Kansas State Football: Depth Chart Review – Houston – Defense

MANHATTAN, KS - OCTOBER 10: Tight end Patrick Overmyer #9 of the Houston Cougars catches a touchdown pass against linebacker Gabe Powers #35 of the Kansas State Wildcats, in the first half at Bill Snyder Family Football Stadium on October 10, 2026 in Manhattan, Kansas. (Photo by Peter G. Aiken/Getty Images) | Getty Images

The defense was bad. Houston controlled the line of scrimmage, and Weigman made plays when needed. Patrick Overmyer finished the game with an Al Bundy in the scorebook, which, of course, is 4 touchdowns.

You guys are smart; Bill Snyder taught you well. Teams that win the line of scrimmage tend to win the game. In the second straight game, Kansas State's defensive line was dominated; as a result, they lost their second straight game.

Nothing else particularly matters unless the defensive brain trust can find a way to fortify the defensive line. Until then, opposing offenses will run the ball until the Wildcats prove they can stop it.

Defensive Line

Note: Starters are bolded, stats from Pro Football Focus

Defensive End

1. Wendell Gregory:Snaps - 54 - Tackles - 3
2. Jordan Allen:Snaps - 49 - Tackles - 0
3. Darien Whitaker Jr.: Snaps - 38 - Tackles - 1
4. Jayden Bryant: Snaps - 15 - Tackles - 1
5. Elijah Hill: Snaps - 5

Nose Tackle

1. Kamari Burns: Snaps - 37 - Tackles - 2
2. Austin Ramsey: Snaps - 7 - No Stats

Defensive Tackle

1. Travis Bates:Snaps - 57 - Tackles - 1
2. Eli Jackson:Snaps - 31 - Tackles - 5 - T.F.L. - 1
3. De'Arieun Hicks: Snaps - 13

Grade: F

Houston ran the ball 43 times for 233 yards, and Kansas State recorded exactly 1 tackle for loss.

They attempted 30 passes and recorded 0.0 sacks.

That's what I call getting dominated. Actually, I call it something significantly more colorful, but this is a family show.

Houston attacked every gap in the defense:

A-Gap (between center and guard): 10 attempts for 47 yards (4.7 Yards per Carry)

B-Gap (between guard and tackle): 12 attempts for 62 yards (5.2 Yards per Carry)

Outside runs (outside the end blocker on the line): 13 attempts for 58 yards (4.5 Yards per Carry)

End Arounds / WR jet sweeps: 2 attempts for 41 yards (20.5 Yards per Carry)

Kansas State's defense had no answer for any aspect of Houston's run game. When they ran between the tackles, they plowed ahead for 5 yards per carry. When they wanted to bounce runs to the outside, they got the edge. The Cougars ran for 13 first downs. They only had one run of over 15 yards, so it's not like one run is skewing the stats. This was the slow, steady beatdown the Wildcats' offense is known for, but Houston turned it around on them. Kansas State's offense couldn't stay on the field, and the defense couldn't get off the field. That's the exact recipe for a blowout.

I feel bad for Travis Bates; he's miscast as a defensive tackle. The theory behind moving a strong-side defensive end inside is that they can use their quickness to beat guards and get into the backfield. The problem is, Bates isn't quick. He's strong and relentless in his effort, but he's not strong enough to bully guards. When he's on the edge and has some room, his strength and effort game works; when he's on the inside, he gets swallowed by guards 30-40 pounds heavier and gets stuck in the muck. In the last 3 games, Bates has played 159 snaps and has been credited with 1 tackle and 3 quarterback pressures. I don't get it; he's not a space eater on the interior who doesn't need stats to impact the game.

I thought Jordan Allen's return could pay dividends in this game, but he didn't get credit for a single tackle. Bates and Allen combined for 106 snaps, 1 tackle, and 1 quarterback pressure. I'm not sure I need to say any more than that.

Allen replaced Whitaker Jr. in the starting lineup, but the book is out on Whitaker. If you don't want to worry about his pass-rush ability, run the ball at him and force Kansas State to take him out of the game. He played 38 snaps, had one tackle, and didn't register a quarterback pressure.

Eli Jackson is the only interior lineman who played reasonably well. Jordan Peterson's major adjustment to stem the run-defense bleeding was inserting Jackson into the starting lineup in place of Kamari Burns. He lined up two defensive tackles in the B gaps, instead of having a nose guard over the center covering the A gap and a defensive tackle in one B gap. Jackson did his job, recording a defensive line-high 5 tackles and the only tackle for loss. When Burns entered the game, he did so as a defensive tackle and not a nose guard. Reading between the lines, Peterson doesn't trust Burns to hold his own against double teams, which, generally speaking, is the main function of a nose tackle. To Burns's credit, he didn't pout and contributed 2 stops on defense.

As for the adjustment, it's back to the drawing board.

Wendell Gregory remains the shining beacon of hope for an otherwise moribund defensive line. He was credited with a defensive line high 3 stops (tackles that constitute a failure for the offense, per PFF), 4 pressures, and the only hit on Wiegman. That's far from a game-wrecking performance, but it's good enough if everyone else does their job, unfortunately, that didn't happen.

I don't think there is an answer to the problem. I'll give Coach Peterson credit; he keeps throwing things at the wall and hoping they stick, but this feels more like rearranged deck chairs on the Titanic.

LinebackerMiddle Linebacker

1. Gabe Powers:Snaps - 35 - Tackles - 2
2. Asa Newsom: Snaps - 14 - Tackles - 1
3. Sawyer Schilke: Snaps - 11
4. Weston Polk: Snaps - 11

Weak Side Linebacker

1. Mekhi Mason:Snaps - 58 - Tackles - 5 - Targeted - 4 - Rec Allowed - 3 - Yds - 16 - TDs - 2
2. Rex Van Wyhe: Snaps - 43 - Tackles - 4

Grade: F

Mason spent the whole game battling Cougar offensive linemen and mostly ended up on the losing side of the equation. Even worse, he was victimized by Houston tight end Patrick Overmyer for two touchdowns in the redzone. Houston offensive coordinator Slade Nagle knew exactly what he wanted to do inside the 10-yard line. He dialed up plays that required Kansas State's linebackers to cover Overmyer, then threw it to him for a touchdown. It's hard to blame Mason and Powers for overreacting to the run on the goal line, considering Houston probably could have run the ball into the end zone based on the rest of the game, but Nagle got them 3 times.

Gabe Powers, like Mason, spent the first half getting hunted down by Houston offensive linemen. Then he went down with an injury. If you think the run defense is bad now, Powers missing time could make it substantially worse.

Rex Van Wyhe came in and picked up some of the slack. He's the biggest linebacker on the roster and can play on the edge or in the box. Kansas State loses some speed but gains some size and strength. Maybe that's not a bad thing? He had 4 tackles, and even though he gave up a 20-yard reception, Overmyer didn't victimize him in the red zone. In fact, he was credited with a pass break-up! That's, uh, something at least.

The one positive I see is Asa Newsom getting more playing time. He's the best athlete in the linebacker room and has the potential to help both the pass rush and coverage. I think you might see a Van Wyhe / Newsom situational time share if Powers misses time.

Against Houston, Kansas State's entire defensive front 7 failed, and failed miserably.

SecondaryCornerback

1. Zashon Rich:Snaps - 49 - Tackles - 3 - Targeted - 3 - Rec Allowed -3 - Yds - 55
2. Kaleb Patterson:Snaps - 48 - Tackles - 1 - Targeted - 2 - Rec Allowed -1 - Yds - 19
3. Donovan McIntosh: Snaps - 22 - Tackles - 3 - Targeted - 1 - Rec Allowed - 1 - Yds - 17
4. Nick McClellan: Snaps - 15 - Tackles - 1 - Targeted - 2 - Rec Allowed - 0
5. Ben Osueke: Snaps - 12

Nickel Corner

JoJo Scott:Snaps - 52 - Tackles - 3 - Targeted - 2 - Rec Allowed - 0

Corner Grade: C+

Kansas State threw everything they had into the box in hopes of slowing down Houston's ground game. That put their corners on islands. While the overall numbers don't look terrible, a closer look shows Houston got what it needed out of its passing game. Rich only allowed 3 receptions, but all 3 went for first downs, and 1 went for 36 yards. He also missed a team-high 3 tackles.

Paterson played well enough, only allowing 1 reception, but again, that reception went for 19 yards and a first down. Donovan McIntosh also allowed only 1 reception, but it went for 17 yards and a first down. Nick McClellan saw the field after Houston lost any interest in throwing the ball.

One thing of interest, late Temple addition Ben Osueke made his first appearance of the season. Like McClellan, Houston was more interested in running the clock than throwing the ball, but he could be a player to keep your eye on moving forward.

PFF gave JoJo Scott the highest grade on the defense, and it was well deserved. He locked down his man in coverage and contributed 3 tackles in run defense. He was the best of the bunch on Saturday, which is wild considering how he came out of nowhere in fall camp to win the job.

At the end of the day, the corners were good enough, not great, but good enough considering all the resources that were allocated to stop (or not stop, in this case) the run.

Free Safety

1. Koy Beasley:Snaps - 48 - Tackles - 4 - Targeted - 5 - Rec Allowed - 3 - Yds - 82
2. Adrian Maddox: Snaps - 21 - Tackles - 5 - Targeted - 1 - Rec Allowed - 1 - Yds - 5

Strong Safety

1. Logan Bartley: Snaps - 69 - Tackles - 9 - Targeted - 2 - Rec Allowed - 2 - Yds - 17 - Td - 1

Safety Grade: D+

Bartley is at his best as a hard-hitting box safety. He played the role fairly well. It's not his fault he had an average tackle depth of 5 yards; that's on the defensive line. Since he mostly plays like an auxiliary linebacker, Houston treated him like one and let Overmyer eat his lunch. In theory, Barley vs. a tight end is the best the Wildcats can do; in practice, he did no better than the linebackers. This was a mixed bag for the young safety.

Free safety is interesting. I've been calling for more of a timeshare because Beasley is essentially an extra corner. I thought it would be a timeshare between Beasley and Wesley Fair, but instead, I got Adrian Maddox for the first time this season. Beasley did show off the speed I've been talking about when he ran down a receiver who looked like he was headed for the end zone, but Overmyer also burned him for a 44-yard reception. That's a 6'5", 240-pound tight end matched up with a 5'10", 190-pound safety, which isn't ideal, but when the defense has to put 8 in the box, safeties will inevitably get matched up with tight ends. That didn't work out for the Wildcats.

Adrian Maddox made his debut after getting hyped all off-season. Overmyer got him as well, but only for a 5-yard reception. Meanwhile, PFF gave him a team-high 78.2 run-defense grade for his 4 tackles on 14 run plays he was on the field for, including 2 defensive stops." I like the idea of a Maddox / Beasley time share, especially if Coach Peterson is intent on playing 2 box safeties, like he did against Houston.