Defensive Presser Notes: K-State Week

Blake Baker | Defensive Coordinator

• “With Marcus, I got a lot of familiarity, coached him at Miami. He can really run, has good ball skills, has playing experience. We’re gonna work him along as we get him in shape and I’m unsure about his immediate eligibility right now.” On Miami transfer Marcus Clarke
• “What doesn’t he do well? He’s a dynamic player, what really separates him is his vision, patience, and his balance. He can do it all, I’d be hard-pressed to find any better than him.” On K-State running back Deuce Vaughn
• “I was pleased, we always aim for less than 15% broken tackles and we got that.” On the tackling in Week One
• “Don’t give up explosive plays. We play a quality opponent, and you might lose the game giving up those. I had a long talk with the safeties coach after the game and put him on the hot seat. It was just technique stuff.” On what the defense needs to improve on from last week. Baker is, of course, the safeties coach.
• “It’s something we preach, something we harp on. Joseph Charleston and JC get the credit, but it’s a total team effort. The defensive line getting pressure helps a ton with that.” On the turnovers the defense forced last week
• “Those guys have to have the ability to drop into coverage. In the days of RPOs, it’s a skillset that’ll help them at the next level. I know these guys didn’t come here to cover, but they’re selfless and will do what is needed for us to win.” On ends like Trajan Jeffcoat and Isaiah McGuire dropping into coverage last week
• “First and foremost, I like being able to look the players in the eyes, when they’re coming off the field and giving them the calls.” On why he likes to be on the field as opposed to in the box
• “They’re going to show us something that we have not seen, at the end of the day we have to know what our rules are and apply them on the field.” On what he thinks K-State’s offense will present
• “He’s supposed to get out of that either this week or next week. It’ll be a game-time decision Saturday.” On Martez Manuel’s brace he wore last week

Jayden Jernigan | Defensive Lineman | Redshirt Junior

• “Everybody stays in their gap, not giving Deuce an option to fake to one gap then hit another.” On how to stay disciplined with Deuce Vaughn
• “Whoever wins the trenches is gonna win the game.”
• “We’re all different on the D-line. If you know you’ve got 10 plays during the game, then you’re gonna give undeniable effort every play. The O-line doesn’t rotate, and they’re seeing a new guy every 3 series.” On the benefits of being able to go 2-3 deep at D-line
• “We were just playing physical. Last year the record with rushing yards wasn’t where we wanted to be at, so we changed that.” On how the rush defense improved last week
• “They were fast, the quarterback is able to move. Running back is a good athlete, able to hit the holes fast. We just have to be disciplined and we’ll do well.” On what he remembers about K-State’s offense from playing them

Jaylon Carlies | Defensive Back | Junior

• “I felt like that was a big part of my summer, was just working on my angles after seeing myself miss some tackles on film.” On his tackling in Week One
• “Coming in at great angles and preparing yourself.” On the key to tackling Deuce Vaughn
• “Just reading our keys and not letting our eyes wander the field. One of those big plays was my fault so I’ve been looking at that a lot.” On how the defense can limit big passing plays

Kristian Williams | Defensive Lineman | Redshirt Junior

• “Making them one-dimensional, stopping the run.” On stopping K-State’s offense
• “It was pretty fun to get thrown in and get to know the rest of the defense. And then to just go out there and ball with them.” On the transfers meshing with the team over the offseason
• “Controlling the point, staying home and trusting that everyone else is going to be where they need to be. It all comes down to being disciplined.” On stopping K-State’s rushing attack
• “It’s a blessing for sure. Coach Davis always emphasizes putting your hands up same to the quarterback’s hand.” On his tipped pass that turned into a pick-six

Martez Manuel | Safety | Senior

• “I broke it today, but I wouldn’t be surprised if on Saturday I had it back on.” On his cast he wore last week
• “That was awesome to see. Hopefully he continues to do that, it’s something we’ve talked about since middle school.” On his high school teammate Nathaniel Peat scoring a touchdown last week
• “I’ve been telling the D-line all week that it is a ‘my gap’ mentality. Otherwise Deuce will go right to the gap nobody is in.” On what he thinks the defense needs to do to slow down Deuce Vaughn
• “They like to run the ball, that’s their identity. They’re gonna try to out-man us.” On K-State’s offensive style
• “It comes from us talking all offseason about how much that sucked, and they heard all about it. It also speaks to their character that they want to do that.” On the transfers taking pride in improving this defense from last year
• “Fall back on your training. That’s why I’m late right now. Me and Jaylon were outside working on some extra tackling drills.” On how to tackle guys like Deuce Vaughn
• “We were just all doing our job, it was just us playing together.” On the defense’s performance last week