MORGANTOWN — There aren’t many players in the country quite like Kansas State running back Deuce Vaughn.
West Virginia fans will get a chance to see Vaughn when he leads No. 19 Kansas State (7-3, 5-2 Big 12) into Mountaineer Field on Saturday (2 p.m., ESPN+).
The junior from Round Rock, Texas has established himself as one of the premier offensive weapons in the country for Kansas State. He has all the speed you would expect out of his 5-6, 176-pound frame, but punches far above his weight class with a unique combination of power from his strong lower body.
“Unique combination, not necessarily of size, but of power for his size,” said West Virginia (4-6, 2-5) defensive coordinator Jordan Lesley. “If you look at his lower half, he’s probably one of the stronger backs we’ll face. He can drive through tackles and create yards after contact.”
“He’s really powerful for a guy that size,” WVU head coach Neal Brown added. “You start talking about a strike zone, he’s got a really narrow strike zone to be able to tackle him. Then if you go really low, he’s so strong he can run through tackles.”
Vaughn accounted for 1,872 total yards and 22 touchdowns for the Wildcats last season and is on pace for another eye-popping stat line in 2022. Through 10 games, he’s run for 1,081 yards and five touchdowns, with 38 receptions for 266 yards and three more scores.
“Everything they do offensively is centered around Deuce Vaughn,” Brown said. “He’s special.”
So special in fact that Brown compared him to some of the all-time greats at the position. As a receiver, Brown likened Vaughn to New Orleans all-pro Alvin Kamara and Hall of Fame “Greatest Show on Turf” tailback Marshall Faulk.
“When you watch Deuce Vaughn, he is really advanced,” Brown said of his ability as a receiver. “They put him on some option routes and find mismatches for him and he’s advanced. He knows how to run routes like seasoned receivers. He’s how they go and they find ways to get him the ball.”
As a runner, Brown said the only other player he’s seen make moves like Vaughn was the great Barry Sanders.
“He’s difficult to locate and I think he’s more difficult to tackle,” Brown said. “I’m not saying he’s Barry Sanders — I wouldn’t put that on anybody — but that’s the only other person I’ve seen do things like that.”
Even with Vaughn, Kansas State’s offense will not be at full power Saturday as starting quarterback Adrian Martinez will miss the game with an injury. Martinez, a Nebraska transfer, added another dimension to the Wildcat offense this season, throwing for 1,261 yards and six scores against just one interception, while rushing for 615 yards and 10 more touchdowns.
In his place will be junior Will Howard, one of the most-experienced backups in the league. Howard started multiple games in 2020 and 2021 and has played his best football this season with nine touchdowns and just a single interception.
“Howard looks to be one of the more-improved players this year in our league,” Brown said. “He’s playing really effectively and if he’s the starter, I think their team really believes in him.”
The Wildcats come into Morgantown riding high after last week’s dominating 31-3 win at Baylor, but coach Chris Klieman knows better than to underestimate WVU, especially in Morgantown where Kansas State is 0-3 since 2014.
“They’ve played really well at home,” Klieman said. “They’ve beaten Oklahoma, they’ve beaten Baylor, I thought they gave TCU a great run. I’m happy for Neal, that was a big win last week for him and the program. They’ll be ready to play, it’s Senior Day and they’ve got a lot of great seniors.”
Prior to last year’s 34-17 loss in Manhattan, WVU had won five-straight contests against the Wildcats.
“I have a lot of respect for Neal Brown, what he does and how he does it,” Klieman said. “They’ll be ready to play. It’s going to be a four-quarter great Big 12 game.”
Senior Day
The Mountaineers will celebrate their senior class prior to their final home game Saturday, but it might not be the final time that group plays at Mountaineer Field, even for the ones that walk.
Some of WVU’s seniors still have an extra year of eligibility due to the blanket eligibility waiver the NCAA gave out during the 2022 COVID season.
Brown’s advice to seniors: if you don’t know if you’re coming back, walk anyway.
“Dante (Stills is) going to walk twice,” Brown said. “He’s going to get as big of an applause this year as he did last year and his mom’s probably going to be emotional this year just like she was last year. If you don’t know, just walk.”
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