Adrian Martinez or Will Howard? Another game-time QB decision looms for Kansas State

Kansas State football coach Chris Klieman will need to settle on a starting quarterback at some point this week, but as of Thursday afternoon he wasn’t ready to make a final decision just yet.

The Wildcats are planning to wait until they get closer to their 6 p.m. kickoff against Texas on Saturday at Bill Snyder Family Stadium to choose between Adrian Martinez and Will Howard.

“It is going to be about the same as it has been,” K-State offensive coordinator Collin Klein told reporters on Thursday. “Both of them have been able to practice this week, and it will be a game-time decision again.”

K-State coaches waited until the last possible moment to inform Howard that he was going to start against Oklahoma State last week. Both Howard and Martinez dressed for the game and went through warm-ups. Then they met with Klieman and Klein as a group and talked through their options. When Martinez said he didn’t fully totally healthy, the Wildcats put their trust in Howard.

It is reasonable to expect K-State to follow a similar plan this week, but things could be slightly more complicated.

Howard has played so well over the past two weeks that he may deserve to continue starting at quarterback regardless of how Martinez is recovering from a lower-body injury that has kept him out of the majority of the past two games.

Martinez led the Wildcats to a 5-1 start with a mixture of athletic runs and well-place passes. But Howard has given the offense a major boost over the past two weeks by throwing for 225 yards and two touchdowns against TCU and then 296 yards and four touchdowns during a 48-0 victory over Oklahoma State.

K-State currently has two solid options at QB.

“I will be at complete peace with however it ends up going,” Klein.

Still, the Wildcats will have more things to consider this time around. Their decision will be based on both how healthy Martinez is feeling and how hot Howard has been playing of late.

“I don’t know if it’s just one thing,” Klein said. “It’s probably somewhere in the middle. We will take it as it comes.”

K-State coaches could also choose to use both quarterbacks against the Longhorns, and beyond. Both Klieman and Klein have said they aren’t opposes to a two-quarterback system. But Martinez is out of college eligibility at the end of the season and Howard is still eligible for a redshirt.

That could complicate that plan.

“The biggest thing is just making sure that we are playing well offensively,” Klein said. “That is the first goal. We have got to be moving the ball and scoring points. I don’t want to use two for five or 10 plays in Will’s current situation and do that do him after we have tried to protect his redshirt. At the end of the day, the team is most important.”

For now, all options are on the table. The Wildcats will narrow their QB focus as game time approaches on Saturday.