Kansas State vs Iowa State football: Getting to know the Wildcats offense

Option offenses may not be the best matchup for Iowa State defense, and unfortunately, that’s exactly what they’ll be facing in their Big 12 conference opener against Kansas State.

More from Football

Starting lineup

WR: Tyler Lockett (16, Sr)
LT: Cody Whitehair (55, Jr)
LG: Boston Stiverson (77, Jr)
C: B.J. Finney (66, Sr)
RG: Drew Liddle (61, Sr)
RT: Matt Kleinsorge (65, Jr)
TE: Zach Trujillo (85, Sr)
QB: Jake Waters (15, Sr)
FB: Glenn Gronkowski (48, So)
RB: Charles Jones (24, So)
WR: Curry Sexton (14, Sr)
WR: Deante Burton (6, So)

Gone is the dual-quarterback rotation of last year and here comes Jake Waters, the unquestioned starter under center. He may not be as big of a threat as Collin Klein on the ground, nor even former QB Daniel Sams, but he’s still a dual-threat QB that this Cyclone defense has to be wary of.

In fact, the defense needs to focus on everything. John Hubert is gone at running back, but there could be two running backs that could fill the void this year — senior DeMarcus Robinson and current starter, sophomore Charles Jones. The combination of Waters, Robinson, and Jones had 159 yards of offense on the ground against Stephen F. Austin last week, and that total is nearly separated equally (Jones and Waters had 55 rushing yards).

The offensive line is probably the biggest mismatch, and that doesn’t bode well to Iowa State’s lackluster defensive line. Somehow, someway, the Cyclones’ defense will have to push back against a beefy, experienced line. The secondary will also be thoroughly tested by wide receiver Tyler Lockett, who is on multiple college football award watch lists, the preseason All-Big 12 team, and is coming off of an impressive season with 81 catches, 1,262 yards, and 11 touchdowns.

Home/Football