SE: K-State Football Notebook – Oklahoma State Week
Nov 04, 2020 | Football, Sports Extra
By: Austin Siegel
Six games into the 2020 season, there's still plenty we don't know about K-State Football.
When Chris Klieman was asked whether his team simply had a bad day in a 37-10 loss to West Virginia or if the Wildcats are dealing with bigger issues, the K-State head coach was honest.
"Good question. I don't know. We'll find out how we respond when adversity strikes. We'll find out the character and resolve of our guys," Klieman said. "We didn't play well. It was on the road, and we fell behind and had a hard time digging ourselves out of it. All that being said, in the second quarter, we had our opportunities. We could've been in a competitive game."
Even in a COVID-19 adjusted season, the Wildcats have done an impressive job remaining a team that's seemingly impossible to define.
K-State has a share of first place in the Big 12, even though the Wildcats are currently unranked. They have lost a game as more than a 15-point favorite and won a game as more than a 15-point underdog.
In a season where anything can happen, it sometimes feels like K-State is trying to see exactly what "anything" means.
That's why this weekend's game against No. 14 Oklahoma State is so intriguing.
The Cowboys were knocking on the door of the top five until a loss to Texas over the weekend, and the 'Pokes will easily be the best team the Wildcats have played in Manhattan this season.
"If they're getting 100 plays, we're in trouble," Klieman said. "We have to do a great job of what we call complimentary football. We have to be able to stay on the field offensively and be able to churn out first downs, even if it's not a scoring drive. We have to be able to take four or five minutes off the clock, get some first downs and limit some of their opportunities."
K-State could leave Saturday's game searching for answers on a two-game losing streak or with a very real opportunity to play in Arlington next month.
It's all on the table this weekend at Bill Snyder Family Stadium.
Looking at the O-Line
With players getting the day off for Election Day, a few K-State position coaches spoke with the media on Tuesday.
Among them was offensive line coach Conor Riley, whose position group was under the microscope coming into the 2020 season without a single returning starter from 2019. Last week presented the biggest challenge of the season in a West Virginia team that leads the Big 12 in sacks.
"We have to do a much better job of staying on, sustaining and finishing blocks," Riley said. "There's progress when you look at our grades from this last week, as far as what I consider mental busts or complete assignment errors."
On paper, K-State has held their own up front this season. The Wildcats are among the top five teams in the conference in terms of pass efficiency and sacks against, but West Virginia was the first of three opponents K-State will face that lead the conference in sacks.
Seriously, K-State is playing the top three defensive lines in the Big 12 back-to-back-to-back.
You could call the Mountaineers a wake-up call, but it's not one that Riley thinks his team needs.
"It's the same message since the beginning. It's about being better than we were yesterday and better tomorrow than we were today. I know that sounds like coach speak, however, especially with where we are as a group, with the circumstances of 2020, I think that couldn't be truer than it is today."
Building the Backfield
After a quiet day running the football against West Virginia, K-State will look for a bounce-back performance from the running backs on Saturday.
The challenge won't get any easier against a stout Oklahoma State defensive front, but running backs coach Brian Anderson was optimistic about a unit that's been a motor for K-State in 2020.
Deuce Vaughn didn't put up game-breaking numbers in Morgantown, though Anderson said the freshman graded out well as the coaching staff reviewed the West Virginia game.
"He didn't have big opportunities to make those big plays," Anderson said. "One of the things we talk about all the time is don't just think you're a ball carrier or a pass catcher. You have to be able to do everything - his blocking is getting better as he gains more confidence."
There won't be two players who get more ink in the build-up to this game than Vaughn and OSU superstar Chuba Hubbard. They won't be on the field at the same time in Manhattan, but the play of Hubbard and Vaughn should go a long way to deciding this one.
Here's something to keep in mind: Hubbard has been predictably awesome this season and enters Saturday as a top-three running back in the Big 12, but his longest play of the season is "only" 32 yards. Hubbard had runs of 53 and 84 yards against the Wildcats in 2019.
"We gave up the explosive play via the run last year. We cannot do that to be successful. We have to limit those," Klieman said. "If he has a huge day, then we're stacking the box with more and more guys, and then it creates all sorts of other issues. We have to come up with a great game plan."
Vaughn has plays of 36, 45, 70 and 77 yards this season – all as a receiver – and getting him involved in the slot has been a key to success for K-State all season.
It's no sure thing, but whoever sees their home run threat get loose on Saturday just might be the team that's still looking down at the rest of the Big 12 when this one is all over.
"We challenged guys to make sure today is not just a day off, it's a day to continue to get better as far as the details of the game plan," Anderson said. "Our leaders are stepping up."
Six games into the 2020 season, there's still plenty we don't know about K-State Football.
When Chris Klieman was asked whether his team simply had a bad day in a 37-10 loss to West Virginia or if the Wildcats are dealing with bigger issues, the K-State head coach was honest.
"Good question. I don't know. We'll find out how we respond when adversity strikes. We'll find out the character and resolve of our guys," Klieman said. "We didn't play well. It was on the road, and we fell behind and had a hard time digging ourselves out of it. All that being said, in the second quarter, we had our opportunities. We could've been in a competitive game."
Even in a COVID-19 adjusted season, the Wildcats have done an impressive job remaining a team that's seemingly impossible to define.
K-State has a share of first place in the Big 12, even though the Wildcats are currently unranked. They have lost a game as more than a 15-point favorite and won a game as more than a 15-point underdog.
In a season where anything can happen, it sometimes feels like K-State is trying to see exactly what "anything" means.
That's why this weekend's game against No. 14 Oklahoma State is so intriguing.
The Cowboys were knocking on the door of the top five until a loss to Texas over the weekend, and the 'Pokes will easily be the best team the Wildcats have played in Manhattan this season.
"If they're getting 100 plays, we're in trouble," Klieman said. "We have to do a great job of what we call complimentary football. We have to be able to stay on the field offensively and be able to churn out first downs, even if it's not a scoring drive. We have to be able to take four or five minutes off the clock, get some first downs and limit some of their opportunities."
K-State could leave Saturday's game searching for answers on a two-game losing streak or with a very real opportunity to play in Arlington next month.
It's all on the table this weekend at Bill Snyder Family Stadium.
Looking at the O-Line
With players getting the day off for Election Day, a few K-State position coaches spoke with the media on Tuesday.
Among them was offensive line coach Conor Riley, whose position group was under the microscope coming into the 2020 season without a single returning starter from 2019. Last week presented the biggest challenge of the season in a West Virginia team that leads the Big 12 in sacks.
"We have to do a much better job of staying on, sustaining and finishing blocks," Riley said. "There's progress when you look at our grades from this last week, as far as what I consider mental busts or complete assignment errors."
On paper, K-State has held their own up front this season. The Wildcats are among the top five teams in the conference in terms of pass efficiency and sacks against, but West Virginia was the first of three opponents K-State will face that lead the conference in sacks.
Seriously, K-State is playing the top three defensive lines in the Big 12 back-to-back-to-back.
You could call the Mountaineers a wake-up call, but it's not one that Riley thinks his team needs.
"It's the same message since the beginning. It's about being better than we were yesterday and better tomorrow than we were today. I know that sounds like coach speak, however, especially with where we are as a group, with the circumstances of 2020, I think that couldn't be truer than it is today."
Building the Backfield
After a quiet day running the football against West Virginia, K-State will look for a bounce-back performance from the running backs on Saturday.
The challenge won't get any easier against a stout Oklahoma State defensive front, but running backs coach Brian Anderson was optimistic about a unit that's been a motor for K-State in 2020.
Deuce Vaughn didn't put up game-breaking numbers in Morgantown, though Anderson said the freshman graded out well as the coaching staff reviewed the West Virginia game.
"He didn't have big opportunities to make those big plays," Anderson said. "One of the things we talk about all the time is don't just think you're a ball carrier or a pass catcher. You have to be able to do everything - his blocking is getting better as he gains more confidence."
There won't be two players who get more ink in the build-up to this game than Vaughn and OSU superstar Chuba Hubbard. They won't be on the field at the same time in Manhattan, but the play of Hubbard and Vaughn should go a long way to deciding this one.
Here's something to keep in mind: Hubbard has been predictably awesome this season and enters Saturday as a top-three running back in the Big 12, but his longest play of the season is "only" 32 yards. Hubbard had runs of 53 and 84 yards against the Wildcats in 2019.
"We gave up the explosive play via the run last year. We cannot do that to be successful. We have to limit those," Klieman said. "If he has a huge day, then we're stacking the box with more and more guys, and then it creates all sorts of other issues. We have to come up with a great game plan."
Vaughn has plays of 36, 45, 70 and 77 yards this season – all as a receiver – and getting him involved in the slot has been a key to success for K-State all season.
It's no sure thing, but whoever sees their home run threat get loose on Saturday just might be the team that's still looking down at the rest of the Big 12 when this one is all over.
"We challenged guys to make sure today is not just a day off, it's a day to continue to get better as far as the details of the game plan," Anderson said. "Our leaders are stepping up."
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