SE: Thompson Carrying Heightened Confidence into K-State’s Battle at No. 23 Mississippi State
Sep 13, 2019 | Football, Sports Extra
By Corbin McGuire
Skylar Thompson can't pinpoint a specific moment when his confidence turned right-side up, but K-State's quarterback knows it started around December 10 of last year — the day K-State hired Chris Klieman as its head coach.
It continued less than two weeks later, when Courtney Messingham was named offensive coordinator. Everything snowballed from there.
"I had a better idea of what I was getting and realized I was going to have a fresh start with things, that it would be a great opportunity for me to show what I was capable of doing," he said, "because I felt like the past couple of years I hadn't been able to and hadn't done that."
Two games into his redshirt junior season, Thompson has shown those capabilities.
Between a 49-14 win to open the season and a 52-0 drubbing last weekend, Thompson is 26-of-35 through the air for 363 yards and three touchdowns. His 189.7 passer efficiency rating ranks 11th in the nation. His 97.0 Total QBR, an ESPN rating, ranks No. 1 in the country, as K-State plays at No. 23 Mississippi State on Saturday at 11 a.m., on ESPN.
"He's got a ton of confidence out there," senior center Adam Holtorf said. "You can tell that he doesn't get flustered by situations and he's able to handle that extremely well this year."
Thompson's confidence was created via two main avenues.
First, Klieman gave Thompson the keys to run K-State's offense, essentially from day one. That external confidence has only continued to grow, which is evident in Thompson's freedom to run the offense and was shown on a fourth-and-3 audible he turned into a 34-yard touchdown pass last week.
"I told him when he came off the field, I said, 'I hope that shows you how much confidence we as a staff have in you.' He knows we have tremendous confidence in him, but I knew that he was going to get us in the right play and he was going to execute it," Klieman said. "I think it's really important, especially at that position, that you instill as much confidence in those guys as you can to say, 'Hey this is your game. It's fourth-and-3, go make a play.'"
The new offensive system also allowed Thompson a reset. It was a second chance to build a foundation in a system that's produced NFL Draft picks like Carson Wentz, the Philadelphia Eagles' starter, and Easton Stick, the all-time winningest quarterback in FCS history.
In July, Stick actually visited Manhattan. Thompson spent two days around the Los Angeles Chargers' fifth-round draft pick, breaking down film of what K-State's new offense would look like and how Thompson could thrive in it.
"It was tremendous. He taught me some ins and outs of things that helped him play quicker in this offense and how he approached playing this offense because it's a run-first offense and your passing attempts may come skittish sometimes, as far as when you'll get the chance to throw the ball, and (I learned) how to handle that and take advantage of your opportunities," Thompson said. "He just told me to trust Coach Messingham because he's a great play caller and understands what he's doing, he will set things up for success, and you just have to trust him and execute whenever your number is called.
"It was great to talk to Easton because he's a great guy, very bright and the winningest quarterback in college football history. Getting a chance to hang out with him and pick his brain was a special opportunity for me."
After Thompson opened the season connecting on 16-of-22 passes for 212 yards — numbers that could have been better if not for a few drops — Stick sent his congratulations and praise in a text.
It, and Thompson's next performance, reaffirmed the type of preparation put in all offseason. At times, it seemed like he lived on the fourth floor of the Vanier Family Football Complex. When he went home, he was usually watching film on an iPad.
Thompson loved every second of it, however. For him, studying the game is one of his favorite parts of playing college football.
"I've always spent a lot of time preparing throughout the week, but it's just a different approach to it, being able to spend a little bit more time with Coach (Collin) Klein throughout the day and with Messingham as well," he said. "The preparation aspect of it, it's like a chess match. It's fun to be part of and hang out with our coaches upstairs, picking their brains of what they're thinking, how they're seeing things and trying to carry that over into my game plan on Saturdays."
This week, Thompson said, the gameplan has been to continue that same kind of preparation. Facing a defense that limited K-State to only 10 points and 213 yards of offense last season, it's another stop on a new road for K-State's signal caller.
"I'm going to go into this week like it's a whole new year, new opportunity," he said, "and I'm going to do my best to help this team win in any way I can."
Skylar Thompson can't pinpoint a specific moment when his confidence turned right-side up, but K-State's quarterback knows it started around December 10 of last year — the day K-State hired Chris Klieman as its head coach.
It continued less than two weeks later, when Courtney Messingham was named offensive coordinator. Everything snowballed from there.
"I had a better idea of what I was getting and realized I was going to have a fresh start with things, that it would be a great opportunity for me to show what I was capable of doing," he said, "because I felt like the past couple of years I hadn't been able to and hadn't done that."
Two games into his redshirt junior season, Thompson has shown those capabilities.
Between a 49-14 win to open the season and a 52-0 drubbing last weekend, Thompson is 26-of-35 through the air for 363 yards and three touchdowns. His 189.7 passer efficiency rating ranks 11th in the nation. His 97.0 Total QBR, an ESPN rating, ranks No. 1 in the country, as K-State plays at No. 23 Mississippi State on Saturday at 11 a.m., on ESPN.
"He's got a ton of confidence out there," senior center Adam Holtorf said. "You can tell that he doesn't get flustered by situations and he's able to handle that extremely well this year."
Thompson's confidence was created via two main avenues.
First, Klieman gave Thompson the keys to run K-State's offense, essentially from day one. That external confidence has only continued to grow, which is evident in Thompson's freedom to run the offense and was shown on a fourth-and-3 audible he turned into a 34-yard touchdown pass last week.
"I told him when he came off the field, I said, 'I hope that shows you how much confidence we as a staff have in you.' He knows we have tremendous confidence in him, but I knew that he was going to get us in the right play and he was going to execute it," Klieman said. "I think it's really important, especially at that position, that you instill as much confidence in those guys as you can to say, 'Hey this is your game. It's fourth-and-3, go make a play.'"
The new offensive system also allowed Thompson a reset. It was a second chance to build a foundation in a system that's produced NFL Draft picks like Carson Wentz, the Philadelphia Eagles' starter, and Easton Stick, the all-time winningest quarterback in FCS history.
In July, Stick actually visited Manhattan. Thompson spent two days around the Los Angeles Chargers' fifth-round draft pick, breaking down film of what K-State's new offense would look like and how Thompson could thrive in it.
"It was tremendous. He taught me some ins and outs of things that helped him play quicker in this offense and how he approached playing this offense because it's a run-first offense and your passing attempts may come skittish sometimes, as far as when you'll get the chance to throw the ball, and (I learned) how to handle that and take advantage of your opportunities," Thompson said. "He just told me to trust Coach Messingham because he's a great play caller and understands what he's doing, he will set things up for success, and you just have to trust him and execute whenever your number is called.
"It was great to talk to Easton because he's a great guy, very bright and the winningest quarterback in college football history. Getting a chance to hang out with him and pick his brain was a special opportunity for me."
After Thompson opened the season connecting on 16-of-22 passes for 212 yards — numbers that could have been better if not for a few drops — Stick sent his congratulations and praise in a text.
It, and Thompson's next performance, reaffirmed the type of preparation put in all offseason. At times, it seemed like he lived on the fourth floor of the Vanier Family Football Complex. When he went home, he was usually watching film on an iPad.
Thompson loved every second of it, however. For him, studying the game is one of his favorite parts of playing college football.
"I've always spent a lot of time preparing throughout the week, but it's just a different approach to it, being able to spend a little bit more time with Coach (Collin) Klein throughout the day and with Messingham as well," he said. "The preparation aspect of it, it's like a chess match. It's fun to be part of and hang out with our coaches upstairs, picking their brains of what they're thinking, how they're seeing things and trying to carry that over into my game plan on Saturdays."
This week, Thompson said, the gameplan has been to continue that same kind of preparation. Facing a defense that limited K-State to only 10 points and 213 yards of offense last season, it's another stop on a new road for K-State's signal caller.
"I'm going to go into this week like it's a whole new year, new opportunity," he said, "and I'm going to do my best to help this team win in any way I can."
How much are you willing to give? #KStateFB ? Week 3 pic.twitter.com/ftKbXXqydV
— K-State Football (@KStateFB) September 13, 2019