The Colorado Buffaloes are gearing up to host the Kansas State Wildcats on Saturday, Oct. 31, but Colorado still has to wait and see to find out which Kansas State quarterback will be leading the Wildcats offense.
Kansas State star quarterback Avery Johnson exited the Wildcats' game against Kansas early with an injury, and he did not play on Oct. 24 against Arizona State. As for his status, and the rest of the Kansas State quarterback room, Wildcats coach Collin Klein had an update on the situation during his press conference on Monday, Oct. 26.
Kansas State Quarterback Situation Before Facing Colorado
"It's crazy, I'll be honest with you. Avery (Johnson) is day-to-day. A lot of it that's going to depend on how fast this recovery process goes, and because of that, it's day-to-day. He's working hard at it and doing everything that he can. Some of that is going to be out of his control in this deal. So, just kind of seeing how that progresses, we're monitoring it, obviously, very closely, and our doctors and trainers have done a nice job of protecting him and detailing this thing so we do the right and best thing for him for sure"
Fellow quarterback Blake Barnett was also included on Kansas State's availability report before playing the Wild Cats. Barnett was ultimately ruled a game time decision, and Kansas State started Jacob Knuth at quarterback.
"The rest of the room, obviously, Jacob (Knuth) is still battling. He tweaked his ankle a little bit. So, we'll kind of see how that progresses through the week. I think the other two are making good progress. We'll know a little bit more on Wednesday on one of them, but I think good outlooks on the other two."
What Colorado Buffaloes Defense Should Prepare For
Which quarterback Colorado's defense will face remains to be seen. The availability reports required by the Big 12 throughout the week could give the Buffaloes an indication as to who might be leading Kansas State's offense.
Regardless of which quarterback gets the starting nod, though, the Buffaloes should prepare for an offense that likes to run its quarterback. Johnson leads the Wildcats with 462 rushing yards on the season, and Knuth has 44 of his own, carrying the ball 9 times against Arizona State.
Johnson appears to be progressing in his injury recovery, but Klein did not commit to any timeline on his return.
"He's able to take mental reps. He was tremendous on the sideline and coaching those guys and encouraging them kind of through the course of things. He's able to be mobile. He's able to throw it and run around a little bit. So, just trying to get him well."
The Buffaloes can expect a balanced attack with running backs Rodney Fields Jr. and Joe Jackson leading the charge. Meanwhile, Knuth did throw the ball 41 times against the Arizona State defense, and the Colorado secondary is coming off of its worst performance of the season against Oklahoma State.
In the loss to the Cowboys, the Buffaloes defense surrendered 57 points and 598 total yards. Oklahoma State quarterback Drew Mestemaker threw for 386 yards, 4 touchdowns, and no interceptions.
Will defensive coordinator Chris Marve and his unit have more success against Kansas State on Halloween?
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