Meeting with Messingham: Searching for playmakers

Watch Kansas State offensive coordinator Courtney Messingham's weekly press conference and read Derek Young's thoughts from the session in Meeting with Messingham.

Offensive coordinator Courtney Messingham was very emphatic when asked about true freshman running back Joe Ervin’s role on Thursday.

Messingham was asked if Ervin would become more of a cog in the offense, and he immediately confirmed he would and repeatedly said that Ervin would be more involved.

Ervin started to see some significant playing time against Baylor two weeks ago. With Jordon Brown out, and the other backs still fighting through the grind and toll of a college football season, it is apparent that they plan to rely on Ervin more and more each week.

The theme for Kansas State on both offense and defense is explosive plays. That’s the difference in the wins and losses right now. On offense, they can’t create the big plays, and on defense they are having a difficult time preventing the explosive plays.

For the Wildcats, they have to scheme more ways to find those explosive plays rather than being able to rely on a few difference makers to come up with something huge.

The one time they were able to do that with success was on Malik Knowles’ kick return for a score against Mississippi State in Starkville. However, Knowles has played very little the last three games, if at all, and is certainly doubtful, once againm for this Saturday’s tilt against TCU.

That doesn’t mean the Wildcats are folding up and giving up on the season, or giving up on finding the explosive plays.

They’re going to throw other irons into the fire, hoping to come up with something that works for them. Some of that is thrusting new personnel into the lineup. That is why they may look to Chris Herron, Joshua Youngblood and Keenan Garber more.

They’re still true freshmen, though, and a lack of understanding can make a play blow up faster than anything.

We’ve explained already this week how TCU’s defense chooses to operate. The Horned Frogs will be much different than anything K-State has faced this year.

Head coach Chris Klieman said as much on Tuesday, and it was repeated by players like Adam Holtorf and James Gilbert. Messingham emphasized it, again, on Thursday.

The Horned Frogs don’t necessarily change up their looks up week to week, either. They are what they are on the defensive side of the ball. Their system isn’t meant to trick anyone. They hold up the line of scrimmage, try to dictate the offensive line’s movement and allow their playmakers on the back to end to make the plays on the ball.

That is why running against TCU is a challenge, and throwing against them - although in tight windows - is where you can exploit the Horned Frogs. It is how SMU did it, as Messingham noted.

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