K-State is flexing its defensive muscles at camp. Is that good or bad for Wildcats?
VJ Payne wants to make something clear about what is going on behind closed doors at Kansas State training camp right now.
The Wildcats, in his estimation, are making their best plays on defense.
“I wouldn’t say anything gives us any trouble,” said the junior safety when asked if it has been hard to stop the K-State offense this preseason. “We might have a few mess-ups as a defense here and there, but I wouldn’t say anything is really giving us trouble.”
Jordan Riley, a safety transfer from Ball State, is willing to take things a step further.
Ask him what the Wildcats are doing well on defense and he says they are causing turnovers at a “ridiculous” rate.
Marquis Sigle was said to have grabbed three interceptions all by himself during practice on Tuesday morning. And Riley guesses that redshirt-freshman cornerback Donovan McIntosh averages two interceptions ... per practice.
Hyperbole or not, K-State defenders are letting it be known that they are winning most days of training camp.
“We have been getting picks and fumble recoveries,” Riley said. “It’s ridiculous, because I didn’t really see it in spring ball when we were still trying to figure out what type of team we wanted to be. But since Day 1 (of training camp) we’ve been getting fumbles and picks left and right.”
That kind of statement will assuredly create mixed reactions from EMAW nation.
On one hand, it is exciting to hear about a defense that is taking advantage of its experience and depth by creating turnovers at a higher rate than we have seen before. But it’s also worrisome to hear about “ridiculous” turnovers from an offense that is led by dynamic quarterback Avery Johnson.
It would be nice to know exactly how many of these turnovers are coming against K-State’s first-string offense compared to its reserves. If Johnson and star running back DJ Giddens are giving the ball away, then the turnovers are probably a bad thing for the team as a whole — even if they’re a sign of elite defense.
Fans would likely breathe easier if most of those turnovers were coming against backup quarterbacks Jacob Knuth and Ta’Quan Roberson, even if that takes away from what the defense has accomplished.
Perhaps a mixture would be best.
For what it’s worth, Riley noted that many of the turnovers have been “in team reps and team settings.” Not drills.
In any case, K-State defensive coordinator Joe Klanderman has emphasized turnovers all month. A year ago, the Wildcats came up with 13 interceptions and pounced on 10 fumbles. But they felt both numbers should have been higher.
Switching to more zone coverage in the secondary and trying to strip the ball up front have become priorities.
“We start practice with turnover circuits and fumble-recovering circuits,” Cody Stufflebean said. “We will have one where we go and work on punching and just trying to get our hands up at the line of scrimmage, and then also being able to recover a fumble. If it’s wide open, we’re scooping and scoring. If it’s in traffic we’re trying to bring it in and get the ball in your possession. That’s been a big emphasis.”
Right now, that approach seems to be working.
That is a good thing for the K-State defense. What it means for the entire team is up for debate.
This story was originally published August 14, 2024 at 6:00 AM with the headline "K-State is flexing its defensive muscles at camp. Is that good or bad for Wildcats?."