|
Several Big 12 schools look at Kansas State and West Virginia with envy. Not only are both teams bowl eligible heading into their head-to-head matchup at Milan Puskar Stadium tonight, but both teams have started the same quarterback in every game this season. Only TCU can make the same claim. KSU's Jake Waters and WVU's Clint Trickett have been among the Big 12's top quarterbacks this season as both players have shown some durability, offseason growth and increased production in their senior seasons. The duo joins Oklahoma's Trevor Knight in the top three rankings of Big 12 quarterbacks in Adjusted QBR. Knight's 80.2 leads the way followed by Trickett's 77.4 and Waters 74.3.  Trickett and Waters have shown tremendous growth during their second seasons on campus after starting a handful of games and sharing the quarterback duties as juniors in 2013. This season the duo are a key reason for offensive success in Morgantown, West Virginia, and Manhattan, Kansas.
A junior college transfer, Waters shared time with Daniel Sams in 2013 before seizing the position late in the season and emerging as the clear No. 1 starter in the spring. This fall, he's become a centerpiece of K-State's offense with his toughness, comfort in the offense and will to win. Waters has passed for 2,169 yards and rushed for 406 yards while accounting for 20 total touchdowns. "You have heard me say this time and time again about Jake. The experience of two years of practice and playing some games just made him better," Wildcats coach Bill Snyder said. "Through that, he has gained so much more confidence. I think that Clint has probably done the exact same thing. I see the same progress. I see him at ease and more comfortable with his situation and schematically what they do. I see a lot of similarities in the two." Trickett arrived at WVU late in the summer 2013 after transferring from Florida State before sharing time with Paul Millard and Ford Childress during a bowl-less season. Holgorsen has praised his growth in the offense as a senior, often calling his understanding of the system "night and day" from a year ago. The senior has passed for a Big 12-best 3,173 yards and added 18 passing touchdowns. Being the quarterback at WVU has been a dream come true for Trickett, who grew up wanting to play for the Mountaineers while his father Rick was an assistant at the school, but never got the opportunity until Holgorsen's arrival and Trickett's decision to leave FSU. "That is one reason why we are winning some games," Holgorsen said. "It means so much to him. It does mean a lot to him, and he understands what it means to the people of West Virginia." Trickett's 2013 meeting with Snyder's Wildcats was one of his worst outings of the year. He was 15-of-28 for 227 yards and finished with a 50.2 Adjusted QBR in a 35-12 loss at Bill Snyder Family Stadium. But it will be a different Clint Trickett the Wildcats see tonight. "He has improved so much, just his understanding of the system," KSU linebacker Will Davis said. "He can really throw the ball around to about anyone. He has a lot of playmakers and he utilizes all of them." Meanwhile Waters destroyed the Mountaineers a year ago, passing for 198 yards and three touchdowns while recording a 90.4 Adjusted QBR, his second highest in 2013. New West Virginia defensive coordinator Tony Gibson saw Waters' excellence first-hand a year ago and he has plenty of respect for Waters' skills. "He is very patient and lets everything develop," Gibson said. "He has an option to run out of everything too. He's very mobile and makes great decisions. He can hurt you a lot of different ways." Big 12 eyes will be on Morgantown tonight with K-State playing to keep its conference title hopes alive and WVU looking to earn a better bowl game. And, after seizing their opportunity as seniors, Waters or Trickett could be the deciding factor.
|
