Kansas State University Athletics
K-State Coordinators Discuss Contest Against Army
Sep 04, 2025 | Football
MANHATTAN, Kan. – Kansas State offensive coordinator Matt Wells and defensive coordinator Joe Klanderman met with members of the media on Thursday at the Vanier Family Football Complex to discuss the game against Army this Saturday evening inside Bill Snyder Family Stadium. Links to video and audio of both press conferences are above, and a transcript of select quotes are below.
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MATT WELLS, OFFENSIVE COORDINATOR
On if Avery Johnson throwing 73 passes through two games is what he expected…
"Yeah, it's probably about what I thought. I never put a number on it. It's hard to say because you don't set out and play the 'what if' games. I mean, what if we had gotten into a score-a-thon or a double or triple overtime game in game one or game two? That number is going to be higher. I don't know. I think he's throwing the ball better, we have better receivers, and we have protected him pretty well. So, that number doesn't surprise me. I don't think it's too high, either."
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On Avery Johnson's completion rate and no interceptions…
"The zero turnovers I'm the most proud of. Now, we did put the ball in harm's way about four times, and we were living right on Saturday night, as some people would say. If you continue to play with fire, you're going to get your butt burned. He knows that. We both know that. Now, I think the percentage, to the first part of your question, it should be higher. It shouldn't be whatever it is. We've probably missed on eight balls that are inaccurate, whether it's through rain or lazy footwork or whatever the excuse, or real occurrence, happened. We've been inaccurate on probably seven or eight balls. That should be higher, and then we've had a few drops. Those things are going to happen. That's cost doing business if you throw the ball a lot. You're going to have a few drops, and you're going to have a few off targets. He's had a few off targets."
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On what improvements Avery Johnson needs to make…
"Well, I think the body of work that he's put out through 16 starts, I think you've seen growth. I know I certainly have over the last year and a half. I would say number one, leadership, maturity, number two this year, so far, he's thrown a handful of deep balls better. That was a big thing through the off season. The improvement for him. We've had some fourth-quarter comebacks. We've had a two-minute drive. Those are all steps in a young quarterback maturing. I'm proud of those steps. I'm proud of the step from BYU and one of his worst moments last year, of the growth that happened over the next week into Oklahoma State. There are things that I look back on and I see growth with him. So, he's got to continue to do that. There are going to be moments where you don't start out well, and you've got to find ways to fix your game in the middle of the game. I think there's times you start out fast and then you maybe struggle, and you've got to figure it out at the end of the game. That's just sports, right? It's like when you're a basketball player and you don't start out shooting well, and you've got to fix your shot mid game. Well, sometimes you got to fix throwing or from warm ups. If you've been in a competitive situation, especially quarterbacks or basketball players, and it's your shot. It's golf – same golf analogy, sometimes you got to have an in-game adjustment. Those are little things that I think he will need to grow. The easy thing is, is, can he continue to mature as a 'pocket passer' while yet having the ability to be a dual-threat quarterback and the ever-constant battle between staying in the pocket long enough to too long to, 'I'm 23 miles an hour,' all of that. He and I talk about it quite a bit. I'm going tell you what I'm not going to do is I'm not going to coach the athlete out of him."
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On if DeVon Rice has given the offense a spark…
"Yeah, he did. He came in and did well. DeVon has a bright future. JB Price has a bright future. You may see Antonio Martin Jr. I saw some growth from DeVon from game one to game two. When he had a chance to make a couple cuts, he made them. So, nice job by him."
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On what he sees in Army's defense…
"Same thing I've seen since 1997. I have a ton of respect for Army. They're tough, they're physical, they're disciplined – Captain Obvious. Nos. 51 and 53 are really good players. No. 40 can wreck a game, the boundary buck defensive end. Sometimes he lines up to the field. Those three stand out big time. The rest of these guys play hard, they play physical, they're very rarely out of position, or at least what I think is out of position. They tackle well. I have a ton of respect for Jeff Monken. I know him well. I grew up coaching at the Naval Academy. So, the first five years, this was a big game – Army/Navy – for my career as a young, young coach. So, like I said, when I said 1997, that was my first year of coaching getting to coach against Army. So, I have a ton of respect – always have – for them."
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JOE KLANDERMAN, DEFENSIVE COORDINATOR
On the most important thing when defending Army's offense…
"Eye discipline and having discipline in your keys and what you do. When you draw things on the board – if you're doing it right – everything should be able to fit. Now, we have to get the X's to execute what the X's are doing. That's the biggest thing. I'm sure they're going to have wrinkles and things, and I'm sure they're going to make adjustments throughout the game to get their positions in better flanks, so to speak. I hope that we can stay attached to that and stay ahead of it."
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On preparing for Army's offense in the spring and summer…
"We spent some time on Army, which was not easy to do because we were changing everything as it was. So, we had a whole bunch of different terminology and things of just our base things, doing things differently. So, then when we piled Army on top of that, I know that caused a little bit of chaos in the spring. It probably slowed us down just a little bit for a couple days while we were doing that. We spent a little bit of time on them again in the summer, but it's necessary. This is a really hard offense to prepare for in four days. So, I think we did a decent job getting ahead of it."
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On when he saw Army on the schedule…
"It's not only this style of offense, but they're really well coached in what they do. They're going to be physical. You're going to come out of this game sore, but it is what it is. I think if you are what you hope that you are, it doesn't matter if you're seeing triple option or Air Raid – name your fancy. You should be able to defend it."
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On if playing Army after a game in which eye discipline was an issue is a good thing or a bad thing…
"I'd like to think of it as the latter. I think it's a good time to play Army because there wasn't anything that happened on Saturday that our guys weren't capable of doing. Guys get keyed up, they want to do too much, they let themselves drift out of doing their job and try to do somebody else's job, and, in turn, screw their own up. You're not going to be able to do that against Army. That's how they make their hay. So, guys have to be dialed into what they're doing. The other thing about Army is the call card isn't going to be as big as it typically is. You might carry 30 different concepts into a game, but you can't do that against Army. You just won't be able to fit everything up. So, I'm hoping that it's a great wake up call, what happened last week for our guys to be able to time this one out perfectly."
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On if first down becomes important in this game…
"You've got to get them in second longs, and you've got to get them in third down and longs if you want to have some success. That's the most nerve-wracking thing is, if they're 2nd and 7, 3rd and 4, 4th and 1, you're going to end up with 20-play drives. So, you have to find a way to get them in 2nd and 8. You have to find a way to get them in 3rd and 8, because even at 3rd and 4, if they get down to 4th and 2, 4th and 3, they're probably going to go. Everything is four downs for these guys. So, we have to do some things to get those guys off schedule. Sometimes that might be moving and blitzing, and sometimes it might just be playing base football and getting some good knock back."
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On the progression of safety Gunner Maldonado…
"For starters, Gunner is really smart. Gunner is very sharp. It was unfortunate that he got very little fall camp in. He didn't get cleared, I don't think, until maybe the Tuesday or Wednesday before the Iowa State game. So, his practice opportunities haven't been that much. I know (against) Iowa State, he played a dozen snaps or so, and he was maybe a little rusty. He wasn't involved in a whole lot. We played him probably double that this past week. I think if you asked him, he'd be disappointed in how he played on Saturday, but he's had an awesome week of practice. I trust him totally with his eyes. I trust his maturity and the pictures that he sees. So, he's progressing very well. By the time we get into the meat of the schedule, he's going to be a big factor in what we're doing."
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MATT WELLS, OFFENSIVE COORDINATOR
On if Avery Johnson throwing 73 passes through two games is what he expected…
"Yeah, it's probably about what I thought. I never put a number on it. It's hard to say because you don't set out and play the 'what if' games. I mean, what if we had gotten into a score-a-thon or a double or triple overtime game in game one or game two? That number is going to be higher. I don't know. I think he's throwing the ball better, we have better receivers, and we have protected him pretty well. So, that number doesn't surprise me. I don't think it's too high, either."
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On Avery Johnson's completion rate and no interceptions…
"The zero turnovers I'm the most proud of. Now, we did put the ball in harm's way about four times, and we were living right on Saturday night, as some people would say. If you continue to play with fire, you're going to get your butt burned. He knows that. We both know that. Now, I think the percentage, to the first part of your question, it should be higher. It shouldn't be whatever it is. We've probably missed on eight balls that are inaccurate, whether it's through rain or lazy footwork or whatever the excuse, or real occurrence, happened. We've been inaccurate on probably seven or eight balls. That should be higher, and then we've had a few drops. Those things are going to happen. That's cost doing business if you throw the ball a lot. You're going to have a few drops, and you're going to have a few off targets. He's had a few off targets."
Â
On what improvements Avery Johnson needs to make…
"Well, I think the body of work that he's put out through 16 starts, I think you've seen growth. I know I certainly have over the last year and a half. I would say number one, leadership, maturity, number two this year, so far, he's thrown a handful of deep balls better. That was a big thing through the off season. The improvement for him. We've had some fourth-quarter comebacks. We've had a two-minute drive. Those are all steps in a young quarterback maturing. I'm proud of those steps. I'm proud of the step from BYU and one of his worst moments last year, of the growth that happened over the next week into Oklahoma State. There are things that I look back on and I see growth with him. So, he's got to continue to do that. There are going to be moments where you don't start out well, and you've got to find ways to fix your game in the middle of the game. I think there's times you start out fast and then you maybe struggle, and you've got to figure it out at the end of the game. That's just sports, right? It's like when you're a basketball player and you don't start out shooting well, and you've got to fix your shot mid game. Well, sometimes you got to fix throwing or from warm ups. If you've been in a competitive situation, especially quarterbacks or basketball players, and it's your shot. It's golf – same golf analogy, sometimes you got to have an in-game adjustment. Those are little things that I think he will need to grow. The easy thing is, is, can he continue to mature as a 'pocket passer' while yet having the ability to be a dual-threat quarterback and the ever-constant battle between staying in the pocket long enough to too long to, 'I'm 23 miles an hour,' all of that. He and I talk about it quite a bit. I'm going tell you what I'm not going to do is I'm not going to coach the athlete out of him."
Â
On if DeVon Rice has given the offense a spark…
"Yeah, he did. He came in and did well. DeVon has a bright future. JB Price has a bright future. You may see Antonio Martin Jr. I saw some growth from DeVon from game one to game two. When he had a chance to make a couple cuts, he made them. So, nice job by him."
Â
On what he sees in Army's defense…
"Same thing I've seen since 1997. I have a ton of respect for Army. They're tough, they're physical, they're disciplined – Captain Obvious. Nos. 51 and 53 are really good players. No. 40 can wreck a game, the boundary buck defensive end. Sometimes he lines up to the field. Those three stand out big time. The rest of these guys play hard, they play physical, they're very rarely out of position, or at least what I think is out of position. They tackle well. I have a ton of respect for Jeff Monken. I know him well. I grew up coaching at the Naval Academy. So, the first five years, this was a big game – Army/Navy – for my career as a young, young coach. So, like I said, when I said 1997, that was my first year of coaching getting to coach against Army. So, I have a ton of respect – always have – for them."
Â
JOE KLANDERMAN, DEFENSIVE COORDINATOR
On the most important thing when defending Army's offense…
"Eye discipline and having discipline in your keys and what you do. When you draw things on the board – if you're doing it right – everything should be able to fit. Now, we have to get the X's to execute what the X's are doing. That's the biggest thing. I'm sure they're going to have wrinkles and things, and I'm sure they're going to make adjustments throughout the game to get their positions in better flanks, so to speak. I hope that we can stay attached to that and stay ahead of it."
Â
On preparing for Army's offense in the spring and summer…
"We spent some time on Army, which was not easy to do because we were changing everything as it was. So, we had a whole bunch of different terminology and things of just our base things, doing things differently. So, then when we piled Army on top of that, I know that caused a little bit of chaos in the spring. It probably slowed us down just a little bit for a couple days while we were doing that. We spent a little bit of time on them again in the summer, but it's necessary. This is a really hard offense to prepare for in four days. So, I think we did a decent job getting ahead of it."
Â
On when he saw Army on the schedule…
"It's not only this style of offense, but they're really well coached in what they do. They're going to be physical. You're going to come out of this game sore, but it is what it is. I think if you are what you hope that you are, it doesn't matter if you're seeing triple option or Air Raid – name your fancy. You should be able to defend it."
Â
On if playing Army after a game in which eye discipline was an issue is a good thing or a bad thing…
"I'd like to think of it as the latter. I think it's a good time to play Army because there wasn't anything that happened on Saturday that our guys weren't capable of doing. Guys get keyed up, they want to do too much, they let themselves drift out of doing their job and try to do somebody else's job, and, in turn, screw their own up. You're not going to be able to do that against Army. That's how they make their hay. So, guys have to be dialed into what they're doing. The other thing about Army is the call card isn't going to be as big as it typically is. You might carry 30 different concepts into a game, but you can't do that against Army. You just won't be able to fit everything up. So, I'm hoping that it's a great wake up call, what happened last week for our guys to be able to time this one out perfectly."
Â
On if first down becomes important in this game…
"You've got to get them in second longs, and you've got to get them in third down and longs if you want to have some success. That's the most nerve-wracking thing is, if they're 2nd and 7, 3rd and 4, 4th and 1, you're going to end up with 20-play drives. So, you have to find a way to get them in 2nd and 8. You have to find a way to get them in 3rd and 8, because even at 3rd and 4, if they get down to 4th and 2, 4th and 3, they're probably going to go. Everything is four downs for these guys. So, we have to do some things to get those guys off schedule. Sometimes that might be moving and blitzing, and sometimes it might just be playing base football and getting some good knock back."
Â
On the progression of safety Gunner Maldonado…
"For starters, Gunner is really smart. Gunner is very sharp. It was unfortunate that he got very little fall camp in. He didn't get cleared, I don't think, until maybe the Tuesday or Wednesday before the Iowa State game. So, his practice opportunities haven't been that much. I know (against) Iowa State, he played a dozen snaps or so, and he was maybe a little rusty. He wasn't involved in a whole lot. We played him probably double that this past week. I think if you asked him, he'd be disappointed in how he played on Saturday, but he's had an awesome week of practice. I trust him totally with his eyes. I trust his maturity and the pictures that he sees. So, he's progressing very well. By the time we get into the meat of the schedule, he's going to be a big factor in what we're doing."
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How to follow the Cats: For complete information on K-State Football, visit www.kstatesports.com and follow the team's social media channels on X (formerly Twitter), Instagram and Facebook.
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