Four Storylines: OSU Hosts New-Look Kansas State in Week 5

As we continue our look at Oklahoma State’s 2019 slate, we move to a Week 5 matchup with Kansas State, just the Cowboys’ second home game on the year.

Last week we looked at some storylines to watch when the Pokes head to Austin to play the Longhorns. Now let’s look at their bout against the Wildcats.

1. A New Regime

Aside from a forgettable three-year stint from 2008-10, Kansas State football has been synonymous with Bill Snyder for most of my lifetime. But the Purple Wizard is out and in is Chris Klieman, winner of four FCS national championships in his five seasons at North Dakota State.

Klieman is a proven winner, and knows a thing or two about producing on the field with less-than-elite talent, but the Big 12 is an ocean compared to the talent pool he’s used to swimming in. How will he handle the step up?

I personally like the hire for Kansas State, but don’t expect the Wildcats to go gangbusters in Year 1.

2. Can You Recruit to Manhattan?

The part of the transition I’m most interested, aside from how Klieman molds K-State’s remaining personnel to fit his offensive system, is how he will be able to recruit K-State moving forward.

At Big 12 Media Days, Klieman was asked about his offensive system that was so potent at the FCS level and how it can help him lure prospects to the Little Apple.

“It’s pretty simple,” said Klieman. “Did you want to play in a style of offense where we’re going to get the playmakers the football and you’re going to have an opportunity to play at the next level and an opportunity to play early. I think that’s the number one sell is a young man can play early.

“… If you are a quarterback and you look at Carson Wentz or Easton Stick, two drafted guys, why wouldn’t you want to come play in this system? So I’m excited about the direction that we’re going recruiting with a bunch of great coaches that go out and bust their tails.”

Which leads us to…

3. Klieman Has His Guy at QB

One luxury that any first-year head coach would appreciate is a returning starter at quarterback. But how about one you offered and missed out on at your last school?

“I’m excited to have Skylar Thompson who I recruited four years ago and offered him a scholarship at North Dakota State,” said Klieman. “So I was excited when I had the opportunity to meet him that I’m going to get a chance to be a part of his life and coach him.”

Now I’m not putting Thompson up there with the top passers in the league (he might be Tier 3), but he’s shown he can be effective, and in this new system he should have more opportunities to make plays.

If he can channel his first performance against OSU, he should be fine.

In Stillwater in 2017, Thompson threw for 204 yards and ran for 93 (both are still career highs) and threw three TDs, a high mark that he just tied in the Wildcats’ season finale against Iowa State last year.

In 2018, his numbers against the Cowboys weren’t quite as impressive by his standards — though he did pick up a season-high 80 yards on the ground — but it was enough to lead his team to another W. Skylar Thompson – 2, OSU – zero.

4. Can OSU Break Its Losing Streak to K-State?

Bill Snyder finished his series against Mike Gundy winning two straight. That’s the only string of consecutive losses to K-State in Gundy’s tenure, but what hurt the most is the way in which those two losses came.

In 2017, the 8-2 Cowboys still have a glimmer of hope in contending for a Big 12 crown in the final year of Mason Rudolph and James Washington. Then the 5-5 Wildcats, led by Thompson, came to town and hung 45 points on them in an upset, despite a late push by the Pokes.

Last season, the Pokes were fresh off of a disappointing home loss to a Iowa State when they headed to Manhattan. What followed was a display of offensive ineptitude. OSU didn’t reach the end zone until the fourth quarter and mustered just 12 points, its lowest total in four seasons.

Kansas State might very well end in the Big 12’s basement when the dust settles on 2019, but as we’ve seen throughout Mike Gundy’s tenure, OSU can’t afford to take anything for granted against the ‘Cats.