Treshaun Ward becoming more familiar with Wildcats’ playbook
Kansas State running back Treshaun Ward carries the ball during the first quarter against TCU Saturday October 21, 2023 at Bill Snyder Family Stadium. (Lynn Harrington/stayaliveinpower5)
MANHATTAN, Kan. — The former Florida State Seminole is establishing a home away from home at Kansas State, and making a tremendous impact on the offense during his first season with the team.
Although Treshaun Ward missed the game against UCF, he has been on a tear since he returned to the lineup. He rushed for a touchdown at Oklahoma State, eclipsed the century mark in yards on the ground in the victory over Texas Tech, and led the team in carries in last Saturday’s win over TCU.
Ward is a nice change of pace back to D.J. Giddens, and the two form a dangerous duo in the Wildcats’ backfield. Giddens is the big bruiser, while Ward is more of the slashy speedster. After all, they are a big reason why Kansas State leads the Big 12, and ranks third nationally in rushing offense.
The Wildcats racked up a jaw-dropping, 343 rushing yards against the Horned Frogs. Ward credits that stellar performance to the offense clicking on all cylinders. The 5-foot-10, 194-pounder smelled blood in the water, as well as his teammates, and they completely stampeded TCU’s defense.
“The emphasis was just to keep pushing, and to keep putting the step to the metal man, not letting up,” Ward said.
Ward finished with a team-high, 89 yards on the ground, and he was heavily involved in the aerial attack. He caught a three-yard touchdown pass from Avery Johnson in the first quarter. Ward’s knowledge of the playbook is getting better every week, and he knows that’s going to be vital down the stretch as the reigning Big 12 champs defend their crown.
At the end of the day Ward is proud of his performance and wants to build on the momentum, because he understands success doesn’t happen without hard work.
“It’s preparation and how we went throughout the week,” he said. “As far as throughout the week, we were putting an emphasis on the little thing, and it ultimately showed up out there because we did the little things right, and they didn’t.”
The Wildcats are now in a four-way tie for second place in the Big 12 standings, and there’s plenty of football left to be played. That’s driving Ward’s motivation, and he strongly believes the team is just starting to crack the surface of their potential. Ward wants everyone to remain hungry, because they’re not to the finish line yet.
“One thing we can’t let this win do is get complacent,” the 22-year old said. “Of course we’re going to celebrate this dub, we shut them out and stuff like that, but we got to go next week with Houston and do it again, and then the next week.”
There’s no denying that everything is coming full circle for Ward, and his long journey is paying off on the gridiron. The Florida native just wants to use his experience, production and leadership to help the Wildcats in a variety of ways.
“So we got to keep continuing preparation, and getting better each and every day.”
