WRNL Interrogates: Bring On The Cats

1) Will Howard has come on in relief after Skylar Thompson’s injury, he has played well but has turned it over more than you would be accustomed to with Thompson. That could be attributed to being a freshman. Is Howard the guy of the future and maybe even exceeded some of his expectations?

The odds are that Thompson is done for good, although he could theoretically come back next year thanks to El Covidico. That means Howard’s already got the keys to the car, although — assuming he doesn’t decommit — Jake Rubley will push Howard very, very hard next season.

And, yeah, Howard has definitely surpassed our expectations. 40% of those turnovers weren’t even his fault. (Stone hands, don’t cha know.)

2) What is one thing Kansas State is going to look to exploit on Saturday against Iowa State?

The Cyclones’ offensive line. Against almost every team this year, K-State’s front four has spent the entire first quarter and most of the rest of the game forcing the opposing quarterback to either scramble or hurry.

The problem is that when I say “most of the rest of the game” I mean the second and fourth quarters. In most games, during the third quarter we’ve replaced the K-State defense with Folger’s Crystals to see if consumers can tell the difference.

Spoiler: you can. The defense usually looks completely lost coming out of the locker room after the half, and the third quarter has literally been when more than one opponent has gotten over half their yardage for the entire game. The obvious place to point the finger of blame here is halftime adjustments, but I don’t want to roast Joe Klanderman too much yet — because outside of the third quarter, the Wildcat defense has been absolute nails.

3) Give us one player that Iowa State fans may not know yet, but will after Saturday?

Ekow Boye-Doe. He’s a sophomore that K-State pilfered straight out of Lawrence, as one does, and he wasn’t even expected to be on the two-deep yet this year. Naturally, he’s now the anchor of the secondary, and his coverage skills are frankly among the best in K-State history... and some pretty good corners have played in Manhattan.

The entire secondary will probably surprise you if you haven’t watched them this year. We all know what everyone’s been used to the past few seasons against the Cats, but if you’re looking for big plays your best bet is on the ground.

4) Deuce Vaughn is 5 foot 5 and very versatile, it’s almost like he is> another Tarik Cohen. What makes him so effective at his size?

Let me be clear: I am not knocking Vaughn when I say this. We’re not sure he’s that effective. He’s been effectively shut down for the last couple of games, and while part of that is being banged up it’s also obvious defensive coordinators are scheming to stop him.

He’s still incredibly dangerous, because he can hit holes bigger backs simply can’t get through and he’s wicked fast. As a viewer, the one thing that should make you clench in fear is seeing Vaughn open behind your defensive line; if that happens, there’s a not-insignificant chance you’re about to watch a touchdown.

5) Give us your prediction and why.

K-State wins 19-18 — when with 1:02 left in the fourth on third down —Brock Purdy trips over an offensive lineman’s ankle and fumbles, K-Stateuses 14 laterals to return the fumble for a score.

Why? Because it’s Farmageddon in Ames, that’s why.

(Real answer: I honestly have no idea what to expect, because I don’tknow how ready Vaughn is and I don’t know which Will Howard will show up.)