Ready to Play Free and Fast
Aug 21, 2023 | Football, Sports Extra
By: D. Scott Fritchen
Nate Matlack predicted this time was coming. The Kansas State junior defensive end stood off to the side at The Pavilion at The Theatre in the Park at a Kansas City Catbacker event in May, a tiny grin crawling across his face, as the native of Olathe, Kansas, recounted the injury that hindered his performance during the 2022 season, and the promising future for this fall.
"I have an array of things I'd like to show," Matlack said. "I just really haven't had a chance to show it yet, honestly. I'm excited to show it this fall."
Matlack is back after playing in all 14 games with four starts while playing through a nagging high-ankle sprain last season. Despite his limitations, he had seven tackles, 3.0 tackles for loss, two sacks, a pass breakup and a fumble recovery. This came one year after he picked up votes from the league's coaches for the Big 12 Defensive Freshman of the Year award.
His presence at full health in the fall is expected to give No. 16 K-State a lift as the Wildcats come off a 10-4 record and head toward their season opener against SEMO next Saturday at Bill Snyder Family Stadium.
"I feel a lot more explosive," Matlack said. "I've been able to make a lot more plays. I'm not hobbling along constantly with my ankle being in a massive brace with a bunch of tape on it. It feels good to play free and play fast."
Matlack's offseason dedication helped him to increase his weight from 232 pounds to 249 on his 6-foot-5 frame.
"I'm feeling probably as fast as I have since I've been here, and I've gained more weight," he said. "It's a credit to our strength staff and everyone around me."
What can a healthy Nate Matlack mean for the K-State defense this fall?
"He can give us a great one, two, three, four punch," K-State defensive coordinator Joe Klanderman said. "Obviously, with Khalid Duke at that position, we feel like we have a very dynamic pass rusher. Nate is a very dynamic pass rusher. Nate is one of the best pass rushers in the country. He just hasn't been healthy for a whole year to prove it. Couple that with what Brendan Mott is doing, and we've got some guys who can really get after it on the edge.
"I'm excited to see Nate on September 2."
Klanderman's comments came 10 days after K-State head coach Chris Klieman offered a glowing review of Matlack's initial strides in preseason practice.
"Nate is playing at a really high level now," Klieman said. "If Nate can stay healthy, I see a really big year for him."
Added senior linebacker Austin Moore earlier this summer: "He's a freak athlete. He's a stud. He's awesome to watch. He's so fast and explosive. I'm looking forward to him having a big year."
What most impresses Matlack? His capacity to overcome adversity.
"Coming back from the injury, I faced a lot of adversity, and not being able to make a lot of plays I knew I could make was super frustrating, and getting over that was a big accomplishment for me," Matlack said. "Now being on the field, it's a really good feeling that I overcame that adversity."
It's quite possible that Matlack could start opposite of Duke, the 6-foot-4, 246-pound dynamo whose return from linebacker to his natural position at defensive end has been arguably the biggest move this offseason.
"Khalid is just Khalid," Matlack said. "He's explosive and smart and knows what he's doing. He's so experienced now. He's definitely going to have a breakout season getting back to his home position at defensive end. We have a really good group of guys at defensive end with myself, Khalid, Brendan Mott, and Cody Stufflebean."
K-State looks to maintain its edge on defense this season. The Wildcats held all of their Big 12 Conference opponents last season under their season averages coming into the game en route to winning the Big 12 title. Since 2019, K-State has held 30 of 37 Big 12 foes under their season averages at the time it faces the Wildcats.
K-State allowed just 21.0 points per game in 2021 and 21.9 points per game last season. It marked the first time that K-State allowed fewer than 22 points per game in consecutive seasons since going 13-straight years between 1991 and 2003.
"We have a lot of goals we still want to accomplish," Matlack said in Kansas City. "We're keeping the same mindset we had (in 2022). We just want to keep building."
What will be running through Matlack's head as he jogs onto the field on September 2?
"Probably just a ton of excitement, honestly, and just getting back onto the field," he said on Friday. "It's been a long offseason and a long camp. It's always a great feeling when you run out there that first time to get out on the field again and see all the fans. We have the best fans in the country.
"Running out and seeing the whole stadium packed for our first game of the season, it'll be the best feeling."
Nate Matlack predicted this time was coming. The Kansas State junior defensive end stood off to the side at The Pavilion at The Theatre in the Park at a Kansas City Catbacker event in May, a tiny grin crawling across his face, as the native of Olathe, Kansas, recounted the injury that hindered his performance during the 2022 season, and the promising future for this fall.
"I have an array of things I'd like to show," Matlack said. "I just really haven't had a chance to show it yet, honestly. I'm excited to show it this fall."
Matlack is back after playing in all 14 games with four starts while playing through a nagging high-ankle sprain last season. Despite his limitations, he had seven tackles, 3.0 tackles for loss, two sacks, a pass breakup and a fumble recovery. This came one year after he picked up votes from the league's coaches for the Big 12 Defensive Freshman of the Year award.
His presence at full health in the fall is expected to give No. 16 K-State a lift as the Wildcats come off a 10-4 record and head toward their season opener against SEMO next Saturday at Bill Snyder Family Stadium.
"I feel a lot more explosive," Matlack said. "I've been able to make a lot more plays. I'm not hobbling along constantly with my ankle being in a massive brace with a bunch of tape on it. It feels good to play free and play fast."
Matlack's offseason dedication helped him to increase his weight from 232 pounds to 249 on his 6-foot-5 frame.
"I'm feeling probably as fast as I have since I've been here, and I've gained more weight," he said. "It's a credit to our strength staff and everyone around me."
What can a healthy Nate Matlack mean for the K-State defense this fall?
"He can give us a great one, two, three, four punch," K-State defensive coordinator Joe Klanderman said. "Obviously, with Khalid Duke at that position, we feel like we have a very dynamic pass rusher. Nate is a very dynamic pass rusher. Nate is one of the best pass rushers in the country. He just hasn't been healthy for a whole year to prove it. Couple that with what Brendan Mott is doing, and we've got some guys who can really get after it on the edge.
"I'm excited to see Nate on September 2."
Klanderman's comments came 10 days after K-State head coach Chris Klieman offered a glowing review of Matlack's initial strides in preseason practice.
"Nate is playing at a really high level now," Klieman said. "If Nate can stay healthy, I see a really big year for him."
Added senior linebacker Austin Moore earlier this summer: "He's a freak athlete. He's a stud. He's awesome to watch. He's so fast and explosive. I'm looking forward to him having a big year."
What most impresses Matlack? His capacity to overcome adversity.
"Coming back from the injury, I faced a lot of adversity, and not being able to make a lot of plays I knew I could make was super frustrating, and getting over that was a big accomplishment for me," Matlack said. "Now being on the field, it's a really good feeling that I overcame that adversity."
It's quite possible that Matlack could start opposite of Duke, the 6-foot-4, 246-pound dynamo whose return from linebacker to his natural position at defensive end has been arguably the biggest move this offseason.
"Khalid is just Khalid," Matlack said. "He's explosive and smart and knows what he's doing. He's so experienced now. He's definitely going to have a breakout season getting back to his home position at defensive end. We have a really good group of guys at defensive end with myself, Khalid, Brendan Mott, and Cody Stufflebean."
K-State looks to maintain its edge on defense this season. The Wildcats held all of their Big 12 Conference opponents last season under their season averages coming into the game en route to winning the Big 12 title. Since 2019, K-State has held 30 of 37 Big 12 foes under their season averages at the time it faces the Wildcats.
K-State allowed just 21.0 points per game in 2021 and 21.9 points per game last season. It marked the first time that K-State allowed fewer than 22 points per game in consecutive seasons since going 13-straight years between 1991 and 2003.
"We have a lot of goals we still want to accomplish," Matlack said in Kansas City. "We're keeping the same mindset we had (in 2022). We just want to keep building."
What will be running through Matlack's head as he jogs onto the field on September 2?
"Probably just a ton of excitement, honestly, and just getting back onto the field," he said on Friday. "It's been a long offseason and a long camp. It's always a great feeling when you run out there that first time to get out on the field again and see all the fans. We have the best fans in the country.
"Running out and seeing the whole stadium packed for our first game of the season, it'll be the best feeling."
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