Finals Week: Offensive & Defensive Line

As K-State finishes up the fall semester this week with its finals, it seemed like a good time to dish out final grades for K-State's season. Each day this week I will give my final evaluations for each group and also take a look at how PFF graded them for the season.

Monday: Quarterback
Tuesday: Running Back/Wide Receiver
Wednesday: Defensive Line/Offensive Line
Thursday: Defensive Backs/Linebackers
Friday: Special Teams

The K-State offensive line was dealt some tough cards early in the season, as Taylor Poitier was a starting tackle that had his season ended in the first game of the year. Then, promising young lineman, Andrew Leingang had to miss significant time with a non-football injury. All of which likely contributed to the Wildcats' early season struggles in pass protection, allowing three or more sacks in three of the first six games of the season. In the final seven games, it happened just once which was the Big 12 Championship against TCU.

The K-State offensive line deserves a ton of credit for their efforts in blocking for the run as each guy on the line was able to move bodies for Deuce Vaughn and the other stable of runners.

Cooper Beebe was the anchor for the offensive line, allowing only six pressures the entire season and zero sacks on his watch. Another note on the offensive line is that KT Leveston allowed the most sacks this season of any Wildcat with five, but only one happened on his watch in the final seven games of the season against Kansas.

The offensive line also paved the way for the most rushing yards in a single season since 2016 for K-State. As decisions for 2023 approach, the entire offensive line can return next season for K-State, plus the younger guys that didn't get as many reps next year. I think it is a possibility most, if not all, return for another season next year. Throw the younger group in next year who is ready to compete for spots too and you have one of the strengths of the Wildcat offense next year.

One final thing to keep in mind with the offensive line is their struggles in pass blocking early in the season seemed to get cleaned up. Depending on how you view it, they either improved greatly in that department or the difference between quarterbacks assisted them as well, having more predictability on where Will Howard would be for protection versus Adrian Martinez who is more mobile.

K-State's defense finished second in the Big 12's total sacks race, their 28 was just one off the pace set by Texas Tech. The K-State defensive line also produced the Big 12 Defensive Player of the Year, Felix Anudike-Uzomah. Anudike-Uzomah led the conference in sacks with 8.5 and his teammate Brendan Mott was also top five in sacks at 6.0. K-State and TCU were the only two schools to place two players inside the top five.

The high level of activity from K-State's defensive ends certainly helps, but they were also able to get key contributions from the interior of the line from Eli Huggins and Robert Hentz. Huggins had coach after coach rave about how he plays inside through the season and there is no doubt that his return in 2022 was a catalyst for the Wildcats.

Grading the defensive line doesn't just come from the pressure they got on opposing quarterbacks and stops behind the line, but some of the plays that don't generate flashy stats. Anudike-Uzomah possibly saved the Big 12 Championship for K-State when he ran down Max Duggan on second and goal in overtime, catching him from behind and stopping him at the one. Mott had pressures in the game that forced Duggan to hurry throws or get a bad one off, preventing a big gain through the air for the Horned Frogs. All of which was a common occurrence throughout the season for K-State.

Another beauty of the defensive line was the attitude of being ready to go, no matter how many or few times your name was called. Uso Seumalo and Damian Ilalio were both in on goal-line stands against TCU in overtime, players that only combined for 105 snaps in the entire season. I am not sure there is a line in college football that has every piece that seems to fit together so well.