Foot on the Gas
Aug 14, 2024 | Football, Sports Extra
By: D. Scott Fritchen
At a time when the Kansas State offense receives the hype, the Wildcats' defense deserves an ovation as well. That's what it sounds like, anyway, as K-State wrapped up training camp practice No. 12 on Tuesday with fifth-year defensive coordinator Joe Klanderman noticeably pleased with his group less than three weeks before the regular-season opener against UT Martin.
"I think we're playing with more speed now," Klanderman said. "We were playing fast the first few days of camp. Especially when you looked at the secondary, those guys were playing fast, and it's gotten even better.
"Nobody has taken their foot off the gas."
That's evident to strong safety VJ Payne, who sees it daily.
"We're flying around to the ball," Payne said. "I like the way everybody is finishing at the ball each play, 11 hats at the ball every play. That's how we fly around to the ball. That's a good characteristic of a defense."
It's a great characteristic for a defense bent on upholding its footing as one of the best in the FBS.
K-State comes off a 9-4 season and returns eight starters from a defense that has allowed an average of 21.3 points over the last three years and has given up fewer than 22.0 points in three straight seasons for the first time in more than two decades.
K-State's scoring defense of 21.3 over the past 40 games ranks 15th among Power 4 teams.
The Wildcats get an up-close look at Avery Johnson and the offense daily, which in turn helps the defense in its own preparation in the new Big 12 Conference.
"Talent wise, the offense is good, but what I always appreciate about our offense is the variety of things we see," Klanderman said. "We're going to see the RPO game, the quarterback run game, the downhill run game, I-backs and 13-personnel, and we're going to see the spread pass game. We have everything going on, and our guys are managing it. So, not only do we have to handle our installation, but we have to manage it against different complexities. When you're in unbalanced (formations) and all the different things that we do, it tests the rules and principles, and that helps our game defensively."
K-State's offense certainly provides a test for the defense.
"Their splits are different than your average football team," safety Jordan Riley said. "They kind of split their stuff out wide and they have a lot of eye candy, a lot of motion and movement, so you have to make sure your eyes are locked in the right spot, and you have to keep track of Avery. He can throw the ball or he's going to take off, so you have to know where he's at at all times."
Ask Riley what the defense is doing best in training camp, and he replies, "Turnovers."
"We've been getting picks, fumble recoveries, it's ridiculous," Riley said. "I didn't really see it because in spring ball we were still trying to feel out what kind of team we wanted to be, but since day one, we've been getting fumbles and picks left and right.
"We feel like getting more turnovers this year will be our go-to."
As for the defensive installation? It's a grind-it-out process, but one that Klanderman and head coach Chris Klieman have consulted with director of strength and conditioning Trumain Carroll to get their best out of the players over the long term of training camp.
"Rarely do we have consecutive rugged practices," Klanderman said. "We might have a rough-a-tumble practice followed by an easier day on their legs, and we try to keep it that way and build them up that direction. We did that last fall, too, and we were fresher earlier in the year. The grind is more mental, and I think we're getting over that hurdle because of the installation.
"You get into day 1, 2, 3, and they're pretty easy, and then 4, 5, 6, and you start losing a few mentally, and then 7, 8, 9, and it really piles on the guys and only the strong survive. We're over the hurdle now and we're getting on the backside of that, and guys are starting to catch back up to the install a little bit and concepts are starting to click. We're starting to look faster out there."
Asked if this was his deepest defense yet at K-State, Klanderman replied, "I'd say so. I'd say so, and that's hard to say because I haven't seen some of those guys that we're counting on in games yet, but ability wise there's no question."
Payne indicated that there is strong communication within the unit.
"With our defense, I like the way we communicate," Payne said. "We're not just communicating the calls and what we need to communicate, but we're saying tendencies and we're calling out things pre- and post-snap."
Having names like Uso Seumalo, Damion Ilalio, Brendan Mott, Desmond Purnell, Austin Romaine, Beau Palmer, Austin Moore, Keenan Garber, VJ Payne, Colby McCalister, Marques Sigle, Jacob Parrish — and more — highlight a defense provides ample confidence. Throw in some new faces and an opportunity to utilize creativity in design and execution exists as well.
"You might rethink some of our rules and principles with regards to how we might adjust to different things," Klanderman said. "For me, I always try to keep it a moving target. If you get too stagnant in what you do, maybe what you do against unbalanced or certain formations, people are going to find ways to expose that. Sometimes when you have guys who are so embedded in those rules, it's hard to change them. When you get new guys sometimes it's easier to say, 'OK, instead of doing this like we've always done it, we're going to do it this way.' There's been some of that."
Asked if there was a quarterback of the defense, Klanderman replied, "I'd say we're a dual-quarterback system.
"The easy answer is Austin Moore, and I think if you'd ask, he's an unquestioned leader. He has everybody's ear and respect because of all the things he's been through, how steady he is every day, how humble he is in the things that he does, and all that he's done.
"As far as who's out there talking, we've seen the emergence of Jacob Parrish and Keenan Garber, Marques Sigle, Jordan Riley, VJ Payne is an excellent communicator."
To demonstrate the starting defense's pre- and post-snap communication, Klanderman had his younger players observe and listen to their older teammates on the field.
"I put out some offensive formations and gave our starters some calls, and the pre-snap communication that was going on with those guys was electric," Klanderman said. "It was awesome. It was a great lesson for some of those younger guys who are going to come up and be really good players, for those guys to hear everything that's going on out there.
"It's more than lining up, man, it's helping everybody out with what you might see through your pre-snap process."
What do they hope to see next?
Eleven helmets at the ball.
At a time when the Kansas State offense receives the hype, the Wildcats' defense deserves an ovation as well. That's what it sounds like, anyway, as K-State wrapped up training camp practice No. 12 on Tuesday with fifth-year defensive coordinator Joe Klanderman noticeably pleased with his group less than three weeks before the regular-season opener against UT Martin.
"I think we're playing with more speed now," Klanderman said. "We were playing fast the first few days of camp. Especially when you looked at the secondary, those guys were playing fast, and it's gotten even better.
"Nobody has taken their foot off the gas."
That's evident to strong safety VJ Payne, who sees it daily.
"We're flying around to the ball," Payne said. "I like the way everybody is finishing at the ball each play, 11 hats at the ball every play. That's how we fly around to the ball. That's a good characteristic of a defense."
It's a great characteristic for a defense bent on upholding its footing as one of the best in the FBS.
K-State comes off a 9-4 season and returns eight starters from a defense that has allowed an average of 21.3 points over the last three years and has given up fewer than 22.0 points in three straight seasons for the first time in more than two decades.
K-State's scoring defense of 21.3 over the past 40 games ranks 15th among Power 4 teams.
The Wildcats get an up-close look at Avery Johnson and the offense daily, which in turn helps the defense in its own preparation in the new Big 12 Conference.
"Talent wise, the offense is good, but what I always appreciate about our offense is the variety of things we see," Klanderman said. "We're going to see the RPO game, the quarterback run game, the downhill run game, I-backs and 13-personnel, and we're going to see the spread pass game. We have everything going on, and our guys are managing it. So, not only do we have to handle our installation, but we have to manage it against different complexities. When you're in unbalanced (formations) and all the different things that we do, it tests the rules and principles, and that helps our game defensively."
K-State's offense certainly provides a test for the defense.
"Their splits are different than your average football team," safety Jordan Riley said. "They kind of split their stuff out wide and they have a lot of eye candy, a lot of motion and movement, so you have to make sure your eyes are locked in the right spot, and you have to keep track of Avery. He can throw the ball or he's going to take off, so you have to know where he's at at all times."
Ask Riley what the defense is doing best in training camp, and he replies, "Turnovers."
"We've been getting picks, fumble recoveries, it's ridiculous," Riley said. "I didn't really see it because in spring ball we were still trying to feel out what kind of team we wanted to be, but since day one, we've been getting fumbles and picks left and right.
"We feel like getting more turnovers this year will be our go-to."
.@MarMar1k30 🤝 @Jrileyyy3 pic.twitter.com/2q7M3YtN6R
— K-State Football (@KStateFB) August 13, 2024
As for the defensive installation? It's a grind-it-out process, but one that Klanderman and head coach Chris Klieman have consulted with director of strength and conditioning Trumain Carroll to get their best out of the players over the long term of training camp.
"Rarely do we have consecutive rugged practices," Klanderman said. "We might have a rough-a-tumble practice followed by an easier day on their legs, and we try to keep it that way and build them up that direction. We did that last fall, too, and we were fresher earlier in the year. The grind is more mental, and I think we're getting over that hurdle because of the installation.
"You get into day 1, 2, 3, and they're pretty easy, and then 4, 5, 6, and you start losing a few mentally, and then 7, 8, 9, and it really piles on the guys and only the strong survive. We're over the hurdle now and we're getting on the backside of that, and guys are starting to catch back up to the install a little bit and concepts are starting to click. We're starting to look faster out there."
Asked if this was his deepest defense yet at K-State, Klanderman replied, "I'd say so. I'd say so, and that's hard to say because I haven't seen some of those guys that we're counting on in games yet, but ability wise there's no question."
Payne indicated that there is strong communication within the unit.
"With our defense, I like the way we communicate," Payne said. "We're not just communicating the calls and what we need to communicate, but we're saying tendencies and we're calling out things pre- and post-snap."
Having names like Uso Seumalo, Damion Ilalio, Brendan Mott, Desmond Purnell, Austin Romaine, Beau Palmer, Austin Moore, Keenan Garber, VJ Payne, Colby McCalister, Marques Sigle, Jacob Parrish — and more — highlight a defense provides ample confidence. Throw in some new faces and an opportunity to utilize creativity in design and execution exists as well.
"You might rethink some of our rules and principles with regards to how we might adjust to different things," Klanderman said. "For me, I always try to keep it a moving target. If you get too stagnant in what you do, maybe what you do against unbalanced or certain formations, people are going to find ways to expose that. Sometimes when you have guys who are so embedded in those rules, it's hard to change them. When you get new guys sometimes it's easier to say, 'OK, instead of doing this like we've always done it, we're going to do it this way.' There's been some of that."
Asked if there was a quarterback of the defense, Klanderman replied, "I'd say we're a dual-quarterback system.
"The easy answer is Austin Moore, and I think if you'd ask, he's an unquestioned leader. He has everybody's ear and respect because of all the things he's been through, how steady he is every day, how humble he is in the things that he does, and all that he's done.
"As far as who's out there talking, we've seen the emergence of Jacob Parrish and Keenan Garber, Marques Sigle, Jordan Riley, VJ Payne is an excellent communicator."
To demonstrate the starting defense's pre- and post-snap communication, Klanderman had his younger players observe and listen to their older teammates on the field.
"I put out some offensive formations and gave our starters some calls, and the pre-snap communication that was going on with those guys was electric," Klanderman said. "It was awesome. It was a great lesson for some of those younger guys who are going to come up and be really good players, for those guys to hear everything that's going on out there.
"It's more than lining up, man, it's helping everybody out with what you might see through your pre-snap process."
What do they hope to see next?
Eleven helmets at the ball.
Players Mentioned
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