Kansas State heads to Cincinnati for its Big 12 opener Saturday with the quarterback room suddenly hanging in the balance.
Senior Avery Johnson is on track to make his 30th straight start for the Wildcats, but he may be the only healthy scholarship quarterback available. Kansas State’s first availability report listed Blake Barnett as out and Dillon Duff and Jacob Knuth as questionable, leaving real uncertainty behind Johnson.
That’s a shift from the last two games, when Johnson and Knuth were the only healthy quarterbacks who dressed against Washington State and Tulane. Now Knuth is a question mark too, which could leave head coach Collin Klein needing to consider emergency options at the position if Johnson can’t take every snap.
There is still a path for help to arrive before kickoff. Duff and/or Knuth could be cleared in time for the game, and the questionable designation keeps that door open. Kansas State and Cincinnati will both continue to update their reports leading into Saturday.
Barnett’s absence appears more serious. He is expected to miss the next few weeks and is currently walking with the help of crutches.
Kansas State also ruled out safety Ja’Son Prevard and offensive lineman Oliver Miller.
There was some encouraging news for the Wildcats, too. Defensive back Logan Bartley and defensive end Jordan Allen were not listed, which points to both being available after sitting out against Tulane.
Cincinnati’s report brought its own list of absences. Offensive lineman Aiden Pastoriza, tight end DaMari Witherspoon and wide receiver Pierce Ayers were all ruled out, while linebacker Filip Maciorowski is questionable.
In Other News...
BYU Just Got A Clearer Look At The Big 12 QB Race
The Big 12 quarterback picture got a little sharper after Week 3, and for Kansas State fans, the early read is as much about the conference race as it is about the Wildcats themselves. A new ranking of the leagues top passers entering Week 4 puts recent performances front and center, using last weeks results from around the conference to sort out who is surging, who is settling in and who still has work to do.
Kansas States place in that conversation matters because the league schedule is already starting to separate contenders from the pack, with Week 4 matchups offering another chance to shuffle the order again. The update also folds in results and evaluations from teams like Texas Tech, Arizona State, West Virginia, Oklahoma State and Houston, giving BYU a clearer view of the field it has entered and leaving the next round of quarterback tests to decide how stable those rankings really are. [Read more 🡒]
Kansas State Finally Gets Its First Real Big 12 Test
Kansas State rolled through its non-conference slate unbeaten, but now the schedule turns toward the kind of week that tells a team what it really is. First-year coach Collin Klein has said those early games served a purpose beyond the wins, giving the Wildcats a chance to sharpen themselves before the more demanding stretch of Big 12 play begins with Cincinnati.
The road opener brings a different sort of pressure, too, because Kansas State is trying to carry that clean start into a conference race that rarely gives teams much margin for error. A win would keep the momentum rolling and reinforce the fast start under Klein, but the Bearcats are the first test that can show how well the Wildcats early progress travels when the opponent knows what is coming. [Read more 🡒]
Kansas State Faces Its First Real Big 12 Test At Cincinnati
Kansas State finally steps into the part of the schedule that will tell us more about where this team really stands. The Wildcats and Cincinnati are both 3-0 heading into their Big 12 opener, with Collin Kleins team leaning on Avery Johnson, a defense coordinated by Jordan Peterson and the sort of early momentum every contender wants to carry into league play.
Cincinnati has its own reasons to feel confident, especially with Scott Satterfields group chasing a 4-0 start behind quarterback JC French IV and defensive playmaker Antwan Peek Jr. For Kansas State, this trip is less about preserving a clean record than seeing how the Wildcats handle a conference road test against a team eager to make its own statement. [Read more 🡒]