Kansas State Wildcats College Football Pregame Quote, 11/16/2021

Good afternoon, everyone. Hard to believe it’s mid-November and we’re on to our last home game. It’s senior day, and I think we have 31 maybe (32) coming out, somewhere in that range for the last game at The Bill, or potentially last game at The Bill. That’s something we’re going to talk about for the next few years, I think, but a number of them I know it’s their last game, and I’m excited for those guys to play at home one more time in front of these great fans and a great crowd. We’re going to play a great opponent. Baylor’s a really good football team. They deserve all the accolades they’re getting. I think they’re good in all three phases ‚Äì offense, defense and teams, are obviously really well coached. They’re playing really fast and confident, and so we’re going to have our hands full. Make sure we have great plans, offense, defense, special teams, and our guys have good confidence right now. They have great belief. Now we just have to put the plan together and be able to go out and execute. Last week was a big win over West Virginia at home, a really good West Virginia team. I know that helps with the added confidence that our guys have that we’re playing our best football as we finish the month of November.

On why Deuce Vaughn has been so durable and versatile:

Well, durability is because he takes care of his body. He does so many things behind the scenes, whether it’s in the training room, the strength and conditioning area, nutrition, just always making sure that he does a great job with his body. We’re trying to move him around. We know that sometimes he’s as good a decoy as there is in college football, so he’s allowing other guys to be able to make plays. We’re also finding ways of getting him the football. When he gets the ball in space, as we all know, he can make a highlight film at any time. He’s just playing at a really confident level and understands what we’re doing offensively. I appreciate the way that Mess (Courtney Messingham) and the offensive staff have continued to try to move him around to get him the ball.

On Baylor’s defense against Oklahoma:

They’re fast. They’re physical. They’re a veteran crew. I think they’re good at all three levels. They’ve got some really terrific defensive linemen. I really like their linebackers, and their secondary is really sound as well. To do what they’re doing defensively, you have to be good at all three levels and they are.

On defensive back Ross Elder:

He’s playing with a lot of confidence. I know it was an important offseason for him to put some weight and some strength on, and he did that. He’s 190 (pounds). Last year he wasn’t anywhere near that. I think he’s put on 15-18 pounds and is playing with more confidence. We’ve kind of moved him around positionally, and I think moving him to the weak side safety and putting Jahron (McPherson) as our ‚ÄòJack’ player or middle safety was a good move for both those guys. Ross has really benefited from that. I’m excited for Ross.

On why Jaren Lewis was put in at the end of the West Virginia game instead of Will Howard:

That was what that decision was at that time. Will’s a team guy, and if we need to play him, we will without question. He’s taken the same amount of reps as Jaren has, but at that time and in that part of the game, we didn’t think it was wise to give him those snaps.

On the super seniors:

Just in general for the five, I was so happy that they trusted us as a staff, trusted the culture. They trusted what was going on here, and they wanted to finish it on a high note. Last season didn’t go as well as we all wanted for a variety of reasons. All those guys, for different reasons, came back, some because they wanted to play with their buddies one more time, some because they have aspirations of playing at the next level, some just love the game. But most importantly, they all love K-State football. I was excited that all those guys came back. They’ve all had an impact. They’re all great leaders, and they’re all guys that had a profound impact on the turnaround that we’ve had this year.

On who was the first guy that decided to come back:

I don’t know who was the first guy. They all visited obviously. I think Skylar (Thompson) would have been the first, knowing what his situation was last year. We didn’t have a conversation until late November. I know Noah (Johnson) was really interested in coming back because he’s a guy that just loves the game of football. I would say Cody (Fletcher) was probably the last that made that decision. He took some time to think about it over the whole holiday season. I remember he and I had a conversation, I can’t remember, it was sometime in January before the second semester started. I appreciated Cody, the way he went about his process and played a lot of football here. Excited that all of them came back.

On Baylor quarterback Gerry Bohanon:

Dual threat for sure. Ability to beat you running the football. I think they do a great job with how they utilize him rushing the football. Some designed quarterback run things, probably a little bit more in the red zone because they have terrific running backs. So, they don’t need to give it to him 15-18 times a game. He’s a guy that I think could carry it that much if they needed or wanted him to, but they have such a terrific rushing offense. The thing is that he makes them go, because of the RPO game, because of his ability to throw the ball downfield and the ability to rush the football, that they are putting up big, big numbers rushing the ball.

On multilayered offenses like Baylor:

Really hard because of the style of play. I mean, it’s downhill right at you. They have some really good bypass plays and gimmick plays, so to speak, but first and foremost, they’re going to come right downhill at you. You have to be able to stop them, and to be able to stop them, you’ve got to try to outnumber them at the point of attack and in the box. So, when you do that, you leave a lot of one-on-one coverage outside. They’ve got wide receivers that can take the top off that have had big plays, and they’ve got a quarterback that can really throw the football with great accuracy, great arm strength. They’re so balanced, that’s the thing. I look at him offensively, they’re so balanced as far as if they want to rush the football for 350, he did. They’re doing both right now at a high level.

On Baylor head coach Dave Aranda:

Yeah, it’s amazing. I don’t know him really real well, mainly because we’ve never had any Big 12 meetings. We always do them virtually, but my interaction with him last year down in Baylor, nothing but a tremendous amount of respect for him and a class guy. Admired what he did at LSU as a defensive guy, and it doesn’t surprise me. I think a guy that’s probably a player’s coach, gets a lot out of his team, and they’re playing really well right now.

On Baylor’s offensive performance last week against Oklahoma:

Yeah, I’m watching more cut ups. I don’t watch the game as it goes. They have so much versatility to their offense and have the ability to beat you running inside, running outside, throwing the ball vertically, throwing quick game, whatever it may be.

On what progress the Baylor defense has made under Ron Roberts:

Well, they have really good personnel, and they play really fast. They understand their scheme. They can blitz you when they want to blitz you, or they can just rush four and cause some problems. They got a really good secondary. They tackle really well. I think that’s the biggest thing. You look at them as they run to the football like most good defenses do, but they tackle really well.

On how impressive the Baylor offense is:

Without question, really good tight ends as well. It all starts with (Gerry) Bohannan. He’s the guy that makes it go, and that’s the sign of a really good offense is when your quarterback can be scary both rushing the football and throwing the football. That kid’s playing with a lot of confidence. He’s a fun player to watch. Better watching on TV probably than it is in person, but he’s playing really well, and he makes them go.

On what he will miss most about coaching Skylar Thompson:

Competitiveness and the fact that he just comes to work every day, wants to get better, challenges his teammates to get better. I think that’s the sign of a great, what we would call, a servant leader. Servant leaders make everybody around them better. Just his presence in the locker room, his presence on the practice field, his presence in the hotel. He just has a confidence to him, and guys feed off that confidence. I get a chance to sit and watch some film with him, just he and I and the QBs and Coach (Collin) Klein. It’s just how much he’s grown from that regard as far as understanding the game of football and understanding what defenses are trying to do, the whys of things. He’s worked his tail off at it since I arrived here, wanting to know more and more and be a sponge. He’s got a future in this game playing, and when that ends, he’ll have a future in this game coaching.

On defensive back Jahron McPherson:

J-Mac has had a really good year. When we moved him positions from strong safety to the middle safety, I think it kind of even sparked him a little bit getting closer to the action. He’s doing some things really well in there. He’s still the leader in the backend. He’s the guy that’s directing traffic. He’s the guy that is breaking guys down. He’s a guy that’s challenging other people. He’s made the transition for guys like Ross (Elder) and Reggie (Stubblefield) really positive. As a sixth-year guy, you don’t really have to accept that transfer that’s got one year left, but he has. He’s taken them in and helped them learn more about K-State football, helped them learn about what we do defensively in the culture of what we want to do defensively here. Tremendous leader and having a phenomenal season.

On the missed field goals:

I look at Chris (Tennant) the last couple of weeks. He’s got a cannon for a leg and sometimes he tries to guide it or just kind of punch it in rather than taking a full swing at it. It’s probably like Wyatt (Thompson) on the golf course. Rather than just taking a cut at it, you want to just kind of guide it out there a little bit more. That’s what we’ve kind of talked to Chris a little bit about, and we’re going to do field goals a little bit more this week. Usually we do it a couple days a week. We’re going to add a day where he’s kicking with everybody there. I appreciate Chris and the fact that he missed the kick and didn’t let it bother him. He came out and banged the next one. Was the next one less pressure? Maybe, but it was to get us up three scores and he put it through. This kid’s got a world of ability, and he’s going to go through some growing pains as a young, young player. But, excited to be able to have him for four years.

On how important it was for Chris Tennant to end on a good kick:

It was really important. We got into a position where he had to kick it closer to a hash, and I don’t remember what the distance was, but it wasn’t a 40-some yarder. It was a little bit shorter, and he drilled it. He’s got guys like Ty (Zentner) and Randen (Plattner) and Jack Blumer around him, which I know he’s in great hands because of those three guys. I think the world of, as far as K-Staters, believe and bleed special teams at K-State of how important it is. I can’t say enough things about Randen and Ty and Jack Blumer as far as calming him down, calming Chris down and making sure they support Chris and that field goal was big for him.

On Spencer Trussell and Cincere Mason:

Yeah, Cincere is going to be lost for the season with a knee injury, unfortunately. Spencer is going to be kind of a game-time decision or week to week. His was an ankle, but we know it’s not long term. So, can we get him back this week? There’s a chance we can. If not, he would be ready for Texas, we believe.

On Reggie Stubblefield:

We were fortunate to land Reggie late in the recruiting process and brought him in as a corner. Didn’t know a lot about what he could do other than watching him in fall camp. We knew he brought a lot of energy. You guys can all tell that he loves to play the game, has a blast out there, practices as hard as he plays, is a guy that is very critical of himself and wants to be a guy that’s perfect on things, which I appreciate. He’s played really well for us at that kind of hybrid Nickel/Sam position, whether it be in the run game, pass game. He’s really helped us a bunch on a lot of the perimeter bubble smoke game out there because he can get off blocks and make plays, and he can cover. He can tackle. He can blitz. He’s been an all-purpose player for us, and we’re fortunate that we have him because he can play man to man like a DB and can play in the box like a linebacker. So, he’s had a great season for us.

On Russ Yeast:

Russ is playing with great confidence the last month plus of the season. He’s healthy, and when he got here, I knew he was still battling some things throughout the spring and the summer. Then he kind of learned what we were doing defensively and has really taken his game to another level, has played really, really fast, understands what we’re doing, makes plays. Russ is playing at an all-conference level.

On this team being a fun group to be around during the week:

Sure, that means in the locker room after the game, but that also applies during the week when you’re just out practicing. There’s a lot of energy. There’s good focus out of practice, but there’s a lot of energy. We keep talking to these guys, especially let’s hit the fifth-year seniors or sixth-year seniors that came back, those five guys. They could all be out in the street somewhere. They could all be working for somebody or trying to make NFL rosters, whatever it is. Instead, they’re here playing college football because they love the game of college football. Sometimes we get lost in enjoying the journey part of it. Make no mistake, it’s easier to enjoy that journey when you’re having success and winning some games like we have the last four weeks, but I just enjoy being around the guys because they practice hard. They joke and have fun, but they know when it’s time to lock in and make sure that they understand the game plans and hold each other accountable. But practice is a lot of fun with these guys right now.

On the Baylor’s Abram Smith and Trestan Ebner:

Abram’s a downhill runner that runs behind his pads really well, doesn’t go down easy on first contact and can explode through tackles. Ebner can do it all. He’s a great receiver out of the backfield. He can beat you down, he can beat you with speed. They’ve put them in the game a couple of times recently or against, I think it was Iowa State, together which makes it challenging because they’ve got two guys back there that can make plays, but they’re terrific running backs. Probably Dave (Aranda) would tell you the same thing, let’s credit their offensive line. I think they’ve got a really, really good offensive line that understands the scheme that they’re running in and can get bodies on bodies and move people.

On transfers playing well on the offensive line:

I don’t know. That’s a good question. You know, we haven’t had them here as far as the four-year transfers in the offensive line. Some would tell you because it’s harder to learn a system. Others would tell you if they’ve played somewhere else, then it’s just learning the terminology. They (Baylor) have a couple of transfers that are playing really well for them. You watch those guys, and they have experience. I know the one kid came from Buffalo that’s playing really well for them.

On handling the emotions of Senior Day:

Well, ultimately you’re still playing a football game, and I’m an emotional guy and it’s hard for me with these guys that you’ve spent time with, and you’ve built relationships. They’ve meant so much to the program. They’ve meant so much to our coaching staff and myself. You got to let them enjoy that time too, and then it’s time to go play. I think the bigger thing that I’ve always tried to look at is if you’re not going out there for Senior Day, it’s your duty ‚Äì you have to honor these guys with your play. You have to honor these guys with your preparation throughout the week. You have to honor those guys with how much this game means to you to try to find a way to get a win for those guys. Because for those guys, it’s an emotional game. It’s an emotional day. Shoot, I just had one last week at the Manhattan High School football game when my senior got done playing for the last time, and I’ve been there as a dad now. I’ve been there as a player. I’ve been there as a coach. I don’t care, that’s hard for those guys. It is. You’re emotionally spent when you know this is your last chance on that field.

On playing in front of a full stadium this year:

I never took that stuff for granted. It’s awesome. I love the fact that we’re getting big crowds and you have to practice noise. We’ll practice today, tomorrow and Thursday for our defense because it’s so loud you’re not going to be able to talk to the guy. It’s all hand signals. I watch some games on TV when I get home and see the crowds, and that’s what college football is all about. I hope there’s great appreciation for what was missed last year with not having fans, and I’m hopeful we’re going to have a nice day on Saturday that a bunch of K-State nation comes out and celebrates the seniors one more time.

On Felix Anudike-Uzomah forcing six fumbles:

What an emphasis that Coach (Buddy) Wyatt and Coach Tui (Mike Tuiasosopo) put on that too, of strip sacks. We do a circuit once a week where we’re either working strip sacks or strip on the ball carrier. Felix takes that to another level, and what an impact it has when you’re able to not only get the sack but strip the football, or like he did on Saturday with a running back just getting it out of there. That was a big play in the game and got us another chance to score and took the momentum away. But to force six fumbles on top of however many sacks he has ‚Äì or should have ‚Äì probably a couple more of them. He’s had a phenomenal season.

On how competitive the Big 12 has been this year:

Well, I’ve only been in it a couple years, but this year, I know that I talked to some people about it with the amount of super seniors coming back, with the amount of teams that had veteran crews and veteran groups out there. I think it’s evident more now than ever. You better have your A game every week or you’re going to get beat. If you don’t play up to your capabilities or you don’t have great focus or you don’t have great preparation, anybody can beat anybody in this league. I marvel at what Oklahoma State’s doing, to be honest with you. That shows you the crew that they probably have, they’re older guys because they don’t have many let downs. I marvel at what we’ve done the last four weeks. I don’t care what your schedule is. If you’re not ready to play, you’re going to get beat, and our kids have come the last four weeks with an unbelievable mindset and great preparation and confidence to say, ‚ÄòWe’re going to play our friggin’ best today.’ Have we played our best? I don’t know, we’re getting there though, and it’s fun to watch because when you’re playing with confidence, you’re tough to beat.

On offensive lineman Kingsley Ugwu:

We talked about this. He missed a lot of fall camp and had an injury as we just started the season, so he’s been back the last, I would say, month, maybe it’s six weeks now. But we’re in week, I don’t even know what week it is now. It’s a lot. He’s done really well. He’s down on the scout team, so he’s going against Felix (Anudike-Uzomah). He’s going against Nate (Matlack). He’s going against Boom (Bronson Massie). I really like him. I think he’s going to be a really good player for us next year. He’s going to have to be in the mix for us next year with the amount of guys that we probably could be losing that will graduate. He’s very athletic and just needs to continue to develop and get stronger.

On only one penalty against West Virginia:

Well, I thought it was our cleanest game we’ve played all year between the one penalty, the fact that we won the time of possession, we were able to run the football out of big people with some 22 personnel, three turnovers, we didn’t turn the ball over. If we don’t turn the ball over, we have a chance to win every game. We were able to get three turnovers, had the punt block for a touchdown, had the kickoff return that set up the touchdown, had the interception that led to a touchdown, had the fumble recovery that led to a field goal, all those things. If you get a pick and then you go three and out, it doesn’t really mean anything. It was the cleanest game, and we were the most opportunistic we’ve been all season.