K-State hands first career start to left tackle Ryan Howard
A fall-camp line carousel finally has a name at left tackle, Collin Klein debuts against the same opponent his predecessor did in 2019, and Avery Johnson opens a fifth season one touchdown from K-State's career record.
K-State's line carousel lands on a first-time starter at left tackle
The job that has eaten K-State's fall camp finally has a name attached to it. Ryan Howard, a junior who has never taken a college snap, gets the start at left tackle Saturday against Nicholls, the spot preseason All-Big 12 pick John Pastore held before his season-ending leg injury and the one freshman Oliver Miller looked set to inherit before his own injury shelved him. "We've been moving guys all around, and it's definitely not like how we projected it coming in," Klein said, per Yahoo Sports. "It's been an interesting carousel for sure. I've been very proud of the guys and how they've attacked it."
The rest of the line is still being sorted around Howard. If Tanner Morley can't answer the bell at left guard, Cal Poly transfer Charlie Adams slides over to cover; Missouri transfer Keiton Jones starts at right guard, Dylan Villarouel is at center and Gus Hawkins holds down right tackle, per Yahoo Sports' breakdown of the group. Klein isn't dressing up what he's asking of a first-time starter: "He's busted his butt since the day he got here. There's gonna be a growth curve for sure, but he's gonna take it in stride."
Pastore, per Covers' injury table, has been shut down for the rest of the season with a lower-leg injury and won't factor into this rebuild at all. The one bit of trivia that softens the pressure on Howard: he's the younger brother of former K-State quarterback Will Howard, whose school record for career touchdown passes is about to be broken by the guy Howard is protecting on Saturday.
Same opener, seven years apart — Klein follows Klieman's script against Nicholls
K-State's final snap of last season came in a 24-14 win over Colorado at home on November 29, closing a five-game stretch that swung everywhere: a 42-17 win at Kansas, a 43-20 home loss to Texas Tech, a tight 14-6 road win at Oklahoma State, a wild 47-51 shootout loss at Utah, and the Colorado win to finish it. Three wins in the final five games last season, with that Colorado result as the parting image heading into the coaching change.
What's changed since is the man in charge. Klein is the first former K-State letterwinner to take over as head coach since Ellis Rainsberger in 1975 and only the fourth in program history — a Heisman finalist and starting quarterback of the 2012 Big 12 champions, now running the program he used to run out of the tunnel for. He arrives from two years as Texas A&M's offensive coordinator, where his work helped the Aggies reach last season's College Football Playoff, per Yahoo Sports.
The opponent isn't a coincidence of scheduling so much as a rhyme. Chris Klieman's own K-State debut in 2019 came against Nicholls, a 49-14 win to open his tenure — and now Klein's debut lands on the identical name on the schedule, seven years later, in the same building.
Avery Johnson's record chase begins in start No. 27
The one decision that was never really in doubt is back under center. Avery Johnson, the dual-threat senior who has carried this offense the last two years, opted to return for a fifth season rather than test the NFL, and Klein has said as much all camp: "Very pleased with his mindset, his approach, and it's been fun to watch the work that he and every one of our skill guys across the board have put in," via WIBW. Johnson's own account of the offseason: "We spent a lot of time by ourselves throwing routes on air and stuff in the summer... I think we're only progressing each day," via roundtable.io.
Saturday is career start No. 27 for Johnson, tying him for sixth all-time at K-State since 1990 and making it a third straight season he's opened as the starter — the third time by a Wildcat since 1990. He arrives with 5,576 career passing yards and 1,378 rushing yards, one of only 3 K-State quarterbacks to clear both the 5,000 and 1,000-yard marks, and his first touchdown pass of the season will break Will Howard's school record of 48 career touchdown throws.
The one shadow on the group he's throwing to: receiver M. Lovett is questionable for Saturday with an arm injury, per Covers' injury table, an open question on the receiving corps Johnson spent the summer building chemistry with.
Nicholls arrives off a 34-point win, and K-State opened as a heavy favorite
K-State kicks off tonight vs. Nicholls, and the visitors aren't walking in cold — Nicholls is 1-0 this season after a 44-10 win over Mississippi Valley State, its lone tune-up before facing a Power 4 roster. It's the kind of opener that lands on a light year for K-State's schedule: per CFB reporter Bill Clow's tracking, K-State is one of just 9 Power 4 teams not playing at least 10 Power 4 or Notre Dame opponents this season.
The line opened at K-State -40.5, with the total set at 55.5 — a number that reads middling rather than a shootout call, given how lopsided the spread is. It's Klein's first game in charge, Howard's first career start, and Johnson's 27th start all landing in the same 6 p.m. kickoff, which is a lot of firsts for a game the market has already decided.