Kansas State football: 3 takeaways from road loss to Missouri

What’s next for Kansas State football?

Head coach Chris Klieman knows there are some things to clean up offensively before they begin Big 12 Conference play. The Wildcats are usually physical on the line of scrimmage, but they struggled on third-and-short in this game. In addition, they committed seven penalties. There were a couple of penalties that happened at the worst possible moments.

Most important is the health of starting quarterback Will Howard. Freshman quarterback Avery Johnson is the future. If Klieman can keep Johnson on the bench and in sub-package plays, that’s ideal. However, Howard’s health will determine how far the Wildcats go.

They start Big 12 play against newcomer UCF next Saturday night.

What’s next for Missouri?

Missouri lost four games by one possession in 2022, including almost beating Georgia. They also lost three games by one possession in 2021, so this win was huge for Drinkwitz and the Tigers. This win is also Drinkwitz’s signature win at Missouri. They beat a top-15 team at home.

Not only was it a big win, but it was Luther Burden’s coming out party. Burden was the number one receiver in his class, according to the 247sport composite. He took his lumps as a freshman but looks ready to be the man this year.