Question of the Week: More or less Kansas State TD passes this season

Last season Kansas State quarterbacks threw for 30 touchdowns. Will K-State have more or less passing this season? Honestly, it’s a tough question.

The Wildcats should be better this season.

Jayce Brown and Keagan Johnson will have another year of experience under their belt. Both will be more comfortable in the scheme. Dante Cephas and Jadon Jackson should be steady and reliable as well. That also does not include Tre Spivey or Sterling Lockett making a breakthrough.

Ben Sinnott will be a tough player for K-State to replace, especially in the red zone. However, Garrett Oakley may provide the Wildcats with more explosiveness in that capacity. He reached the end zone twice on just 11 receptions last year.

Kansas State running backs will also be a major factor.

DJ Giddens sneakily caught three touchdowns last season, and Dylan Edwards hauled in four last season for Colorado. For the number of 30 to be overtaken it probably requires a handful of scores from the K-State backfield. Luckily, I don’t see that being much of a problem for the Wildcats.

Sneakily, another way the number could be reached is also by playing in more games. If Kansas State were to make the Big 12 Championship Game and/or College Football Playoff, they would play in at least 14 games this season. Last season the Wildcats played in 13 games.

While the running backs could be a contributor to improvement in the stat, the position group could also be why the number does not get reached. I expect K-State to have one of the best rushing attacks in the Big 12.

Giddens is still underrated by the Big 12 media. Edwards will hit some home runs. Don’t forget it is also possible for players like Joe Jackson or DeVon Rice to get in the mix. Of course it is also entirely possible Avery Johnson himself runs in a fair share of scores.

The number of 30 also isn’t the craziest number in the world. It is probably one of the smallest numbers in all of the Power Four, to be honest. However, it broke the Kansas State record for touchdown passes in a season last year. The previous record was 27 in 1995, so it was a pretty long-standing total, too.

Although I believe K-State will be more explosive in the passing game, my lean would be the Wildcats throw less touchdowns this year.

It is very possible the Wildcats could have a top season in terms of yards, but not touchdowns. 3,187 yards is the required number to be a top three season in terms of yardage, which is not out of the question. Kansas State was just short and finished with 3,135 last season.

I believe the Wildcats will come up just shy of 30, or even tie 30, due to the effectiveness of the run game in the red zone. K-State compiled 32 rushing scores last season, and it is not crazy to think more could be on the table this year.

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