MANHATTAN, Kan. ā Kansas State head coach Chris Klieman and a pair of freshmen in Deuce Vaughn and Will Howard met with members of the media via Zoom on Tuesday as the Wildcats are in the midst of their final bye week of the season. A complete transcript of Kliemanās press conference ā which was also streamed live on Big 12 Now on ESPN+ ā and players are posted below. Kansas State is back in action next Saturday, November 21, when the Wildcats travel to face Iowa State. The game inside Jack Trice Stadium in Ames, Iowa, kicks off at 3 p.m. and will be shown on FOX.
Watch: Chris Klieman | Deuce Vaughn | Will Howard
Listen: Wildcats Uncut
CHRIS KLIEMAN, HEAD COACH
Opening Statement...
āGood afternoon everybody. Itās kind of strange to have an open week in the middle of November, but we have that. Weāre going to try to get some work done as best as we can with some of our younger guys, although we had a big COVID outbreak last week with our younger guys and our numbers continue to go up in that respect. Weāre down upwards of 20 guys right now ā mostly in the young guys ā so we have to be really creative with what we do this week. We have a few young guys who have already had it. If they havent had it, theyāre probably either in quarantine or isolation, so weāll practice some Iowa State stuff with our older guys, but weāre going to have to go against each other to do that because we arenāt going to have any scouts this week due to COVID. Itās just an interesting week of trying to get better with our young players and the kids who are still around as well as keep moving the team forward with respect to game planning some of Iowa State. We probably wonāt be out at practice as long just because of a lack of numbers. We have plenty of things to work on for us in all three phases. I was pleased with our growth on Saturday, in the same respect disappointed because we need to win those close games and had opportunities. Weāll push forward to continue to try to find ways to win those games.ā
On keeping defenses guessing against running back Deuce Vaughn...
āWe wish he could have 200 yards each game. We probably have to do a better job of finding more creative ways to get him the football. We had some things designed for him, and I thought Oklahoma State did a really good job of taking those things away. When that happens, we have to create some things on the run to say, āHey, this is how theyāre playing, so we have to move him to this spot.ā Heās capable, mentally, to do all of that stuff. We talked about it as a staff on Sunday. He had a number of carries, but we need to get him the ball in space a little bit more. Itās going to be a conscious effort for us to try to find different ways to get it to him in space and get him a mismatch.ā
On Will Howardās performance against Oklahoma State...
āI liked the fact that he ran the ball exceptionally well. I like the fact that, after the turnover that resulted in a touchdown, he came back and led us down for a touchdown scoring drive, so those things are a positive. He continues to improve, but we have to take care of the football. He knows that. We cannot have turnovers in how weāre going to play games when in one-possession games and tight ball games in the fourth quarter. We have to do all we can to protect the football because it gives us the best opportunity to be successful.ā
On the long pass play to tight end Sammy Wheeler...
āWe were able to run the football well, so it set up our bootleg game. Actually, there was a play we threw to Jax (Dineen) in the first half where Jax got pushed out of bounds and Sammy was open on the same play. I think we kind of put it in our memory bank to say that we need to go back to that. We came back to it at the right time. We anticipated Sammy being open. Iowa State did the same thing to Oklahoma State in a game they had at Oklahoma State, so it was a variation of that. We were able to catch them on the over route for a big play. It was a good job. We probably couldāve even come back to it a little bit more often.ā
On Will Howard running the ball with a quarterback already being out...
āWe have to do what we have to do. I thought Oklahoma State was really good with taking away our outside run game. Some of our perimeter stretch run or jet run, whether it was with Deuce (Vaughn), Harry (Trotter) or a wide receiver, they were running really well sideline to sideline. In doing that, I thought it left some pockets inside where the quarterback could fake it and run essentially in the A or B gap. We have to do that. Weāre continuing to manufacture different ways to move the ball offensively. I was really pleased with how we played up front. We were better up front. For us, we have to be an 11-man offense. We canāt just say 10-man offense and the quarterback isnāt a part of it. He has to be a part of it for us to be successful. Thatās how it was when Skylar (Thompson) was playing. Iām pleased with where weāre at in that respect, and I do think that Nick Ast could give us that ability to do that too, and so could Jaren Lewis.ā
On if Will Howardās running ability was expected...
āNot this early. I still thought weād see No. 10 (Skylar Thompson) out there spinning it around his whole senior season, so we knew he was a good athlete. Dating back to the Texas Tech and TCU games, heās getting stronger, and you can tell that heās put on a bit of weight and strength. Heās probably in better shape, and that just takes time. Iām excited because he is a threat to run the football.ā
On Sammy Wheelerās injury status...
āSammy, unfortunately, fractured his clavicle on that long play, so unfortunately his season is cut short again. I feel awful for him because he was doing some really good things. Unfortunately for Sammy, he just hasnāt been able to stay healthy, and itās an awful thing because heās playing well. Weāre already down Briley (Moore), so there wonāt be a whole lot of tight ends out there this week.ā
On young players being in quarantine...
āWe just keep preaching it as much as we can. Itās not something that goes unsaid on a weekly and daily basis. Whether itās our trainers, our strength and conditioning staff, us as coaches in position meetings or after practice. I remember saying it last week, āGuys, this is getting hotter and hotter.ā COVID is spiking everywhere. Our campus has a bunch, and I think itās more of the kids in general, student-athletes on campus living in residence halls that are spiking so much because itās not, knock on wood, as much our kids in apartments off campus because those kids donāt come to campus very much. Theyāre just coming to the facility and back home. Itās unfortunate that itās a lot of young people, freshmen, and my daughter is a freshman, so Iām petrified everyday and calling her to make sure sheās taking care of herself. She hasnāt had it, but itās just kind of where weāre at and itās not just at Kansas State. You look across the landscape of colleges, we knew there would be a spike like this, and, unfortunately, itās getting the best of us at K-State.ā
On gaining confidence even after the loss to Oklahoma State...
āOur guys know they belong. We talk about that, but we have to finish. We finished in a Texas Tech game. We finished in a TCU game. We finished in an Oklahoma game. We didnāt get it done this week against Oklahoma State in a game where I kind of feel like we let them off the hook. We had an opportunity to win, and give Mike (Gundy) and his crew credit. They found ways to win, and thatās what good football teams do. I believe weāre a good football team that, in due time, is going to come on the winning end of those type of games. We didnāt this week, and you have to learn from it. You canāt dwell on it, thatās the thing. I donāt want guys walking around here on eggshells thinking, āOh boy, we didnāt get a win and coaches are mad.ā Weāre getting better, and you have to move forward. You canāt dwell on things and take steps backwards. We have to continue to move forward.ā
On talking with coaches at other programs about how to handle the COVID situation...
āYou share some with some of your closest people in the profession, but I donāt think thereās a template or that anybody has a manual that says this is how you do it. We knew this was going to be an unbelievable challenge. I donāt think the outside world ā unless youāre in our facility everyday ā knows how hard this is and how difficult the time is for these 18-22 year olds and us as coaches. We had a plan laid out 10 days ago, 15 days ago that I had with some of our staff and support staff on how we were going to attack this week on Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday with these young players so that it could catapult us into: Here is where we need to spend the remaining scholarships in 2021. Here is what we need to look for from a walk-on standpoint, whatever it may be because we need to get an evaluation on X amounts of guys, and this is the last open week we have. Now thatās thrown away. That template is gone because there are a lot of kids we need an evaluation on that are sitting in their dorms in isolation. Itās unfortunate, but itās also reality and the new normal. Weāre going back to the drawing board to say what can we get done this week so we can still prepare for Iowa State but still push the program forward for the kids who have had COVID that are young players that donāt have to deal with the contact tracing and are still practicing. Thereās a fine line for that. We donāt have enough tight ends. We donāt have enough defensive linemen. We donāt have enough running backs. We donāt have enough safeties. How do we construct a drill or a practice so that we can get a great evaluation of these young kids?ā
On the run game and offensive line against Oklahoma State...
āGive Coach (Conor) Riley credit and give those players credit. They won the line of scrimmage and did much better. We need to continue to improve. We canāt just say itās there now. It doesnāt happen at any position, so we have to continue to improve and work on the things that we struggled with, whether itās staying on double teams or just falling off a block late. Thatās what happened on Willās fumble. We fell off a block late, and a defensive lineman does a great job, gets off the block late and strips the ball from Will, or we have a one on one tackle with Will and maybe itās a fourth and one and we have to make a decision or we get a first down. We fall off a block late and he strips the football. Give them credit, but we are continuing to try to get better everyday. Our offensive line this week needs to continue to go against our defensive line because I think our defensive line is as good as there is in the Big 12. I really believe that collectively, and they make our offensive line better.ā
On the upcoming signing day...
āIt does heat up, but itās not like theyāre coming on campus and itās not like weāre going out and seeing them. Thatās the difference. You have an open date this late, weād be all over the place going to playoff games and visiting community colleges, whatever it may be. None of that stuff is happening. So, itās us continuing to stay on phone calls and texts with guys. It is coming up fast, and we still have a lot of work to do. Weāre spending a lot of time with our staff evaluating some players that maybe have three high school games on film, some that have a full season on film. Itās unfortunate the states that still arenāt playing because we donāt really have an evaluation on those guys except their junior film.ā
On how active K-State will be in the transfer market...
āWeāll probably evaluate that a little bit more in December. Weāre never going to shut it down totally. I donāt want to have a bunch because we are still a developmental program. Iām trying to build this thing so that, in the future, weāre competitive year in and year out at a high level, and I donāt want to do a quick fix. But in the same respect, that was part of this week to see how far some of these kids were to see if we need to go get another player at X position or Y position.ā
On if Deuce Vaughn has a chip on his shoulder...
āMentally, he was so sharp during our early time with him in terms of learning the playbook and spending the extra time. That part of it I was excited about because the game was going to slow down for him from a mental standpoint because he just gets the game, and he studies the game. From a physical standpoint, we saw him on film like in high school and said that this type of player can be a difference maker for us. As you went through the first few weeks of fall camp, you saw him making really good players on defense that are making plays for us right now miss in the open field or not be able to cover him or just get outrun or juked. We were like great, combine his physical skills with his mental makeup as well as the kid has an unbelievable heart. Heās a tough, tough runner. He loves the game, and sometimes we underestimate somebody who just flat loves the game, and this kid really does.ā
On the status of tight end Briley Moore...
āItās too early to tell. Maybe next week at this time weāll have a better idea. We didnāt do anything yesterday. We gave the players off other than meetings, and I donāt envision him practicing these next couple of days. Weāre probably a minimum of a week away from really having a great update on him.ā
On how to move forward at tight end without Briley Moore and Sammy Wheeler...
āMaybe you could come and play. Weāre struggling. We have Konner (Fox) and we have Nick (Lenners), and weāve got a bunch of fullbacks that weād have to move around a little bit. Thatās why there is a benefit to having an open week. We have three young freshmen that weāre really excited about that could potentially be that role, but theyāre not going to be here either for the next two weeks. Weāre not a 10 personnel, four-wide team. We have to be pretty creative on offense and hope that we get a chance to get Briley back and keep moving Konner in the right direction. We know Nick is a good player. Time will tell what we end up doing there.ā
DEUCE VAUGHN, FRESHMAN RUNNING BACK
On the attention defenses have given him as the season has progressedā¦
āA little bit more as far as brackets go. There will be some dudes following me across the formation if Iām in a motion or things like that. You get your name called out some plays whenever you may line up out wide, or youāre in the backfield you may get pointed at, youāll get, ā22, 22!ā A little bit more as the season goes along and stuff like that just start to try and adapt to that and makes sure that I do everything I can when I do get an opportunity to try and make a play that I probably made early in the season.ā
On how challenging it is now that defenses are keying on himā¦
āA little bit, a little bit harder of course. Thereās not as much space to do the things that you want to do, but whenever you get out there and they start keying you, it opens things for the other people in your offense. So, if I run the jet sweep and four guys follow and Will (Howard) has the 70-yard run, four guys came out there and he came up the middle and heās out for 70. Iāll do that all day if weāre popping big gains and other dudes are getting big gains as well. So, Iāll do that all the time. Iāll be a decoy or do whatever Iāve got to do to get them out of there.ā
On Will Howardās rushing performanceā¦
āHe ran hard, and he is long, and heās fast, and he was running really hard. Thatās all I want out of a quarterback right there is someone thatās going to put his body on the line as well. Heās not afraid to pull it, get up in there and the hard five or the time to bust the 70, heāll get out and run. Thatās just something I was like, āOK, this dude is playing for us.ā He wasnāt scared to do it either. He was taking chances, he was popping up in there, he wasnāt afraid to pull it.ā
On how the starters can get the message across to the younger players about COVIDā¦
āTough love in a sense. I feel like if Iām told something by a coach, of course Iām going to say, āOh, alright, I have do that,ā but then again, when itās your best friend or a close peer that tells you, āHey, weāre going to pull you along kicking and screaming no matter what,ā I feel like itās different that way. If Justin Hughes came up to me and was like, āHey, man get it together,ā Iām going to be like, āAlright, letās go.ā Itās things like that. Itās a respect thing I feel like. Thatās something that I can work on even though Iām the same age as one of them just saying, āHey man, thatās not what we need to be doing right now. We have a season to play, we have practice, we have all these things and we just need to be mentally ready and physically ready whenever the times comes, even though youāre young.āā
On building off the confidence gained with how they competed against Oklahoma Stateā¦
āAbsolutely. I feel like we played really hard and we played a really good team in Oklahoma State. We battled with them the entire four quarters. Thatās the thing we just have to finish whenever it comes down to it. You look around the Big 12 and you donāt see anybody winning by 28, 30 points. Itās always going to be seven to 10. So, in this conference when everybody is really good and everybody can play football, youāre going to have to grind out the four-quarter games to win those games. Thatās just one thing weāre going to have to work on is making sure that we finish because I believe we can play with any team in the Big 12 right now. We showed that on Saturday.ā
On where the offense made the most progress against Oklahoma State...
āI feel like the offensive line played really well. They were opening holes. They had a lot of dudes in the box, and thatās something I need to work on is making sure that once I make one guy miss, maybe getting my eyes up and making sure that, hey thereās probably going to be another guy up in here. They overloaded the box a whole bunch, but I feel like the o-line made huge strides in that game. They were opening up lanes, they were getting a punch. Iām just proud of those guys. Going into a bye week is big as well because now weāre going to get an extra week to prepare for Iowa State, and I feel like weāre going to come out there and play even better next game.ā
On how he has held up physically throughout the season...
āI feel pretty well. Of course you get banged up and thereās soreness and stuff like that. But just utilizing everything that we have here to make sure that my body is feeling as best as possible on Saturday, I feel like Iāve been doing that. I feel actually really good going into this last little three game home stretch.ā
On if he asks the coaches for more touchesā¦
āIām never going to be a āI need my touchesā guy, or be somebody thatās going to be, āI want the ball here, I want the ball there.ā Iām just going to be somebody thatās going to do anything possible to help the team win, and if thatās being a decoy and running jet sweeps and having Will (Howard) run for 70-yard runs up the middle, Iām going to do that every single play. Iām never going to be somebody thatās going to be like, āHey, I need 20 touches a game, I need 25, I need 100 yards every game.ā Thatās never going to be me. That never has been me, and it never will be.ā
On how he is able to avoid big hits as a smaller backā¦
āWhenever you make it, say somebody is coming on and theyāre coming from the left or the right, just kind of rolling your body to the point where if I take the impact, you donāt want to take anything on the shoulder or on your legs or your kneecaps or anything like that. Just make sure that you maneuver your body to the point where I can get hit right here and I can take it all and it will vibrate through your body almost to the point where you're not taking it all in one spot. Itās just kind of like a feel thing. As youāre moving so fast that when it happens your body, you have to take hits, take hits, take hits and before you know it youāre moving to the point where, Iām shielding, Iām shielding, Iām shielding. So, itās hard to explain it just kind of happens.ā
On if shielding against hits has been easy at the college levelā¦
āYeah I just feel like Iāve done it for so long because even in high school playing against some big kids down in Texas. So, just being able to maneuver your body whatever way you need to has become a second nature thing almost.ā
WILL HOWARD, FRESHMAN QUARTERBACK
On his quarterback runs against Oklahoma Stateā¦
āYeah, a lot of them were read plays. They were keying on Deuce (Vaughn) a lot. They were flying linebackers out of the box, so we were just reading them. It happened that I was taking the ball a lot. Our offensive line made some really good holes. Iāve found that the run game might be a little more of my game now, and it wasnāt as much in high school. I feel like Iāve gotten a little faster and feel more comfortable with it here. Itās definitely a big part of this offense, and I was glad I was able to be able to do that in the running game. It was a lot of quarterback read plays.ā
On transitioning into more of a running quarterbackā¦
āItās really not that different. At the end of the day, I just try to look at it as itās just football and itās what I have to do. Itās fun. I really like running the ball. I think itās pretty fun. Iāve enjoyed doing that a little more at this level and just trying to have fun with and continue to get better at that part of my game.ā
On what the coaches are stressing to limit the turnoversā¦
āObviously itās just ball security. You have to take care of the ball better, thereās no excuses for that. Thereās really not much to say in that respect. Itās just being smart with the football and ball security. Weāre going to continue to work on that. Just continue to make throws. Theyāve said, donāt hold back, continue to sling it but see in front of throws and just hold onto the football. I definitely need to work on that.ā
On the loss of tight end Sammy Wheelerā¦
āYeah, Sammy is a heck of a player and thatāll be a big loss for us. Best wishes to him. Iāll be trying to do what I can to help him. It definitely is a tough loss, but at this point, it is what it is. Weāve faced a lot of adversity already this year and a lot of guys have already gone down. Iām confident somebody will step up. Like I said, itās awful for Sammy and a big loss for us, but Iām confident some other guys will step up in his spot.ā
On how he has evolved since he first became the starterā¦
āYou could look at it in a bunch of different ways. In some ways itās in leaps and bounds because you are kind of thrown into the fire and you have to learn as you go. But at the same time, itās baby steps and thereās a lot of learning experiences you have to go through and a lot of tough times that you have to go through to grow in the journey that Iām on right now and that weāre on as a team. But, I feel like as weāve gone along, the game has definitely slowed down for me a little bit. I feel more comfortable every game, and I feel like the offense, weāre starting to mesh even more. Itās continuing to try and get better with them and try to be the best leader I can for these guys, obviously, because Skylar (Thompson) was a great leader and a captain on this football team. Iām trying to do my best to step in. A lot of people have told me, āDonāt be Skylar be yourself,ā but at the same time, I have to step in because those are big shoes to fill. Skylar is a great player and a great guy, and heās helped me a bunch with it. But just continuing to take those learning experiences and apply them into practices and in games.ā
On how Skylar Thompson has helped himā¦
āYeah, heās helped me a bunch. Having him on the field and in practice is basically like another coach that will give me insight on what heās seeing, and being able to go up and watch film with him and Coach Klieman has helped a lot. Even with just off the field, like after a tough game at West Virginia, he was there to tell me heās been there and trying to just be a good guy and pick me up. Heās done a great job of that and trying to help me through these obstacles that Iām having to face and trying to get me levelheaded. Heās done a great job of that and just being there for me, and I really appreciate that.ā
On how the starters can get the message across to the younger guys about COVIDā¦
āItās tough. I feel like we have pretty good protocols here and weāve been trying to do what we can to keep the spread of the virus from happening. I feel like weāve done a decent job of that, but itās tough and itās going to happen. We just have to continue to stress the fact that we have priorities, and we canāt be jeopardizing the team at all. We have to put the team's best interest in mind and just continue to do that for the rest of the season. Obviously, weāve always said this COVID thing is tough ā itās tough for everybody ā but everybody is going through it and we have to hunker down and have our priorities straight and not jeopardize the team and put the team first. We just continue to try and stress that and things will happen. There is some freak things that will happen, but at the end of the day, if we just keep our best interest in mind, weāll be alright.ā
On if he ran the ball this much in high school and expected to run the ball this much at K-Stateā¦
āThey told me coming in that running the ball was definitely going to be a big part of the game here. Itās a part of the offense and a lot of it is option game and designed quarterback runs. I didnāt do as many designs, actually I did a decent amount last year. I didnāt early in my high school career. I did more of it last year on third down and short and critical fourth downs. They liked to run some quarterback powers. We actually ran a fair amount of option last year, a little more than usual. So, Iād say that got me ready for this. Iāve run the option before. Iāve done it, but obviously, itās a different level and having guys around me that can make plays like they do. And being able to hand the ball off to Deuce (Vaughn) and Phil (Phillip Brooks) and everybody, itās just a different type of game. Just continuing trying to do my part in terms of that and trying to get better running the ball and more comfortable with it. I feel like Iāll continue to do that. Itās a part of this offense. Itās something thatās going to be asked of me and asked of all quarterbacks in this offense. Iām ready to accept that challenge.ā
On if people underestimate his speedā¦
āYeah, Iād say you look at me, Iām longer, taller, you probably donāt think Iām the fastest guy on the field. But I feel like once I get out in space, my long strides will take care of themselves. Iām not anywhere close to where I want to be. I want to continue to keep working on my speed and continue to get faster throughout this year and throughout my career.ā