Quarterback intrigue highlights showdown between Kansas State football and TCU

MANHATTAN — There will be no shortage of quarterback intrigue on Saturday when Kansas State football and TCU square off in a rematch of last year's Big 12 championship game.

K-State fans are waiting on pins and needles to see whether it is senior Will Howard or true freshman Avery Johnson who takes the first snaps for the Wildcats in the 6 p.m. showdown at sold-out Bill Snyder Family Stadium.

There is no such uncertainty for TCU, only the hope that redshirt freshman Josh Hoover can repeat his performance from last week against Brigham Young, when he threw for 439 yards and four touchdowns in his first collegiate start.

For K-State, which comes in at 4-2 overall and 2-1 in the Big 12, the choice comes down to Howard, who led the Wildcats to the conference championship last year, or Johnson, the start of last week's 38-21 road victory against Texas Tech.

Howard has started all six games so far, but a bad outing where he threw three interceptions in a loss to Oklahoma State opened the door for Johnson, who took the opportunity and literally ran with it to the tune of 90 yards and five touchdowns.

Related: Kansas State football quarterbacks Will Howard and Avery Johnson in dead heat for QB1 job

Head coach Chris Klieman would not name a starter Tuesday during his weekly news conference. "We have two guys that we can win with," he said.

Offensive coordinator Collin Klein provided no further clarity on Thursday, adding that he expects both quarterbacks to play and, "I know both those guys will answer the bell when their number is called."

For TCU, Hoover made his first start after Chandler Morris went down with a knee injury two weeks ago at Iowa State. He is projected to start again against the Wildcats.

Both situations present unique challenges for Kansas State defensive coordinator Joe Klanderman and TCU counterpart Joe Gillespie.

For Klanderman and his defensive staff, they have precious little to go on with Hoover, other than the BYU game, while for Gillespie must prepare his team to face two quarterbacks with different strengths.

In the case of Hoover, Klanderman saw his passing performance as a bit of an anomaly, given the fact that Frogs running back Emani Bailey ranks third in the Big 12 in rushing with 107 yards a game.

Related: Who's the Kansas State football starting quarterback for TCU? Answer: we still don't know

"Conventional wisdom would tell you that if your backup quarterback is in, you rely on the run game," Klanderman said. "They kind of went the opposite way with it."

Without much game tape on Hoover, Klanderman acknowledged that the ability to adapt throughout the game is critical.

"I think he throws the ball really well," Klanderman said of Hoover, who completed 38 of 59 passes in the BYU game but was intercepted twice. "We don't have a lot of things in terms of his tendencies. That's something that we'll have to figure out as the game goes on.

"But I know that he's very capable of running what they're asking him to do, and I think he reads the RPO (run-pass option) game well, and we'll have to make adjustments on the fly."

TCU's defensive staff has a little more of a known quantity to work with in Howard, who also played extensively against the Horned Frogs in a regular-season matchup last year and then again as the starter in the championship game. He has thrown for 1,310 yards and nine touchdowns this season, but seven interceptions.

Related: Three questions for Kansas State football following a big victory at Texas Tech

The speedy Johnson has been used primarily in the quarterback run game so far, but he completed 8 of 9 passes for 77 yards at Texas Tech. And Howard already has a 100-yard rushing game to his credit at Oklahoma State.

"It makes more (for opposing defenses) to game plan," K-State center Hayden Gillum said. "There are different packages, (and) every package you have to prepare for it. It's extra reps in practice that you're taking away from a team (preparing)."

Besides, Klieman added, it is not as simple as preparing for the run against Johnson and the pass with Howard.

"That’s why I'm excited about the fact that we have two guys that we think we can win with, in the fact of Avery is a better thrower than maybe the rap on him is because of how much we've run him. I've seen him (throw) it an awful lot.

"And when healthy, Will's a really good runner."

Arne Green is based in Salina and covers Kansas State University sports for the Gannett network. He can be reached at agreen@gannett.com or on Twitter at @arnegreen.

This article originally appeared on Topeka Capital-Journal: Quarterbacks in the spotlight when Kansas State football and TCU meet