Kansas State Offensive Players To Watch vs. Texas

Texas will have their work cut out for them on Friday against a tough Kansas State attack

Matt Galatzan | Nov 25, 2021

What to make of Kansas State? No, really, what kind of team are they?

Are we going to get the team that lost three in a row in the middle of the season? or the one that won three of its last four games, and made Baylor sweat last weekend.

That is a question that will soon be answered

A 4-6 finish to 2020 was now what Chris Klieman imagined when finishing third in the Big 12 in 2019. Skylar Thompson suffered an injury after the 4-0 start, leading to questions under center and the future of the team.

This season, the offense has mostly struggled ranking eighth in the Big 12 in scoring offense, ninth in total offense, seventh in rushing offense, and ninth in passing offense.

Make sure to stick with LonghornsCountry.com throughout our season preview series, as we analyze every opponent on Texas' schedule in 2021.

Now, back to the Wildcats.

QB Skylar Thompson

The leader of the Wildcats offense, Thompson returned for his final year of eligibility to try and help his team make a run at a Big 12 title. That dream is now gone, but Thompson will want to finish the season on a high note with eight regular season wins in his pocket.

RB Deuce Vaughn

Big plays can come in small packages. That's the case for Vaughn in the backfield come 2021.

The 5-6' running back to took the Big 12 by storm on his way to become the Wildcats' leading rusher last season, averaging 5.2 yards per run while posting 642 yards and seven touchdowns. He also added another 434 yards and two touchdowns off 25 catches.

This season, he was even better, rushing 190 times for 1,115 yards and 14 scores through 11 games. He also is the Wildcats' second-leading receiver and will have a chance to finish the season as the top pass catcher on Friday.

Vaughn's best asset is his vision. Working in space, he's become a nightmare to tackle, and can turn up the jets when given the open field. Although he was left off the All-Big 12 team, one could argue he's the perfect all-purpose player in the league this fall.

WR Phillip Brooks

The Wildcats leading receiver by one yard over Vaughn, Phillip Brooks has been a reliable target for Skylar Thompson, catching 36 passes for 465 yards and two touchdowns. He could have a big day against a depleted Texas secondary.

CONTINUE READING: Longhorns QB Commit Maalik Murphy: "Football Is Like The Love of My Life"

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Published Nov 25, 2021

MATT GALATZAN

Matt Galatzan is the Managing Editor and Publisher of Texas Longhorns On SI and Texas A&M Aggies On SI and a long-time member of the Football Writer’s Association of America. He graduated from the University of Mississippi, where he studied integrated marketing communications, with minors in journalism and business administration. Galatzan started in the sports journalism industry in 2014 covering the Dallas Mavericks and SMU Mustangs with 247Sports. He then moved to Sports Illustrated's Fan Nation network in 2020, eventually being taking over as the Managing Editor and Publisher of the Longhorns and Aggies sites a year later. You can find Galatzan on all major social media channels, including Twitter on @MattGalatzan.