MANHATTAN, Kan. – Kansas State head coach Bill Snyder and select players met with members of the media Tuesday at the Vanier Family Football Complex prior to K-State’s Fort Riley Day game against West Virginia on Saturday. The contest against the Mountaineers kicks off a 2:30 p.m., and will be shown nationally on ESPN2. Selected comments from Snyder’s press conference (archived here) are posted below, along with a collection of comments from players.
Only scattered singles and standing-room only seating options remain for the game. Scattered singles are priced at $35 and can be purchased by clicking here. Standing-room only tickets are on sale for $65 and are available by clicking here, while a $149 Wildcat 4 Pack is available by clicking here.
K-State Football Weekly Press Conference Quotes
Head Coach Bill Snyder
On what he would say if told Skylar Thompson would be taking significant snaps late in the season…
“I wouldn’t say it would have surprised me to say he was capable of doing that, that’s not a surprise. We have had an understanding of what he’s capable of. He’s grown beyond some expectations, perhaps that is probably fair to say. I think he has played very consistently, knock on wood, with the opportunities he has had. I’m very pleased with him.”
On team’s mindset coming off big win…
“I think the spirit is there. What I am hoping for is the other word that you used, that we have a good deal of focus and they don’t lose sight of that. That’s the most significant thing for me.”
On the importance of fixing inconsistencies in the third quarter…
“It is vital. We have always stressed emphasis on trying to be good in the first five minutes of the third quarter. In other words, coming out of the locker room and being able to maintain a level of consistency and success. We have probably ended up, not always, but the vast majority of the time on the receiving end of the football, which means we’ve been fortunate to win more (coin) tosses. It still eats up some time when you talk about the number of plays and the yardage goes right along with it, but teams have made good adjustments at halftime. They come out and we have some difficulty getting them off the field. Consequently, we do not get as many snaps offensively. But, like last week, we came out and went three and out, which gives them two successive opportunities for drives. If they hold the ball a decent amount of time, then you are well through the third quarter. At a point in time, we had only three snaps in the third quarter well into the third quarter of the ballgame. Both sides have to play better, it’s that simple, as well as make better adjustments for whatever their adjustments are. That’s kind of a feeling-out peri-od.”
On the defensive play against Texas Tech…
“I think the defensive effort was good. I do not like to give up 405 (passing) yards, but big plays were a part of it. It is matchups just as much as anything. I think one of the big things – which a statistical thing, which doesn’t always lend itself to win ballgames – there was an awful lot of yardage eaten up from their 25 to our 25, which is concerning because they converted third-down snaps. In several instances, we did a good enough job in terms of holding them out of the end zone. The problem is it keeps our offense off the field for an extended amount of time and it alters the field position dramatically as well. From a defensive standpoint, big plays were a part of it, but every scoring drive they had was a 75-yard scoring drive, which all came after the offense scored. We have to do a better job of getting the brakes put on on third down.”
On the differences of spread offenses between West Virginia and Texas Tech…
“I do not think there is a great deal of significant difference from West Virginia and Texas Tech. I think they are very similar in what they do. Dana (Holgorsen) is a very bright young coach, as I believe Kliff (Kingsbury) is. Both of them have come from that throwing background where they put the football in the air an awful lot. Both of them are engrained in trying to have balance in their offense. Both of them have done that and had success doing it. It just makes it a little more difficult for a defense. I think the teams in our conference, when you look at the statistics, yes everyone is throwing the ball and throwing it well. You look at the guy we are going to face this week, (Will) Grier, I think he’s like sixth or seventh in the nation in throwing the football, yet he is fourth in the conference. So, yes, the Big 12 is throwing the ball all over the place but is bringing the running game into it. So, they put you in a position where you have to defend both the run and the pass, which may make you a little less efficient against the pass.”
On where he views K-State’s offensive balance…
“It is not where I would like it to be at all. In some categories we have gotten a little bit closer, even though our completion percentage is not near what we are accustomed to. Yet, in the last couple of ball-games, that has elevated a little bit. We have not thrown for as many yards, but then again, we have not put the passing game out there with the number of snaps we want to have. We’re not having the invest-ment in it that we want to have. That’s not coming from being negligent, it just comes from what the need happens to be what we are capable of doing.”
On how the quarterback situation has altered the offense…
“It is not that there is a dramatic difference between the three, but yes it does have an impact on what we can do and how we can do it as much as anything. In some ways, somebody can look and say you have to run it more because so and so cannot throw very well or whatever the case may be. It is not that, it is just who has a higher degree of capacity in certain areas of execution.”
Sophomore Wide Receiver Dalton Schoen
On Saturday’s win…
“That was just a huge win for our team. To come together like that in the fourth (quarter), being down, getting into overtime, and getting the win builds a lot of momentum and energy from the team.”
On the play of quarterback Skylar Thompson…
“We knew he was going to come in and play great. You saw when he came in against KU. He came in and showed some pretty good poise and worked well with the offense.”
On the upcoming games…
“It is all about us and how we prepare and execute. I am a firm believer of if we play to our full capabilities, we can beat anyone on our schedule. That goes back to playing to our capabilities and playing a full game. We need to play all four quarters and all three phases of the game, which we have not done yet this season. If we can do that, than we can be something pretty special and beat whoever we have in front of us.”
On the offense…
“We are doing a good job of working the balance. The pass and running game have to complement each other. When we get too run heavy, we are predictable, and teams can stack the box. We are working toward the point where we are mixing it up well and making it hard for the defenses to predict what we are doing.”
Senior Place Kicker Matthew McCrane
On evaluating his career and being compared to Martin Gramatica…
“I hate that I missed the kicks that I did and I wish I could have made it a couple more seasons fully healthy. It is exciting and cool to think about, especially to be on a pedestal with somebody like Martin (Gramatica).”
On momentum of the team…
“We want to win every one. Skylar (Thompson) did a phenomenal job coming in for us, and I think Alex (Delton) did a good job throughout the game. Skylar showed exceptional leadership, and I think you saw the video from the locker room with Dalton (Risner). That is something we needed and something that those guys gave us. We are one step closer to being bowl eligible and that is our goal.”
On getting a break with Texas Tech’s missed field goal…
“We had some momentum going right after that kick when he did miss it. The wind was horrible, especially on that end. I feel for him for sure; I have been in that situation in the past and when he missed the kick, I think we all knew we had a chance to come back and win it.”
On the team’s energy carrying over into this week…
“I was talking to Dalton (Risner) in the locker room yesterday. Once we got this win, it finally feels like we are back on the climb again. With the losses previously in the season, it was a letdown for our expectations. I was talking with Dalton and we are excited as a team. I think we played well ultimately, probably not the best that we could have, but I think we did enough for a win. We need to go get another win and that is what we want to do.”
d quarter…
“It is vital. We have always stressed emphasis on trying to be good in the first five minutes of the third quarter. In other words, coming out of the locker room and being able to maintain a level of consistency and success. We have probably ended up, not always, but the vast majority of the time on the receiving end of the football, which means we’ve been fortunate to win more (coin) tosses. It still eats up some time when you talk about the number of plays and the yardage goes right along with it, but teams have made good adjustments at halftime. They come out and we have some difficulty getting them off the field. Consequently, we do not get as many snaps offensively. But, like last week, we came out and went three and out, which gives them two successive opportunities for drives. If they hold the ball a decent amount of time, then you are well through the third quarter. At a point in time, we had only three snaps in the third quarter well into the third quarter of the ballgame. Both sides have to play better, it’s that simple, as well as make better adjustments for whatever their adjustments are. That’s kind of a feeling-out peri-od.”
On the defensive play against Texas Tech…
“I think the defensive effort was good. I do not like to give up 405 (passing) yards, but big plays were a part of it. It is matchups just as much as anything. I think one of the big things – which a statistical thing, which doesn’t always lend itself to win ballgames – there was an awful lot of yardage eaten up from their 25 to our 25, which is concerning because they converted third-down snaps. In several instances, we did a good enough job in terms of holding them out of the end zone. The problem is it keeps our offense off the field for an extended amount of time and it alters the field position dramatically as well. From a defensive standpoint, big plays were a part of it, but every scoring drive they had was a 75-yard scoring drive, which all came after the offense scored. We have to do a better job of getting the brakes put on on third down.”
On the differences of spread offenses between West Virginia and Texas Tech…
“I do not think there is a great deal of significant difference from West Virginia and Texas Tech. I think they are very similar in what they do. Dana (Holgorsen) is a very bright young coach, as I believe Kliff (Kingsbury) is. Both of them have come from that throwing background where they put the football in the air an awful lot. Both of them are engrained in trying to have balance in their offense. Both of them have done that and had success doing it. It just makes it a little more difficult for a defense. I think the teams in our conference, when you look at the statistics, yes everyone is throwing the ball and throwing it well. You look at the guy we are going to face this week, (Will) Grier, I think he’s like sixth or seventh in the nation in throwing the football, yet he is fourth in the conference. So, yes, the Big 12 is throwing the ball all over the place but is bringing the running game into it. So, they put you in a position where you have to defend both the run and the pass, which may make you a little less efficient against the pass.”
On where he views K-State’s offensive balance…
“It is not where I would like it to be at all. In some categories we have gotten a little bit closer, even though our completion percentage is not near what we are accustomed to. Yet, in the last couple of ball-games, that has elevated a little bit. We have not thrown for as many yards, but then again, we have not put the passing game out there with the number of snaps we want to have. We’re not having the invest-ment in it that we want to have. That’s not coming from being negligent, it just comes from what the need happens to be what we are capable of doing.”
On how the quarterback situation has altered the offense…
“It is not that there is a dramatic difference between the three, but yes it does have an impact on what we can do and how we can do it as much as anything. In some ways, somebody can look and say you have to run it more because so and so cannot throw very well or whatever the case may be. It is not that, it is just who has a higher degree of capacity in certain areas of execution.”
Sophomore Wide Receiver Dalton Schoen
On Saturday’s win…
“That was just a huge win for our team. To come together like that in the fourth (quarter), being down, getting into overtime, and getting the win builds a lot of momentum and energy from the team.”
On the play of quarterback Skylar Thompson…
“We knew he was going to come in and play great. You saw when he came in against KU. He came in and showed some pretty good poise and worked well with the offense.”
On the upcoming games…
“It is all about us and how we prepare and execute. I am a firm believer of if we play to our full capabilities, we can beat anyone on our schedule. That goes back to playing to our capabilities and playing a full game. We need to play all four quarters and all three phases of the game, which we have not done yet this season. If we can do that, than we can be something pretty special and beat whoever we have in front of us.”
On the offense…
“We are doing a good job of working the balance. The pass and running game have to complement each other. When we get too run heavy, we are predictable, and teams can stack the box. We are working toward the point where we are mixing it up well and making it hard for the defenses to predict what we are doing.”
Senior Place Kicker Matthew McCrane
On evaluating his career and being compared to Martin Gramatica…
“I hate that I missed the kicks that I did and I wish I could have made it a couple more seasons fully healthy. It is exciting and cool to think about, especially to be on a pedestal with somebody like Martin (Gramatica).”
On momentum of the team…
“We want to win every one. Skylar (Thompson) did a phenomenal job coming in for us, and I think Alex (Delton) did a good job throughout the game. Skylar showed exceptional leadership, and I think you saw the video from the locker room with Dalton (Risner). That is something we needed and something that those guys gave us. We are one step closer to being bowl eligible and that is our goal.”
On getting a break with Texas Tech’s missed field goal…
“We had some momentum going right after that kick when he did miss it. The wind was horrible, especially on that end. I feel for him for sure; I have been in that situation in the past and when he missed the kick, I think we all knew we had a chance to come back and win it.”
On the team’s energy carrying over into this week…
“I was talking to Dalton (Risner) in the locker room yesterday. Once we got this win, it finally feels like we are back on the climb again. With the losses previously in the season, it was a letdown for our expectations. I was talking with Dalton and we are excited as a team. I think we played well ultimately, probably not the best that we could have, but I think we did enough for a win. We need to go get another win and that is what we want to do.”