Kansas State freshman QB Will Howard completed 9-of-13 passes for 65 yards, not touchdowns, no interceptions, and ran 10 times for 82 yards and a touchdown in Kansas State’s 22-17 loss to Texas.
Howard’s (6'4"/235) highlight of the day was a galloping 71-yard dash down the sideline that he scored on in the second quarter. He pulled down the read-option and burst through the hole and won the foot race to score. Unfortunately, that was pretty much it for his highlights. The team clearly doesn’t really trust Howard to throw the ball, even when down. It makes sense, as Deuce Vaughn is the best player on the team and was playing well, but they were continually unable to convert on critical third/fourth and shorts. With no threat of the pass, it’s not surprising that Texas was able to just focus on the run. Howard is still very young and can clearly scoot if given room, but this KSU offense needs to get more out of the QB position, especially when Deuce Vaughn eventually leaves. KSU did enough to be bowl eligible, and we’ll see what Howard can do then.