Kansas State Wildcats College Football Pregame Quote, 09/29/2020

Good afternoon. We have a big week ahead, Fort Riley Day and fun to be back home celebrating our military and Fort Riley. We have a really good opponent coming in in Texas Tech. I have tons of respect for Matt Wells, not only a great football coach but becoming a really good friend of mine. You can tell through two games some of the things Matt wants to do are being done. They’re playing really, really fast, putting up a lot of points. I know he’s going to get the job done there, so I know, for us, it’s going to be a big task. They have a tremendous offense, the ability to score from anywhere with a lot of people that can beat you. Defensively, they’re going to be really aggressive. They have great athletes with good size and speed. So, we have our hands full this week coming up with a gameplan on both sides of the ball, being able to move on from last week quickly. We put that to rest yesterday, had a good practice last night and will get back to our normal weekly grind this afternoon with a padded practice. Big week ahead for our guys.

On how quarterback Skylar Thompson has grown:

Well for starters, he has a great competitive spirit. He competes his tail off and hates to lose. He studies the game and wants to learn more, doesn’t feel like he has it figured out. He knows he can continue to improve. Everybody knows he has a really accurate arm and throws the ball really well. He’s done some things with his legs over the past year plus with some things Coach (Courtney) Messingham and his staff have designed that I think really emphasize his strength of running, not only on the perimeter with the option stuff, but running inside stuff off of our power sweep. He continues to improve, continues to challenge himself, because he knows he can be better. I didn’t know where he was at with those milestones, but well earned.

On the defense generating interceptions:

Without question, on Saturday it was the difference to be able to create the four takeaways plus we stopped them once on fourth down and blocked a punt, so it was almost like six takeaways. We have to be able to do that. We have to be able to be an opportunistic defense. Those tipped balls sometimes go incomplete. We need to find a way to catch those. Some of the overthrows like the last one with Jahron McPherson, find a way to catch those. Being able to strip the ball with a big hit like Jahron did was big, but I am pleased with the defensive staff. They emphasize it during the week, and the kids are making some plays. We have to continue to improve across the board on defense, but I liked how we progressed as that game went on.

On missing players from the OU game being back for this week:

Not many, maybe two. Maybe one or two because they caught it on the back end of it, so I’m guessing one or two. I didn’t get that fully yet from Mindy (Hoffman) and Matt (Thomason). Nobody has come back yet to practice. Nobody was back there yesterday, so we have to work with the guys who were at OU. Knock on wood, we didn’t lose anybody on Sunday. Everybody on the trip is still available. I don’t have the exact numbers. Hopeful we’ll get a couple back, but we’re not getting a substantial amount of numbers back, no.

On the contributions of offensive lineman Christian Duffie, defensive back Jahron McPherson and defensive end Khalid Duke:

Duffie was slated to be a starter, and I thought he had a really good summer and fall camp. We need Duffie to be an exceptional player for us. Duffie played well. I think he’s going to continue to play better. He’s a young player that’s not had a ton of experience, so I’m looking forward to seeing how he progresses throughout the year. Khalid Duke is a very special talent, and I think a lot of people saw that. He makes the interior guys better because he can rush the passer. He makes Wyatt (Hubert) better because he can rush the passer. He plays the run really well. He’s about 25 pounds heavier than what he was last year. In the secondary, McPherson is a playmaker. We’ve moved him around. He started at nickel last year. We had him at fall camp at free safety, but because of issues of COVID, he had to play strong safety. He’s going to continue to move around for us. He’s an impact guy on and off the field. I’m really happy for him because his hard work has paid off.

On how the team impacted OU quarterback Spencer Rattler:

All the credit goes to the defensive line, Coach (Buddy) Wyatt and Coach Tui (Mike Tuiasosopo). We were able to rush four and put him in some uncomfortable situations. Our coverage was better as the game went on. The kids were starting to recognize some of the routes and be a little tighter in the coverage. All the credit goes to the defensive linemen and the d-line coaches because we didn’t have to bring five or six. When we did, he made us pay. We were able to rush four and get a lot of hits on him and get some critical sacks late.

On how far the offense has come in terms of creating big plays:

We had a bunch of big plays on Saturday, and we’d like to continue that. We needed the explosive play on Saturday because we were struggling to sustain drives against a very fast and aggressive Oklahoma defense. We have a number of playmakers, which is exciting for Coach (Courtney) Messingham and the offensive staff. We’re able to get the ball in a number of peoples’ hands. We know that we need to continue to be able to bounce the ball around and get it to different people, but just utilizing the players we have, guys being in the system a little bit, just understanding the concepts, schemes and what coaches are looking for, and then Skylar (Thompson) realizing the matchups. That’s what football has kind of become as far as when you spread people out. What’s the matchup? Is it a linebacker on a running back? Is it a linebacker on a wide receiver? Is it a safety on a tight end? If Skylar continues to progress and play like he did on Saturday and he sees those matchups, it’s really difficult. We had Deuce Vaughn one-on-one with a linebacker and made a big play. We had Keyon Mozee one-on-one with a linebacker, and it was a big play. Those things kind of happen by design, as well.

On getting the ball to Deuce Vaughn but not overloading him:

We don’t worry about overloading him. He’s a very intelligent young man. He understands the game of football. We also know that we have a number of other guys and are going to have a running back by committee. We were down a couple of guys. Everyone could see that on Saturday in the running back spot, as well. I was happy for Jacardia (Wright) to at least get a carry. He’s starting to come along. We have a couple of younger guys. We have our older guys not with us right now that we hope to get back, just banged up a little bit. So, we need to continue to push more things on all those guys based a little big on availability but also based on their skill sets.

On Skylar Thompson’s play in the biggest moments:

He’s a guy that plays really well when he’s confident. We get him some early throws that has success, and then he kind of feeds off that. He sees the field much better now than when we first got here, but that’s a credit to him. He’s really spent the time with Coach (Collin) Klein and Coach (Courtney) Messingham learning our system and getting more comfortable and confident with changing a play, changing a protection, finding those matchups like we talked about before. I’m excited for him. He got through this last game even though people saw him limping around. He got through that game pretty well. If he’s a healthy player, which he is right now, I think he can do some really special things. We have to continue to keep him protected and keep him away from some of those hits. But I’m excited about what he’s done and what he’s going to continue to do.

On the progress after the Arkansas State game:

They did a great job, and it can’t just be one game. It has to be sustained. We need to do this for the long haul. That’s the challenge we made to our guys. We didn’t play well in week one, and you lose. We played well and played hard in week two and had an opportunity to win. We need to practice, prepare and do things right off the field. We need to do everything we did the previous two weeks and maybe even amp it up a little bit to give ourselves a chance to be successful on Saturday. Does it mean you’re going to win? No, but you’re going to have a much better shot when you stack those great days, not only on the field but as importantly off the field.

On defensive tackle Jaylen Pickle:

I was excited because Jaylen missed the first game. He was a guy we were looking forward to. We had a lot of good players at the defensive line position last year, so he didn’t get an opportunity. This year is going to be a big year for him, and he missed the first game. I thought he did some really good things against Oklahoma. He has great length, and he was able to deflect the pass early in the game. Eli (Elijah Sullivan) had the interception. He did some really good things in the run game. He’s going to benefit from a number of those players we talked about earlier as exceptional pass rushers. So, he needs to continue to work on his game, but I see big improvement from him.

On how to get better on third downs:

A couple things; one, continue to do a good job in protection. Try to avoid third and long because that’s when the defense has an advantage. See what’s working best. We’re still learning our personnel, and I like the guys we have. What are some different things we can do with Joshua Youngblood, Phillip Brooks and the bigger guys on the outside like Chabastin Taylor and Malik Knowles to the backs like Deuce (Vaughn) and Keyon (Mozee)? Just continuing to learn what those guys can understand, as well as getting those guys in position to make plays on third down. But without question, we have to improve our third down efficiency. We have to be better on first and second down to get manageable third downs.

On wide receiver Joshua Youngblood:

He’s getting better. He’s improving all the time, another kid that missed the first game. That’s hard, guys. We have a number of kids who have played one game, whether it’s the first or second and missed all of spring and summer. It’s going to be a work in progress. You’re going to see some really good things at times, and you’re going to see some things that we know we have to improve on. We’re working on those things everyday, and the kids are working on those things everyday. Continuity is a big part of football. It’s really difficult when you don’t have guys on a daily basis practicing.

On the depth on the defensive line and the play of defensive end Kirmari Gainous:

Kirmari is a guy that we need to continue to challenge and work with to be able to be a multi-position guy. He needs to be able to play outside and inside. I thought Kirmari made some really good plays for us on Saturday and made an impact. We had so many defensive linemen that made an impact in that game. He’s one of them. Now can we ramp up his role? Part of that is on Kirmari. Can he understand two spots, not just the d-end spot but the d-tackle spot. I’m excited about what we’ve seen from Kirmari on a limited basis.

On having to mix and match in the secondary:

We’ll keep throwing things up on the wall and seeing where they stick. Guys are going to be bouncing around again. At practice, you see guys playing two or three different spots. You may settle in by the end of the week, but it’s a work in progress, and we have some young, young players that are getting better, and we’re still trying to figure out a right spot for them. We’re early in the season, and I hate to say that in October. We’re early in the season, so we’re going to continue moving pieces around until we find guys that fit the positions best and that gel the best.

On the freedom to try new things this year under the circumstances:

It wasn’t a lot of fun when we were down 35-14 and trying to mix and match at the same time. That is a good point, and we talk about it a lot. You also need to get good at something and get a player comfortable and good at something. We’re struggling with that a little bit on offense and defense in trying to do not necessarily too much. We’re not doing too much, but when we have a guy learning two spots, it becomes too much for that player. We do need to simplify offensively and defensively, and that’s hard to do against high-powered offenses and against blitz-happy defenses, whatever it may be. So, there’s kind of a happy medium in there that we need to continue to design stuff to get certain players the ball and stuff defensively to get guys in the best positions. It still comes down to those practice reps. That’s the thing that’s so tough because we went into a game with guys maybe practicing only 30, 40 or at most 50 plays and those guys are playing 70 in a game. They had never even practiced that many plays at that position. It’s something we’re aware of. We constantly talk about it as a staff. In this pandemic, these are difficult times.

On why he wants to utilize running back by committee:

Because there are things right now that guys do better than other guys. Some guys catch the ball better. Some protect better. Some guys run between the tackles. Some run outside. Some guys can handle more. We’re also in a situation where all those guys in that position have been out at some point. So, let’s throw that pandemic word out there again. Let’s put all our eggs in one kid’s basket, and all the sudden that kid goes down on Wednesday or Friday, now we have to find a way to get all those reps to somebody when we could’ve split those reps up. Really, that’s at every position for us. We’re trying to get the reps evenly distributed, so that when something does happen and a guy goes down, we can’t say that kid has only had 10 snaps and now we’re playing him 50.

On putting a big win behind them in order to get focused on Texas Tech:

We better put it behind us in a hurry, or we aren’t going to be ready on Saturday. What you did today is great, but it pales in comparison to what you can do the next day. Now, we have to move on, and I think our guys did a nice job of that on Monday. But that’s been kind of our mantra for the last year plus is stack great days and don’t worry about yesterday. Worry about today and let’s win this dang day. We’re going to try to do that today. Yeah, it’s a concern, but sometimes when you lose a game, you get beat twice because you worry about that one on Tuesday and Wednesday, and our kids didn’t do that. They went to the focus of Oklahoma. Now Oklahoma is in the rear view mirror, and we have to focus on Texas Tech. I’m confident in our leaders with coaches and with players that we’ll have a good week of preparation to get ready for this opportunity.

On wide receiver Malik Knowles:

He’s doing well. We know he can be better. He knows he can be better. He knows he can be more of an impact, and we’ll continue to find ways to get him the football. Last year, we were really beat up at that position all year long. This year, when you throw the running backs in there and you throw Briley Moore in there, we have more bodies to throw the ball around to. Everybody is going to have their day, and that’s part of the team concept that we keep trying to preach is it’s not about me. It’s about the team, and how can we help the team win? If that means he catches one ball, but has three great blocks and decoys two guys out so that Deuce (Vaughn) can get one-on-one, if that’s what he’s going to have to for us to win, that’s what Malik is ok doing. Everybody wants the football, but everybody wants to win. The locker room is a lot more fun when you win no matter who catches the football as opposed to if you lose.‚Äù

On penalties and setting goals for limiting the penalties:

We don’t want to have any pre-snap penalties, and that needs to get cleaned up. A holding, a pass interference, those things are going to happen. But the pre-snap penalties, without question, we have to improve upon.

On moving AJ Parker and Jahron McPherson around in the secondary:

Yeah, it put more on their plate. They’ve seen more football and probably can handle more of a game plan. We are trying to find the best spots for the best guys that are available, and for the younger players, eliminate some of the learning and some of the things that can go into a detailed game plan. Those two kids have played the most football, so those were two easy moves at the time. I don’t know if we’ll stay that way throughout the long haul. Obviously, everything depends on the availability of guys, but I thought both those two played exceptionally well for not playing the position other than on Saturday.

On if there is a big difference in switching between the two safety positions:

Not a big difference for Jahron McPherson. You see the field differently from the strong (safety) to the free (safety), but the guys that are really good in our system could play both safety and the nickel spot. The really good corners could play both corner and the nickel spots. The more we can have guys do that, and that’s what we’re trying to do right now is that we have young guys playing different spots all the time to try to find the best spot for those guys so they can help us and be an impact when their time is called.