Let's dive into Kansas State coach Chris Klieman's weekly press conference in He Said, We Say.

In this piece I'll provide paraphrased answers from Klieman (with a full transcript posted later) and thoughts on what his answers mean.

Chris Klieman did confirm three new scholarship players at the start of his press conference.

Question: On game one growing pains...

He Said: You always worry about it in the first game. Penalties, false starts, time outs, there will be some of that and some anxiety. Our coaches know that and know we need to be patient. We have to try and not show nerves or anxiety as the coaches, and that will help the kids. I don't want to take the excitement and emotion away, though.

We Say: It absolutely is a balancing act, and the fact Klieman understands he needs to create and embrace excitement while also knowing mistakes will happen seems like the right way to go into it.

Question: On Josh Youngblood...

He Said: I see him in the mix of six or seven guys at receiver. I would envision him playing this Saturday, yes.

We Say: Falls in line with what we've shared on the board in recent days; Youngblood has spent time higher up the depth chart in practice than he currently appears on paper.

Question: What does Nicholls' offense present?

He Said: A great quarterback. We've seen him and played teams they've played in the playoffs. He's an athletic guy who runs it well and throws it with accuracy. He knows their system so well. This guy has seen an awful lot.

We Say: Nicholls QB will be a four-year starter and is preseason FCS All-American and a true dual threat. There are other worries on offense, too, but he's absolutely the right place to start.

Question: On the Nicholls defense...

He Said: They'll be aggressive and show you a lot of different things. They'll show you the same look and then do something different out of it. I like a lot of their returning guys, and they don't give up the explosive play. We have to find a way to create those.

We Say: I've talked a lot lately about a fear K-State is going to have a hard time making explosive plays, and it's interesting Klieman at least talks about a similar concern. I think it will be hard, even against Nicholls' defense, to just roll down the field in nothing but 4-yard chunks.

Question: On Nick Lenners...

He Said: He'll play tight end and fullback. He'll play both. He'll be at tight end, in the backfield, flexed out, etc. They have to be able to do all of those things in this system and to be versatile.

We Say: He wasn't fibbing, at all, when he was talking about what he'd do with fullbacks and tight ends.

Question: On Wayne Jones...

He Said: He may understand our defense as well as anybody in the system...

We Say: Wow. We've heard loads of praise for Jones, and Derek Young has always been high on him, but that's awfully high praise for a redshirt freshman. There was more said here, but I did miss part of it. We'll have the whole transcript up, soon.

Question: On Joe Ervin...

He Said: He's really wise beyond his years. For a freshman the game has slowed down for him. He's not a guy we'll play 50 snaps back there, but he'll have a spot. That's still to be determined.

We Say: I'm not trying to put words into mouths, here, but I think it's worth noting he specifically said Youngblood would play Saturday without being as clear on Ervin.

Question: On the defense's attitude... and can it tackle?

He Said: I love the attitude of our defense. It starts with Coach Haze. You always worry about tackling in the first game. We aren't hitting every day in practice or going to the ground.

We Say: I've heard K-State has done very, very little tackling through fall camp. I agree with this philosophy, for the record, but it could lead to early struggles with this part of the game, as he mentions.

Question: On Chabastin Taylor...

He Said: He'll be a big part of the package in the game plan. I've been excited about what he's done. He's had a really good camp and continues to gain confidence. He's such a mismatch with his size and strength

We Say: Not tons of specifics shared on Taylor, here, but the tone was genuine for sure. I do expect Taylor to see a number of snaps on Saturday, and he's one of the players I'm actually most intrigued to really see where he is in the program.

Question: How many true freshman could play?

He Said: It could be a little smaller this week, maybe around six. Josh (Youngblood), Joe (Ervin), Jax (Dineen) could play. There are other guys, too, we have to look at the rest of the week and see who else can help and maybe on special teams, too.

We Say: Welp, that's what I get for implying something on Joe Ervin! I just have to say I really, really appreciate the way he answers these questions. I asked this question and asked it in a manner that gave him a lot of leeway to just throw out a number and not say names, and he gave names. It's helpful, for the fans as much as anything.

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