K-State Holds Weekly Football Press Conference
Nov 06, 2018 | Football
MANHATTAN, Kan. – Kansas State head coach Bill Snyder and select players met with members of the media Tuesday at the Vanier Family Football Complex to preview Saturday's Dillons Sunflower Showdown against Kansas. Selected comments from Snyder's press conference are posted below, along with a collection of comments from players.
The Wildcats and Jayhawks kick off at 11 a.m., on Saturday inside Bill Snyder Family Stadium in a game shown on FSN. Tickets to the game, which start at just $37.25 with a Wildcat 4-Pack, can be purchased online at www.k-statesports.com/tickets, by phone at 1-800-221-CATS or at the main ticket office inside Bramlage Coliseum.
K-STATE FOOTBALL WEEKLY PRESS CONFERENCE QUOTES
BILL SNYDER, K-STATE HEAD COACH
On the Sunflower Showdown series trending more towards a competitive game…
"Last year it was a one touchdown ballgame, late in the ballgame, three minutes to go. It is competitive, very much so. KU has become a competitive football team. They've played some close ballgames this year with very prominent teams."
On the importance of the game outside of the fan bases...
"I think there's value in being successful when you play, regardless of who it is you line up and play against. From a competitive standpoint, if you take the fan base out of it – because I think that's where the real significance lies, within the state, the rivalry, if you will – outside of that, it's not any different than any other ballgame. You prepare as hard and as well as you possibly can, and they're all equally important. You can go back 100 years; I've always addressed it that way with our players – it's equally as important as any other ballgame, but when that one's over, the next one is as equally important as that. Players, you have, obviously quite a few more players from the state of Kansas than we do from other states, so it has a great significance to them. I never overlook that in due respect to all of those players. They went to school with a number of those young guys, so it's kind of the 'bragging rights' for them over their period of time."
On expecting to win against KU...
"There's a definitive statement that goes along with expecting to win. It's easy to say I expect to win, period. There's an, 'If that goes along with that and that's part of the goal if you will,' value. If you prepare yourself well enough to do so and play well enough to do that. There are ifs with that. For me to say we are going to win and not do anything about it when preparing for it, then that doesn't make sense."
On Kansas running back Pooka Williams…
"He is a very talented young guy. He creates problems for us and anyone else because of what he brings to the table. When he has the ball in his hands, he is very difficult to get your hands on. We have to be extremely well disciplined in our tackling. He can make you miss, and he can make you look bad in the process. He is also effective in the passing game; he gets open and they get the ball to him. He has had games with six to seven catches, which makes him a viable threat in that part of it as well."
On KU playing for head coach David Beaty…
"I think so. The players really care about David. He is a players' coach and a very good person. I think they have a great deal of respect for him and want to perform as well as they possibly can."
On David Beaty having to prepare knowing this is his last season…
"I think he will be equally devoted to it as he always has been. I would not see any particular change in his motivation to do well."
On whether Hunter Hall or John Holcombe II will be the third-string quarterback …
"We are not to that point yet. Once we get to the end of the week, we will have a better idea. Both of them are currently taking repetitions."
On unique challenges that K-State and KU both face in recruiting…
"I do not know if I can truly answer that question. It is not a matter of how collectively we are one way or the other. It is an individual thing. I think Kansas State has to do what we have to do, and KU has to do what they have to do. It is easy to say, 'Okay, small state, not very many student-athletes.' So bringing youngsters in outside of the state is more difficult of a process."
On KU's team this year to previous years under David Beaty…
"They have been a team that has the capacity to move the ball and two quarterbacks that have had some success throwing the ball. They have some talented wide receivers and the young running back (Williams), they have made a difference in that respect. You are not going to score points without the help of the defense as well, and I think you're going to find that they have been a team that is different schematically, which has given teams more difficulty than some might guess they would."
On lack of production offensively…
"There are some things I wouldn't share; I am never comfortable giving scouting reports. We have not had the consistency that we need. There have been times when we have run the ball well and times when we haven't. We haven't had the balance in our offense, which to me has always been important."
On KU's 23 takeaways this year…
"It is really substantial when you look at a team that has 13 interceptions, which is a significant number as well. They have skill and the ability. They are a very physical football team and consequently can create fumbles. They have good quickness and speed in the back end and consequently can break on thrown balls and do, which leads to interceptions. They are playing well, and they have created the vast majority of turnovers by good play."
On Isaiah Zuber's playing time last Saturday…
"It is not a matter of staying off the field as much has who gets the ball considering what the defense does. If the defense covers an individual player, then you are probably not going to be able to get the ball to him as much, which I think is true across the board. That goes with running the ball as well. Alex Barnes has a lot of numbers, but he does not always get those numbers if they line up and take it away. That is why we have to have balance in our offense so if you do decide to take it away, we have the capabilities to go other directions."
On qualifying for a bowl…
"I don't think there is any doubt about them wanting to. I think everybody wants to. It is a matter of what can we do about that, like thinking about things in your life that you want to do and how invested you are in actually doing it. The key element for us is being invested in it. It is a tough time and for young guys it is about being able to work through that and putting adversity aside to strive for what is most significant for you. Just wanting to is not the total answer, it is doing something about it."
On Alex Delton's performance against TCU…
"I liked his toughness. He is a competitive young guy and he brings some spirit to our guys. They know he is going to compete. It is not that other guys don't or Skylar (Thompson) doesn't. He gets banged up pretty good, which is obvious. He takes some big hits. He is not the biggest guy in the world, but he competes and competes every snap. He has the capacity to handle the offense and things we want to get into and out of and does a decent job of that. He can throw the ball fine. Obviously, people think he is the best runner. He can run the ball well. He has good quickness and he can make people miss. Then again, you have to have some help too. It is not that he didn't, we just did not have enough, which falls on everybody's shoulders not just one person."
On punting situations…
"There are times that are obvious in which you have to go for it. By and large, the thing is how comfortable do you feel being able to advance the ball and what success are you having on third down. On third and fourth down, collectively, we were 25-percent in that ballgame. It is a sheer number, so you have one out of every four chances to make it. Our pooch punting had been very good. That one went into the endzone, which did not play out how we would have liked, but it had been pretty good. As it shows in the other two pooch punts, we downed one on the four and we had the other one that was slapped back, which I believe should have been placed on the one-yard line. Nevertheless, we practice it diligently and we have done a nice job of it. To me, there is a big difference letting them have the ball on the 35- or 36-yard line or downing them on the one or two."
On outside noise…
"I do not pay any attention – good, bad or indifferent – on what goes on outside, so I can't tell you I know. I would imagine people are upset about the fact that we are whatever our record happens to be. The most significant thing is what takes place in this vicinity, how are players are responding, what we as coaches can do and how can we right the ship. How we can get the team back to being as competitive as we can be and capable as we can be."
On impediments to progress of passing game...
"It has been a combination of things. If you go back early, we had some difficulty with pass protection. We had four sacks the other day, which has an impact. We need to do a better job of getting open and progression with our quarterbacks. I am not taking anything away from any of our opponents because we have good teams and coverage teams in our conference. At the end of the day, everything else is reliant on us and how well we perform. In multiple areas, we have not been able to execute things as well and consistent as we can."
ADAM HOLTORF, JUNIOR OFFENSIVE LINEMAN
On team success....
"The want for this team to succeed is extremely high. We realize that our backs are against the wall in this scenario. We need three more wins to be bowl eligible and we have three more games, so we have to win out. Everybody realizes the challenge that presents itself and is attacking the work with a great level of effort and high attitude."
On the offensive struggles…
"The lack of consistency and execution. I feel like I say that a lot when I come in here but, it's the truth. When you look at the tape, that's something that's plagued us this year. Speaking from an O-line standpoint, guys take turns messing up, one here, one there. At the end of the day, those add up and really hurts the O-line."
On being a double-digit favorite…
"Those kinds of statistics I don't really pay attention to, regardless of the week, opponent, situation or season, I focus on what I can do to ensure that I'm in a position where I feel confident going into Saturday."
ZACH REUTER, SENIOR WIDE RECEIVER
On motivation for this week following the TCU loss...
"It definitely hurts. All you can do is look forward, focusing on what could've been does nothing. All we can do is be our best in preparation against KU."
On the rivalry…
"We're fighting for the state of Kansas. I think that's definitely extra motivation, especially in the position that were in. We're in no position to look past anyone. For Kansas, I think we're especially excited, and hopefully we'll get a good week of practice."
On what he sees in Kansas…
"I think you can definitely tell they're an improving program. As we face that, I think that's something we have to take a full look at and make sure to treat them like the fully capable opponent they are. It's a good football team were playing this week."
On the issues on offense…
"We've hit a lot of snags crossing that 50-yard line. It's just small, execution mistakes where a third and 5, if it goes that other way and we get the first down and were rolling and feeling good, but we're just had a couple mistakes where it continues to snag us up and hold us from scoring as much as were capable of."
DALTON RISNER, SENIOR OFFENSIVE LINEMAN
On the timing of the Sunflower Showdown….
"It always comes at the perfect time. Playing Kansas, every single year that's a marked game on our calendars. They're an hour down the road. We know a lot of guys on the team – especially the Kansas boys on my team, they know a lot of those guys. It's a marked game every single year. I don't think it could ever not come at a good time. Every time we play KU, we make sure we're ready to play."
On the expectation to win against KU...
"You've got to respect every opponent you play. You look at Kansas, having a better season than they have in the past few years, beat a TCU team that we lost to this last weekend. They're a respectable team this year and they're getting better and better. They just lost their head coach, so I'm sure they're fighting for something over there at Kansas. I'm sure they know that about their coaches and I'm sure these last three weeks they're going to play really hard for all their coaches because I'm sure that's not something that they wanted. They're going to come in here and they want to win. Last year, it was two minutes left in the game and we were only up seven points, so I'm sure that Kansas has a lot to play for, just like we have a lot to play for."
On his favorite part of the rivalry...
"I came into K-State and I didn't really know about this rivalry. I really didn't even think it was a rivalry at all. We had a ton of Kansas guys and I didn't really get it, didn't get why it was such a big deal. Over the years, I feel like I'm a Kansas kid now and it's a rivalry game for me as well. Every time we play KU it's become a big game for me as well. I think I've really become a Kansan at heart. It's a big game for all of us. We know a lot of guys on the team. We see the KU kids all the time. We're all from Kansas and we want to own the state of Kansas. It's just a big game – not any bigger game than any other game we've played this year, but it's a marked game for sure."
On the play of redshirt freshman guard Josh Rivas...
"He played reasonably well. He has made progress and gotten a little bit better. He has made the position competitive between he and Abdul (Beecham), and consequently it was through practice he earned the position to start. Both will continue to work at that spot."
The Wildcats and Jayhawks kick off at 11 a.m., on Saturday inside Bill Snyder Family Stadium in a game shown on FSN. Tickets to the game, which start at just $37.25 with a Wildcat 4-Pack, can be purchased online at www.k-statesports.com/tickets, by phone at 1-800-221-CATS or at the main ticket office inside Bramlage Coliseum.
K-STATE FOOTBALL WEEKLY PRESS CONFERENCE QUOTES
BILL SNYDER, K-STATE HEAD COACH
On the Sunflower Showdown series trending more towards a competitive game…
"Last year it was a one touchdown ballgame, late in the ballgame, three minutes to go. It is competitive, very much so. KU has become a competitive football team. They've played some close ballgames this year with very prominent teams."
On the importance of the game outside of the fan bases...
"I think there's value in being successful when you play, regardless of who it is you line up and play against. From a competitive standpoint, if you take the fan base out of it – because I think that's where the real significance lies, within the state, the rivalry, if you will – outside of that, it's not any different than any other ballgame. You prepare as hard and as well as you possibly can, and they're all equally important. You can go back 100 years; I've always addressed it that way with our players – it's equally as important as any other ballgame, but when that one's over, the next one is as equally important as that. Players, you have, obviously quite a few more players from the state of Kansas than we do from other states, so it has a great significance to them. I never overlook that in due respect to all of those players. They went to school with a number of those young guys, so it's kind of the 'bragging rights' for them over their period of time."
On expecting to win against KU...
"There's a definitive statement that goes along with expecting to win. It's easy to say I expect to win, period. There's an, 'If that goes along with that and that's part of the goal if you will,' value. If you prepare yourself well enough to do so and play well enough to do that. There are ifs with that. For me to say we are going to win and not do anything about it when preparing for it, then that doesn't make sense."
On Kansas running back Pooka Williams…
"He is a very talented young guy. He creates problems for us and anyone else because of what he brings to the table. When he has the ball in his hands, he is very difficult to get your hands on. We have to be extremely well disciplined in our tackling. He can make you miss, and he can make you look bad in the process. He is also effective in the passing game; he gets open and they get the ball to him. He has had games with six to seven catches, which makes him a viable threat in that part of it as well."
On KU playing for head coach David Beaty…
"I think so. The players really care about David. He is a players' coach and a very good person. I think they have a great deal of respect for him and want to perform as well as they possibly can."
On David Beaty having to prepare knowing this is his last season…
"I think he will be equally devoted to it as he always has been. I would not see any particular change in his motivation to do well."
On whether Hunter Hall or John Holcombe II will be the third-string quarterback …
"We are not to that point yet. Once we get to the end of the week, we will have a better idea. Both of them are currently taking repetitions."
On unique challenges that K-State and KU both face in recruiting…
"I do not know if I can truly answer that question. It is not a matter of how collectively we are one way or the other. It is an individual thing. I think Kansas State has to do what we have to do, and KU has to do what they have to do. It is easy to say, 'Okay, small state, not very many student-athletes.' So bringing youngsters in outside of the state is more difficult of a process."
On KU's team this year to previous years under David Beaty…
"They have been a team that has the capacity to move the ball and two quarterbacks that have had some success throwing the ball. They have some talented wide receivers and the young running back (Williams), they have made a difference in that respect. You are not going to score points without the help of the defense as well, and I think you're going to find that they have been a team that is different schematically, which has given teams more difficulty than some might guess they would."
On lack of production offensively…
"There are some things I wouldn't share; I am never comfortable giving scouting reports. We have not had the consistency that we need. There have been times when we have run the ball well and times when we haven't. We haven't had the balance in our offense, which to me has always been important."
On KU's 23 takeaways this year…
"It is really substantial when you look at a team that has 13 interceptions, which is a significant number as well. They have skill and the ability. They are a very physical football team and consequently can create fumbles. They have good quickness and speed in the back end and consequently can break on thrown balls and do, which leads to interceptions. They are playing well, and they have created the vast majority of turnovers by good play."
On Isaiah Zuber's playing time last Saturday…
"It is not a matter of staying off the field as much has who gets the ball considering what the defense does. If the defense covers an individual player, then you are probably not going to be able to get the ball to him as much, which I think is true across the board. That goes with running the ball as well. Alex Barnes has a lot of numbers, but he does not always get those numbers if they line up and take it away. That is why we have to have balance in our offense so if you do decide to take it away, we have the capabilities to go other directions."
On qualifying for a bowl…
"I don't think there is any doubt about them wanting to. I think everybody wants to. It is a matter of what can we do about that, like thinking about things in your life that you want to do and how invested you are in actually doing it. The key element for us is being invested in it. It is a tough time and for young guys it is about being able to work through that and putting adversity aside to strive for what is most significant for you. Just wanting to is not the total answer, it is doing something about it."
On Alex Delton's performance against TCU…
"I liked his toughness. He is a competitive young guy and he brings some spirit to our guys. They know he is going to compete. It is not that other guys don't or Skylar (Thompson) doesn't. He gets banged up pretty good, which is obvious. He takes some big hits. He is not the biggest guy in the world, but he competes and competes every snap. He has the capacity to handle the offense and things we want to get into and out of and does a decent job of that. He can throw the ball fine. Obviously, people think he is the best runner. He can run the ball well. He has good quickness and he can make people miss. Then again, you have to have some help too. It is not that he didn't, we just did not have enough, which falls on everybody's shoulders not just one person."
On punting situations…
"There are times that are obvious in which you have to go for it. By and large, the thing is how comfortable do you feel being able to advance the ball and what success are you having on third down. On third and fourth down, collectively, we were 25-percent in that ballgame. It is a sheer number, so you have one out of every four chances to make it. Our pooch punting had been very good. That one went into the endzone, which did not play out how we would have liked, but it had been pretty good. As it shows in the other two pooch punts, we downed one on the four and we had the other one that was slapped back, which I believe should have been placed on the one-yard line. Nevertheless, we practice it diligently and we have done a nice job of it. To me, there is a big difference letting them have the ball on the 35- or 36-yard line or downing them on the one or two."
On outside noise…
"I do not pay any attention – good, bad or indifferent – on what goes on outside, so I can't tell you I know. I would imagine people are upset about the fact that we are whatever our record happens to be. The most significant thing is what takes place in this vicinity, how are players are responding, what we as coaches can do and how can we right the ship. How we can get the team back to being as competitive as we can be and capable as we can be."
On impediments to progress of passing game...
"It has been a combination of things. If you go back early, we had some difficulty with pass protection. We had four sacks the other day, which has an impact. We need to do a better job of getting open and progression with our quarterbacks. I am not taking anything away from any of our opponents because we have good teams and coverage teams in our conference. At the end of the day, everything else is reliant on us and how well we perform. In multiple areas, we have not been able to execute things as well and consistent as we can."
ADAM HOLTORF, JUNIOR OFFENSIVE LINEMAN
On team success....
"The want for this team to succeed is extremely high. We realize that our backs are against the wall in this scenario. We need three more wins to be bowl eligible and we have three more games, so we have to win out. Everybody realizes the challenge that presents itself and is attacking the work with a great level of effort and high attitude."
On the offensive struggles…
"The lack of consistency and execution. I feel like I say that a lot when I come in here but, it's the truth. When you look at the tape, that's something that's plagued us this year. Speaking from an O-line standpoint, guys take turns messing up, one here, one there. At the end of the day, those add up and really hurts the O-line."
On being a double-digit favorite…
"Those kinds of statistics I don't really pay attention to, regardless of the week, opponent, situation or season, I focus on what I can do to ensure that I'm in a position where I feel confident going into Saturday."
ZACH REUTER, SENIOR WIDE RECEIVER
On motivation for this week following the TCU loss...
"It definitely hurts. All you can do is look forward, focusing on what could've been does nothing. All we can do is be our best in preparation against KU."
On the rivalry…
"We're fighting for the state of Kansas. I think that's definitely extra motivation, especially in the position that were in. We're in no position to look past anyone. For Kansas, I think we're especially excited, and hopefully we'll get a good week of practice."
On what he sees in Kansas…
"I think you can definitely tell they're an improving program. As we face that, I think that's something we have to take a full look at and make sure to treat them like the fully capable opponent they are. It's a good football team were playing this week."
On the issues on offense…
"We've hit a lot of snags crossing that 50-yard line. It's just small, execution mistakes where a third and 5, if it goes that other way and we get the first down and were rolling and feeling good, but we're just had a couple mistakes where it continues to snag us up and hold us from scoring as much as were capable of."
DALTON RISNER, SENIOR OFFENSIVE LINEMAN
On the timing of the Sunflower Showdown….
"It always comes at the perfect time. Playing Kansas, every single year that's a marked game on our calendars. They're an hour down the road. We know a lot of guys on the team – especially the Kansas boys on my team, they know a lot of those guys. It's a marked game every single year. I don't think it could ever not come at a good time. Every time we play KU, we make sure we're ready to play."
On the expectation to win against KU...
"You've got to respect every opponent you play. You look at Kansas, having a better season than they have in the past few years, beat a TCU team that we lost to this last weekend. They're a respectable team this year and they're getting better and better. They just lost their head coach, so I'm sure they're fighting for something over there at Kansas. I'm sure they know that about their coaches and I'm sure these last three weeks they're going to play really hard for all their coaches because I'm sure that's not something that they wanted. They're going to come in here and they want to win. Last year, it was two minutes left in the game and we were only up seven points, so I'm sure that Kansas has a lot to play for, just like we have a lot to play for."
On his favorite part of the rivalry...
"I came into K-State and I didn't really know about this rivalry. I really didn't even think it was a rivalry at all. We had a ton of Kansas guys and I didn't really get it, didn't get why it was such a big deal. Over the years, I feel like I'm a Kansas kid now and it's a rivalry game for me as well. Every time we play KU it's become a big game for me as well. I think I've really become a Kansan at heart. It's a big game for all of us. We know a lot of guys on the team. We see the KU kids all the time. We're all from Kansas and we want to own the state of Kansas. It's just a big game – not any bigger game than any other game we've played this year, but it's a marked game for sure."
On the play of redshirt freshman guard Josh Rivas...
"He played reasonably well. He has made progress and gotten a little bit better. He has made the position competitive between he and Abdul (Beecham), and consequently it was through practice he earned the position to start. Both will continue to work at that spot."
Players Mentioned
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