Thank you to K-State Athletics Communications for providing the following Kansas State quotes from today's press conference.

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CHRIS KLIEMAN, HEAD COACH

Opening statement…

“Good afternoon everybody. Just going back to Saturday quickly - we’re still fighting consistency, that’s the biggest thing. We put together some good consistent drives together, offensively. (We) had a big play to start the game, so there were real positives, but one of the big drives we had we ended up getting stopped at the four and not getting into the end zone, and end up getting three out of that. That’s been where we had been successful is getting more touchdowns in the red zone. That was a game, obviously, we needed touchdowns and didn’t get that done. Then, defensively, (we) had some really good series. We had a lot of three-and-outs and gave our offense an opportunity on a number of occasions when we were down four (points) late to give ourselves us a chance to get back into the game. Talking to Coach Haze (Scottie Hazelton) and the defensive staff, third and long, obviously, was our big detriment. We couldn't get off the field on third and long and gave up three touchdowns on third and long. For us to be successful, we have to win on third down, we have to be able to get in the red zone and get touchdowns. When you don’t do those things - and the match-ups, in my mind, were pretty even as far as anybody could beat anybody in that game - they had the upper hand because they were able to do some of those things. On special teams, we didn’t do anything elite at all. We just were very average on teams. When you're average at that phase - and we need to win that phase - you can end up on the short end. (We) had a good meeting with the guys yesterday. They know we need to continue to battle, needs to continue to improve, need to continue to hold each other accountable. We had a good workout yesterday. We know we are going into a tough environment at Texas Tech playing a night game. Our guys have to put our best foot forward and play our best game.”

On West Virginia’s third down conversions…

“The (first) one, we pressured and they did a nice job of picking it up, then you have all one-on-ones and nobody gets home. I thought J-Mac (Jahron McPherson) had good coverage, and they threw a nice ball for the score. So that one, give them credit, in my mind. Then they sprinted away from us on one time on a third down, and we just didn’t collapse coverage, based on the sprint out, quickly enough, and they scored. Obviously, on the last one, we just had a blown coverage. (We) did a good job getting pressure, and then when they scrambled out, we didn’t follow the scramble rules that we work on on a weekly basis, and they make a big play.”

On starting fast offensively but not sustaining the fast start...

“Sometimes it's the worst thing that happens to you, too. You get a big play and you just relax a little bit. I don’t think that’s the case. We were better this week than we were against Texas, but when you struggle to sustain the ability to rush the football, especially on early downs. I thought we were actually pretty good on third down with our offense. Unfortunately, we were on too many third and longs. Our percentages were ok on third-and-long, but you just can’t be in that many of them.”

On the lack of explosive plays…

“(There are) a number of things - whether it’s having a guy open and not finding that guy that’s open or having a guy open but missing a protection and getting hit, to having a guy open, making the completion or getting a run to somebody and we get tripped up. We’re not kicking out of enough tackles as a running back, as a wide receiver. We’re not protecting all the time as an offensive line to give Skylar (Thompson) enough protection. There are some times that we think that there may be somebody open and Skylar doesn’t see him because of maybe protection. So, I think it's a combination of everything, which is good and bad. At least we’re not pinpointing, ‘Hey, we just can’t open,’ or, ‘We can’t protect.’ We can do those things. We’ve shown we have done those things. We’re just not doing it consistently enough.”

On Texas Tech’s propensity to give up explosive plays...

“It’s still about matchups. I think that’s a big thing. It’s more about matchups. We’re not an explosive offensive group, either. Now, we can be. We’ve shown that in games, but, once again, the consistency factor has to come through for us. We need to find more explosive plays. That’s the challenge this week. It’s not an excuse, but part of it’s our health. Part of it’s the running back situation is not really healthy back there. When we think we going to kick out of tackle a tackle, we have kids with bad ankles. Once again, it’s not an excuse, we still have to kick out of those, but we’re not able to do that.”

On Texas Tech’s pass defense struggles…

“We need to still stay within what we do because I just don’t think we’re a team that’s going to get in four wides and throw it 45-50 times. We don’t want to do that. In the same respect, as we watched the TCU game unfold, TCU had a lot of success with quarterback scramble. They blitzed the heck out of TCU, Texas Tech did, and the quarterback beat them with his feet. So, Skylar’s going to have to be able to avoid some rush, as well, simply because if we want to get into a throwing game, it’s going to be a pressure game. We saw that in the last couple weeks that we’ve played. We still need to establish the run so that we can’t get into a nothing-but-throw and they can lay their ears back, or if we can’t run the football early and we’re in a bunch of third-and-longs, they’re going to pressure us. We want to be able to run the football on a 3rd and 4, on a 3rd and 5. We’ve shown the ability to do that with the quarterback run or with our jet series, but when you’re 3rd and 9 and 10, defense’s aren't as worried about it.”

On issues with Devin Anctil in the punting game...

“A little bit. Obviously, Devin’s not punting to his capabilities. It’s almost to the point of he’s human because he was punting the ball unbelievably well the first three-fourths of the season. He’s struggled the last couple of weeks. A little bit of it is technique, and we’re working on technique. I don't want him to get frustrated because then your technique does fall apart. He knows that he needs to be better, and I’m confident that he will be because he is a big weapon for us. When he’s punting the ball well, we’re flipping the field when we’re not moving the ball on offense and giving our defense a better opportunity. When he’s not and we’re getting into some short fields, we just lose that field-position game. Devin is a tremendous punter. He has tremendous pride in his craft, and I look for a big bounce back from him.”

On the role emotions play in games…

“It should play a big role, without question. It has to. Once again, we talk about this a lot, you get 12 opportunities to play. You better have great emotion. We can say there wasn’t great emotion on Saturday. There was after the first play. I saw a lot of great emotion. There was after a few stops. (It was) probably not sustained, probably not consistent, but I also saw that when we got down against Mississippi State, even though there was no panic on the sideline, there wasn’t great emotion. All of a sudden, you flip and make a play. Sometimes momentum is the biggest thing that changes some of the emotion, but it’s something we visited about, for sure, as a team yesterday.”

On Skylar Thompson taking a big hit on a slide…

“He took a pretty good shot there. He was sore yesterday. It was not a concussion. I think that was the biggest thing that we were concerned about. Oftentimes you may not know it’s a concussion during the time. Then the next day or that night you start having effects of a concussion. It was not a concussion. So, we were pleased with that. He’s healthy. He’s going to be able to play. Without a doubt, at the time, I think it did rattle him, whether it was a shoulder, wind knocked out, but it was a pretty good shot.”

On lacking the big play last week…

“We had it the first play with the big touchdown pass, but then a lot of time that emotion is getting a special teams play, or getting a big turnover on defense as well. It’s all three phases. That’s the thing we talked about with our guys yesterday is the offense can’t say it was the defense’s fault, the defense can’t saw it was the offense or (special) teams, and us as coaches have to be better as well. We addressed that ourselves of saying, ‘We have to put you in better positions, but we also have to, bottom line, just make some plays.’ In the style of offense, the styles of defense that we’re running right now, if you don’t have those big plays, then you can’t shoot yourself in the foot with penalties, you can’t miss a tackle or you can’t rough the snapper and give them another possession, all those things. When you are a team like us that - doesn’t have to play perfect to win, we’re not there - but we’re not going to light it up and put 58 points on the board and score in three plays like an Oklahoma can. So, when we methodically move it down, you have to get touchdowns. When we are a defense that is going to make some plays, but we are still young at some spots, people are going to make plays on us. When we get a stop and get off the field, we can’t give them a free possession. Our guys know it that we were our own worst enemy in some of those situations.”

On the margin of error…

“When you’re going to be into the games that we’ve been into - 27-24, 24-20 - those are critical plays. If you’re in a 10-7 game, yeah, those things are going to be an impact, but maybe not as much. If you’re in a 56-52 game, they’re not. But, where we’re at right now where it comes down to all three phases having to be on point, all three phases for us have to play well, or not lose that phase, for us to be successful. You can forget the stats. They (West Virginia) were able to get a couple of turnovers. They were able to flip the field. The penalties, obviously, gave them the one possession. We don’t have to play perfect, but we have to play more consistently in all three phases. We’re well aware of that, guys. It’s not just the run game. There are some things in the throwing game. It’s protection. It’s running the right route. It’s reading the right coverage on how we’re turning the coverage. Is it single-high? Two-high? On defense, it’s not just the coverage. Sometimes it’s a pressure that doesn’t get home. Sometimes it’s missing contain on a pass play. Then, all of a sudden, a guy gets outside of contain and now it extends the play. All of those things are a factor. That’s why for us, it was not easy, but to explain to the guys, ‘Ok guys, this is a team loss - coaches, offense, defense, teams.’ We need to continue to improve because we knew we were going to have some problems. We knew we were going to have some tough times, but we have to move on. We have to keep getting better.”

On some of the unsung players this season…

“On defense, I would say Jahron McPherson has had an exceptional year. I think (Jordan) Mittie has had an exceptional year. I think Eli (Elijah Sullivan) has had an exceptional year, of guys that I don’t hear of the Wyatts (Hubert), (Trey) Dishons and Reggies (Walker) that you hear all the time. On offense, I think Nick Kaltmayer has had a really good year. I think the guy - he’s been banged up but playing much, much better in the run game for us - is Blaise Gammon. I think Blaise has really embraced his role and really made some nice plays. I appreciate the role players doing what they are doing. Brock Monty has had a great year on special teams. Nobody really talks about Brock a whole lot, and Brock’s fine with that. He just does his job, but he’s had a really good year as well.”

On Joe Ervin’s status and the running backs…

“Joe was suspended for a violation of team rules last week and that’s why he wasn’t dressed. So, we’re going to evaluate because he’s right at the four games right now. So, we’re going to evaluate what we’re going to do. He’s reinstated. He served his penalty, and we’re fine with Joe from that respect. It’s still going to be based on Jordon (Brown) and James (Gilbert). James did not practice yesterday - we hope he can today - Jordon did. So, a little bit is still based on that.”

On the margin for error and turnovers…

“We’ve been better on the turnover margin. We weren’t on Saturday with the explosive play battle. The simple thing of staying on the field and getting off the field on third down, and what you do in the red zone. You can go back to the wins we’ve had, as well as the losses, you can look at third down - we (look at) critical third downs. Critical third-down situations and red zone. Are we scoring touchdowns, and we preventing touchdowns? You guys know as well as I do, the offenses are good enough in this league to move the football up and down. There’s too much talent. What do you do when you get around the 20?”

On challenges Texas Tech presents…

“Tempo on offense. They’re going to go as fast as they can and try to get 100 plays. If they get a first down, the chains are never going to be set and the ball is going to be snapped. It is a Chinese fire drill. It is as fast as you can go, much faster than anyone we’ve played this year. So, for us to replicate it in practice for starters is difficult, but we’ll do the best job we can. That’s the one thing. Defensively, they have some really good players, they’re a 3-down, they’re going to pressure us, all those things you see every week. But this week is just the tempo - how fast they’re going to go.”

On the hit on Skylar Thompson being overturned…

“Still to this day, I have not seen the replay. I know we’re better at the targeting rule, but I also know there’s going to be continued discussion on the targeting rule. What I mean by that is, I’m a big advocate of not eliminating kids from games for something that is a bang-bang thing. I think Eli (Elijah Sullivan) had one this year that I think got overturned, but we were like, ‘Oh boy.’ It didn’t really look like a malicious, targeting hit. Then, there are other ones that I think are and somebody should sit. Unless they go to a Targeting 1, Targeting 2, Targeting 3, (or) Tier 1, Tier 2, Tier 3, then who’s going to decide that? Is that going to be the Big 12 office? Is that going to be some arbitrator that does it to say, at the end of the day, ‘You know what? We’re going to suspend you for another half because of what you did there,’ or, ‘Man, it wasn’t as bad as we thought. We’re going to give you that half back.’ I know one thing, you’re dealing with player safety, and all of us as coaches, that’s the first and foremost thing we want is player safety. So, we’re better even than we were two or three years ago.”

On the streaky nature of this team providing confidence to close strong…

“I think so, I really do. That's ebbs and flows of your first year. I really believe that. We’re going to go through - and we talked about this, guys, when I took the job - we’re going to go through some ups and downs. We’re going to go through some really positive things, and we’re going to have some hard times. That’s difficult for our staff. It’s difficult for me. It’s difficult for these seniors. I know it is. That’s the challenge of being able to right the ship and being able to stay positive. We came in here yesterday and just kind of told the guys the truth of where we were at. Nobody was yelling or screaming because I think our guys our busting their tail. I really do. We’re just not consistent enough and not making all the plays. That’s the sign of us learning the offense, learning the defense as well as just getting comfortable with us as coaches.”

On the status of wide receiver Wykeen Gill…

“He practiced yesterday on a limited basis, but he is, knock on wood, to be cleared today. If he doesn’t have any issues today after he practices - does he not have any headaches or anything like that - he would be ready to go, yes.”

On how he handles the team during the day on Saturday prior to a night game…

“We have to go back to what we did with Nicholls the first game or Oklahoma State, go through that schedule. We don’t change anything on Friday night. Then on Saturday, we just have more of an extended walk through in the morning, which is good. There’s a benefit to it you just can’t practice as long as we can right now. We’re not out there very long, and it’s difficult to when the O-line and D-line, for the most part, the same guys playing every snap. So how much can you go full contact with those guys? You just can’t. You need, still, the mental reps for the backups and the guys that are going to be the heir apparents. So, we’ll spend a good amount of time on Saturday morning walking through, and a lot of that may be with some of the backups because they’re not getting as many snaps when you don’t practice as long.”

On how he could tell early in his tenure that K-State football was important to Dalton Schoen…

“Just watching him through winter conditioning and watching him through spring ball, the game was just pretty natural to him. He understood defenses so well. He understood how to set up a defensive back. He understood a middle-of-the-field-open and a middle-of-the-field-closed coverage. He was in sync with Skylar (Thompson) all the time. I just think the world of Dalton and what he’s done here and the type of career he’s had. He came in here with a chip on his shoulder. He’s a great example for all the walk-ons that not only that we have in this program - and some of them have already earned scholarship - but the amount of walk-ons that we’re going to continue to recruit here. You just look at him and say, ‘It’s not like you’re just going to make it your senior year.’ The kid’s had a really good career, and it’s because of the work he’s put in, the time he’s put in and the chip on his shoulder to say, ‘I know I’m not a scholarship guy. I’m going to out-work everybody and prove that I’m, not only going to be a scholarship guys, but a productive player.”

On the evolution of Dalton Schoen’s leadership during the offseason…

“He’s taken more of a vocal leadership, and I challenged him to do that. He didn’t mind doing it, but I challenged him every day, ‘Come on, you have to keep teaching these guys.’ Not about the route tree and some of those things - those are easy - but how to become a pro. How you become a great players. How you fight through when your legs are tired. How you fight through the mental strain of we’re changing this whole concept because of the coverage we’re seeing. He’s doing it still today because we’re still, sometimes, messing things up with young receivers. We’re playing a lot of young guys at the receiver position. We have to continue to have patience because those guys don’t have the amount of snaps under their belt that Dalton Schoen does. His leadership ability has been tested this year, and I think he’s come through really well.”

On wide receiver Phillip Brooks…

“Phillip’s always an explosive kid, but we’ve been battling some leg issues with Phillip all year long. Some weeks he’s closer to 100% than he is others. I think we had to sit him one game because he just couldn’t go, or if he did it was very limited. He’s getting better of understanding what we’re doing. The problem is Phillip needs a bunch of reps because he just hasn’t had them much because he was a return guy last year and early coming into the season. The more he learned the game at receiver, the more reps he’s gotten. When you’re limited because of some nagging injuries in your legs, you just can't run the route all the time. The best is still to come for Phillip. I still hope it’s in the next three games we have, but I’m also excited for his future.”

On the consistency of place kicker Blake Lynch…

“He’s just had a phenomenal year and he’s just a really consistent guy. He wants to be perfect in his craft. That’s what I appreciate about Blake. Everyday he’s out there with his same routine. As a kicker, it’s about your routine, and he’s locked into his routine. You have to give credit to Randen Plattner, the long snapper, as well as Devin (Anctil) holding because we’ve been really good in those two areas. We’ve been solid there.”

SKYLAR THOMPSON, JUNIOR QUARTERBACK

On what he remembers about the game at Texas Tech in 2017…

“I think it was a true defining moment for me and my career here at K-State. It was the second game I played in. I came in and we were down 11 in the fourth quarter and came back, scored a two-point conversion to tie it and then won in overtime. That was one of my favorite memories that I have had here at K-State just in the fact that how it all played out and ended up getting a win on the road. That was probably one of my favorite memories at K-State, even though it was one of my first ones.”

On Texas Tech’s defense…

“I think every week is a really good opportunity for us. We have gotten better at making a lot of improvement in the passing game the past couple of weeks. I’ve hit my career high two weeks in a row, and we have left more out on the field. It’s definitely going to be a big challenge for us. I think they are really good on defense. They have some good athletes and have some schemes that are pretty good and unique in a way. So, it’s going to be a good challenge for us to come out and attack and play with confidence and bounce back from last week and take care of the football. I need to get back to that’s what keeps us in ball games is taking care of the football and moving the chains. So we got to stick to the foundation of our offense and just trust our coaches and trust one another when we go out there and play.”

DENZEL GOOLSBY, SENIOR DEFENSIVE BACK

On his pregame routine…

“I think there can be a tendency to get too jacked up before a game. Sometimes I’ll purposely turn on country music or something like that to listen to out on the field just so I am not so amped up that I can’t really focus on my assignments when it is time to go on the field. So, I think that’s important.”

On the difference of bouncing back with this team compared to last year…

“I think the messages with Coach Snyder and now still is finish hard and one game doesn’t determine what the next week will be. It’s the Big 12, so I think people can look at the Big 12 and say, ‘Oh, West Virginia, their schedule is bad, or, ‘Their record is bad and K-State shouldn’t have lost to them.’ At the end of the day, every team is talented. KU beat a team like Texas Tech, and Texas Tech beat West Virginia, and West Virginia plays Baylor close, who was undefeated until last week. Everyone is talented. At the end of the day, everyone is talented. It’s a good league and you have to take everyone seriously. No week determines what the outcome will be the next week. So for us, we lost to West Virginia, well it’s onto Texas Tech. So, we aren’t even going to listen to the outside noise and the negative things people have to say. That’s where our focus is.”

BLAKE LYNCH, JUNIOR KICKER

On his consistency this year after missing his first kick back in September…

“I think the first kick actually helped me. It allowed me to be more focused and not take it for granted, honestly. It’s a weird way to look at it because I obviously wish I would have made that one, but I think it’s helped out.”

On the team’s mentality…

“I think it’s the same thing after every game. We have the 24 hour rule, and no matter what happens, we think about it for 24 hours then we forget about it after that and just moved on. That’s kind of what we have been doing all season. I think it’s helped the guys focus on the future and not worry about the past.”

On what his range is right now…

“I would say 50 and in is my specialty. I’m not really a power kicker, but I can kick farther. I hit a 63 yarder before the game, but there was quite a bit of wind, but I would say probably 50 and in is where I’m comfortable.”

TREY DISHON, SENIOR DEFENSIVE LINEMAN

On the message yesterday…

“We have to attack better on a daily basis during the week. Guys figured out last week that Monday through Saturday, we didn’t attack well and we didn’t play well.”

On Texas Tech’s offense…

“We are preparing. We are already on top of it. We started yesterday with the hurry up, and I think our defense is ready for the challenge. We haven’t played a lot of fast-paced offenses like we have in the past in the Big 12. We are going to be ready for it.”

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