Kansas State’s quarterback merry-go-round will take another turn Saturday when the Wildcats take on Oklahoma State in Manhattan, Kan.
After throwing for 224 yards and three touchdowns in last week’s 27-24 overtime loss to Colorado, Blake Barnett will make his first start of the season against the Cowboys.
“He earned that right with how he played,” Wildcats coach Collin Klein said of the junior.
Barnett will be the fourth starting quarterback in as many games. Avery Johnson started the first six games at the position before suffering a neck/shoulder injury that has kept him out since. Jacob Knuth started vs. Arizona State on Oct. 24, while Dillon Duff got the call and played the first quarter in Boulder.
“I’ve been through some crazy quarterback situations and I’ve not seen one like this before,” Klein said.
The Wildcats figure to need to score plenty of points to have a chance to beat Oklahoma State, which comes in averaging 41.1 points and 529.6 yards of offense, both No. 3 in the country.
“I think anytime you start chasing and not being yourself and your identity, and how you want to play, any problems you do have get worse,” Klein said. “And so I think we have to be us.”
The Wildcats (4-4, 1-4 Big 12) have lost back-to-back games and four of their last five since starting 3-0.
Oklahoma State has dropped two of three, with both losses coming on the road.
But since dropping their first game of the season, 24-10 at Tulsa, the Cowboys have scored at least 32 points in every game.
One of the biggest takeaways from last week’s 51-49 loss to Iowa State was Oklahoma State’s red-zone success.
The Cowboys (5-3, 3-2) scored touchdowns in each of their four red-zone opportunities after coming into the game scoring touchdowns on just over half of their trips to the red zone.
“We’ve just got to continue to prove it week in, week out,” Oklahoma State coach Eric Morris said. “That’s a beautiful thing about this game you play. You’re only as good as your last week.”
Morris said he was hopeful that a pair of key defenders could return this week in defensive end Jaleel Johnson and linebacker Tate Romney. Tight end Carson Kolb, who missed last week’s game after suffering a foot injury the week before in a win over Colorado, will be out Saturday and potentially longer.
Kansas State has beaten the Cowboys in each of the last two seasons.