Kansas State is headed into Saturday’s trip to Colorado with the quarterback situation in full scramble mode.
Avery Johnson has been ruled out for a second straight week, and Jacob Knuth is listed as doubtful after rolling his ankle twice during his start in last week’s loss at Arizona State. That leaves the Wildcats on track to use their third different quarterback in as many weeks when they kick off against the Buffaloes on Saturday, Oct. 31, at 1 p.m. CT in Boulder, Colorado.
It’s a strange run of bad luck, especially because both Johnson and Knuth finished the games in which they were hurt. Their injuries didn’t become public until days later, which is why coach Collin Klein called the situation “crazy” earlier this week. Klein, of course, won’t be able to solve it himself on Halloween.
That means the spotlight falls on Blake Barnett or Dillon Duff.
Barnett looks like the cleanest option. He has been removed from the injury report and is available after being listed as a game-time decision before last week’s matchup at Arizona State. He had been on crutches after appearing in K-State’s Week 1 blowout win over Nicholls, but he appears ready now.
There’s even a little bit of symmetry to this one: Barnett could make his first start in Boulder, about 30 minutes west of Erie High, where he played his high school football. He also brought the most experience to the quarterback room coming into the year, thanks to what he did last season.
Barnett played in four games a year ago and was used in special packages as a running quarterback. At 6-foot-1 and 218 pounds, he gave K-State a bigger change-of-pace option when the other quarterbacks were healthy. That’s not the setup now, and he probably won’t be at full strength.
His numbers from last season were limited but useful: 14 carries for 40 yards, with no pass attempts. Against Nicholls, he completed 4 of 5 passes for 41 yards.
For all the uncertainty, Barnett at least fits the role Klein seemed comfortable with before the season. And if he’s the guy, he’ll need more help than Knuth got last week, when the Wildcats managed just 84 rushing yards.
Duff is the other name in the mix, and he brings a different kind of intrigue. The sophomore impressed Klein during the preseason before getting hurt, and he didn’t dress for the first three weeks of the season. Kansas State has made no secret of its optimism about what he might become.
What’s not clear is how much he could handle right now. Duff has no college experience, didn’t play a snap last year, and has only the résumé of a decorated high school quarterback to point to.
He was a three-star prospect out of De Smet High School in St. Louis, where he helped win a state championship in his final appearance in 2024.
That season, Duff completed 64.4% of his passes for 2,741 yards, 26 touchdowns and six interceptions. He also ran for 666 yards and nine touchdowns, including three games with at least 111 rushing yards. 247Sports ranked him the No. 68 quarterback in the 2025 class.
So Duff could be part of the future, or he could simply be the next man up if K-State decides it needs to see what it has. Either way, he’s in the conversation now.
There is one more emergency option if things get even uglier. Klein said Monday that Joe Jackson would handle direct snaps in the “Wildcat formation” if needed. Jackson, though, also had a rough outing against Arizona State, limping off after two plays in that look before returning.
He has taken just one other direct snap in his career, according to Pro Football Focus, and that came in last season’s Week 6 loss at Baylor. He has never attempted a pass, and he played running back in high school.
Even so, Jackson is third on the team in rushing with 371 yards at 4.8 yards per carry and two touchdowns. In a week where the quarterback room has been battered, that kind of flexibility suddenly matters a lot.
In Other News...
Kansas State Suddenly Has A Quarterback Concern At The Worst Time
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Deion Sanders Just Put Colorados Biggest Problem In Focus Before K-State
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For Kansas State, that kind of self-inflicted noise is the sort of thing worth watching closely. The Wildcats have their own reasons to stay locked in, but Sanders made it clear his team is still searching for cohesion and discipline, and he took responsibility for getting it there. With K-State up next, Colorados margin for error already looks thin, even if one part of the operation has started to settle in. [Read more 🡒]