Kansas State's Collin Klein, Will Howard speak to the media on Thursday

NEW ORLEANS — Here’s everything Kansas State offensive coordinator Collin Klein and standout quarterback Will Howard said on Thursday ahead of the Sugar Bowl against Alabama. Kickoff for the game is set for Saturday, Dec. 31 at 11 a.m. CT (noon ET) and will air on ESPN.

Click here to join Alabama fans on the Talk of Champions message boards

OFFENSIVE COORDINATOR KLEIN: First of all, just such an honor to be here. Thank you so much to the Sugar Bowl and their staff for making it such a great week so far and really making everything just smooth and seamless for our and their hospitality has been incredible. So thank you.

So excited to see all of our fans and kind of see all the effort people are putting in to come down with all of the issues with the flights and the weather and time of year and everything. So excited and just so grateful again for the support that our players and us as a staff have already felt.

It’s been truly an honor this season to work with our players, and our offensive group has been special. So proud of the work they’ve put in and kind of the journey it’s been for all of us. It’s an amazing group. There’s a lot of unbelievable internal leadership and accountability in the group. It’s been so fun as a coach because you come in there every week and they’re begging for more and wanting more and tweaks and adjustments and things. So just how they’ve attacked that process and attacked and made the effort to improve their craft is has been tremendous.

Again, a tough and gritty group. We’ve had some ups and downs through the year as well, and how they’ve responded and just continued to try to improve has been a lot of fun.

Kind of talking about the quarterbacks again with what Will [Howard] has done and Adrian [Martinez], what they have done this year, it has kind of galvanized our unit, quite honestly. Every season has those twists and turns that you never know are coming, and both of them have handled each side of it in stride.

And so proud of their leadership and consistency. There’s never been any overexuberance with some of the highs we’ve experienced. And there hasn’t been any panic or frustration in any of the hardships or the lows that we’ve experienced as well. And just their consistency and team mindset and how competitive and tough they have been has been absolutely tremendous and so proud of them.

And then just the leadership of Deuce [Vaughn] and Kade [Warner] and Cooper [Beebe] up front and just how they’ve again attacked the process has been a lot of fun. Extremely excited about the challenge to finish this thing off right. And it’s been a pleasure to work with them.

Q. Just because he is now healthy, is there a strong desire to try to play Adrian Martinez because of what he has meant to you in this one year in the program?

OFFENSIVE COORDINATOR KLEIN: I would definitely like that. I know Adrian would like that, and he’s excited to do that.

Obviously, Will [Howard] is going to start us off and he’s had a great prep in the last month. It’s definitely something we would love to get him on the field.

Q. What kind of complications from a pass-rushing standpoint does Will Anderson and some of those other guys present?

OFFENSIVE COORDINATOR KLEIN: They’re obviously very talented. They have got great lengths. They play extremely hard and well coached and work together and have a lot of schemes that are obviously challenging. We’ve played a lot of good pass rushers in our conference as well, and it’s something our guys are excited for.

Q. Collin, can you kind of put into words what Will Howard has brought to this offense?

OFFENSIVE COORDINATOR KLEIN: I think it’s just consistency.

And we always talk about from a coaching standpoint of truly mastering your craft and working to improve each and every day and just get one inch better every day. And he’s done that for the last two years.

I think just watching his our team watching him how he’s worked himself into the position that he is, is incredible. And so his his ability and how he’s been able to distribute the ball and let some of the schemes that we’re working come to life and find the holes or the whatever read or key it is in that play, in that millisecond, to make that decision and deliver the football the way it has, has brought the offense to life.

Q. And this locker room is known for being a tight-knit group. What do your two main quarterbacks (Will Howard and Adrian Martinez) bring to that because of the relationship they show everyone else in the locker room?

OFFENSIVE COORDINATOR KLEIN: I think it spearheads the whole effort. And unselfishness is obviously one of our four core values, and that’s something as a coach and a player is easy to talk about, Okay, when the chips are down, how are you going to respond and what are you going to do. And watching both of those guys respond, how they handle this situation is it’s been it’s been off the charts. And it’s been the tip of the spear.

Q. Collin, how vital has a veteran offensive line been to your first year transitioning into offensive coordinator?

OFFENSIVE COORDINATOR KLEIN: They’re such a great group. Not only with the experience but just how how tight knit they are and what Coach [Conor] Riley has done with them from a continuity standpoint. The communication has been very good. Their ability to make adjustments and tweak things. And in the middle of a game, middle of a series even this has helped us.

Like you said, it provides that stability as we’ve kind of built and worked into creating our identity. It’s made that smoother for sure.

Q. How valuable is Cooper Beebe’s consistency to that group?

OFFENSIVE COORDINATOR KLEIN: He’s an anchor, for sure. Obviously a very high football IQ and able to make things right cerebrally. But then also has the ability to get movement and make things happen. So he’s off the charts.

Q. First of all, with Deuce [Vaughn], what have you done this year trying to learn new ways to use him, utilize him, get him on the field but at the same time, he’s a small guy so you don’t want to overwork him, I’m sure. Do you think he’s ready for the NFL? Are you prepared to lose him to the NFL?

Secondly, take me back to 2012. Y’all were #1 in the BCS at one point. You still would have wound up in the playoffs. What would that have been like in those days for Kansas State? And how would you compare that team to this team?

OFFENSIVE COORDINATOR KLEIN: Well, I’ll kind of start with your first one there. First of all, Deuce Vaughn is he’s been an absolute joy to coach and someone that I’ll never forget and has been here at a time in our program as part of build up to being able to be a part of this. It’s been special.

And his consistency, his work ethic, I don’t I can’t remember a day that I can say, Oh, Deuce had a bad day, and that’s from an attitude approach standpoint. Also, a performance on the field standpoint. I can’t tell you guys or bring one to memory that he’s had a bad day in any one of those categories. So his level of professionalism and consistency, it’s special. It’s unique.

And he’ll keep you up at night trying to he’s so versatile, he’s so smart and gifted, you know. He makes you constantly think of all the different ways that you can use him, and he doesn’t skip a beat. There’s not I don’t think any one of us have said, Oh, that’s too much for him to handle because I don’t know if there’s such a thing.

He’s off the charts that way. And again, talking about his unselfishness for some of the things that we were doing, especially earlier in the year with someone at quarterback run game stuff, we were asking him to block. And so he’s had to be more he’s had to do more blocking and some different things this year in the run game and in the protection situations that a lot of guys would probably balk at a little bit. And he’s taken it in stride and strapped under his chin.

For his size, he does a great job. So whatever he chooses to do, obviously we’re behind him 1,000%. I’d love to coach him for the next ten years; but unfortunately, that doesn’t work like that. So whatever he chooses to do, he’s made an impact on K State. He’s made an impact on me, and our team that’s second to none.

As far as our team and program being similar to the run we had back ten years ago it’s hard to believe it was ten years ago. But I think it’s not stuff like this or special seasons, they don’t just happen. It’s the little things that are a part of that locker room, that are a part of your players and how they do everything.

And it’s not that, Hey, both years you win a Big 12 championship. It’s like how that happens is so much so much more important than what actually happens and how they’ve attacked the process, how disciplined they are.

You look, we get on a run in the second half of the year, we have I can’t even very, very little guys missed anything. And you talk about missing meals. You talk about being late to team meetings. You talk about no one missing that stuff. Well, that’s not an accident. It’s not by accident that we’re able to be disciplined and win some tight ball games down the stretch because guys were taking ownership in their job, in their role and whatever they were supposed to do.

And that was very consistent with our team in 2012, of guys having that level of ownership, pride in the details and accountability that any one of those details is not acceptable, to miss or to let loose. And that’s what makes special teams like this happen.

Q. I was going to ask about that topic. You guys have never played Alabama, but you have that connection to that 2012 BCS run. What do you remember about the specifics of that season and how it all ended up?

OFFENSIVE COORDINATOR KLEIN: I think like I said, it was a long time ago. (Laughter)

But I think what I was proud of that group, you know, is you’re in a tough stretch, you play nine conference games. You drop one to a really good Baylor team who we knew was really good before we go down there. Turn the ball over, give up a lot of big plays, have some penalties. End up losing the game. You obviously have a gut punch and have to come back on the horse the last week of the year to still have a chance to win the conference and find a way to do that and obviously get to the Fiesta Bowl.

Again, it was a part an honor to be a part of, a lot of special people that made that run happen and possible. And I was very, very honored to be a part of it and very proud, again, of those same threads of the core that I was talking about a second ago was part of this group and what they’ve done this year.

Q. Just wondering if you can have had a little update on Malik [Knowles], we saw him out there practicing, and then as far as RJ Garcia goes and his development, obviously came in the Big 12 championship and made a few big plays, just kind of where are those guys at today?

OFFENSIVE COORDINATOR KLEIN: I think Malik is ready to go. I have been very pleased with how he’s played this week. that’s one of those twists and turns, right, that us as a staff got to react to and obviously players got to be ready to go. And it’s a next man up mindset, and no one knows. I mean, Malik was playing unbelievably well in that championship game, has a big catch on the seven route. Huge explosive play on the jet sweep. Gets dinged up. RJ steps in, doesn’t miss a beat, and comes up with a monster catch.

So everybody has to be ready to do their part. And RJ I was so happy for him to watch and see his work and preparation be able to pay off on the field in a big moment.

QB Will Howard

Q. Did you guys see any of that game yesterday?

WILL HOWARD: I did. Yeah, I was sitting in the hotel watching that game yesterday. And that was crazy. I looked at one point and it was like, I think it was 38 13 or something. So credit to them for coming back and fighting. I know that’s their first bowl game in a longtime. So you know, part of me was like, you know, a little bit pulling for them, just for the Big 12 and for stuff like that, but, at the same time, it’s kind of hard for KU. But credit to them, they put up a really good fight.

Q. When you look at this Alabama team, the last time I saw you was two weeks ago. What have you guys learned about them? What do you expect to see on Saturday?

WILL HOWARD: Yeah, they’re a really good football team. We knew that. Obviously, being able to watch a little more film, we have seen a little more of what they want to do on defense. I haven’t seen what they do on offense very much because I’m focusing on the defensive side of the ball. They’ve got some really athletic dudes, really long dudes. They want to beat you in one on ones. I feel like we’re going to have a lot of opportunities in one on one situations to try and do our thing. But they have a really good team, and they do a lot of good things on third down. There’s no doubt why they’re one of the best teams every year. They are very well coached and got a lot of good players. It’s going to be a good challenge, but I’m looking forward to it.

Q. Will, how would you summarize your growth and maturity this season?

WILL HOWARD: Yeah. This season’s been a wild ride, just from not playing the first six games to now being the starting quarterback in the Sugar Bowl, it’s been a wild ride. But it’s been super fun. I feel like, like you said, I’ve been able to grow and kind of come into my own a little bit. It just takes a lot of experience. And I feel like once you’re in there a bunch and once you have those opportunities to show what I can do, that was when I kind of saw my confidence grow a bunch. I feel really, really good about where I’m at right now. And confidence is huge, especially in this position.

So just being able to have that grow and develop, for me, was big time.

Q. How much will it help you, that experience, playing in the championship game? There have been a couple bowl teams that have had bad starts. I did not seen Kansas. It looked like the stage, they were more ready for it. How will that help you, having played in a nationally televised game in a venue like you did in Arlington (AT&T Stadium)?

WILL HOWARD: No doubt, yeah, that was a huge, huge game. There was a lot on the line, similar to today. We can say that we’ve been there, and that will definitely help. Because there’s no stage that’s too big for us. We feel like we’re one of the best teams in the country, and we deserve to be here. There’s no doubt about that in my mind. So we’re excited to go out. It’s a cool opportunity. We’re still trying to soak it all in, even though we believe we should be here. It’s cool. It’s everything you dream of, as I kid, when you think about playing college football. It’s a cool opportunity. And I’m really blessed to be able to be here.

Q. How has the dynamic been with Adrian now back at practice? First of all, what’s that like for you? How cool is it seeing him back healthy and, by all means, maybe even have an impact on the game?

WILL HOWARD: Yeah, it’s really cool. We’re rooming together down here. We spend a ton of time together. I’m really happy to see him back moving around and back out on the field again. It’s good for the team because he’s a big time leader on this team. He’s a captain, and he deserves everything. So I hope he’s healthy enough to be able to do some things for us on Saturday. That would be huge for us. Because he’s a really good player. It would bring an element to our offense that would be really, really cool.

Q. How much have you learned, from a learning standpoint, from Skylar Thompson, Adrian Martinez?

WILL HOWARD: A ton. Being a young guy, being around Skylar was huge for me because he had been there for five, six years, in the time that I was there. The experience is something that you can’t really take for granted. Once you’re there for a while, you kind of learn about it. You kind of learn some things that you don’t know as a young guy. He was able to teach me some of those things. And with Adrian, it was really cool for me because he came from a different system and a different way of looking at things. You come to a place, and you kind of see things one way. You’re taught to do things this way, and you don’t really think about how other people are seeing things. Adrian comes in with a different perspective. I’m saying, like, Versus this coverage, we like this. And he goes, Well, what about this kind of twist? Just things like that. That’s just one example of kind of how he kind of helped me, you know, develop my perspective a little bit. And that helped me grow and kind of realize that you don’t have to see things one way. You can see things in really different ways. They both have helped me a ton, and both are really good friends of mine. I’m lucky we can call each other friends for a longtime.

Q. A year ago, you really didn’t know Adrian Martinez. And now you guys are really close. What’s that bond meant to this football team?

WILL HOWARD: It’s meant a lot. I think when the guys around us can see that there’s no bad blood, there’s no even though there was a quarterback competition and controversy early on, there was never any tension. It was always a good thing. It was always we’re trying to help each other. We’re trying to make this team the best we can make it. I think that’s been huge for the team and for us, as competitors, as well. Because he’s a really good competitor. And I consider myself a big competitor too.

All I want to do is help this team win. And I know he’s the same way. And I’m hoping he’s healthy enough to come give us some help this Saturday. And he’s looked good at practice. So it will be exciting. I would love to be out there with him.

Q. When you look at the Alabama team defense, what’s the first thing you think of?

WILL HOWARD: They’re very athletic. Very long. They got some really good pass rushers. I feel like they cover pretty well too. But I got trust in our receivers and in our guys. We’re going to have to win the battle up front. We’re going to have to come out and be more physical than them. We know that. And it’s going to be a challenge because they’re big, strong, athletic dudes. And it’s not to be an easy feat. So we’re looking forward to it. They’ve got a really good scheme. And they do a lot of different things. But I feel good about where our game plan is. We’ve had a lot of time to scout them. But we know they’ve had a lot of time too. I’m sure they’re going to come out and do some new things. And we know we’re going to be doing some new things too. So I’m looking forward to the challenge. That’s the chess game of it. It’s a lot of back and forth with it. It will be fun to get out there and see what their strategy is for us and kind of have our strategy ready for them too.

Q. Will, talking to some of your teammates yesterday, I know this team is ready for this test to play the No. 5 team in the country like Alabama. What does the opportunity mean to you? And to see these guys get this chance?

WILL HOWARD: Means the world. This just something I’m trying to take in. Like I just said, it’s where we think we should be. We believe we’re one of the best teams in the country. And we believe we belong on this stage. But at the same time, it’s something I’m trying to soak in. This is just such a cool opportunity, such a blessing to be here in New Orleans at the Sugar Bowl. And to even be here is a big opportunity and so, so cool. And we’re just trying to enjoy it as much as we can. Because we know that this is kind of a once in a lifetime opportunity. Hopefully not once in a lifetime. Hopefully we make this an every year thing.

But we’re trying to take it in as much as we can and enjoy it along with trying to we didn’t just come here for a participation trophy. We didn’t just come here because, Oh, it’s cool, we’re playing Alabama. We came here to win. It’s a business trip. And we’re looking forward to the game. It’s a really good challenge and a really good test for us. We put ourselves up against the best.

Q. Just the fact that both teams have no opt outs; that’s now becoming a thing in college football and bowl games that aren’t in the College Football Playoff. What does that say about both teams having best on best?

WILL HOWARD: I think it’s huge. I think it’s huge for college football seeing what we’re doing and seeing how much the players on both sides care about this game and our teams. Because I heard some of them Alabama guys saying that I know our guys never even thought about it. And it was if you’re sitting at home watching, how would that make you feel? There’s competitors on both sides. And everybody just wants to help out our team. And we care about our universities too much to not play in this game.

So I think it’s really cool. And it’s going to be fun to be able to have both teams at full strength and not have to make any excuses for either side. I’m looking forward to the challenge for sure.

Q. Everyone talks about how this is a special group. Things like that. Seems like this team, it’s next level. And it’s more than a cliche thing. Can you talk about how tight this group is and how it got to this point?

WILL HOWARD: Yeah, I feel like everybody kind of says family and culture and how important that is. Every team in the country is saying that.

But I feel like it’s different here. I’ve seen it myself. Even in teams here. But the team the culture, and the brotherhood that we have is different. It truly is. And just the ability that we have to just hang out. And off the field stuff. There’s relationships going on that go way beyond football. And I think that’s what really makes it special. We truly care about each other way beyond football. And when you have that and when you have guys that truly care about and love each other, you want to play for that guy next to you. And you want to lay it all out on the line for them.

Q. Think about the last three years. You go through a pandemic. Skylar [Thompson] gets here. You come in. So much that’s gone on, how surreal is it to be sitting here, hours away from playing the Sugar Bowl?

WILL HOWARD: It’s very surreal. Very cool though. People were telling me, through all those hard times, you know, good is going to come out of this. And it’s hard to see it in the moment. And I’m sitting there, and I’m like, Man, this is tough. While you’re going through it. When you’re a young kid, you don’t really understand that. You don’t really see the light at the end of the tunnel. Now, being able to look back at it and see all the things that I went through, coming out on the other side a little bit, it’s really cool for me to kind of look back and appreciate those experiences more than kind of looking back and dreading them. In the moment, you don’t really understand, but now I’m like, Man, that was what I needed. And it’s really cool to make it out on the other side and prove a lot of people wrong and prove myself right. Because I could have left and gone and tried to get another opportunity. But I kind of tried to bet on myself. I’m really glad that I did. I’m glad that I stayed.