James Hale: You’ve been playing really well defensively. Obviously, wanting to keep that going this week.
BV: We had a really good week and we won last week so we’ve had one week in a row. So, we’re looking to get two in a row. We’ll be challenged in a bunch o different ways. They’re a very physical, downhill two back team. They do a great job of possessing the football. They don’t make a lot of mistakes. They are tied for the league lead in turnover margin. They play very disciplined and very physical.
James Hale: You’ve always talked about Coach Snyder’s innovativeness on offense. I’m sure you’re looking forward to the little chess match you’ll be playing with him.
BV: He’s going to force you to be very disciplined and you have to play really smart against them. We’ll have to be very physical and he’s going to force you to beat him fair and square. There’s not a whole lot of trick’em going on that he won’t be ready for. It’s a game that will be pretty simple when it’s all said and done. It will come down to fundamentals and the basics of the game. Coach Snyder will stress you in areas that are stressful for you.
Media: When you first thought of using Joseph Ibiloye as a linebacker had you thought about that for a while?
BV: When we first recruited him we recruited him as an outside linebacker.
Media: Did you look at him as a Nic Harris type?
BV: Yes.
Media: He seems to have done a pretty good job as a cover guy.
BV: Yeah, he’s done pretty good and he’ll continue to get better.
JH: Jonathan Nelson told us today that you told him to learn every position. He was struggling to get healthy and you told him the best thing was to learn everything. He really took that to heart didn’t he? Talk about his development back there.
BV: He’s an intelligent player first and foremost; he has the capability and mindset. It’s not real difficult for him. Really, he’s just needed an opportunity to be healthy and get out on the field. He’s a classic example of a guy who has not had things go his way. I’m really proud of the way he’s stepped up and prepared himself and seized the opportunity in a big way when we needed him to.
Media: Would you say this is as good as you have seen Adrian Taylor play these past two games.
BV: Yes.
Media: What has he done to reach that point?
BV: I think he’s gotten better at refining his ability to recognize run and pass. He’s cleaned up his technique. He plays very hard. And he’s been studying the game more than ever and seems to know what’s coming. He’s also become a really good pass rusher.
Media: How much better can he get.
BV: It’s kind of hard to put a gage on that. Hopefully, he’ll continue to get better. But he’s pretty good right now.
Media: You guys have put together some really good stats this season, when you look at them, which are you most proud of?
BV: More than anything it would be points allowed and limiting explosive plays. Those are both game changers which allow people to get into the end zone. They are big plays which change momentum and create points and puts your back against the wall. Outside of winning, those are the two most important.
JH: You’re a guy that believes in coaching everybody on your roster, not just your position guys or your stars.
BV: We believe in everybody that we recruit here. Lot of times the maturation process just happens at different times for different guys. There is something that we liked about every one of them when we recruited them. Sometimes guys just develop at different times; it takes some guys longer than others. Our job is to foster their growth and development. We want to help them be what they want to be and what we want them to be ultimately.
JH: have you coached long enough now that the matchup with your alma mater isn’t that emotional anymore?
BV: Well, the first thing that comes to my mind is the great respect that I have for the people of that program. The type of people, kids and coaches that they are. They are a very prideful program. It’s a program of players that will always compete with everything they have for four quarters. They’re a program with will play with great discipline. The program has come a long way from what it was 20 years ago. You have to know that you need to really strap it on when they come here to play. It will be a very demanding game both mentally and physically. Those are the things that come to mind.
JH: When you think about it, you have been involved in a couple of the greatest streaks in college football. The home winning streak you are currently on and the resurrection of the Kansas State program. That’s pretty amazing.
BV: Well, I’ve been real lucky. I’m not naïve to believe that timing is everything and I’ve been real fortunate to be around rally successful men that are great leaders and are great coaches and great mentors. Guys that have provided the opportunities that I have today. Without guys like Coach Snyder, Coach Stoops and Coach (Jim) Leavitt, I wouldn’t be here.
Media: Comment on Brandon Banks, he’s one of the guys that you guys will have to pay a lot attention to.
BV: Yeah and he got a bunch of yards on us last year. He’s a very explosive player. It doesn’t seem to take him much to get away. He just seems to need a sliver of space. He can turn nothing into a whole lot of something. He’s a game changer on special teams and at receiver. We will have our hands full to try to contain him.
Media: Will Brian Jackson end up covering Banks on Saturday?
BV: I’m sure he will. We’re not a team that runs a lot of man coverage but I think there are places for it if we have the right match ups. A year ago with a lot of youth and very little depth, we didn’t really have those options. If you have those options then we will utilize them and we have those options a little more than we have in the past. We’re still a zone type of team that likes to mix in some man when we can.
Media: During Texas and Kansas weeks, did you tell Brian that he was going to get matched up with those guys?
BV: Yeah we did. I told him the year was riding on him. No, but truth of the matter is that it’s a collective effort. He can’t be left out there on an island with no pressure. There’s a lot that goes into it but there is a great deal that we put on Brian’s shoulders and Dom Franks shoulders as well. There’s a lot more than just covering them. There’s awareness of formations and down and distance and splits. There’s a lot more that he puts into it than just covering a guy. That’s what I really appreciate; his anticipation and awareness of what was coming as opposed to saying just go covering a guy.
Media: Is that what’s really changed for him?
BV: First and foremost I would say experience. Playing is everything. But, he’s also matured. He’s playing like the whole program is relying on him. He knows he has to play with a fanatical effort and a sense of desperation. He knows he’s out at a position that if he screws up then we could lose the game. I’ve been really impressed and proud of him for taking on a more mature approach to everything. I think it’s really paying off for us big time. He gives us a lot of flexibility.
Media: Talk about their quarterback.
BV: Grant Gregory is the guy we expect to play against us. They started the year with Carson Coffman, Chase Coffman’s brother. Gregory is a transfer from South Florida. He’s a good athlete and good at running the spread. Coach Snyder always likes having a runner and a thrower and a guy that can run an entire offense. They want someone that can really accept the challenge of running the offense correctly. Usually, being the starter and Kansas State means you are pretty good. Coach Snyder isn’t just going to throw some slacker out there.
Media: I assume this would be a bit of a different skill set than what we saw with Freeman last year.
BV: Yeah. Josh Freeman was a creature. He was like one of our defensive ends playing quarterback. Gregory is Coach Snyder’s type of guy. They’re going to run some option game and try to outnumber you. Coach Stoops tells the story of how Coach Snyder was tired of getting stonewalled in practice during good on good and changed the offense up to find ways to outnumber you. As a result came the development of the quarterback run game.
Remember Michael Bishop and how he ran roughshod through the Big 12 back in the ’90? Man, those were some good days, let me tell you. He just brutalized people. Urban Meyer credits Coach Snyder for his philosophy on offense after visiting us when he was at Notre Dame.
