K-State Q&A: Linkon Cure, Oregon, big-time recruiting and Wildcats football analysis

It’s time for another K-State Q&A.

There is no need for an elaborate introduction with the football team off this weekend. Let’s dive right into your questions about the Wildcats. Thanks, as always, for providing them.

How worried should I be about five-star recruit Linkon Cure flipping to Oregon? - Jeff M. via e-mail.

All I can really say is, welcome to the world of big-time recruiting.

Any school that wants to sign a five-star recruit like Goodland tight end Linkon Cure is going to have to fight until the bitter end to do so.

Cure committed to K-State in the summer, and he has supported the Wildcats throughout the season by wearing purple and attending several games. He seems comfortable with his choice to play for Chris Klieman. But it has to be hard for him not to wonder about what might be possible for him at Oregon.

The Ducks are the No. 1 ranked team in the country and they keep sending coaches to Cure’s games. They want him even though he is committed to the Wildcats.

He reportedly plans to make a recruiting visit to Oregon this weekend to watch the Ducks play against Maryland.

That is not good news for K-State. But it’s not time to panic.

Nobody team in college football has thrown more touchdowns to tight ends than K-State this season. New offensive coordinator Conor Riley has made Garrett Oakley, Will Anciaux, Will Swanson and Brayden Loftin all look like stars. The Wildcats might not have cool uniforms or unlimited Nike gear like Oregon does, but that has to appeal to him.

It’s also possible he goes to Oregon and ends up re-affirming his commitment to K-State.

This is the type of recruiting battle you see all the time between Alabama and Georgia or Texas and USC.

I have no idea what will ultimately happen. But I can predict that both K-State and Oregon will be fighting for Cure until signing day.

This is what you have to do to land a five-star recruit.

Ok, so it seems the Cats can’t play well in heavy rain or snow (last year’s loss to Iowa State). K State needs to obviously win out to have a chance to play in conference championship. What is your take on the possibilities the Wildcats have as the season is winding down? - @rcst2msn via X.

I expected Kansas State to have some defensive problems while playing in a blizzard against Iowa State.

Anytime the right amount of snow falls on a football field, the offense gains a huge advantage. Folks in the betting community call that type of game a “snowver,” because both teams put up points and the over cashes with ease in the snow.

But I didn’t think a monsoon would slow the Wildcats down. We saw K-State play Missouri in a rainstorm two years ago and Chris Klieman’s team won 40-12. The Wildcats dominated that game so thoroughly that Mizzou coach Eli Drinkwitz humorously had to call timeouts in the final seconds so the Tigers could score their first touchdown of the day.

I thought the elements would once again help K-State at Houston. At the very least, I didn’t think they would hurt the Wildcats.

But there is one big difference between this team and the group that demolished Missouri two years ago.

K-State no longer has Cooper Beebe blocking for Deuce Vaughn.

The Wildcats treat their running game like a good pitcher treats his fastball. Offensive coordinator Conor Riley tried to throw his fastball plenty against Houston, but it didn’t work.

That needs to change.

But I digress ...

K-State is no longer in control of its own destiny in the race for a Big 12 championship. But the Wildcats are far from doomed. If they can win their final three games then all they need is a Colorado loss to feel good about their chances of reaching Arlington, Texas.

Fans jumped off the K-State bandwagon two years ago when they lost a late game against Texas. But TCU beat the Longhorns the next week, which cleared the road for K-State to play in the Big 12 championship game.

Things could play out similarly here.

K-State needs Colorado to lose at least once. The Buffaloes finish with Texas Tech, Utah, Kansas and Oklahoma State.

K-State could also win some multi-team tiebreakers if BYU loses twice. The Cougars finish with Utah, Kansas, Arizona State and Houston.

But the Wildcats need to take care of business for any of that to matter. They finish against a difficult closing schedule that features games against Arizona State, Cincinnati and Iowa State.

If K-State can’t reach the playoff then it will have to settle for a traditional bowl game. The Alamo Bowl or the Texas Bowl could be likely destinations.

Kansas State averaged 6.93 yards per rush in the first five weeks. That number is down to 4.35 over the past four weeks. What do you make of this trend? Any particular causes? Does it worry you? - @garretts_myth via X.

I wrote about K-State’s surprising inability to run the ball earlier this week, so I would recommend checking that out for a deep dive into the topic.

But I am happy to share a few more thoughts here.

The problem starts with what opposing teams are doing on defense. K-State was able to run over, around and through teams like Arizona, Oklahoma State and Colorado, but all of those teams are terrible against the run.

Oklahoma State is allowing 248.1 rushing yards per game.

Going from that to opponents like West Virginia (121.5 yards per game), Kansas (158.4 yards per game) and Houston (133.2 yards per game) was naturally going to mean fewer rushing yards for the Wildcats.

Still, it has been troubling to see DJ Giddens do so little over the past three weeks. Take away the one big run he had against Kansas for 54 yards and he is only averaging 2.9 yards per carry since the Colorado game.

One would think dialing up runs for Dylan Edwards and Avery Johnson would open up a few opportunities for Giddens, but that approach hasn’t worked lately either.

Personally, I think Johnson needs to become more involved as a runner. Mixing in the occasional QB draw or a few more keeps on zone-ready plays could give the offense a boost.

The offensive line also needs to be better.

There is no excuse for a bad running game when you have DJ Giddens, Dylan Edwards and Avery Johnson.

During the game how much influence does Matt Wells have on play calls? - @BusMedicMike via X.

He gets to make recommendations.

The offensive coordinator and the quarterback get to make decisions.

I assume that both Conor Riley and Avery Johnson value any input that Wells is willing to share with them about the game plan. And I am very confident that his opinions help shape the way K-State prepares for games during the week.

But Riley is the one who calls the plays and Johnson is the one who executes them.

Wells signals in the plays and offers pre-snap advice to Johnson via helmet communication, but he doesn’t call or change plays during the course of a game.

Is it too early for me to proclaim Brendan Hausen as MY GUY on the K-State men’s basketball team? - Wendy H. via e-mail.

Heck no.

Brendan Hausen has everything a K-State basketball player needs to become a true fan favorite at Bramlage Coliseum.

The 6-foot-4 junior transfer from Villanova plays like he’s being controlled by someone playing NBA Jam inside an arcade. All he does is play defense and bomb away from the 3-point line.

He didn’t apologize after he attempted 14 shots from beyond the arc during an exhibition game against Fort Hays State. And he chucked up nine more in the season-opener against New Orleans.

What I like about Hausen is that he shoots the ball with confidence no matter the situation. But he acts like it’s impossible for him to miss after he sees his first outside shot go through the net.

At one point against New Orleans, he was getting ready to launch a 3-pointer from NBA range in transition, but the officials blew the play dead before he could square his shoulders to the basket. There is a little Stephen Curry in him.

Hausen went 4 for 9 from 3-point range against New Orleans and scored 17 points.

I see no reason why you shouldn’t go ahead and claim him as your guy.