Hear from Kansas State offensive coordinator Courtney Messingham from Thursday's media availability, then read our takeaways from the session.

The biggest gripe offensive coordinator Courtney Messingham had with his unit from Oklahoma State was an inability to convert on the manageable third downs they were presented with.

At first, Messingham assumed that they were pretty poor on first down, but that wasn’t the case. They were able to be good enough on first down and did set themselves up with numerous manageable third downs. They just didn’t convert.

It’s hard to convert on those manageable downs and distances without running the ball efficiently. Messingham acknowledged how they never were able to establish the run, and that spilled over into different phases of the offense. Not only did it slow down what they were able to do on third down, but it handcuffed what they were able to do in the passing game, as well, and it never allowed Skylar Thompson to find any rhythm.

In a smart ploy by Messingham, the veteran assistant used the questions about John Holcombe’s transfer to pivot to true freshman Jaren Lewis and how he was developing. With Holcombe leaving the program, Lewis will settle into the number three spot behind Nick Ast.

Lewis’ arm talent and progress has excited the coaching staff thus far, and they’ve been able to recognize progress and considerable development from him with the added reps he’s already received.

K-State was without the services of standout receiver Malik Knowles against Oklahoma State in Stillwater. They believe he suffered the injury - that kept him from traveling to last week’s game - during their win against Mississippi State in Starkville.

We initially thought he would miss multiple games. However, the most recent buzz we have collected suggests that there’s a real chance he plays in Saturday’s home contest against Baylor.

Messingham did not hold back when asked what Knowles provides their offense that they don’t have when he’s not in there. He glowed about his redshirt freshman’s ability to run, glide and make things happen in space. K-State’s offensive coordinator loves his ability to rise to the occasion, make the timely play, create his own space and find ways to create separation and get open.

What Knowles provides leads us to the final point of Messingham’s time on the mic. He was pretty blunt in what he needed to see from his receivers moving forward. He’s hopeful that they can continue to improve and find ways to defeat press coverage. The man-to-man, press coverage that the receivers have been faced with throughout the season has typically given them struggles.

Having Knowles back will be the first step in that phase improving. However, that coverage isn’t going away. They’ll see it every week. It doesn’t disappear just with the presence of Knowles, though that helps. They need players to emerge, step up and make considerable progress as the season goes on.

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