Kansas StateBye week couldn’t have come at a better time for Wildcats, head coach says Chris Klieman.
“We talked at the beginning of the season that we would have four weeks of camp, then five weeks of games. And then we would have a break and four weeks of games,” Klieman told the media on Monday. “It’s a good time. We have a lot of guys that are banged up and some older players that just need a break.”
Among the players selected for K-State is senior defensive tackle Uso Seumalo. Seumalo, who struggled with injuries last season, was helped off the field late in the fourth quarter of the Wildcats’ 42-20 win over Oklahoma State.
Although the injury didn’t look good on the field, K-State may have avoided a serious injury to Seumalo.
“I think he’ll do it day to day or week to week,” Klieman said. “He won’t do anything this week. Maybe it wasn’t as bad as it seemed. (Atheltic coach Mindy Taylor) said he was moving pretty well today, but it will be one of those things where it’ll be about a week before we really know.
If Seumalo can’t face Colorado next week, the Wildcats will likely turn to a combination of Damien Ilalio And Asher Tomaszewski.
Ilalio played 43 snaps against Oklahoma State, posting a 71.9 grade per Pro Football Focus. He has become a key player in the middle and should be able to hold down the fort temporarily.
Tomaszewski played four snaps against Oklahoma State and primarily served as a third-string tackle. He played 18 snaps this season and did not appear in K-State’s win over Tulane.
Transfer to college Malcolm Alcorn-Crowder might also see some shots, although his current whereabouts are unknown. K-State’s most recent depth chart lists just three defensive tackles, including Seumalo.
Tight end Brayden Loftin is the other major player dealing with an injury that could keep him out of games. Loftin injured his knee early in K-State’s loss to BYU and missed the win against Oklahoma State.
Klieman initially said the injury would keep Loftin out for a few weeks. With the bye week coming up on this schedule, the hope is that Loftin will be healthy when the Wildcats travel to Colorado, but that won’t be determined until next week.
“We probably won’t know until early to middle of next week,” Klieman said. “He won’t train this week, but that’s the hope.”
Loftin has six receptions for 81 yards and two touchdowns this season. Before his injury, he played a threat role in the red zone for Avery Johnson and was bound to see more playing time as the season continued.
Last week, Will Swanson And Will Anciaux I’ve seen most of the snaps from the tight end. Garrett Oakley only played 13 snaps in the game, but Klieman mentioned his plan was to get him more involved in the coming weeks.
Oakley was dealing with an injury on Saturday and couldn’t handle his normal workload. However, the injury is not considered serious.
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