Kansas State season preview: Quarterbacks

Our Kansas State preview series will analyze each and every position on the roster. Next up is the Wildcat quarterbacks.

PROJECTED KANSAS STATE DEPTH CHART

STARTER: Avery Johnson
SECOND UNIT: Ta’Quan Roberson
THIRD UNIT: Jacob Knuth

Again, no surprises, but the back-up quarterback battle at Kansas State is ongoing. Offensive coordinator Conor Riley called it the most legitimate one they’ve held since being in Manhattan. Head coach Chris Klieman said they are a long way away from naming the No. 2.

STRENGTHS

It has to be star power and playmaking ability, right? We pretty much know what we’re going to get from Avery Johnson, and that’s why the entire K-State fan base is excited. Sure, it won’t always be wonderful in his first year as the starter, but there will be many jaw-dropping moments that make up for the woes.

He’ll be one of the most electric and must-watch quarterbacks in college football as soon as this season. He’s one of the fastest players on the team. And listen to his teammates who are just as adamant as he is that he can throw the ball.

This isn’t just a facilitator. This is a quarterback that can go make the plays himself but also set up his teammates for success.

CONCERNS

Turnovers have been a bit of a theme if you believe the Kansas State defensive players earlier this week. Though, as I shared elsewhere, part of that may have just been them walking in from one of their better practices and not necessarily an alarming trend.

Marques Sigle did pick off three passes from K-State quarterbacks that given day. I just don’t think it’s been an over-arching problem throughout camp. And certainly hasn’t been something that has plagued Johnson. Remember, he was super careful with the ball in the bowl game versus NC State.

I still imagine some growing pains for him, though. It is hard to play mistake-free for an entire career and certainly earlier on when you haven’t had some of the teaching moments that can only be gleaned through experiences and setbacks here and there.

It could be missing a guy that breaks open here and there, an inaccurate ball, leaving a good pocket, not running when the lane is there, coughing the ball up on the ground or through the air or even lacking some situational awareness at times.

Those are all issues that can sometimes sink first-year signal-callers. Maybe Johnson will be different, but he certainly won’t be completely immune. And let’s keep an eye on the depth. Will Roberson or Knuth be quality enough behind him?

A BOLD PREDICTION

Explosiveness has to be considered. An extra game or two has to be considered since Kansas State is a clear threat to go to the Big 12 title game and potentially crack a berth into the first 12-team College Football Playoff.

Explosiveness can mean more possessions, even if the points per drive and/or consistency dips a little compared to last year’s number. It can also potentially mean more scores. That’s why the touchdown number could be worth watching.

Not that I think it has a good chance of happening, but Johnson could surpass Howard’s total touchdown mark of 33 last year. That did consist of 24 touchdown passes and nine rushing scores.

Playing one more game helps. More rushing scores could help. Johnson had seven on the ground himself last year and five in one game. If he even reaches 12 rushing, he could take down the total number.

But something else to note is that we don’t have definitive of what the pace of play will be like under K-State play-caller Conor Riley or what the rush/pass ratio will look like.

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