K-State Coordinators Meet with Media Prior to Big 12 Opener
Sep 24, 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 as the Wildcats prepare for their first road contest of the season at Oklahoma. The game against the third-ranked Sooners is slated for an 11 a.m. kick inside Memorial Stadium and will be televised by FOX.
COURTNEY MESSINGHAM, OFFENSIVE COORDINATOR
On the offensive keys to pulling an upset over Oklahoma...
"Last year, it didn't matter if it was third down or first and 10 and we ran the ball. It was how well we executed. There was a pretty good amount of consistency for a stretch. It started out a little slow, got down by 10 but kept grinding a little bit and got rolling. Obviously, at the end just kind of held on. But it's all about executing the plays in front of you."
On the plays by Will Howard against Arkansas State and maybe getting more playing time...
"I'm excited about him and not nervous at all, because we wanted to get his feet wet and get him in there. Obviously, the first play was a run play that we knew the quarterback was going to run it and really didn't have any desire to get Skylar (Thompson) hit, but we wanted to see how Will handled the environment in a game setting. The second play, it would've been easy to say that he didn't get his play. It didn't work out great. Get Skylar back in and throw it with Skylar, but we feel really comfortable with Will both as a running guy and a guy who can really throw it. He threw a really nice ball to Jax (Dineen), and it was a nice play."
On the benefit of having an experienced guy like Skylar Thompson...
"The biggest thing is going back to that experience factor. It didn't matter if it's OU or who it is, he's been able to show that he can win games. It it's back to a couple of years ago against Iowa State. Going back to last year when we needed to have a big third down conversion against OU where he threw it to Dalton Schoen on a post, he rose up and delivered. That's the thing that he's really done well for us is stay within himself and make plays when they're in front of you. We'll need to do that, obviously, this week."
On issues in the running game...
"The first part is what Coach talks about all the time, and that's the communication aspect. Being an odd front, we knew it was going to be different than what we see every day. They did slant and angle a little bit and move. We have to do a good job this week of being on the same page as a group of five. Unfortunately, there were too many times where the running backs were trying to make somebody miss before the line of scrimmage instead of two, three yards past the line of scrimmage."
On the expected starting offensive line group...
"I think it will be pretty similar to last week. I think Cooper Beebe will be one. KT (Kaitori Leveston) should be the other tackle. (Josh) Rivas will be a guard, Noah Johnson and then Ben Adler."
On what strides have been made since Arkansas State...
"I think two things. One is just worrying about my own job and taking care of my own job over and over again. That's something that we have to do a good job of is that I have a part of this puzzle that I'm supposed to execute, and I'm going to do that. The other thing I was disappointed in is that we had opportunities to make big plays. We made some and guys made some big plays, but we probably left at least four plays out there that could've been touchdowns or put us in the red zone. Knock on wood, if we get the opportunity to get down there, we're going to score points. The most disappointing was probably not executing on the times that could've given us touchdowns or the ball in the red zone."
On getting the wide receiver options back...
"I think as a whole, we'll feel much better this week from the wide receiver standpoint just because of some guys getting their feet wet and other guys truly getting out there and playing. I think we'll be at much more full strength this week."
On more ways of getting running back Deuce Vaughn involved...
"I'd love to get him the ball as many times as we can. The thing is, you can't overload him. You want him to play fast. He's done a phenomenal job. He's a sponge, even as young as he is. He came in and tried to learn as many things as he can, but we want him to play fast. You might see him move out of the backfield, come across and run a fly sweep kind of deal. But the biggest thing is, how can we make him feel comfortable with the offense so he can just go be himself and play at the fastest level he can?"
On what tight end Briley Moore opens up for the offense...
"Even though a lot of them were in a short space, his ability to create space and get open. He didn't have a bunch of 40-yard touchdown plays, but, as an example, the one where we kind of slipped him out and he caught the touchdown, it's that ability to have that quick twitch. To create space, even though it's maybe in a short space and not down the field, Skylar (Thompson) feels really comfortable with that and that chemistry really helps."
On Tyler Burns and Jacardia Wright getting more opportunities...
"I would hope this week the way the game unfolds that Tyler will get more opportunities. Jacardia is more about how the flow of the game is going and where we see need. I won't guarantee anything, but I hope both will play and that Tyler will play quite a bit more."
JOE KLANDERMAN, DEFENSIVE COORDINATOR
On the concerns in the secondary...
"It's just being able to execute our things and just being able to apply our rules and principles. We are going to try some guys in some new spots to try to get guys into better positions to make plays. The concern is just the limited amount of reps that those guys have had in those spots and the pictures that they see. Ultimately, I think it's the best for us long term."
On the expected starters in the secondary for Saturday...
"We're going to go through today and evaluate that yet. You're going to see some familiar faces in there."
On the challenge of trying to slow down the Oklahoma offense...
"I think I saw some stat, or somebody told me a stat the other day that they've scored 28 points in 52-straight games or something like that. It's a challenge for everybody. I think that the way that we're approaching it – no matter who we're playing against or whom they have on the other side of the ball – it's about our execution, and it's about our fundamentals. If we can apply our rules and principles and play fundamental football, I think we're going to stack up well against anybody."
On rotating guys moving forward...
"Philosophically, my thought is, if you're good enough to play, we're going to play you. The fact, in my opinion, is that we played a couple of guys too many snaps against Arkansas State. We'd like to be able to rotate guys who have earned the opportunity to play. I thought there were a number of guys that did that, and that's why you're going to see so many bodies out there."
On defensive end Khalid Duke having a chip on his shoulder...
"I do think he has a chip on his shoulder. I know it was frustrating to watch last Saturday, especially because he would have been a big contributor to that type of a ballgame. But, he'll be ready to roll when he gets his chance."
On making all the defensive calls and how it went in game one...
"It was frustrating in that – and hindsight is 20/20 so it's easy to say – but I have to do a better job of getting these guys into position to make plays. I won't even say that – I have to get guys into better positions where they're able to execute their jobs. If there's some kind of gray area that exists with anything, that's my fault. My job is to get these guys to play fast and get these guys into competitive situations. If I do that, then the game is in their hands, and that's where we want it."
On what bothered him the most about the Arkansas State performance...
"Just that we didn't play to our potential. We're better than what we showed. It was kind of an odd situation leading up to the game, right up even into Friday, it still felt like the game was weeks away. I won't say that the guys weren't ready to play. They were very ready and eager to play. Just the urgency wasn't there. I think that's probably the thing that bothered me the most. Even as the tide start to turn a little bit, I still didn't feel like we had that urgency to go out there and, 'Ok, we're going to start to play our type of ball right now. We're going to finish this thing the correct way.' As Coach Klieman addressed with us, it starts with us as coaches. We have to do a better job of establishing that in this program."
On the performance of linebacker Justin Hughes against Arkansas State...
"I thought Justin played well. I thought Justin took a lot of pride – as he always does – in his responsibility and his run fits. I didn't notice, not once, his injury. In fact, he made an open-field tackle in one situation where he and the ball carrier were about the only people within 20 yards of each other. That was a big play at the time. I think he's back."
On the new energy brought this week in practice...
"As I mentioned before, I think one of the things that lacked was the urgency. That's something that Coach Klieman preaches until he's blue in the face. At the end of the day, as Coach says with his philosophy, it's the players' program. Coaches can yell and scream and stomp, but at the end of the day, it has to be the players that are policing that more so than us. I think that the players have finally realized that. I've seen signs of that throughout the last two weeks. Certainly, as we get closer and closer to gameweek, you can kind of sense that tenseness within the players. They have to earn victory. I think they understand that. You earn that through your preparation, through your work, through your body of work leading up to gameday. I don't know that they all felt that way against Arkansas State. Again, I won't say that they weren't prepared and didn't work hard – they did – it's just been at a new level this week. I'm excited to see how it unfolds."
On someone that was really impressive in the first game...
"I think coming off of just the unknown would be Will Jones II. He made a number of plays, had a big interception, had a forced fumble, had a couple of PBUs. He played a number of snaps. He probably played more snaps that I anticipated him playing and did really well. I'm sure there's a play or two that he wishes he had back, but I think he answered the bell as a guy that we can count on moving forward. Another couple of guys that come to my mind are Drew Wiley and Eli Huggins just doing some things up front that are super natural. We were able to steal some gaps with those guys at times. Those guys, as a tandem, are something that people better get used to seeing because the bad boys in there are going to take care of their business. They really did. They take pride in their role. Third down and 10, you're probably not going to see those guys, but in base downs when we need to stop the run, get after some play-action pass and step on the quarterback's toes, those guys are going to be a big factor all year long."
On getting backups and third-string players into the game in starting roles...
"Especially a guy that hasn't played much, sometimes you have some backups that have some game reps under their belt. There's no substitute for game reps. There's no substitute for game reps in the position that you're playing. Sometimes, especially this year, you're going to be dealing with some guys that will be playing multiple positions. It's just the way that it is. We might find out some information today or Friday that we'll have to make some last-minute shifts into some of those awkward type of changes. Yeah it's difficult, but it's kind of the hand we're dealt."
COURTNEY MESSINGHAM, OFFENSIVE COORDINATOR
On the offensive keys to pulling an upset over Oklahoma...
"Last year, it didn't matter if it was third down or first and 10 and we ran the ball. It was how well we executed. There was a pretty good amount of consistency for a stretch. It started out a little slow, got down by 10 but kept grinding a little bit and got rolling. Obviously, at the end just kind of held on. But it's all about executing the plays in front of you."
On the plays by Will Howard against Arkansas State and maybe getting more playing time...
"I'm excited about him and not nervous at all, because we wanted to get his feet wet and get him in there. Obviously, the first play was a run play that we knew the quarterback was going to run it and really didn't have any desire to get Skylar (Thompson) hit, but we wanted to see how Will handled the environment in a game setting. The second play, it would've been easy to say that he didn't get his play. It didn't work out great. Get Skylar back in and throw it with Skylar, but we feel really comfortable with Will both as a running guy and a guy who can really throw it. He threw a really nice ball to Jax (Dineen), and it was a nice play."
On the benefit of having an experienced guy like Skylar Thompson...
"The biggest thing is going back to that experience factor. It didn't matter if it's OU or who it is, he's been able to show that he can win games. It it's back to a couple of years ago against Iowa State. Going back to last year when we needed to have a big third down conversion against OU where he threw it to Dalton Schoen on a post, he rose up and delivered. That's the thing that he's really done well for us is stay within himself and make plays when they're in front of you. We'll need to do that, obviously, this week."
On issues in the running game...
"The first part is what Coach talks about all the time, and that's the communication aspect. Being an odd front, we knew it was going to be different than what we see every day. They did slant and angle a little bit and move. We have to do a good job this week of being on the same page as a group of five. Unfortunately, there were too many times where the running backs were trying to make somebody miss before the line of scrimmage instead of two, three yards past the line of scrimmage."
On the expected starting offensive line group...
"I think it will be pretty similar to last week. I think Cooper Beebe will be one. KT (Kaitori Leveston) should be the other tackle. (Josh) Rivas will be a guard, Noah Johnson and then Ben Adler."
On what strides have been made since Arkansas State...
"I think two things. One is just worrying about my own job and taking care of my own job over and over again. That's something that we have to do a good job of is that I have a part of this puzzle that I'm supposed to execute, and I'm going to do that. The other thing I was disappointed in is that we had opportunities to make big plays. We made some and guys made some big plays, but we probably left at least four plays out there that could've been touchdowns or put us in the red zone. Knock on wood, if we get the opportunity to get down there, we're going to score points. The most disappointing was probably not executing on the times that could've given us touchdowns or the ball in the red zone."
On getting the wide receiver options back...
"I think as a whole, we'll feel much better this week from the wide receiver standpoint just because of some guys getting their feet wet and other guys truly getting out there and playing. I think we'll be at much more full strength this week."
On more ways of getting running back Deuce Vaughn involved...
"I'd love to get him the ball as many times as we can. The thing is, you can't overload him. You want him to play fast. He's done a phenomenal job. He's a sponge, even as young as he is. He came in and tried to learn as many things as he can, but we want him to play fast. You might see him move out of the backfield, come across and run a fly sweep kind of deal. But the biggest thing is, how can we make him feel comfortable with the offense so he can just go be himself and play at the fastest level he can?"
On what tight end Briley Moore opens up for the offense...
"Even though a lot of them were in a short space, his ability to create space and get open. He didn't have a bunch of 40-yard touchdown plays, but, as an example, the one where we kind of slipped him out and he caught the touchdown, it's that ability to have that quick twitch. To create space, even though it's maybe in a short space and not down the field, Skylar (Thompson) feels really comfortable with that and that chemistry really helps."
On Tyler Burns and Jacardia Wright getting more opportunities...
"I would hope this week the way the game unfolds that Tyler will get more opportunities. Jacardia is more about how the flow of the game is going and where we see need. I won't guarantee anything, but I hope both will play and that Tyler will play quite a bit more."
JOE KLANDERMAN, DEFENSIVE COORDINATOR
On the concerns in the secondary...
"It's just being able to execute our things and just being able to apply our rules and principles. We are going to try some guys in some new spots to try to get guys into better positions to make plays. The concern is just the limited amount of reps that those guys have had in those spots and the pictures that they see. Ultimately, I think it's the best for us long term."
On the expected starters in the secondary for Saturday...
"We're going to go through today and evaluate that yet. You're going to see some familiar faces in there."
On the challenge of trying to slow down the Oklahoma offense...
"I think I saw some stat, or somebody told me a stat the other day that they've scored 28 points in 52-straight games or something like that. It's a challenge for everybody. I think that the way that we're approaching it – no matter who we're playing against or whom they have on the other side of the ball – it's about our execution, and it's about our fundamentals. If we can apply our rules and principles and play fundamental football, I think we're going to stack up well against anybody."
On rotating guys moving forward...
"Philosophically, my thought is, if you're good enough to play, we're going to play you. The fact, in my opinion, is that we played a couple of guys too many snaps against Arkansas State. We'd like to be able to rotate guys who have earned the opportunity to play. I thought there were a number of guys that did that, and that's why you're going to see so many bodies out there."
On defensive end Khalid Duke having a chip on his shoulder...
"I do think he has a chip on his shoulder. I know it was frustrating to watch last Saturday, especially because he would have been a big contributor to that type of a ballgame. But, he'll be ready to roll when he gets his chance."
On making all the defensive calls and how it went in game one...
"It was frustrating in that – and hindsight is 20/20 so it's easy to say – but I have to do a better job of getting these guys into position to make plays. I won't even say that – I have to get guys into better positions where they're able to execute their jobs. If there's some kind of gray area that exists with anything, that's my fault. My job is to get these guys to play fast and get these guys into competitive situations. If I do that, then the game is in their hands, and that's where we want it."
On what bothered him the most about the Arkansas State performance...
"Just that we didn't play to our potential. We're better than what we showed. It was kind of an odd situation leading up to the game, right up even into Friday, it still felt like the game was weeks away. I won't say that the guys weren't ready to play. They were very ready and eager to play. Just the urgency wasn't there. I think that's probably the thing that bothered me the most. Even as the tide start to turn a little bit, I still didn't feel like we had that urgency to go out there and, 'Ok, we're going to start to play our type of ball right now. We're going to finish this thing the correct way.' As Coach Klieman addressed with us, it starts with us as coaches. We have to do a better job of establishing that in this program."
On the performance of linebacker Justin Hughes against Arkansas State...
"I thought Justin played well. I thought Justin took a lot of pride – as he always does – in his responsibility and his run fits. I didn't notice, not once, his injury. In fact, he made an open-field tackle in one situation where he and the ball carrier were about the only people within 20 yards of each other. That was a big play at the time. I think he's back."
On the new energy brought this week in practice...
"As I mentioned before, I think one of the things that lacked was the urgency. That's something that Coach Klieman preaches until he's blue in the face. At the end of the day, as Coach says with his philosophy, it's the players' program. Coaches can yell and scream and stomp, but at the end of the day, it has to be the players that are policing that more so than us. I think that the players have finally realized that. I've seen signs of that throughout the last two weeks. Certainly, as we get closer and closer to gameweek, you can kind of sense that tenseness within the players. They have to earn victory. I think they understand that. You earn that through your preparation, through your work, through your body of work leading up to gameday. I don't know that they all felt that way against Arkansas State. Again, I won't say that they weren't prepared and didn't work hard – they did – it's just been at a new level this week. I'm excited to see how it unfolds."
On someone that was really impressive in the first game...
"I think coming off of just the unknown would be Will Jones II. He made a number of plays, had a big interception, had a forced fumble, had a couple of PBUs. He played a number of snaps. He probably played more snaps that I anticipated him playing and did really well. I'm sure there's a play or two that he wishes he had back, but I think he answered the bell as a guy that we can count on moving forward. Another couple of guys that come to my mind are Drew Wiley and Eli Huggins just doing some things up front that are super natural. We were able to steal some gaps with those guys at times. Those guys, as a tandem, are something that people better get used to seeing because the bad boys in there are going to take care of their business. They really did. They take pride in their role. Third down and 10, you're probably not going to see those guys, but in base downs when we need to stop the run, get after some play-action pass and step on the quarterback's toes, those guys are going to be a big factor all year long."
On getting backups and third-string players into the game in starting roles...
"Especially a guy that hasn't played much, sometimes you have some backups that have some game reps under their belt. There's no substitute for game reps. There's no substitute for game reps in the position that you're playing. Sometimes, especially this year, you're going to be dealing with some guys that will be playing multiple positions. It's just the way that it is. We might find out some information today or Friday that we'll have to make some last-minute shifts into some of those awkward type of changes. Yeah it's difficult, but it's kind of the hand we're dealt."
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