Watch Collin Klein’s Press Conference | Watch Joe Klanderman’s Press Conference | Listen on Wildcats Uncut
MANHATTAN, Kan. – Kansas State offensive coordinator Collin Klein and defensive coordinator Joe Klanderman met with members of the media on Thursday at the Vanier Family Football Complex prior to the 19th-ranked Wildcats traveling to take on Baylor in Waco, Texas on Saturday. Links to video and audio of both press conferences are above, and a transcript of select quotes are below.
COLLIN KLEIN, OFFENSIVE COORDINATOR
On the decision to start Adrian Martinez against Texas…
“Both had had good weeks of practice. He (Adrian Martinez) was able to have a full week of practice, and he was chomping at the bit to go. We were able to sit down toward the end of the week and thought that that was how it was going to go. I was glad he was able to play and get out there and compete again. I was proud of him.”
On Adrian Martinez’s performance…
“I thought he played well. He really made some big-time plays in the pass game and was able to extend some plays in and around the pocket that were big time for us, and that kept us alive. I thought he was getting in a little more of a rhythm as the game went on. That was a good thing, knocking off what ended up almost being four weeks of getting back into the flow of things. I thought he did a great job and competed his butt off. We just came up a little short.”
On the key to success in the running game…
“Well, I think it starts up front. Those guys have battled. We’ve made progress in a lot of areas, and then we’ve got a couple really dynamic ball carriers. Tight ends and the big skill have done a great job with giving us some angles and different things we can do, and receivers finishing it off on the edges. So, it’s been a group effort. It’s been a collective effort and multiple ball carriers and multiple situations and packages that have gone with it. Proud of all of our guys and how they’ve attacked that part of the game.”
On the importance of limiting turnovers against Baylor…
“You play good teams and you play close ballgames, it’s going to be the difference. Obviously, they’ve been able to get those and make those plays. They do a great job in a lot of their coverages and things to have a lot of man principles in it. They do a good job of playing tight coverage. Then they got some brackets and some robbers and things that are lurking, so if a tight man coverage ball gets tipped, there’s people around and they’ve been able to bring it down. So, it’s going to be a great challenge for us.”
On what he learned from the final two drives against Texas…
“The first one you’re down two scores with three timeouts, you’ve got to make sure that you don’t spin yourself out and you make sure that we’re being careful. We’ve got to get something. You’ve got to make sure you get points one way or another on that first one. Then on that second one, our guys were working hard and had to make some conversions, but just short on a couple plays and just didn’t make them. I thought our guys did a nice job of fighting through it and pushing through.”
JOE KLANDERMAN, DEFENSIVE COORDINATOR
On what makes Baylor such an effective offense…
“I just think they really believe in what they’re doing and they’re doing it. They’ve got good personnel, but I think they just are committed to what they’re doing. I think one of the things that makes them the most challenging to play is not a great big down-and-distance tendency team. You’re going to get as many runs on 3rd and 8 as you’re going get on 1st and 10. It’s hard to sit on things. Sometimes they treat 3rd down and 1 like it’s 2nd down and 1, and you’re going to get some shot plays. It makes it really difficult for you to be in exactly what you want to be in defensively. So, you’re going to have to be able to move the targets around a little bit on them.”
On the Baylor offensive line…
“Yeah, I think that they’re finally healthy there now too. I know they had a few weeks where they weren’t all whole on the O-line. I think they’ve got a really veteran crew when you look at those guys. I think three of them are graduate guys that are back for a sixth year, and they’ve got another senior on top of that. So, it’s just extremely experienced group of guys that plays well together.”
On Blake Shapen’s growth since they’ve last faced him…
“We were pretty excited when he came into the game last year and then that dissipated fast. He throws the ball really well. I think it’s kind of a challenging deal when you’re not the guy as he was a year ago, even though I thought last year toward the end of the year that he had some success too after our game. I just think he’s a tremendously athletic guy. I think he probably throws the ball better than what they were able to throw it last year. I think they throw it more with him too as far as dropback game. He seems to have a very good command of what it is. I think going into the offseason, knowing that you’re the heir apparent or the guy, which obviously was the case with the transfer situation or whatever that happened there. I think that gave him a little bit more ownership on the offense and I think that shows every Saturday.”
On how Julius Brents handled the targeting ejection…
“Yeah, that was really tough. I thought he handled it fine. Initially, for about 15 minutes there he was a little miffed. It definitely took some wind out of our sails, at least initially. I thought our guys did a pretty good job of not letting it affect them long term. I thought it was kind of an initial shock there for the first series, like damn, it’s the fourth play of the game. Those things happen. I don’t think it was malicious. I don’t think it was the wrong call, for the record. I can see how they’d call it and keep it. It certainly wasn’t anything that he was trying to do. Those things happen. Just the fact that it happened on the fourth play of the game was the worst part about it.”
On the run defense struggles…
“I think this program is getting the point now where those games are going to be more and more frequent, those big-time games that you know that you have to have to win a Big 12 Championship. I think our guys see where we’re short. We can’t tackle the way that we tackled. I’m not putting any the blame on the players. I take full responsibility for everything that happened there. We’ve got to put them in better positions to make plays. We’ve got to make as many plays as they do. The fact of the matter is some of their guys made some really good plays. I thought the backs in particular, and we didn’t. It was uncharacteristic of us.”
