Meeting with Messingham: Pre-Mississippi State
Kansas State offensive coordinator Courtney Messingham met with the media on Thursday to talk Mississippi State.
What follows below is a full video of Messingham's interview from as well as a summary of his key points.
FASTER GAME
Mississippi State is faster on defense.
Multiple times, offensive coordinator Courtney Messingham identified their players as thick and as a team with the ability to really run and hit. It’s going to be a faster game that Kansas State has to be ready for. The speed of the game will be far different in this one.
That, along with the noise, will make communication that much more important to concentrate on during the week. They’ve done exactly that.
The Bulldogs will try to speed K-State up and overwhelm the Wildcats. It’s what they did a year ago, particularly along the line of scrimmage. Each quarterback that played had little to no time to throw the ball, and there were no gaps or holes in the running game.
Everything will be faster than it was the first two weeks. Will the Wildcats be ready? Messingham is and believes he has prepared his team for it. We’ll find out how much it worked.
TURNOVERS
Not only will the speed of the game be on a different level Saturday inside Davis Wade Stadium, the physicality and the severity of the hits will be, as well. When the linebackers are thicker and faster, and when the defensive linemen are bigger, longer and more athletic, and when the entire front seven loves to hit, there are going to be harder collisions.
Messingham knows this. Kansas State knows this. Can the Wildcats protect the ball in spite of that? That will be a key element to pay attention to, as the physicality and speed differential can expose them to more opportunities to cough it up.
He’s probably implying it, himself, but it’ll be difficult for K-State to walk out of Starkville with a victory if it makes mistakes to defeat themselves on multiple occasions. Mississippi State is already good enough and won’t need any help.
KNOWLES' EMERGENCE
I’ll be honest, everything was a bit more generic and less detailed this week from Messingham. Perhaps it was the questions, or perhaps they’re being more active in being protective planning and such with Mississippi State on the docket.
However, I felt the most substantial thing he said was revealing how significant it was for Malik Knowles to have the game that he did against Bowling Green and for him to take the steps forward in his development.
Specifically, Messingham said it was, "A big deal."
That resonates with me. One, because Messingham clearly believes in and sees the potential of Knowles - like we at KSO do - which is pretty considerable. Secondly, because he thinks it wasn’t just a baby step or something that won’t flash again for another few weeks. Messingham thinks it was a big leap for Knowles, and one that will be sustained.
That would be a difference-maker for this offense.
Talk K-State football in the largest, most active K-State message board community anywhere, The Foundation.