Winners and Losers: Four-touchdown performance from Kansas State QB Will Howard

KSO covers the biggest winners and losers in the world of Kansas State and college athletics.

Winners

1.) Howard: Kansas State quarterback Will Howard was great in the season-opener. He became just the sixth player in Big 12 history to throw for a touchdown, run for a touchdown and catch a touchdown in the same game. In fact, he did it all in one half.
2.) True freshmen: With K-State jumping on SEMO early, it was a good time for the batch of young players to see their first action. 77 different players hit the field for Kansas State, including 11 true freshmen. Avery Johnson, Joe Jackson, Tre Spivey, Jayce Brown, Asher Tomaszewski, Chiddi Obiazor, Asa Newsom, Austin Romaine, Kanijal Thomas, Jack Fabris and Wesley Fair all saw snaps.
3.) Klanderman: Anytime your defense can pitch a shoutout, it is a good day as a defensive coordinator. Joe Klanderman’s defense was flying around and causing havoc. K-State had four sacks and 11 tackles for loss in the 45-0 win.
4.) Colorado: Colorado is going to continue to be the flavor of the week. While I do think there are some more questions about TCU, specifically on the defensive side of the ball, the Buffaloes still won in Fort Worth. Travis Hunter is an absolute star and former Kansas State target Dylan Edwards shined in his collegiate debut. That is not including Shedeur Sanders breaking the school record for most passing yards in a game and did it in his first one at the Power Five level.
5.) RJ: Have yourself a season debut, RJ Garcia. The Tampa native and K-State wideout had five catches for 119 yards and a touchdown against the Redhawks. After receiving a lot of praise for his play during training camp, Garcia more than lived up to the hype.

Losers

1.) Huskers: I can’t imagine how Nebraska fans feel after losing another close game and blowing another second half lead.
2.) Health: The Kansas State health situation was a bit of a mixed bag. Fortunately, both Uso Seumalo and Daniel Green were available. Unfortunately, Keagan Johnson did not play due to an injury, though it is not considered a long-term issue or severe. Other K-State pass-catching options in Ty Bowman and Garrett Oakley also did not suit up. Linebacker Jake Clifton was banged up during the game and did not return. His status is not known.
3. Oklahoma State: A quarterback battle is still brewing at Oklahoma State and does not appear to be solved. All three of Garrett Rangel, Gunnar Gundy and Alan Bowman saw time against Central Arkansas on Saturday. While playing quarterback roulette, the offense sputtered in Stillwater. It took until the fourth quarter for the Cowboys to pull away, winning 27-13. None of the three quarterbacks had particularly great stat lines, but the son of head coach Mike Gundy led the two touchdown drives in the fourth quarter. Kansas State heads to Stillwater in October after a bye week.
4.) Big 12 Texas schools: It was not a good day for the Big 12 in Texas. The Horned Frogs lost to the Buffaloes and have now allowed 110 points in their last two games. Texas Tech entered the year with a lot of hype and lost their season-opener at Wyoming and host Oregon next weekend. Baylor had the most head-scratching loss after falling to Texas State. They play Utah next week.
5.) Pac-2: After the latest round of realignment that has California and Stanford joining the ACC, Oregon State and Washington State are the two schools left without a home in 2024.