Let's recap what Kansas State offensive coordinator Courtney Messingham had to say to the media on Thursday.

Last week, head coach Chris Klieman and offensive coordinator Courtney Messingham discussed Skylar Thompson’s mobility as an asset, but it was not something they wanted to go overboard on and over-utilize. It seemed like about eight carries was the highest number of carries they were comfortable with, though he went on to hit double-digits against Oklahoma. Some of that probably had more to do with the goal line carries.

Messingham was back at the podium again, in advance of the Kansas game, sharing how much of a weapon Thompson can be on the ground. As most know, it forces the defense to count for all 11 players on offense, rather than just 10. That’s the advantage.

They are still of the mindset that they want to manage those kinds of touches for Thompson. It has to be a weapon, but there does come a point where it does become a bit dangerous to subject your starting quarterback to that kind of contact. It is also upon Thompson to be smart when carrying the ball, as well.

During his annual Thursday press conference, Messingham laid it out in blunt terms. Jordon Brown’s return to the offense allowed the Wildcats to expand the playbook for the week and gave them far more options to choose from and directions to go.

I thought the same while watching last week’s win over Oklahoma. It seemed like they had more at their disposal, and it seemed like Brown’s return to the lineup had a lot to do with that, particularly with the diamond formation, of course, but in other ways, as well.

Not only that, his fresh legs were evident. He played at a different gear. I have said it many times this week, but I underestimated what he brought to the offense. Some of it was just the standard improvement from an offense week to week in the first year of the system, but there was an element that Brown’s presence and availability was a difference-maker, too.

He probably gets asked about it each and every week, and I think he has the same answer all the time. Messingham was again questioned about how important the run game would be this week when making the trip to Lawrence.

Of course, Messingham noted that it was critical for them, but that it’s always critical for them. They hang their hat, first and foremost, by how they run the ball. Most of what they do as an offense works off their ability to run the football.

It’s no secret that they have won the games that they have ran the ball well and lost the games where they didn’t.

The largest challenge of the week might just be to have the players in the mindset. It can be difficult to do, regardless of concentration, after a win of the magnitude that K-State earned last week. The amount of effort it takes to re-focus the effort after that hoopla can be cumbersome.

We know that the Kansas State coaches have been mindful of that all week. They also tried to set the example. As a staff, they flipped to the next page of the season, immediately. It sounds like they leaned on the captains and leaders to direct the rest of the roster to do so, as well.

Perhaps it has worked thus far. Messingham seemed pleased and was not afraid to go out on a limb to say that the preparation has been on point and what they had essentially hoped to see from their group.