K-State quarterback Will Howard refused to let a leg injury slow him down against UCF

Will Howard didn’t look like a quarterback who was dealing with a leg injury during Kansas State’s 44-31 victory over UCF on Saturday at Bill Snyder Family Stadium.

After a week of speculation about his health, Howard suited up like normal for the Wildcats and then made a number of big plays with both his arm and his legs that helped them secure an important result in their first Big 12 game of the season.

Howard completed 27 of 42 passes for 255 yards and also ran for 64 yards and two touchdowns.

He didn’t look hobbled or limited in any way despite suffering a leg injury against Missouri last week. Howard played so well that head coach Chris Klieman ran onto the field to celebrate with his quarterback when he took pressure off DJ Giddens by reeling off some long runs in the second half.

“We didn’t know if Will would play,” Klieman said afterward. “He wasn’t 100% by any means.”

Howard showed a great deal of toughness on Saturday.

“In the second half I told him, ‘You have to run the football for us to secure this win. You absolutely have to,’” Klieman said. “They started to key in on things, and they weren’t rushing him late. They just started batting balls down. Great job by them. So then Will had to become a runner, and I challenged him a couple times on the sideline and he responded. Now we’re 1-0 in league play going into an open weekend and I couldn’t be more thrilled.”

The off week comes at an ideal time for Howard. Even though he was able to play through an injury against UCF, it was a stressful week for him.

Howard was noticeably limping throughout K-State’s 30-27 loss against Missouri last weekend after a Tigers defender crashed into his leg following a completed pass to Ben Sinnott. The junior quarterback was in pain. He assumed he could simply shake off the injury, but it wouldn’t go away.

Fortunately, it wasn’t a broken bone. When he was told he was dealing with a soft-tissue injury and there was a chance he could return to the field against UCF, he decided to make the K-State training room his second home.

“Literally every time I was free I was doing something (in the training room),” Howard said. “I was getting a massage or doing some sort of STEM or compression. I did everything I possibly could, and the trainers did a really good job of helping me with that.”

Klieman said Howard was thought to be questionable for most of the week, and he was helped by an evening kickoff against the Knights. He needed every minute of recovery time to be ready to play.

Then, when game time arrived, he looked like his normal self.

“I felt comfortable enough to keep pushing it throughout the week and I felt good enough to go today,” Howard said. “Once the adrenaline got going I was fine.”

Now Howard will get a week off to get completely healthy before K-State plays its next game at Oklahoma State on October 6.

But Howard proved he can play at a high level even when he is at less than 100% against the Knights.

“I was very impressed,” K-State tight end Ben Sinnott said. “The way he moved with his leg and stuff was awesome. He’s got so much poise in there and he just battles one play at a time.”