Watch K-State defensive coordinator Scottie Hazelton's entire Thursday media session and read notes based on his comments.

Pace will be discussed later, and that is certainly a characteristic of the Oklahoma State offense that is noteworthy. Defensive coordinator Scottie Hazelton was the first to share his observations about it and acknowledge it as something that had to be schemed against.

However, it isn’t just pace.

It’s likely the talent, not simply the pace, that makes the Cowboys difficult to defend.

Oklahoma State’s skill position players will probably be the fastest that Kansas State sees this year, with the only exception being Lincoln Riley’s squad in Norman.

Mike Gundy’s running backs and receivers can hang, though, and that is not lost on Hazelton.

KSO posed a question about which player on Kansas State’s defense has played well this year, but perhaps without receiving much notoriety.

It did not take long for Hazelton to pick out A.J. Parker.

Now that I think about it, that was probably the perfect answer. Parker has two interceptions, of course, but he also hasn’t really given up any plays of significance, helped out in run support, and his side of the field has been relatively quiet all season long.

The only noise that is risen to the surface are the turnovers Parker has created, which is understandable.

Hazelton made that observation, too. He didn’t really delve into the interceptions he collected, but instead that it was quiet over on his side of the field, and it’s something they had observed and acknowledged as a coaching staff throughout the first three games.

As Hazelton said on Thursday afternoon, it’s not so much the difficulty in the pace, but how it is different than what they are typically accustomed to saying.

There are a lot of high-powered offenses in the Big 12. None of them probably operate as quickly as the Cowboys, however.

It’s more the difference that challenges defenses.

K-State’s defense hasn’t seen that. The Wildcats don’t see that in practice, and it’s still quite a bit of a rarity, at least at the rate that Oklahoma State does it. It’s something you have to prepare for and getting an extra week to do it could be in the Wildcats’ favor.

After praising Parker for being the performer that has played great football this year without the accolades, Hazelton went on to discuss Kyle Ball and Da’Quan Patton, unprompted. He just loves the effort that both exhibit when on the field on Saturdays. This isn’t the first time that he has complimented Patton in this specific area this season.

They just chase the ball down, repeatedly, and that helps and bails out a defense when they don’t fit a gap the proper way or defend something in sub-par fashion. Mistakes like that could have allowed a huge play from the offense, if a defender or two wasn’t just applying relentless effort in their pursuit to the ball.

Not only that, Hazelton commented on how that effort - and that play from Patton and Ball - is beginning to rub off on everyone else.

Hazelton had a lot of praise for Oklahoma State running back Chuba Hubbard.

However, he doesn’t think facing Kylin Hill of Mississippi State two weeks ago is much of a precursor, at least in preparation and experience.

The two aren’t alike, according to Kansas State’s defensive coordinator. It’s a speed game with Hubbard, and Hill tries to win in different ways. Hubbard will run away from you and Hill will run through you.

On the bright side, after this week K-State will have experienced both.

***Subscribe to K-StateOnline by clicking here***

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