Klieman Wants Cats to Work on Details as Season Progresses
Sep 14, 2022 | Football, Sports Extra
By: D. Scott Fritchen
Kansas State has rolled through its first two games in outscoring its opponents 74-12, including a 40-12 victory over Missouri in front of a second-straight sellout crowd Saturday at Bill Snyder Family Stadium.
However, K-State head coach Chris Klieman during his news conference on Tuesday indicated that the Wildcats are far from a finished product, as they prepare to face Tulane on Fort Riley Day in front of another sold out crowd and seek their third 3-0 start in four years.
"I'm pleased with how hard we're playing right now on both sides of the ball," Klieman said. "We're playing really hard and it's making up for some of the alignment errors and mental errors that we're having from a blown coverage to having a false start. We're playing hard enough to overcome some of those things, but we have things to clean up in all three phases from a technique standpoint."
Tulane comes off a 52-0 victory over Alcorn State and is 2-0 for the first time since 2002 following its first shutout victory since November 1, 1997. Saturday will mark the Green Wave's first road game of the season.
"We have a really good Tulane team coming in here who is 2-0 and playing well," Klieman said. "They have really good players and I think they have a really good quarterback. They can really run and have good athletes on both sides of the ball."
Tulane head coach Willie Fritz is 33-43 in his seventh season at Tulane, and he is 226-117-1 in 30 years as a head coach.
The Green Wave last beat a Power 5 opponent when they topped Rutgers 17-14 in Piscataway, New Jersey on October 2, 2010. No. 2 Oklahoma had its hands full during a 40-35 win over the Green Wave during the season opener in 2021.
K-State seeks its 18th perfect non-conference record during a regular season since 1990. The Wildcats are 80-8 in non-conference home games since 1990.
"It looks like it's almost going to be a sellout again this weekend," Deuce Vaughn said. "To have that kind of support through the first game and the rain game and now this one, to have that kind of support three weeks in a row before we hit conference play is big time. To get a big-time win for them and to go out there and play for all 50,000 in the stands is something we try to accomplish."
K-State will unveil an alternate helmets on Saturday
K-State players might be even a little more energized, if that's possible, when they take the field Saturday, as the Wildcats will be unveiling an alternate helmet that went public after Tuesday's news conference. The new look was engineered by Klieman and K-State veteran equipment manager Al Cerbe.
"It's something Al and I have been visiting about and some of it is supply and demand and shipping and receiving and everything seemed to go as planned for Al, so this was the time to do it," Klieman said.
K-State traditionally wears its purple top and silver pants and a silver helmet with a Powercat for home games. In the past under Klieman, the Wildcats have dabbled with an alternate helmet with "Cats" written in script. They unveiled an all-white Nike uniform for the 2019 Liberty Bowl against Navy. But this has the makings of being something entirely different.
Added Deuce Vaughn, "You'll like the uniforms on Saturday, I promise. I'm going to be very quiet about the uniforms, but I'll say they're pretty sweet."
Kade Warner and Martinez wore alternate uniforms when they played at Nebraska. That doesn't keep Warner from being excited about the Wildcats new look, though.
"The first reaction, the captains were in the meeting with Klieman and he said, 'We have an alternate,'" Warner said. "He showed us. It was definitely cool. It's something that's really rare here. The players say they don't do it often. I'm really excited for how it's all going to look on Saturday."
K-State could see "more explosive plays" through the air on Saturday
So far, all has been calm in the K-State passing game under first-year offensive coordinator Collin Klein. Why? Well, the Wildcats took a commanding 20-0 lead in their opener against South Dakota and shortly after emptied the sideline. Coupled with a rain delay and occasional downpours against Missouri, the Wildcats have largely kept the ball on the ground with Preseason All-American Vaughn leading the way.
K-State ranks sixth in the nation in amassing 531 rushing yards in 2022.
Martinez has managed the offense efficiently and effectively without showing off his arm. He has completed 30 of 35 passes for 154 yards and his longest completion has gone for 28 yards.
Could throwing the deep ball be in order on Saturday?
"I'm excited for some of the things we're going to do in the passing game," Klieman said. "You saw glimpses of it on the first two drives (against Missouri) when it was dry. We're just in my mind scratching the surface of what we're going to be able to do throwing the football."
Martinez is one of just two active FBS quarterbacks to reach 8,000 passing yards and 2,000 rushing yards in his career.
"It's whatever the situation calls for, and if (the deep pass) happens, it happens, and if it doesn't and we win the game, we win the game," Martinez said. "Collectively, I was proud of our guys and how we battled. Individually, I felt more comfortable out there, and we continue to progress and that's what it's all about. It's not a final destination. We're on the right trajectory."
Asked whether he would be relieved when he finally does throw a deep pass, Martinez replied, "It'll be good for us as a unit, but again, I don't feel like I need that kind of validation or that kind of confidence boost. I feel good about our capabilities and when it happens and the defense gives it to us we'll be great."
Malik Knowles leads the team with five catches for 40 yards. Kade Warner has four catches for 14 yards. Phillip Brooks has three catches for 57 yards.
"There's a lot we haven't shown, and we haven't really had the opportunity to," Warner said. "I think with this game plan and with what Tulane runs and the way we've gone about our preparation, I think there's definitely some major opportunities for an effective passing game with a lot more explosive plays."
Phillip Brooks, Ty Zentner and others are continuing to do special things for Special Teams U
Phillip Brooks earned Big 12 Conference Special Teams Player of the Week after returning a punt 76 yards for a touchdown against Missouri. In the season opener, Seth Porter blocked a punt and Desmond Purnell returned it for a score against South Dakota. It's the first time since 1998 that K-State has recorded a special teams touchdown in each of the first two games of a season.
K-State's 128 non-offensive touchdowns since 1999 leads the nation. Alabama ranks second with 118.
Klieman said the amount of time invested in special teams is paying off — a process that began this season during spring practice.
"I look at a kid like Desmond Purnell who's having a huge impact on special teams," Klieman said. "(On Brooks' punt return) he had the block of the whole thing on punt last week and we talk about it a lot, but that ball was kicked, and we thought we had hooked up everybody but the one guy we were worried about was the player who's supposed to keep everybody inside. Desmond blocked him from the time the ball was kicked until it got into the end zone.
"Why was that important? Because that was his job only on that play. That's an unselfish kid. If you want to be really good on special teams, you have to be unselfish."
Meanwhile, punter Ty Zentner is taking advantage of his second senior season. Zentner qualified for the school's career top-10 list for punting average against Missouri with his 75th career punt. The Topeka, Kansas, native now ranks third in school history with a 43.03-yard punting average in his career. Zentner was also the Wildcats' primary kickoff man last year, totaling 36 touchbacks on his 67 kickoffs (53.7%), the most by a Wildcat since at least 2004.
"A few of his punts were really good (against Missouri) and they didn't have any return yardage," Klieman said. "He pinned a couple inside the 5. Ty is kicking the ball really well."
Added Martinez: "He's a part of Special Teams U, you know what I mean? He means a tremendous amount. He does his job consistently and not only that, but he's been a leader in the weight room and on the field, and he's a guy you know who'll show up and do his job."
Klieman seeks to find more snaps for some offensive linemen
K-State saw one of its most veteran offensive linemen lost for the season when starting right guard Taylor Poitier suffered a knee injury against South Dakota. Sophomore Hadley Panzer earned his first-career start in place of Poitier against Missouri. The rest of the offensive line has remained unchanged with left tackle KT Leveston, left guard Cooper Beebe, center Hayden Gillum, and right tackle Christian Duffie.
However, Klieman would like to see more action from the supporting cast as well.
"The offensive line was really good as we rushed the ball (against Missouri) really well," Kleiman said of the Wildcats' 235 rushing yards. "We have to find more snaps for Andrew Leingang and probably for Carver Willis and then either Dawson Delforge or Sam Hecht have to provide more depth for us."
Klieman remains impressed with backup defensive end Brendan Mott
Although Felix Anudike-Uzomah and Nate Matlack are the stalwarts of the defensive end positions, Klieman has been impressed with several others along the Wildcats' powerful defensive line. That includes junior defensive end Brendan Mott, who battled through injury last season, recorded his first-career sack against South Dakota, and had two tackles, including one tackle for a loss against Missouri.
The 6-foot-5, 240-pound native of Iowa City, Iowa, continues to impress the head coach.
"I saw (Mott) get stronger and more explosive in the summer and he earned a scholarship over the summer," Klieman said. "The fact that he's solidly in the rotation and in the mix and playing a lot of snaps, there's not much of a downfall when he's in the game. He's a productive guy. I'm excited for him. He's earned everything he has here."
Mott is just one of the defensive line reserves who shuffle in and out as a part of the defensive rotation.
"We're rotating a lot of guys there," Klieman said. "Jaylen Pickle did some really good things in there. I thought Dee Hentz (Robert Hentz II), who backs up Eli Huggins, played very well and was very disruptive. It helped us to get Eli out of there some. Having a fresh, healthy Dee really helps Eli in there as well. We're playing a lot of guys, which is really good, and all of those guys are having production."
Khalid Duke is continuing to come along as an outside linebacker
For a second straight game, K-State coaches, players, and fans have been fortunate to see a healthy Khalid Duke back on the field. the 6-foot-4, 246-pound Duke suffered a season-ending injury against Nevada last season, which required extensive rehabilitation, but is showing little rust on the field while his confidence continues to increase with each repetition as strongside linebacker — he started at defensive end a year ago.
"He's healthy, which is fun to see and fun for him to be healthy," Klieman said. "He just needs to continue to get reps at the linebacker spot compared to where he was at defensive end. I saw a guy from game one to game two gain a lot of confidence in his alignments and disguises and his ability to see the plays happen faster. It's going to just continue to click for him at the outside linebacker spot.
"He's a dynamic player, guys, and he wrecks shop in there when he fills a hole or blitzes. It's a grown man coming in there. I'm excited because Khalid's best football is still coming as he gets more comfortable."
Josh Hayes is excited following his first career-start as a Wildcat
The Josh Hayes story continues to be among the most riveting tales this season, how the 6-foot, 189-pound native of Lakeland, Florida, began his career at North Dakota State, won some national titles, then transferred to Virginia to be closer to home, and now is in Manhattan, where he rejoins Klieman and defensive coordinator Joe Klanderman.
However, Hayes, a sixth-year senior playing his first season as a free safety, missed the season opener. He returned to make his first-career start as a Wildcat against Missouri. He had four tackles, including two tackles for a loss against the Tigers.
"(Hayes makes a) huge difference," Klieman said. "That's not an indictment on any of our other players, but he's a sixth-year guy that has seen 40-plus games of football as opposed to younger players who haven't seen a whole lot of football. To get Josh back there from a leadership standpoint and from his ability to play man coverage, everybody saw his ability to fill the alley and run and hit. That's what I know about Josh Hayes, so I was excited to get him back."
Hayes said, "It was amazing just to be able to put on those pads with all my brothers in the locker room and play some football. It was an amazing feeling."
Kansas State has rolled through its first two games in outscoring its opponents 74-12, including a 40-12 victory over Missouri in front of a second-straight sellout crowd Saturday at Bill Snyder Family Stadium.
However, K-State head coach Chris Klieman during his news conference on Tuesday indicated that the Wildcats are far from a finished product, as they prepare to face Tulane on Fort Riley Day in front of another sold out crowd and seek their third 3-0 start in four years.
"I'm pleased with how hard we're playing right now on both sides of the ball," Klieman said. "We're playing really hard and it's making up for some of the alignment errors and mental errors that we're having from a blown coverage to having a false start. We're playing hard enough to overcome some of those things, but we have things to clean up in all three phases from a technique standpoint."
Tulane comes off a 52-0 victory over Alcorn State and is 2-0 for the first time since 2002 following its first shutout victory since November 1, 1997. Saturday will mark the Green Wave's first road game of the season.
"We have a really good Tulane team coming in here who is 2-0 and playing well," Klieman said. "They have really good players and I think they have a really good quarterback. They can really run and have good athletes on both sides of the ball."
Tulane head coach Willie Fritz is 33-43 in his seventh season at Tulane, and he is 226-117-1 in 30 years as a head coach.
The Green Wave last beat a Power 5 opponent when they topped Rutgers 17-14 in Piscataway, New Jersey on October 2, 2010. No. 2 Oklahoma had its hands full during a 40-35 win over the Green Wave during the season opener in 2021.
K-State seeks its 18th perfect non-conference record during a regular season since 1990. The Wildcats are 80-8 in non-conference home games since 1990.
"It looks like it's almost going to be a sellout again this weekend," Deuce Vaughn said. "To have that kind of support through the first game and the rain game and now this one, to have that kind of support three weeks in a row before we hit conference play is big time. To get a big-time win for them and to go out there and play for all 50,000 in the stands is something we try to accomplish."
K-State will unveil an alternate helmets on Saturday
K-State players might be even a little more energized, if that's possible, when they take the field Saturday, as the Wildcats will be unveiling an alternate helmet that went public after Tuesday's news conference. The new look was engineered by Klieman and K-State veteran equipment manager Al Cerbe.
"It's something Al and I have been visiting about and some of it is supply and demand and shipping and receiving and everything seemed to go as planned for Al, so this was the time to do it," Klieman said.
K-State traditionally wears its purple top and silver pants and a silver helmet with a Powercat for home games. In the past under Klieman, the Wildcats have dabbled with an alternate helmet with "Cats" written in script. They unveiled an all-white Nike uniform for the 2019 Liberty Bowl against Navy. But this has the makings of being something entirely different.
"The guys are excited," K-State quarterback Adrian Martinez said. "I guess we revealed a little teaser. I wasn't aware that the whole uniform wasn't released, but guys are excited about the look, and excited to showcase it on Saturday. It's a special deal. It's something that doesn't happen all the time, and it gets the guys really excited. I just want to win the game and I think that's where most guys are focused."Fresh off the lot pic.twitter.com/iamZBwEFfN
— K-State Football (@KStateFB) September 13, 2022
Added Deuce Vaughn, "You'll like the uniforms on Saturday, I promise. I'm going to be very quiet about the uniforms, but I'll say they're pretty sweet."
Kade Warner and Martinez wore alternate uniforms when they played at Nebraska. That doesn't keep Warner from being excited about the Wildcats new look, though.
"The first reaction, the captains were in the meeting with Klieman and he said, 'We have an alternate,'" Warner said. "He showed us. It was definitely cool. It's something that's really rare here. The players say they don't do it often. I'm really excited for how it's all going to look on Saturday."
K-State could see "more explosive plays" through the air on Saturday
So far, all has been calm in the K-State passing game under first-year offensive coordinator Collin Klein. Why? Well, the Wildcats took a commanding 20-0 lead in their opener against South Dakota and shortly after emptied the sideline. Coupled with a rain delay and occasional downpours against Missouri, the Wildcats have largely kept the ball on the ground with Preseason All-American Vaughn leading the way.
K-State ranks sixth in the nation in amassing 531 rushing yards in 2022.
Martinez has managed the offense efficiently and effectively without showing off his arm. He has completed 30 of 35 passes for 154 yards and his longest completion has gone for 28 yards.
Could throwing the deep ball be in order on Saturday?
"I'm excited for some of the things we're going to do in the passing game," Klieman said. "You saw glimpses of it on the first two drives (against Missouri) when it was dry. We're just in my mind scratching the surface of what we're going to be able to do throwing the football."
Martinez is one of just two active FBS quarterbacks to reach 8,000 passing yards and 2,000 rushing yards in his career.
"It's whatever the situation calls for, and if (the deep pass) happens, it happens, and if it doesn't and we win the game, we win the game," Martinez said. "Collectively, I was proud of our guys and how we battled. Individually, I felt more comfortable out there, and we continue to progress and that's what it's all about. It's not a final destination. We're on the right trajectory."
Asked whether he would be relieved when he finally does throw a deep pass, Martinez replied, "It'll be good for us as a unit, but again, I don't feel like I need that kind of validation or that kind of confidence boost. I feel good about our capabilities and when it happens and the defense gives it to us we'll be great."
Malik Knowles leads the team with five catches for 40 yards. Kade Warner has four catches for 14 yards. Phillip Brooks has three catches for 57 yards.
"There's a lot we haven't shown, and we haven't really had the opportunity to," Warner said. "I think with this game plan and with what Tulane runs and the way we've gone about our preparation, I think there's definitely some major opportunities for an effective passing game with a lot more explosive plays."
Phillip Brooks, Ty Zentner and others are continuing to do special things for Special Teams U
Phillip Brooks earned Big 12 Conference Special Teams Player of the Week after returning a punt 76 yards for a touchdown against Missouri. In the season opener, Seth Porter blocked a punt and Desmond Purnell returned it for a score against South Dakota. It's the first time since 1998 that K-State has recorded a special teams touchdown in each of the first two games of a season.
K-State's 128 non-offensive touchdowns since 1999 leads the nation. Alabama ranks second with 118.
Klieman said the amount of time invested in special teams is paying off — a process that began this season during spring practice.
"I look at a kid like Desmond Purnell who's having a huge impact on special teams," Klieman said. "(On Brooks' punt return) he had the block of the whole thing on punt last week and we talk about it a lot, but that ball was kicked, and we thought we had hooked up everybody but the one guy we were worried about was the player who's supposed to keep everybody inside. Desmond blocked him from the time the ball was kicked until it got into the end zone.
"Why was that important? Because that was his job only on that play. That's an unselfish kid. If you want to be really good on special teams, you have to be unselfish."
Meanwhile, punter Ty Zentner is taking advantage of his second senior season. Zentner qualified for the school's career top-10 list for punting average against Missouri with his 75th career punt. The Topeka, Kansas, native now ranks third in school history with a 43.03-yard punting average in his career. Zentner was also the Wildcats' primary kickoff man last year, totaling 36 touchbacks on his 67 kickoffs (53.7%), the most by a Wildcat since at least 2004.
"A few of his punts were really good (against Missouri) and they didn't have any return yardage," Klieman said. "He pinned a couple inside the 5. Ty is kicking the ball really well."
Added Martinez: "He's a part of Special Teams U, you know what I mean? He means a tremendous amount. He does his job consistently and not only that, but he's been a leader in the weight room and on the field, and he's a guy you know who'll show up and do his job."
Klieman seeks to find more snaps for some offensive linemen
K-State saw one of its most veteran offensive linemen lost for the season when starting right guard Taylor Poitier suffered a knee injury against South Dakota. Sophomore Hadley Panzer earned his first-career start in place of Poitier against Missouri. The rest of the offensive line has remained unchanged with left tackle KT Leveston, left guard Cooper Beebe, center Hayden Gillum, and right tackle Christian Duffie.
However, Klieman would like to see more action from the supporting cast as well.
"The offensive line was really good as we rushed the ball (against Missouri) really well," Kleiman said of the Wildcats' 235 rushing yards. "We have to find more snaps for Andrew Leingang and probably for Carver Willis and then either Dawson Delforge or Sam Hecht have to provide more depth for us."
Klieman remains impressed with backup defensive end Brendan Mott
Although Felix Anudike-Uzomah and Nate Matlack are the stalwarts of the defensive end positions, Klieman has been impressed with several others along the Wildcats' powerful defensive line. That includes junior defensive end Brendan Mott, who battled through injury last season, recorded his first-career sack against South Dakota, and had two tackles, including one tackle for a loss against Missouri.
The 6-foot-5, 240-pound native of Iowa City, Iowa, continues to impress the head coach.
"I saw (Mott) get stronger and more explosive in the summer and he earned a scholarship over the summer," Klieman said. "The fact that he's solidly in the rotation and in the mix and playing a lot of snaps, there's not much of a downfall when he's in the game. He's a productive guy. I'm excited for him. He's earned everything he has here."
Mott is just one of the defensive line reserves who shuffle in and out as a part of the defensive rotation.
"We're rotating a lot of guys there," Klieman said. "Jaylen Pickle did some really good things in there. I thought Dee Hentz (Robert Hentz II), who backs up Eli Huggins, played very well and was very disruptive. It helped us to get Eli out of there some. Having a fresh, healthy Dee really helps Eli in there as well. We're playing a lot of guys, which is really good, and all of those guys are having production."
Khalid Duke is continuing to come along as an outside linebacker
For a second straight game, K-State coaches, players, and fans have been fortunate to see a healthy Khalid Duke back on the field. the 6-foot-4, 246-pound Duke suffered a season-ending injury against Nevada last season, which required extensive rehabilitation, but is showing little rust on the field while his confidence continues to increase with each repetition as strongside linebacker — he started at defensive end a year ago.
"He's healthy, which is fun to see and fun for him to be healthy," Klieman said. "He just needs to continue to get reps at the linebacker spot compared to where he was at defensive end. I saw a guy from game one to game two gain a lot of confidence in his alignments and disguises and his ability to see the plays happen faster. It's going to just continue to click for him at the outside linebacker spot.
"He's a dynamic player, guys, and he wrecks shop in there when he fills a hole or blitzes. It's a grown man coming in there. I'm excited because Khalid's best football is still coming as he gets more comfortable."
Josh Hayes is excited following his first career-start as a Wildcat
The Josh Hayes story continues to be among the most riveting tales this season, how the 6-foot, 189-pound native of Lakeland, Florida, began his career at North Dakota State, won some national titles, then transferred to Virginia to be closer to home, and now is in Manhattan, where he rejoins Klieman and defensive coordinator Joe Klanderman.
However, Hayes, a sixth-year senior playing his first season as a free safety, missed the season opener. He returned to make his first-career start as a Wildcat against Missouri. He had four tackles, including two tackles for a loss against the Tigers.
"(Hayes makes a) huge difference," Klieman said. "That's not an indictment on any of our other players, but he's a sixth-year guy that has seen 40-plus games of football as opposed to younger players who haven't seen a whole lot of football. To get Josh back there from a leadership standpoint and from his ability to play man coverage, everybody saw his ability to fill the alley and run and hit. That's what I know about Josh Hayes, so I was excited to get him back."
Hayes said, "It was amazing just to be able to put on those pads with all my brothers in the locker room and play some football. It was an amazing feeling."
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