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Kansas State Wildcats Will Start Fourth Different QB In Four Weeks
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- Kansas State Wildcats Will Start Fourth Different QB In Four Weeks
(IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect)
Kansas State Wildcats first-year coach Collin Klein is getting the full experience in his debut.
He has dealt with losing streaks. He has dealt with injuries. In short, he is dealing with everything most coaches have to endure.
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But Klein is facing a challenge most have yet to deal with in their careers. The Wildcats will start their fourth quarterback in four games when they play the Oklahoma State Cowboys Saturday at Bill Snyder Family Stadium.
Klein addressed it as his weekly press conference.
"I've been through some crazy quarterback situations, and I've not seen one like this before," Klein said.
Junior Blake Barnett gets the first start of his collegiate career at quarterback for the Wildcats. It has been a crazy month for Kansas State at that position. It began with quarterback Avery Johnson leading the Wildcats to a victory against the Kansas Jayhawks in the Sunflower Showdown Oct. 17.
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With the season set to turn around, the Wildcats were dealt a huge blow when Johnson sustained an injury. It is unknown when the injury occurred but he has not played since defeating the Jayhawks.
That was only the beginning for Klein.
The Wildcats were already dealing with injuries to a few backups. That left senior Jacob Knuth to start against the Arizona State Sun Devils. While Knuth played well, the Wildcats still lost 28-17 on the road.
Knuth wasn't even given a chance to move forward. He sustained an ankle injury during the loss. That ruled him out for last week's game against the Colorado Buffaloes in Boulder.
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With Barnett battling injury, Klein was forced to use sophomore Dillon Duff as the starter. Duff entered with zero inexperience and it showed. He only completed one pass in the first quarter before he was relieved by Barnett .
Although it was unexpected, Klein said the plan all along was to get Barnett in the game at some point. It appears Barnett was ready. He completed 18 of 28 passes for 224 yards and three touchdowns. He nearly led the Wildcats to a comeback victory before coming up just short in overtime.
With the possibility of Johnson being sidelined the rest of the season, this is Barnett's chance to lead the Wildcats to a strong finish and audition for the role of next year's starter.
Regardless, the Kansas State quarterback room is preparing for change after three years of Johnson in control. He was the starter for three seasons, including 32 straight starts. So the rest of the season could be about moving forward at quarterback the next few years.
