200 rushing yards or more. DJ Giddens is the team’s leading rusher with 541 yards, but almost half of his yards came against UCF when he rushed for 207 yards on 30 carries. Florida State transfer Treshaun Ward has been a solid secondary back with 337 rushing yards and three total touchdowns.
Howard and Johnson have combined for nearly 400 yards on the ground and 12 total touchdowns. The Horned Frogs will have to key in on more than one person to slow down the K-State rushing attack.
Nation’s best
One reason the rushing attack has remained so potent is the return of offensive guard Cooer Beebe. Beebe was voted a consensus All-American last season and has picked up right where he left off from last season. The senior has yet to allow a sack, continuing his streak from 2020.
According to Pro Football Focus Beebe is the only Power Five guard that the site has graded top-five in both run blocking and pass blocking. Beebe will likely land on multiple mid-season All-American lists for good reason. The Horned Frogs have been elite when it comes to stopping the run, but can Damonic Williams and others win the battle in the interior against Beebe?
Defensive drop off?
Like TCU, the Wildcats lost a number of defensive stars from a year ago. JuJu Brents was one of the league’s top cornerbacks and Felix Anudike-Uzomah was voted Big 12 Defensive Player of the Year and was a difference maker in the K-State front seven.
The Wildcats have remained mostly solid on defense, but there’s been some regression through the first half of the season. Opposing quarterbacks have found more success in both yardage and completion percentage this season, but Kansas State has been more stout against the run, only allowing 108 yards per game. Teams are averaging just 3.5 yards per carry.
Names to know on this side of the ball include safety Kobe Savage, arguably the best safety in the league and leading tackler Austin Moore. Moore has 25 solo stops and 7.5 tackles for loss. These two are the defenders TCU must account for all night.
