Watch Collin Klein’s Press Conference | Watch Joe Klanderman’s Press Conference | Listen on Wildcats Uncut
MANHATTAN, Kan. – Kansas State offensive coordinator Collin Klein and defensive coordinator Joe Klanderman met with members of the media on Thursday at the Vanier Family Football Complex prior to the Wildcats hosting Oklahoma State on Saturday. Links to video and audio of both press conferences are above, and a transcript of select quotes are below.
COLLIN KLEIN, OFFENSIVE COORDINATOR
On what changed after getting out to a lead at TCU…
“I think it came down to a couple of key plays on those two possessions, really. We weren’t able to convert and stay on the field. Schematically, it was not anything that was different than what we were expecting in those situations. We just weren’t able to get it done.”
On Jake Rubley’s interception…
“It was trying to do a max protection and kind of move the pocket for him with a three-level stretch. It was very clear after the first play there was nine guys in the box. I wanted to give him a three-level stretch play, and it was basically a zero coverage. But again, he was in a very, very hard situation on his heels, on the road and having to deal with some of those dynamics and some tough situations. Tough deal.”
On the improvements Will Howard has made from year two to year three…
“There’s nothing like when you’ve been in that fire and you’ve been in those battles, and you’ve been in those heated moments of games in contention, games on the line and having to make those judgement call decisions with confidence and with full speed. Obviously, having been through that the first two years, having worked hard as he has and prepared as well as he has to improve his craft and build true confidence. Being able to watch him build on that and go out and perform like that I was so proud of him.”
On Oklahoma State’s third-down defense…
“It’s exciting, and honestly, it’s been a point of emphasis for us the last few weeks because we have struggled in that area to be able to stay on the field. What a great challenge, and that is how our guys are looking at it. They’re really good on defense, they play extremely physical, they tackle well. But shoot, everybody in our league is good defensively, and it’s a great chance for our guys to step up. I and we need to put a good plan together to make sure they’re in good position.”
On what they need from Deuce Vaughn this week…
“We just need him to be himself. He is an absolute warrior. I think I would say his progress is better this week than it was last week, but he played really well last week too. He just needs to be Deuce.”
JOE KLANDERMAN, DEFENSIVE COORDINATOR
On what stands out about Oklahoma State…
“Explosive plays. I think they push the ball down the field really well with their in the pass game. Probably take a few more shots than most teams in the country, and they’ve got the guys that go up and get it. They’ve got a quarterback that extends plays, which is a dimension – when he’s not there – it changes the game considerably. That has been evidenced over the past couple years. There have been a couple games where they haven’t had him and you can see the production go down just because he’s such a special player. Explosive plays are certainly the first thing that comes to my mind.”
On K-State’s 66 percent stop rate…
“Of course not. No, it was probably one of the biggest source of stress last week was that we just didn’t do a very good job. There’s been games where we’ve done a really good job and we just need to get off field and give our offense more opportunities. It helps us too. It helps us stay fresh and it helps us when we’re not having to play 85 plays. I don’t blame anybody for that but ourselves for not being able to get off the field on third down.”
On how they defended Quinton Johnston…
“Yeah, it’s unfortunate on the one too because it was kind of a fate thing there and injury situation there. I never worry about Julius Brents out there against anybody in the country. Yeah, Julius was doing a good job for him. And for that matter when we matched other people up with him, they did a good job with him too. Josh Hayes had a couple of trips with him in the slot. Ekow Boye-Doe had a couple with him throughout the game. Jacob Parrish even had a couple, and I thought those guys were up to the challenge.”
On some of the defensive injuries…
“Julius (Brents) has practiced, Josh (Hayes) has practiced. Those guys will play this week. He (Daniel Green) is going to be a gametime decision. He’s moving around some and getting some work. How much he is able to go is going to be a question.”
On adjusting last week without Daniel Green…
“It’s kind of been the deal as it’s been the revolving door of people. I have total faith and confidence in Nick Allen to get the job done. Nick’s gotten a significant amount of reps over the past couple of years. Shoot, in the Oklahoma State game last year he played three quarters of the game because Daniel got ejected for targeting in the first half. I never worry about Nick. I think he totally understands what we’re doing. He’s very strong and can get the job done physically in there. He can run the show mentally. We didn’t adjust anything based on that but certainly like having him in there (Daniel Green).”
