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 10th-ranked Wildcats facing No. 3 TCU in the 2022 Dr. Pepper Big 12 Championship 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 he has learned about the offense since the TCU game…
“Shoot, it's a game of inches. A couple plays on that first drive of the third quarter are huge. You play in those big games against great teams, it's going to be a game of inches. If that's a first down play, second down play, or a third down play on the third, fourth, fifth, sixth drive of the game, we've got to scratch and claw for every inch because it might be the difference.”
On preparing for a rematch…
“It’s definitely different. I think it’s been interesting even kind of self scouting ourselves and how we've grown and developed through the year. They have too, and they're doing some different things than they were six weeks ago and credit to them. Again, I've got a ton a ton of respect for Coach (Joe) Gillespie and what he's done because their defense is flying around right now and really hitting their fits, I think, a lot faster on some things. You can tell now they've had a season with their new staff and new coordinators. But we have too so it'll be a fun challenge.”
On if TCU will be more aggressive at the line of scrimmage facing Will Howard for a second time…
“I think it's something that you saw even through the game. The first 3rd and 16th they’re in Tampa 2 and (Will) rips that seam to Malik (Knowles) ,and you didn't see that the rest of the day. Even last week on some things, I think there was a little bit more pressure, which is something that we've gone through the year. They're going to make us win and beat man coverage, but our guys have been doing that and are prepared for it. Excited to watch them do their thing.”
On Ben Sinnott’s performance this season…
“He's made some huge plays at some huge times. It's fun to watch. He and Will (Howard) are really, really close. Both those guys, they love competing, they love practicing and working hard. Just yesterday, making fun of one another for something and having fun, getting better at their craft. We've known Ben, he's an instinctual football player. He's got great ball skills and tools, and when you're out there and you're going to battle with your teammates and having that much fun, good things happen.”
On what kind of mindset it takes to win a championship game…
“I almost tend to go the other way of saying, we've been in a one-week season since, really, probably even week one, but definitely week three. Just, hey, let's put our head down and focus on one at a time and this happens to be the 13th step in that journey of the 13-week season, but I think our guys, we’re where we're at because they've really bought into that and lived it. I haven't felt much of a sense, and I don't want them to think of this as anything else, because it's another challenge and it's another one-week season.”
JOE KLANDERMAN, DEFENSIVE COORDINATOR
On what he has learned about the defense since the TCU game…
“Well, there’s been some shuffling for sure. I think that at that time we were still trying to find ourselves a little bit. There was a stretch in that game where we were playing pretty well, and then it kind of went sideways. We lost Deuce (Daniel) Green, we lost Julius Brents, we lost Khalid Duke. It just kind of became a rash of things there for a minute. We’ve got a veteran group of guys, and I think that they'll respond being in the big moments.”
On what is more concerning, TCU’s run game or explosive passing attack…
“Well, that's a great question. They just have tremendous playmakers. Tremendous playmakers at the receiver position. I think their tight ends are good playmakers. I think that the quarterback, obviously, makes it go, and Kendre Miller is a stud. I think they found a couple other guys at that position that are playing really high level too. It's a delicate balance of how do you keep people over the top of things and still put enough people in there to turn the run down. So, that’s the mix, and that's going to be the chess match all game long.”
On how important it is to get multiple tacklers on Kendre Miller…
“We didn't tackle him very well last time at all. I think our pursuit saved us a couple of times. I think we missed more tackles in that game that maybe we missed in any other game this year. It's due to him, and it's due to Max Duggan. He just does a really nice job of being patient in his runs. I don't think he rushes anything. I think he keeps himself under control, and if you yourself are out of control, you're going to miss him because he's going to change his pace and change his level. Even when we were able to get pretty good thuds on him, I don't think we played with very good technique last time in terms of running through the contact, which is something that we emphasize. I think a lot of times we ran to the contact and dove and put our head down and missed. That's a recipe for disaster no matter who you're tackling.”
On how V.J. Payne preformed against Kansas…
“He played awesome. He played really well last week. We knew he had the ability. He just didn't have a ton of seasoning. Changing his position in the matter of a week was a thing. I think the way that we teach things, we try to teach them conceptually. So, there was a lot of carry over from what he was doing, but definitely a different look at it, a different perspective. So, what he did last week to get himself ready to play and then playing well. I was so happy and proud of him. He played his tail off.”
On getting off to better starts defensively…
“No doubt, yeah. We started slow and it's our own fault. I think last week it was we couldn't get off the field on third down. I think we had them in some third and very manageable situations for us last week and couldn't get out. Had a couple of penalties that kept a couple of drives going and just couldn't get out of our own way. Feel like last week against West Virginia, obviously started off with that pick-six and things were kind of going well early, and then it ended up they got to pick-six and then they kind of got some momentum and same kind of deal. Just a play here, whether it's a call or an error or whatever. Wasn't like we were not playing hard or unprepared to play, that's not what it is. We’ve just got to find a better way. I think teams are doing a good job of attacking us differently then maybe we would anticipate. Maybe that's a sign of respect, I guess, but that's part of it. Then the other part of it, we’ve got to execute early, and I think that's especially huge against these guys. Same kind of deal when we played these guys last time. I thought we put ourselves in some third downs in that first series and had chance to get off field, and then next thing you know, they get a, whatever it was, a 70-yard pass on a one-on-one play. You bet that's going to be a huge deal who can start this game early. They do a good job with their script right away. They can flow pretty quickly, early.”
RYAN LACKEY
Associate Athletics Director for Communications