KSO VIDEO: Hazelton speaks after practice (w/transcript)

Watch this free video of Kansas State defensive coordinator Scottie Hazelton speaking to the media on Friday.

SCOTTIE HAZELTON, DEFENSIVE COORDINATOR

On the “Mob Mentality” on defense…

“You want to try to connect to the past and the throwback. I remember when I was a kid, I grew up in Colorado, when I watched K-State defenses, guys would fly around and hit people and do all that kind of stuff. We want to connect like that and play like that, though the rules have changed so some of those hits are illegal nowadays. The terms they used to use, they’re not politically correct nowadays, so you have to switch it up a bit. You still want to play with that attitude.”

On his expectations for the defense this year…

“What we’re talking about is just playing as hard as we can - running to the ball every time, rotating if we need to, staying fresh, doing all those things. We want to play as fast as we can. Hopefully we know our jobs by now. We know how to do our jobs.”

On the impact of Cody Fletcher’s injury…

“It makes you change a little bit. We’ve been playing Eli (Elijah Sullivan) at both spots. Nick (Allen) has been taking more reps. We have to get some other guys ready. Really, it’s a good time of year to have that happen because it shows all the other guys that might have thought, ‘Well, hey, I might be on the bubble. I’m not really sure.’ Then all of a sudden, ‘I’m ready to play.’ So you can use it for an example for all the rest of the guys on the team too.”

On linebacker Nick Allen…

“He’s a young man that did a really good job through the spring. He’s a tough kid that understands the game. He takes it and he works so hard at it that he actually knows both inside linebacker spots. So he can do some of those things. He’s a great kid that sort of forced his way into that through his work ethic. He put himself into a position to have a spot in the rotation.”

On Jahron McPherson playing nickelback…

“He’s done a great job. It was hard to evaluate him in the spring just because of where he was had. He was nicked up and he couldn’t go for a lot of it until the end. We just have had a chance to see his skillset and say, ‘Hey, he’s moving around really well. He understands the game pretty good.’ He was playing strong (safety) and Wayne (Jones) is playing pretty good too. So it was a spot where we were just like, ‘Hey, let’s keep moving guys around until we find slots that everyone feels good at.’ He’s one of those guys we said, ‘Wow. He can attach to receivers on the inside.’ He’s doing some of those things really well. So you’re saying, ‘Ok, he may be the guy there.’”

On his philosophy on passing defense…

“I think you have to have a mix, there’s no doubt. In any defense, you have to look at it and say, ‘OK, if we’re playing Cover 2, we’re going to be zone, we’re going to use zone eyes and we’re going to break.’ If you go to quarters, you have to match up. You have to do things like that. So, I think it’s a mix and match as we go. There’ll be some man in there. I think you always have to play some man. With the corners, I think that they’re guys that you can stress them and stress them and stress them, but it can only last so long. So when you do play Cover 2, you want to give them a break and let them make some plays on some balls instead. I think that if we’re getting away with hitting people up front and we’re getting to the quarterback, zone eyes is a lot of times better because you’ll see more balls thrown and you’ll have more opportunities at interceptions.”

On where he’s seen the most improvement at linebacker…

“Eli (Elijah Sullivan), we moved him with like two practices in spring after Justin (Hughes) got hurt. Really, he’s done an excellent job picking that stuff up. He’s still working out some kinks because it’s a little bit different position. You have to be able to play run and pass. The other guy that has really come along is Deuce (Daniel Green). He’s a guy that has really upped his communication skills. You can tell whatever they did in the summertime as a team, it really helped him because he was a guy that went from, ‘Hey, I’m trying to fight my way through and kind of knock the rust off. It’s been so long since I played, and I’m learning this new stuff.’ Now he’s one of our best communicators out there on the field. He’s really taken command. I think you’ll see all three of those guys with Da’Quan (Patton) in that mix too. Those guys will play a lot. Really, it’s kind of the spot you say, ‘Well, who cares who the starter is.’ You’re going to go out there and you’re going to play a whole bunch.”

On the biggest concerns right now on defense…

“It’s just depth, overall. I think up front we’re doing pretty good. We have a bunch of guys inside that can play. We have a bunch of D-Ends with Reggie (Walker) back being healthy now. I think that that will be an OK thing. It’s just overall depth. If we get nicked up in certain spots. It’s like, ‘If this safety went down, well this guy has to play here because he’s our next best.’ So we train him in that spot. Then you mix in other guys. There’s a little bit of depth issues in that back end, whether it’s corner or safety. We have some backup plans to those, but if you get multiple guys hurt in any one spot, it would really hurt us.”

On if there is a starting spot that is up in the air if K-State were to play tomorrow...

“I would say that it’s up front because there is just so much depth there. The way those guys play, it’s like linebacker where right now you’d say we’re going to walk into the game and play three guys. Up there (on the line) they’re going to play eight or nine. So who’s the starter exactly? I know that means a lot to the kids, probably, than it does to the coaches and the fans. You’re going to see a bunch of guys play.”

On if he has the personnel to be as aggressive as he wants to be...

“I think that we’re close. We know what to do and we kind of know how to do it. So it’s, ‘How fast can we learn those things? How fast can we learn the keys that the offense gives us?’ If we get to there, then I think we can be. I think the longer it takes us to mature and get to that ‘Playing Football 301 and 401’ level, that’s the thing that’s really going to change for us to see how aggressive we can really be on things.”

On what gives him concern about Nicholls...

“You go into that game and say, ‘Listen, they’re a team that’s won. They’re an experienced team and they have had their staff together for a long time, and they have a trigger man that knows how to win.’ That’s always the most concerning thing as you walk into the game. If their quarterback is a dude and has won a lot of games and is athletic and can run, I think that that’s always a concern because he’s an explosive threat. Nicholls also has a couple of running backs that have hit home runs. They have that explosiveness about them. Then they have a receiver on the outside that’s a returner. Whenever the dude (quarterback) got in trouble, he would throw it to him deep and it’s OK. You have a mix of those things where you say, ‘Hey, the opportunity of explosives is more of what hurts you in this league and overall, anyway.’ So you have to say, ‘OK, how are we going to limit those first,’ and then you work your way back in and say, ‘OK, if you’re giving up two or three yards, does it really matter? OK, we can shut those down by doing this.’ But you have to take away the chunk plays first.”

On if he’s happy with Walter Neil Jr. playing at cornerback...

“No doubt. We love Walt. You kind of battle through and say, ‘Hey, who would be the best prototype nickel(back) that you’d want?’ He might be that guy too, but those guys have to be able to play outside sometimes, especially if they get nicked up. Kevion (McGee) is playing well outside, we have D-Patt (Darreyl Patterson), we have Lance (Robinson), we have some young guys there. They can jump in and they’re in the mix anyway. So if something happened, that’s something we can slide inside and still go to if we needed to.”

On what Darreyl Patterson is working on...

“Just being able to be consistent. He made a great play yesterday on a post, and you’re like, ‘Wow, that’s a really good play. He did a great job.’ Then a few plays later he might slip up a little bit. It’s one of those deals that, as a senior, you expect him to have his best year. So you would like to see him keep going and be consistent all the time.”

On the growth of Eli Huggins...

“He’s a kid that you maybe don’t notice him as much because he was a young guy in the spring and you’re trying to figure out who you have up there. So at first you notice Trey (Dishon), then (Jordan) Mittie, then you go to Joe (Davies). You go through some of those guys, but once you start to get into it you see how steady he is and how he comes to work every day. That’s a guy that when you have five guys inside that you feel really good about, you can get through some games. Maybe instead of making Trey play 80 snaps a game, now he’s playing 50 and you can use him in some rush stuff and you can spell him in those first-down situations when you know you’re going to get run. You can get some other guys in. That’s gives everybody a break and keeps them fresher.”

Talk K-State football in the largest, most active K-State message board community anywhere, The Foundation.