Chris Klieman Issues Injury Updates As Kansas State Reach Bye Week

Kansas State‘s bye week couldn’t have come at a better time for the Wildcats, according to head coach Chris Klieman.

“We had talked early in the season that we’d have four weeks of camp and then five weeks of games. And then, we’d get a break and have four weeks of games,” Klieman told the media on Monday. “This is a good time. We have a lot of guys banged up and some older players that just kind of need a break.”

Among the players banged up for K-State is senior defensive tackle Uso Seumalo. Seumalo, who battled injuries last season, was helped off the field late in the fourth quarter of the Wildcats’ 42-20 victory over Oklahoma State.

While the injury did not look good on the field, K-State may have avoided a severe injury for Seumalo.

“I think he’ll be day-to-day or week-to-week,” said Klieman. “He won’t do anything this week. It wasn’t as bad as maybe it looked out there. [Atheltic trainer Mindy Taylor] said he was moving around pretty well today, but it’s going to be one of those things where it’s going to be a week or so before we really know.”

If Seumalo cannot go against Colorado next week, the Wildcats will likely turn to some combination of Damian Ilalio and Asher Tomaszewski.

Ilalio played 43 snaps against Oklahoma State, posting a 71.9 grade by Pro Football Focus. He’s emerged as a go-to guy in the middle and should be able to hold down the fort temporarily.

Tomaszewski played four snaps against Oklahoma State and has mostly served as the third-string nose tackle. He’s played 18 snaps this season and did not appear in K-State’s win against Tulane.

Junior college transfer Malcolm Alcorn-Crowder could also see some snaps, though it’s unclear where he currently stands. K-State’s most recent depth chart only lists three defensive tackles, including Seumalo.

Tight end Brayden Loftin is the other major player battling an injury that could keep him out of games. Loftin hurt 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 couple of weeks. With the bye week coming in that timeline, 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-mid next week,” Klieman said. “He won’t practice this week, but that’s the hope.”

Loftin has six receptions for 81 yards and two touchdowns this season. Before the injury, he was carving out a role as a red zone threat for Avery Johnson and was bound to see more playing time as the season continued.

Last week, Will Swanson and Will Anciaux saw most of the snaps at tight end. Garrett Oakley played just 13 snaps in the game, but Klieman mentioned the plan is to get him more involved in the coming weeks.

Oakley was battling an injury on Saturday and could not handle his normal workload. However, the injury is not considered serious.

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