Kansas State University Athletics
K-State Coordinators Meet with Media Prior to ISU Contest
Nov 19, 2020 | Football
MANHATTAN, Kan. – Kansas State offensive coordinator Courtney Messingham and defensive coordinator Joe Klanderman met with members of the media via Zoom on Thursday prior to the Wildcats traveling to take on No. 17 Iowa State on Saturday. The game against the Cyclones is slated for a 3 p.m. kick inside Jack Trice Stadium in Ames, Iowa and will be televised by FOX.
COURTNEY MESSINGHAM, OFFENSIVE COORDINATOR
On adjusting practice due to limited numbers...
"Really not very much for us. We had a few things that we needed to make sure of personnel wise that we got the right guys enough touches and opportunities. But as far as practice structure, we didn't change much."
On the status of tight end Briley Moore...
"I think Briley will play. I feel really good about how he's practiced. But, obviously to the extent he can, we'll see once we get going. But, I feel good about it."
On quarterback Will Howard running the ball against Oklahoma State...
"Pretty early you could tell how they were going to try to defend the fly sweep series stuff that we do. That's where Will then kept a couple of them and had some big, long runs off of it. That's part of the game plan that each team a little bit dictates whether or not the quarterback is going to keep it or whether or not we'll be handing it off. The best thing was that our o-line was able to sustain some blocks at the point of attack, and Will got to the second level and did a nice job carrying the ball as a running back."
On what Iowa State does best on defense...
"They do a great job of putting the d-line, linebackers and safeties all in the right spot. So, what they're going to do with their odd front is do a good job with the two d-ends trying to create issues from the passing game standpoint. Then they do a really good job with their linebacker and safety level of fitting the run. I feel like the d-ends wreak havoc a little bit because they're able to kind of turn it loose and play fast."
On solutions to free up running back Deuce Vaughn...
"We have to keep trying to get him touches out in space. I don't know how many carries he had this last week, but I felt like Oklahoma State really did a good job of knowing where he was at. We have to move him around and get him the ball in different areas rather than just the normal stuff. We have to get it done."
On any new options at wide receiver...
"I think the same guys. I feel really good about how Chabastin (Taylor) has practiced. I feel good about how Phillip Brooks has practiced. I hope that they can have an impact on the game. We have to do a good job of getting the ball to those guys. It'll be interesting to see the elements and see what it's like. It's changed a little bit from what I saw early in the week. There's still a chance that it won't be very nice."
On Will Howard learning from his fumble...
"Well, one, you do tell him, obviously, that you have to take care of the football the right way. One of the biggest things that we talk all the time about is keeping your wrist higher than your elbow and keeping that ball tight. Obviously, the d-line did do a good job of getting his hand in and raking Will's arm down. But, the bottom line still ends up being that if you take care of the football the right way and carry it the right way, you should be able to hang onto it. Obviously, it was unfortunate that not only did the guy recover the fumble, but he recovered it basically on the run. Our ability to have people track it down and make a play just to keep him out of the end zone, we weren't able to do that."
On Jax Dineen's role in the offense...
"I was really excited that he had an opportunity to get some plays made, and I feel like his best football is down the road. I believe he's understanding our offense better. I don't know if you guys notice it or not, but he's in better shape right now by far than he's been the entire time he's been in our program. His ability to play the way he played in high school with speed and quickness and to play fast is coming into his own right now."
On adjustments needed in the third quarter...
"You have to be careful a little bit. I don't know when we played Kansas, we pretty much were smashed in the third quarter and didn't play well the rest of the time. If you look at our season as a whole, the first, the third and the fourth (quarters) are about the same. The second quarter, we're a lot higher in points. We need to do a better job of coming out after halftime and putting points on the board. Our bottom line is it doesn't matter if it's the first quarter, the third quarter or the fourth quarter, when we get an opportunity to do something with it, we need to. Oklahoma State, we were not good in the third quarter, and that kind of magnified the issue. To be honest with you, we put ourselves in third and short two out of the three times, but you have to move the chains when you're third and two or three. Unfortunately, we didn't."
On if the o-line is the most improved unit on the offense...
"I think without saying, they are. Against Oklahoma State, we were able to start running the ball a little bit under center and downhill, but also from the pass protection standpoint. There's one thing this league does have, and that's d-linemen that can run and create havoc. We've done a good job of keeping them off our quarterback for the most part, and we have to keep doing that."
On if Konner Fox was forced into the last offensive series against Oklahoma State…
"More of getting forced in there, but really the last two weeks have been huge for Konner. He's really started to come into his own. He needs to. He's a big guy that can run with great hands. I hope to get him a lot more playing time this week. Obviously not to take reps away from Briley (Moore), just because he's a guy that has really good ball skills. We felt good about him as an athlete since the day he got here."
On if Konner Fox will see more playing time with Sammy Wheeler out for the year...
"Yeah, he'd be the guy that would take over that role as far as a longer, athletic guy that can run down the field fairly well."
On special teams continuing to find success...
"It's huge for us. Not only scoring touchdowns but creating turnovers and putting us in a positive field position. Unfortunately, a couple times we got it inside the 50 and weren't able to do anything, but, fortunately, inside the red zone when we've gotten turnovers in the red zone, we've been pretty fortunate to score points. Obviously, the special teams, especially if the game is like last year. It was a windy game. A kickoff return for a touchdown was huge. As a team, we're always trying to look for ways to win with all three phases having a big part of it."
JOE KLANDERMAN, DEFENSIVE COORDINATOR
On the challenge of facing Iowa State running back Breece Hall…
"He's just a real physical runner. He doesn't necessarily hang his hat on any one thing running-style wise. Some guys are bounce runners. Some guys are slash runners that are always looking to cut it back. He's a guy that does a little bit of both. I think another challenge is going to be, potentially, the footing up there and being able to get body control enough on that grass to be able to have enough control to play either phase of that. He's a darn good player."
On practicing in the grass to get ready for this week…
"We've been on the grass every day this week. You know it's not going to be the same, but I think our guys are comfortable with that. It's not something that's all over our minds, but it's something that we haven't done for a little while that we're going to have to get back to."
On what ways the defensive line has surprised him this year…
"I don't know that they've surprised me at all. I think that's probably what I anticipated heading into camp. We just have a lot of tough guys and a lot of hard workers. What's I've been pleased with, probably not surprised by, is the amount of guys that we've been able to roll in there and have success with. Just looking at the defensive end spot, in particular, we're rolling six guys in there consistently, and you don't even know who's in there. On any (down and distance) and any situation, those guys are able to be in there and handle their business. To have that kind of depth is a great luxury. The durability that those guys have had, having to play a lot of snaps, and they've been able to do it and do it at a high level week in and week out has been fantastic."
On the contributions of defensive tackle Eli Huggins this year…
"We knew in the spring that for us to be successful that we were going to have to get a lot out of Eli Huggins and a lot out of Jaylen Pickle. Drew Wiley had played in games, but he certainly wasn't playing at the level that he's playing at this year. He was a good player last year, a solid player. I think he's playing at a level right now that I wouldn't trade him for any other inside guy in the league. But, Eli Huggins didn't have a lot of snaps under his belt. Jaylen Pickle didn't have a lot of snaps under his belt. For those guys to take that role and – let's face it, we're a developmental program – we're going to run into that situation in different positions each year. When you graduate guys, it has to be the next guy up. We're not the type of place that's going to go out and just look for some guy that just fell out of Clemson or somewhere. That's going to be the process moving forward at all positions. So, I'm just impressed by how those guys go about their business every day, how much they've embraced their role and didn't shy away from it either. They knew they had to be the guy, and they stepped up to be the guy."
On how COVID has impacted the defense…
"Well, it's been a challenge. Where it's affecting us a lot is, as I'm sure you know, is the young guys and the scout team. When you're playing a group that has a talented trio of tight ends and you're using defensive linemen as those guys in some instances and you're using kickers are receivers in some instances, it's just something that you have to work through, but that's what it is. It's the pictures that are important to us. We're still doing a number of work good-on-good, as we say, against our starting offense so we can get some speed and some pictures that we may not get from some of those other guys."
On if the current COVID situation reminds him of prior to Oklahoma...
"You just keep rolling. You can't sit and cry over it. It is what it is, and I'm sure we're not the only team in the country that's facing that. So, we just have to keep plugging away."
On how defensive back Ekow Boye-Doe has improved to earn more playing time...
"Ekow was probably a bit of a victim of we had decent depth at that position, and he just didn't see pictures very well. Ekow, to me, is a smart football player, but he's a guy that's a rep guy and a guy that needs to see things over and over again. When you don't get that, you don't get consistency from his play because you don't really know what he knows, if that makes any sense at all. When he got thrust into that role and he got all the pictures, boy he got so much better so quickly. He's just kind of taken off from there. I think the more he plays, the more comfortable he gets. He's still – and he would tell you the same – he's a work in progress. He's going to be a better player in a year just because of what he's going to be able to do with his body. I think the confidence that he's gotten over the last six or seven weeks from his play is speaking volumes every Saturday."
On more players earning their shot to contribute...
"That's what we've been trying to emphasize here for the last five or six weeks. We've been trying to do a lot of young guys against younger guys in our program. We've been taking time out so we can get a look at everybody and so that everybody is getting those chances, and it has. I don't know that there's guys that we're finding that are ready right now, but maybe there are guys that we're finding that we can count on in a year and get put into that same situation that an Eli Huggins was in heading into this year, or a Jaylen Pickle that, 'Hey, next year you might have to play a significant role, and can we count on you to do that?' We're pleased with what we're seeing out there. Listen, as far as the attrition goes, this program isn't for everybody. We're going to do things a certain way to try to achieve a certain standard, and not everybody is able to adhere to that standard. That's just what it is."
On the challenges facing coaches this year...
"It's probably the most challenging year. I think one of the challenges that probably doesn't get talked enough about is it isn't dealing with the scout team or the numbers or any of that, it's that our time is so limited and has been so limited in the offseason in the ability to build relationships with our players and just being able to be around those guys as much as we normally would be. The fact that there's restrictions on numbers on the amount of people allowed in the building or the restrictions on numbers in the amount of people allowed in a meeting room. Shoot, we haven't even had a team meeting where everybody has been in the same room this year. That's been the most challenging part. That's why a lot of us get into coaching to build those relationships. COVID is putting a damper on that a little bit, and I'm excited for the future and hopefully we can get past that."
On the matchup problems created by Iowa State quarterback Brock Purdy...
"Something that doesn't get talked enough about him is how he's able to extend plays. He obviously has good arm talent. He knows where to put the ball. He has great command on what he's doing offensively. He's a very smart football player, which is evident on tape. The thing that really helps him out is how he's able to get out of the pocket, how elusive he is and how dangerous he is when he gets loose. That's something that really continues to scare me and keep me up at night for the last couple of weeks is just the fact that he can make things happen sometimes when you played the play really well. We may have the initial cover down fantastically, but if he buys himself another couple of seconds and somebody gets loose down the sideline, that's how explosive plays happen. We have to find a way to keep him in there."
On if Brock Purdy is similar to anyone else K-State has faced...
"There are a lot of great quarterbacks in the Big 12. A guy like Max Duggan comes to mind a little bit. A guy that he reminds me of that we're pretty familiar with is Skylar Thompson throughout practice, just his mobility and some of the things that Skylar does that he maybe doesn't get enough credit for. I think Brock is kind of in that same boat."
On if it's challenging to face a team that utilizes the tight ends so frequently...
"And the fact that they don't just use them as tight ends. They split them out, they can put them in the backfield and do different things with them. They're all talented in those spots. They can be out there and be as talented as most receivers in the league. They can be in the backfield and kicking out run plays as physical as any fullbacks in the league. Are there fullbacks in the Big 12? Their skillsets are so diverse. Fortunately for us, the one saving grace is it's something we see a lot in the spring. We do see a lot of that in fall camp. We've dealt with that a little bit, so hopefully our stuff holds up."
On if facing guys like Briley Moore helps the defense...
"Yeah, it's fantastic. It's really difficult, and I don't know how some of these teams do it that don't see these types of things all the time to just get that stuff in a week or two weeks. It just doesn't happen like that. I think our guys have a little degree of comfort because we see a lot of those things frequently."
COURTNEY MESSINGHAM, OFFENSIVE COORDINATOR
On adjusting practice due to limited numbers...
"Really not very much for us. We had a few things that we needed to make sure of personnel wise that we got the right guys enough touches and opportunities. But as far as practice structure, we didn't change much."
On the status of tight end Briley Moore...
"I think Briley will play. I feel really good about how he's practiced. But, obviously to the extent he can, we'll see once we get going. But, I feel good about it."
On quarterback Will Howard running the ball against Oklahoma State...
"Pretty early you could tell how they were going to try to defend the fly sweep series stuff that we do. That's where Will then kept a couple of them and had some big, long runs off of it. That's part of the game plan that each team a little bit dictates whether or not the quarterback is going to keep it or whether or not we'll be handing it off. The best thing was that our o-line was able to sustain some blocks at the point of attack, and Will got to the second level and did a nice job carrying the ball as a running back."
On what Iowa State does best on defense...
"They do a great job of putting the d-line, linebackers and safeties all in the right spot. So, what they're going to do with their odd front is do a good job with the two d-ends trying to create issues from the passing game standpoint. Then they do a really good job with their linebacker and safety level of fitting the run. I feel like the d-ends wreak havoc a little bit because they're able to kind of turn it loose and play fast."
On solutions to free up running back Deuce Vaughn...
"We have to keep trying to get him touches out in space. I don't know how many carries he had this last week, but I felt like Oklahoma State really did a good job of knowing where he was at. We have to move him around and get him the ball in different areas rather than just the normal stuff. We have to get it done."
On any new options at wide receiver...
"I think the same guys. I feel really good about how Chabastin (Taylor) has practiced. I feel good about how Phillip Brooks has practiced. I hope that they can have an impact on the game. We have to do a good job of getting the ball to those guys. It'll be interesting to see the elements and see what it's like. It's changed a little bit from what I saw early in the week. There's still a chance that it won't be very nice."
On Will Howard learning from his fumble...
"Well, one, you do tell him, obviously, that you have to take care of the football the right way. One of the biggest things that we talk all the time about is keeping your wrist higher than your elbow and keeping that ball tight. Obviously, the d-line did do a good job of getting his hand in and raking Will's arm down. But, the bottom line still ends up being that if you take care of the football the right way and carry it the right way, you should be able to hang onto it. Obviously, it was unfortunate that not only did the guy recover the fumble, but he recovered it basically on the run. Our ability to have people track it down and make a play just to keep him out of the end zone, we weren't able to do that."
On Jax Dineen's role in the offense...
"I was really excited that he had an opportunity to get some plays made, and I feel like his best football is down the road. I believe he's understanding our offense better. I don't know if you guys notice it or not, but he's in better shape right now by far than he's been the entire time he's been in our program. His ability to play the way he played in high school with speed and quickness and to play fast is coming into his own right now."
On adjustments needed in the third quarter...
"You have to be careful a little bit. I don't know when we played Kansas, we pretty much were smashed in the third quarter and didn't play well the rest of the time. If you look at our season as a whole, the first, the third and the fourth (quarters) are about the same. The second quarter, we're a lot higher in points. We need to do a better job of coming out after halftime and putting points on the board. Our bottom line is it doesn't matter if it's the first quarter, the third quarter or the fourth quarter, when we get an opportunity to do something with it, we need to. Oklahoma State, we were not good in the third quarter, and that kind of magnified the issue. To be honest with you, we put ourselves in third and short two out of the three times, but you have to move the chains when you're third and two or three. Unfortunately, we didn't."
On if the o-line is the most improved unit on the offense...
"I think without saying, they are. Against Oklahoma State, we were able to start running the ball a little bit under center and downhill, but also from the pass protection standpoint. There's one thing this league does have, and that's d-linemen that can run and create havoc. We've done a good job of keeping them off our quarterback for the most part, and we have to keep doing that."
On if Konner Fox was forced into the last offensive series against Oklahoma State…
"More of getting forced in there, but really the last two weeks have been huge for Konner. He's really started to come into his own. He needs to. He's a big guy that can run with great hands. I hope to get him a lot more playing time this week. Obviously not to take reps away from Briley (Moore), just because he's a guy that has really good ball skills. We felt good about him as an athlete since the day he got here."
On if Konner Fox will see more playing time with Sammy Wheeler out for the year...
"Yeah, he'd be the guy that would take over that role as far as a longer, athletic guy that can run down the field fairly well."
On special teams continuing to find success...
"It's huge for us. Not only scoring touchdowns but creating turnovers and putting us in a positive field position. Unfortunately, a couple times we got it inside the 50 and weren't able to do anything, but, fortunately, inside the red zone when we've gotten turnovers in the red zone, we've been pretty fortunate to score points. Obviously, the special teams, especially if the game is like last year. It was a windy game. A kickoff return for a touchdown was huge. As a team, we're always trying to look for ways to win with all three phases having a big part of it."
JOE KLANDERMAN, DEFENSIVE COORDINATOR
On the challenge of facing Iowa State running back Breece Hall…
"He's just a real physical runner. He doesn't necessarily hang his hat on any one thing running-style wise. Some guys are bounce runners. Some guys are slash runners that are always looking to cut it back. He's a guy that does a little bit of both. I think another challenge is going to be, potentially, the footing up there and being able to get body control enough on that grass to be able to have enough control to play either phase of that. He's a darn good player."
On practicing in the grass to get ready for this week…
"We've been on the grass every day this week. You know it's not going to be the same, but I think our guys are comfortable with that. It's not something that's all over our minds, but it's something that we haven't done for a little while that we're going to have to get back to."
On what ways the defensive line has surprised him this year…
"I don't know that they've surprised me at all. I think that's probably what I anticipated heading into camp. We just have a lot of tough guys and a lot of hard workers. What's I've been pleased with, probably not surprised by, is the amount of guys that we've been able to roll in there and have success with. Just looking at the defensive end spot, in particular, we're rolling six guys in there consistently, and you don't even know who's in there. On any (down and distance) and any situation, those guys are able to be in there and handle their business. To have that kind of depth is a great luxury. The durability that those guys have had, having to play a lot of snaps, and they've been able to do it and do it at a high level week in and week out has been fantastic."
On the contributions of defensive tackle Eli Huggins this year…
"We knew in the spring that for us to be successful that we were going to have to get a lot out of Eli Huggins and a lot out of Jaylen Pickle. Drew Wiley had played in games, but he certainly wasn't playing at the level that he's playing at this year. He was a good player last year, a solid player. I think he's playing at a level right now that I wouldn't trade him for any other inside guy in the league. But, Eli Huggins didn't have a lot of snaps under his belt. Jaylen Pickle didn't have a lot of snaps under his belt. For those guys to take that role and – let's face it, we're a developmental program – we're going to run into that situation in different positions each year. When you graduate guys, it has to be the next guy up. We're not the type of place that's going to go out and just look for some guy that just fell out of Clemson or somewhere. That's going to be the process moving forward at all positions. So, I'm just impressed by how those guys go about their business every day, how much they've embraced their role and didn't shy away from it either. They knew they had to be the guy, and they stepped up to be the guy."
On how COVID has impacted the defense…
"Well, it's been a challenge. Where it's affecting us a lot is, as I'm sure you know, is the young guys and the scout team. When you're playing a group that has a talented trio of tight ends and you're using defensive linemen as those guys in some instances and you're using kickers are receivers in some instances, it's just something that you have to work through, but that's what it is. It's the pictures that are important to us. We're still doing a number of work good-on-good, as we say, against our starting offense so we can get some speed and some pictures that we may not get from some of those other guys."
On if the current COVID situation reminds him of prior to Oklahoma...
"You just keep rolling. You can't sit and cry over it. It is what it is, and I'm sure we're not the only team in the country that's facing that. So, we just have to keep plugging away."
On how defensive back Ekow Boye-Doe has improved to earn more playing time...
"Ekow was probably a bit of a victim of we had decent depth at that position, and he just didn't see pictures very well. Ekow, to me, is a smart football player, but he's a guy that's a rep guy and a guy that needs to see things over and over again. When you don't get that, you don't get consistency from his play because you don't really know what he knows, if that makes any sense at all. When he got thrust into that role and he got all the pictures, boy he got so much better so quickly. He's just kind of taken off from there. I think the more he plays, the more comfortable he gets. He's still – and he would tell you the same – he's a work in progress. He's going to be a better player in a year just because of what he's going to be able to do with his body. I think the confidence that he's gotten over the last six or seven weeks from his play is speaking volumes every Saturday."
On more players earning their shot to contribute...
"That's what we've been trying to emphasize here for the last five or six weeks. We've been trying to do a lot of young guys against younger guys in our program. We've been taking time out so we can get a look at everybody and so that everybody is getting those chances, and it has. I don't know that there's guys that we're finding that are ready right now, but maybe there are guys that we're finding that we can count on in a year and get put into that same situation that an Eli Huggins was in heading into this year, or a Jaylen Pickle that, 'Hey, next year you might have to play a significant role, and can we count on you to do that?' We're pleased with what we're seeing out there. Listen, as far as the attrition goes, this program isn't for everybody. We're going to do things a certain way to try to achieve a certain standard, and not everybody is able to adhere to that standard. That's just what it is."
On the challenges facing coaches this year...
"It's probably the most challenging year. I think one of the challenges that probably doesn't get talked enough about is it isn't dealing with the scout team or the numbers or any of that, it's that our time is so limited and has been so limited in the offseason in the ability to build relationships with our players and just being able to be around those guys as much as we normally would be. The fact that there's restrictions on numbers on the amount of people allowed in the building or the restrictions on numbers in the amount of people allowed in a meeting room. Shoot, we haven't even had a team meeting where everybody has been in the same room this year. That's been the most challenging part. That's why a lot of us get into coaching to build those relationships. COVID is putting a damper on that a little bit, and I'm excited for the future and hopefully we can get past that."
On the matchup problems created by Iowa State quarterback Brock Purdy...
"Something that doesn't get talked enough about him is how he's able to extend plays. He obviously has good arm talent. He knows where to put the ball. He has great command on what he's doing offensively. He's a very smart football player, which is evident on tape. The thing that really helps him out is how he's able to get out of the pocket, how elusive he is and how dangerous he is when he gets loose. That's something that really continues to scare me and keep me up at night for the last couple of weeks is just the fact that he can make things happen sometimes when you played the play really well. We may have the initial cover down fantastically, but if he buys himself another couple of seconds and somebody gets loose down the sideline, that's how explosive plays happen. We have to find a way to keep him in there."
On if Brock Purdy is similar to anyone else K-State has faced...
"There are a lot of great quarterbacks in the Big 12. A guy like Max Duggan comes to mind a little bit. A guy that he reminds me of that we're pretty familiar with is Skylar Thompson throughout practice, just his mobility and some of the things that Skylar does that he maybe doesn't get enough credit for. I think Brock is kind of in that same boat."
On if it's challenging to face a team that utilizes the tight ends so frequently...
"And the fact that they don't just use them as tight ends. They split them out, they can put them in the backfield and do different things with them. They're all talented in those spots. They can be out there and be as talented as most receivers in the league. They can be in the backfield and kicking out run plays as physical as any fullbacks in the league. Are there fullbacks in the Big 12? Their skillsets are so diverse. Fortunately for us, the one saving grace is it's something we see a lot in the spring. We do see a lot of that in fall camp. We've dealt with that a little bit, so hopefully our stuff holds up."
On if facing guys like Briley Moore helps the defense...
"Yeah, it's fantastic. It's really difficult, and I don't know how some of these teams do it that don't see these types of things all the time to just get that stuff in a week or two weeks. It just doesn't happen like that. I think our guys have a little degree of comfort because we see a lot of those things frequently."
Players Mentioned
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WR
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FB
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TE
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QB
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DT
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TE
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DT
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QB
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RB
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TE
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DT
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