Kansas State leans on freshman OL to replace ailing Oakley
Freshman offensive tackle Oliver Miller logged 29 snaps as a hybrid blocker after the starter fell ill.
A viral illness has sidelined Kansas State starting tight end Garrett Oakley for a second straight game, forcing the Wildcats into an unconventional personnel shift ahead of their Oct. 24 road matchup against Arizona State. Head coach Collin Klein told reporters Oakley is “probably unlikely” to play Saturday, listing him as day-to-day.
The absence strips Kansas State of its second-leading receiver. Oakley logged 16 catches for 196 yards and a touchdown before falling ill. His extended timeline out compounds a depth crisis at the position. Will Anciaux is already lost for the season, leaving Linkon Cure as the only tight end with meaningful snaps entering the Wildcats’ 35-24 victory over Kansas on Oct. 17.
Rather than simply elevating another pass-catcher, the coaching staff converted freshman offensive tackle Oliver Miller into a hybrid blocker. Miller, who sat out the first four games with an injury and played just three snaps in his college debut during a loss to Houston on Oct. 10, took on 29 snaps against the Jayhawks. He lined up alongside Cure to give the offense an extra edge presence.
The gamble paid off immediately on the ground. Kansas State rushed for a season-high 359 yards against Kansas, according to USA TODAY Network reporter Wyatt D. Wheeler. The heavy run scheme neutralized the loss of Oakley’s receiving production by leaning entirely into physical mismatches at the line of scrimmage.
Klein indicated the Wildcats would likely continue deploying Miller heavily even if Oakley returns to health. The success of the two-tight-end, run-first look against the Jayhawks gives the staff a schematic wrinkle they lacked earlier in the year.
Kansas State will issue availability reports Wednesday, Thursday and Friday, followed by a final update 90 minutes before the 2:45 p.m. CT kickoff. ESPN2 carries the broadcast.
