3 takeaways as Kansas State football beats TCU for Big 12 title

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Dec 3, 2022; Arlington, TX, USA; Kansas State Wildcats quarterback Will Howard (18) and his teammates celebrate winning the Big 12 championship after defeating the TCU Horned Frogs in overtime at AT&T Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Jerome Miron-USA TODAY Sports /

2. What a difference a healthy quarterback makes.

When TCU and Kansas State football met the first time, the Wildcats dominated that game until it had to play third-string quarterback Jake Rubley. Will Howard played the entire game this time, making quite the difference. Howard did not complete a high percentage of throws (56 percent) but did not turn the ball over and made key plays when needed.

What Howard playing the entire game, did was keep TCU’s defense honest. The Frogs could not load the box and play the run; TCU had to respect the pass. The Frogs had to keep two deep safeties even with the success of Duece Vaughn. Howard’s health was instrumental in keeping the defense out of bad positions.

The Wildcats had just three 3-and-out drives the entire day. As a result, Kansas State’s defense did not have to worry about defending a short field. The Horned Frogs had issues with offensive efficiency on a down-to-down basis all game, so they struggled when having to drive 70-plus yards to score points.

Howard even kept the mesh point honest on a couple of quarterback runs.

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