MANHATTAN, Kan. – Kansas State assistant head coach Van Malone and select players met with members of the media via Zoom on Tuesday as the Wildcats prepare to travel to Morgantown, W.Va. to face West Virginia on Saturday. A complete transcript of Malone’s press conference – which was also streamed live on Big 12 Now on ESPN+ – and players are posted below. The Wildcats and Mountaineers kick at 11 a.m. (CT) on Saturday inside Milan Puskar Stadium.
VAN MALONE, ASSISTANT HEAD COACH
Opening Statement...
“It’s always good to win a rivalry game. That was great for our kids and our kids in the program and kids from Kansas. Our team played really hard, and like I said, it was a great win. One thing that Coach has stressed – and we have stressed as a staff – is the importance in understanding that every win is a great win. Every week, we need to prepare ourselves to be able to celebrate in the locker room. Pay the price on Sunday and Monday and throughout the week and continue to stack the days. I feel like offensively, defensively and on special teams we continue to get better week after week. In the Big 12, we’re going to have to keep doing that. We’re playing a lot of young guys defensively and offensively. As you put more young guys out on the field, they have a chance to make mistakes. But the great thing is that we’re not seeing as many mistakes as we had in week one. That’s refreshing as a staff, so we’re going to have to continue this progression. This week will be important because we’ll face a tough opponent at (their) home. Those guys have played extremely hard throughout the season. They’ve lost some close games. They’re playing some young guys as well. It will be a big challenge for us as we roll into this week.”
On the big plays made by the defense...
“Coaches always say you get what you emphasize. We’ve talked about attacking the ball in the air. We’ve talked about creating turnovers throughout the season, and that’s something that, since we’ve been here, it’s something as a staff that we’ve continued to stress and emphasize. So, it’s good to see when guys go get the football, but the ability to get it into the end zone is another step. It’s exciting to see defensive backs like AJ (Parker) and Justin (Gardner) and those guys have the opportunity to score with the football because that’s something on defense that we stress. It’s our position and our job to get the ball back to the offense and to put it in scoring position as best as we can. Not a lot of defensive guys have that ability, so we’re excited when we have the opportunity to put it in the end zone as defensive backs.”
On the emphasis put on special teams...
“Each one of our coaches has an assignment on special teams, and everyone is involved. I think the players see that and recognize it. With special teams, you have one chance to be special. We have some units out there, specifically the punt return unit, and make big plays for our team. As we go through the season, seeing that these games are going to continue to be close, we feel like that’s our edge is us making plays on special teams to give our team an opportunity to win.”
On West Virginia starting quarterback Jarret Doege against K-State last year...
“Him coming into the game last year was a difference. The thing that’s really impressive about him is he’s a competitive kid as you watch him. Into this season, he’s definitely improved and that is the thing that makes them go. He has a pretty good arm. He’s active with his feet and doesn’t get sacked much. He’ll be a challenge for us, but speaking to last year, it did throw us a little bit. At this point, from what we’ve seen so far, he’ll be an extreme challenge for us.”
On what stands out about West Virginia’s offense...
“They have really good offensive linemen. They play together well as a group. The running backs, both guys that play a lot right now, are powerful and strong runners. They have good speed. You’ve seen them have a few breakaway runs. We’ll have to do a good job of wrapping up and tackling those guys well. The receiving corps will probably be amongst the best we’ll play, but you say that week after week in the Big 12. They have guys who are explosive. They use them in different places on the field, but when they get the ball in their hands, you have to do a good job of defending the perimeter well as well as vertically defending them because they have the ability to stretch the field. From the skill position standpoint, it will be a challenge for us. Defensively, those are the things we’ll continue to harp on to our players as we go throughout the week.”
Kickoff is set for 11 a.m. CT in Morgantown, West Virginia on Saturday.