***Yesterday's Question HERE***
In an attempt to pass the time this off-season we're fortunate to have secured the help of scottwildcat from Boscoe's Boys. Scott is going to provide 100 questions about the past, present, future (and who-knows-what) involving Kansas State sports, and I'll do my very best to answer them.
Let's dive in to the 100 Questions.
Question No. 86: So much has been asked about and discussed when it comes to Chris Klieman, but not nearly as much as his coordinators, who he seemingly gives the proper amount of autonomy to. What are the two things you are most excited for, two things you’re most curious about, and two things you’re most concerned about when it comes to Scottie Hazelton and Coach Mess.
SCOTTIE HAZELTON
Two things I'm excited about...
1. Simply put, I'm excited about Hazelton's pedigree. His last five jobs consisted of being defensive coordinator at North Dakota State, linebacker coach at USC, defensive coordinator at Nevada, linebacker coach for the NFL's Jacksonville Jaguars and defensive coordinator for Wyoming. I'm not sure anybody else on the staff has as diverse and successful a background and Hazelton.
2. I think K-State will feel a little more modern, and likely aggressive, under Hazelton and this defensive staff. I believe he really, really embraces the challenge Big 12 offenses are going to present, and I sense a little chip on his shoulder and excitement to prove he can slow teams in this league down.
Two things I'm curious about...
1. How will pass rush be generated? Last year's staff defaulted to going with four defensive ends on pass rush situations to try and create pressure, but I think Hazelton will want to leave his defensive tackles on the field more often than not. Will he use more blitzes to create pressure, or will he be more creative with stunts/twists on the defensive line than we saw in years past?
2. How often will he play three linebackers? The 4-3 hasn't truly been K-State's base defense for some time now, but it certainly won't be under Hazelton and this group. What percentage of snaps, and in what scenarios, will Hazelton put a third linebacker on the field?
Two things I'm worried about...
1. How will Hazelton prep his defense working against K-State's offense on a daily basis? Yes, I know the scout squad will try and emulate whatever the opposition is doing, but when the Wildcats go good vs. good, ones vs. ones, Hazelton is going to be coaching against an offense that bears no resemblance to what his team will see in the Big 12. What are the plans to address that?
2. How will Hazleton handle the pace and plan of Big 12 offenses? I know I said above he's excited for this task, and he is. And, I have faith he's going to have success doing so. The question, though, is how fast can the adjustment be made? Hazelton has likely seen everything any Big 12 team is going to throw at him, but dealing with it on a weekly basis is a new challenge.
COURTNEY MESSINGHAM
Two things I'm excited about...
1. Being the change-up is smart. Look, nobody thought more highly of Seth Littrell than I did, but in reality I think it's wise for K-State's offense to look different than the rest of the league. Sure, I'm concerned with what it will mean for K-State's defensive prep, but that also means other schools are going to have difficulty getting ready for a style of offense they're going to see once a year. It's not quite the Georgia Tech triple option, of course, but it's still going to be unique in relation to the rest of the Big 12.
2. What can he do for Skylar Thompson? I know there's tons of talk about the relationship between Thompson and Chris Klieman, and of course QB coach Collin Klein, but I think this pairing is underrated. I think Messingham "gets" Thompson, both from a personality perspective and an ability perspective. An offensive coordinator truly knowing his quarterback gives him a chance to put him in a place to succeed. That was impossible last year, as K-State didn't even know who its quarterback was to begin with.
Two things I'm curious about...
1. What will he do when the bullets are flying and things go bad? I know what his plan is and what he did at North Dakota State. And, I think those things can transition successfully to K-State, but there are going to be growing pains. What will the K-State offense do the first time it gets down two scores quickly and looks like it may have to play from behind? Will Messingham stick to his guns, or will he be quick (too quick?) to adjust?
2. What's going to happen at tight end? Nick Lenners still needs to get fully comfortable recovering from injury, and there's not much behind him for proven, explosive options. Even Lenners, to be fair, got hurt last year before he could show those things in a game situation. Messingham is also the tight ends coach, and probably no position on offense has more questions than tight end heading into the season.
Two things I'm worried about...
1. What's he going to do with an offense that lacks the personnel his system needs? K-State has major questions at tight end, had to completely restock its running back room, lost (on paper) its two best receivers after spring football and has virtually no depth at offensive tackle. There are talented players on K-State's offense, absolutely, but it's going to take some creativity to utilize the formations Messingham prefers in a successful manner.
2. How will Messingham fair in the Big 12? I think it's lazy to look at Messingham's time at Iowa State (that whole situation was a mess, no pun intended) and think that's who he has to be as an offensive coordinator at the Big 12 level. It's not, and this is a completely different situation. Still, you can't argue the Cyclones lit the world on fire under his direction. I have zero problem with Messingham being K-State's offensive coordinator and have been very impressed with him, but this won't be his first trip through this league. His learning curve shouldn't be as steep as, say, Hazelton's.
