Kansas State is turning to Blake Barnett at quarterback, and the timing makes this one of the stranger stretches the Wildcats have seen at the position.
Barnett, a 6-foot-1 junior, is set to make his first start since high school when K-State faces Oklahoma State at noon Saturday inside Bill Snyder Family Stadium. After waiting three years for this chance, he says he is trying to treat it like every other week.
“I have always tried to prepare like the starter,” Barnett said. “You have got to practice like a starter, so when you become the starter, nothing really changes.
I’m going to try to just stay the course. If that time comes where I do start this week, then it will be nothing different.
I will just be playing the first play.”
The Wildcats are now headed into a fourth straight game with a different quarterback, a run of turnover that has forced them to keep adjusting on the fly. Avery Johnson started the first six games before suffering a neck/shoulder injury against Kansas on Oct.
- He has not played since, and K-State is preparing for him to miss the rest of the season.
Jacob Knuth got the next shot against Arizona State, but an ankle injury knocked him out. Dillon Duff started against Colorado, then was benched after three drives because of ineffective play.
That leaves Barnett, who earned the start after stepping in and giving K-State a lift in a 27-24 overtime loss at Colorado. He threw for 224 yards and three touchdowns and added 40 rushing yards, all while playing with a noticeable edge.
“It’s a weird deal,” Barnett said. “Everybody is getting hurt and banged up, but you have just got to trust the process and stay the course no matter what. We all think next man up, because somebody has got to play.”
Collin Klein said Barnett “earned the right” to start after that performance against the Buffaloes. The K-State coach pointed to the energy Barnett brought when he came off the bench.
“He brought a spark to the offense,” Klein said. “He played with a competitive fire and energy that I think was contagious.”
Garrett Oakley saw the same thing.
“Blake is a great competitor,” Oakley said. “He shows up every day with a great attitude.
His competitive nature is obvious. He wants to win, and he wants to make plays.
He is fearless. It’s really fun watching him play.
He is the type of quarterback you want to make plays for.”
Barnett’s path to this point has been slowed by injury, too. He likely would have seen more action earlier in the season, but a lower body injury in Game 1 against Nicholls kept him on crutches for several weeks. He was not cleared to return until last Tuesday.
Now the opportunity is finally here, and Barnett says he wants to make the most of it the same way he did last week in Colorado.
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