K-State Football Weekly Press Conference Quotes
Head Coach Bill Snyder
On reflecting on loss to West Virginia…
“I think the statistics can probably tell the story. We turned the ball over twice and both turnovers were extremely costly in terms of points. We got penalized in manners that were very costly and kept us out of scoring position. We were unable to score in the red zone, or once you get the ball into scoring position, having the capacity to get something other than field goals. In the first quarter, we had four possessions that started inside the 50-yard line and got a total of six points out of it with two field goals. Those things were obviously issues for us. Big plays in the ballgame, defensively, had an impact. I think three of the four touchdowns they scored, they had possession time for a minute and 10 seconds, so they got 21 points in a minute and 10 seconds. That comes from substantial plays or big plays – two one-play drives and one four-play drive. So, it was a combination of things. Taking nothing away from West Virginia – they are a very fine football team and they have proven that throughout the course of the year – but it was a ballgame that we gave away.”
On the team’s response to Oklahoma State being favored by a large margin…
“I think that remains to be seen. I certainly have confidence and faith in them that they will battle and take it personally. I think they will get invested and try to become a better football team and certainly to go down there and compete. I think about the last two ballgames we played against Oklahoma State and both of them went right down to the last drive. We had the lead in both ballgames, lost the lead then had the opportunity to go back and win the game late and we didn’t do it. That was very similar to last week, which we lost also. In the Texas Tech game, the same thing took place. We played well enough to prove we were capable of doing it. Now it’s just a matter of doing it consistently, which we haven’t shown consistency in very many areas during the course of the season.”
On red zone defense…
“When we do so, I am certainly proud of our young guys for having the capacity to do that. I think the capacity is there, it is just the matter of when we do it and when we don’t do it. Obviously at the end of the day, the most significant statistic is points on the board, and we have been relatively good in that respect. There are some other things – possession time and third-down conversions – which become significant for us as well. I think we still labor some, even though we had two very big turnovers in terms of interceptions, and of course the two fumbles. Three of the four plays were not routine and were excel-lent plays. D.J. Reed, for instance, had that quick throw out to the boundary, fought off a block and made the tackle, stripped the ball himself and came up with the fumble. It was a major play for us, but we have to do something with it.”
On running back Dalvin Warmack…
“He is a young guy that comes to practice every day ready to practice, and he practices well. He practices hard and deserves the opportunity to be on the field a decent amount of the time and proves his worth. He has done that before in previous ball game. In the Texas Tech ballgame, he had a couple of nice runs. He has good quickness to him. He finds daylight quite well. He has good eyes in regards to picking and choosing where he’s going to go. He has a burst to him as well. He has good speed, but he has good quickness. He can change directions well. He’s a pretty decent running back.”
On Skylar Thompson’s confidence following the West Virginia game…
“I am sure it was affected in all honesty. I think he is a strong-minded individual, and I think he will respond well when his opportunity comes. He is a young guy that I think wanted to accept maybe more blame for the loss than he deserves. There were some things that he did not do well, but there were a lot of things that he had a help with. To the naked eye, it might seem to be his mistake, but that wasn’t necessarily the case. It was collectively a team effort when you get down to it.”
On considering D.J. Reed taking reps with the offense…
“It runs through my mind virtually every day. I love his suddenness, etc. He has so much on his plate right now and we’re struggling against the pass. I do not want to put him in between a rock and a hard place in that respect in terms of snaps on the field, but yes, a lot of thought has gone into it.”
On Oklahoma State quarterback Mason Rudolph and the attributes he possesses…
“I think he has several. Number one, I am always impressed by how well young guys can work within a system that they have and be able to a have command of the system. Whether that is passing game or running game changing plays etc., and providing leadership. I think he does all of those things quite well. He gets the ball out of his hands very rapidly. He has a quick release and is a very accurate thrower on most of the throws that he makes. He has good feet. He is a guy that will not get in a hurry in the pocket. They are a pretty good offensive line, vastly improved from last year. They protect him quite well and he manages to negotiate the pocket quite well and buys up an awful lot of time. I read he leads the nation in big-play throws, I think he has 36 passes of 30 yards or more, which is pretty substantial. He is able to get the ball down field as well throwing the short things. They like the short throws as well. They are a big slant team and they throw the attachments outside. He’s got some help, he’s got some guys that can run. (James) Washington is the leader in the nation in regards to big plays. He’s gotten a lot of those long-throw big plays. There are a couple of them that are very effective and productive receivers. Iowa State held him (Washington) to one catch. They did a nice job on him, but some other guys picked up the slack and, consequently, they threw the ball quiet well.”
Junior Offensive Lineman Dalton Risner
On the “us against the world” mentality this week…
“I love that we are large underdogs. I would much rather be a large underdog than be expected to win the game. A great team – and what a great opportunity to go out and beat a team that is supposed to beat us. Regardless of what everyone else thinks, since when has Kansas State needed other people to believe they are going to win a game to win football games? I do not think we ever have. I think it is a really great opportunity and not just because we are large underdogs. If we were expected to be three-point underdogs it would still be a great opportunity. I am just excited for Saturday and excited to get things going.”
On the struggle to score early on the road…
“I do not think it has to do with being on the road or being at home. I think that we have kind of struggled scoring touchdowns all season. That is something that we just have to correct. We will have a couple big plays and we will stall out at the 30-yard line. West Virginia is a really good example. We got the best field position out of any game I have been a part of at Kansas State, but we just could not capitalize. It is obviously a huge issue for the offense. I hate just sitting around and talking about it because that is not going to do anything. It is something that we have to correct in practice and it is something that we have to correct in the game. That is probably among the major issue with our whole offense – not finishing drives.”
Redshirt Freshman Quarterback Skylar Thompson
On his first career start…
“It was fun. Obviously it did not go like I wanted it to, but I got an opportunity of a lifetime. That is something I dreamed of since I was a little kid. I played a tough team; schematically it was pretty tough on a quarterback. I learned a lot from it, and I made some mistakes. I can only improve from here. It was a humbling experience.”
On the defensive looks from West Virginia…
“They dropped eight into coverage a lot of times. That made it hard to see things that were open. It was definitely a defense I never saw before in my life. It is a process that I have to take day by day. That is a defense I will see the next three years. To get one game under my belt right now is a great learning experience for me.”
On starting rather than coming off the bench…
“It was a little different lying in my bed Friday night knowing that I was going to take the first snap rather than not knowing when I will get my opportunity. I did not approach it any different. It was a lot different playing four quarters compared to one or two quarters. I felt a little bit different on Sunday compared to how I did playing one or two quarters against KU and Texas Tech.”
Senior Punter Nick Walsh
On the challenge of playing Oklahoma State on the road this week…
“It is going to be a challenge for sure, but it is the last away game for a lot of these seniors, unless we go to a bowl game, which we obviously want to and have a good feeling that we are going to. It is a fun place to play and a hard place to play – you cannot ask for much more going in and playing a good team like that. That is every kid’s dream – to be on that big of a stage and knock off one of those teams that are ranked high.”
On people counting them out on Saturday…
“Crazier things have happened. I do not think it is crazy for us to go in there and win. We have the talent, we have the coaches and we have the product to do so. There has been some crazy things that have happened in some games, and I do not think it is any stretch for us to go in there, put up a good fight and come out with the win.”
On the team’s morale right now sitting at 5-5…
“As far as overall attitude, it is obviously not as high as if we were undefeated and staring down a Big 12 Championship. As far as effort and fight, though, it is as high as it would have been if we were undefeated. It is important to this whole team to put us out on a high note. We are doing all we can, and everybody is trying to do their job. We are just trying to finish this season as strong as we can.”
Senior Defensive Back Brogan Barry
On moving on from the loss to West Virginia…
“It definitely hurts, but at the end of the day everyone on this team still wants to go to a bowl game. That is obviously a huge motivating factor. It is one of those things where as much as it hurts, you have to learn from it and put it behind you. Then go back to the grind, one day at a time, and try to keep getting better.”
On the fight of the team…
“I think it speaks to the spirit of this team. We have a bunch of guys who are never going to give up, never going to fold, never going to quit, and it really is inspiring when you see guys playing so hard. At the end of the day, you hope that if you keep working hard it will be rewarded with some bounces and luck going our way with a result in our favor.”
On the threat of Oklahoma State quarterback Mason Rudolph…
“He is extremely tough, but in addition to that he has a lot of weapons around him. Everyone has to be on their game and ready for their assignments. Their running game really helps out their pass element. It is going to be a big test, but I think everyone is up for it and ready to go to work.”
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RYAN LACKEY
Asst. Director/Athletics Communications | K-State Athletics