Kansas State's rushing attack has been a staple of the program for quite some years now.
So it was very alarming when the run game completely faltered last season. The Wildcats finished eighth in the Big 12 last year, but were dead last for much of the season. Dylan Edwards' injury created uncertainty in the primary role, and the offensive line failed to mesh and create opportunities for those in the backfield.
Luckily, help is on the way. Kansas State overhauled the position with some big names in the transfer portal and brought in Cory Patterson as the new running backs coach. Patterson discussed the new rotation going into next season, with Joe Jackson, Jay Harris, and Rodney Fields Jr. leading the new rushing unit.
"I feel like it’s gonna be a pretty good room with some talent in it," Patterson said in his Monday afternoon press conference. "I feel like it's some guys coming to work. We’re gonna apply some pressure to them and see what we get out of them."
Patterson has some relatively strong Power Four experience. He worked at Illinois for five seasons, overseeing running back Chase Brown (Cincinnati Bengals), who set a franchise record for consecutive 1,000-yard rushing seasons. Patterson was the wide receivers coach at Purdue from 2023-24 before transferring to Oklahoma State. He mentored Fields, who led the Cowboys in rushing last season.
"He’s one of those guys who's gonna do whatever you ask him to do," Patterson said. "It's not gonna be a lot of thought behind it. If you need him to do something, he's gonna do it. Those are the type of guys you need around: we don’t need to do a lot of thinking, let’s take care of business. We're soldiers in this. Like when our head coach asks us to do something, we get it done. He’s one of those guys who'll get it done."
Jackson is anticipated to be the head honcho and continue his second-half dominance from 2025. He had 64 rushes for 504 yards and seven touchdowns over the last three games.
"Joe is a guy that does the right thing all the time, and those are the guys that you gotta be on a little bit harder than everybody else," Patterson said. "He works hard all the time, and he always is where he’s supposed to be. But you gotta keep pressing him and get a little more out of him. He’s one of those guys that you’ll be lucky to have, but we've got a little work to do with Joe. I think Joe's gonna be dynamite."