Four Kansas State players speak to the media on Thursday

NEW ORLEANS — Here’s everything four Kansas State players, including wide receivers Malik Knowles and Kade Werner, running back Deuce Vaughn and offensive lineman Cooper Beebe 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.

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WR Malik Knowles

On what it means to give back during bowl week, like at Children’s Hospital New Orleans visit: Me speaking personally, it’s a huge honor. Everybody knows that we’re down here for a football trip, but just to be able to give back to a community that we’re not used to and see the smiles on the kids’ faces when we interact and play with them, that was better than winning the game. Just seeing the impact we have on the youth is way more important than anything. Any chance we can give back we will.

On the key to facing Alabama’s defense: Tempo, focus on our details, not letting our highs get too high and lows get too low. Just staying in the middle and playing our game.

On the strengths of the K-State offense: Our versatility. I feel like our offense has a lot of players that can do a lot of things, different things they bring to the table. It gives a lot of defenses a lot of confusion. Just being able to be diverse.

On how much credit he gives to OC Collin Klein: We have to give a lot of credit to Coach Klein because you can see the diversity in our offense. He brings a different element to us and he actually lets us give ideas, he’s a real good OC. He pitches ideas to us and we give him ideas back, so just being willing to have conversations about what we like and don’t like, and him actually using it, is a blessing.

RB Deuce Vaughn

On how it feels to be on the big stage in his final college game against Alabama: It’s really an amazing feeling. I wouldn’t trade it for nothing. Playing Alabama and winning the Big 12 Championship is really a blessing.

On how big it would be for K-State to beat Alabama in the Sugar Bowl: It would be huge, but it’s one of those things where tomorrow or Saturday I’m playing for my team, and we’re playing to win a team game. Of course, I want to have the performance to put my team in the spot to be successful, but it is never one of those prove it type deals.

On what it means to play a program like Alabama: Its huge. The Nick Saban era of Alabama football has been something that I grew up watching. I watched the rise of Alabama and how they’ve stayed at the top for all these years, it’s a historic program. They’ve played in games like this and games higher. They have won national championships in recent years and over the past ten to fifteen years. So, I’m super excited for this opportunity. This is a game that I have always wanted to play in, the Sugar Bowl against a top five team in the nation and a program like Alabama. So, I’m super excited.

On what K-State football means to him: Everything, I’m not the person I am today without it. I’m so thankful that I’ve had this opportunity to come here and play for this program in Manhattan. It has molded me into the person I am today, and I am so thankful for Kansas State and everything it has allowed for me to do and done for me.

OL Cooper Beebe

On what he sees when looking at tape of Alabama: I see a lot of great things. To start off, they’re well coached. As long as I’ve been alive, they’ve been at the top of college football and they still are. They [Alabama] don’t beat themselves and I think that’s one of the things that’s led to the success over the many years. They’re strong, physical guys, like I said, well coached, they don’t make mistakes and it’s tough to beat a team that doesn’t make mistakes.

On personal and/or team goals going into the Allstate Sugar Bowl: We’re here to win. We know it’s Alabama, we know the challenge that’s ahead, but we’re here to win. We didn’t come here [New Orleans] to just say, “Hey, we made a Sugar Bowl.” We’re coming here to win and that’s our ultimate goal.

On the special feeling of this year’s K-State team: Oh yeah. It’s just a testament to the culture we have in the locker room. I could walk up to anybody in any position and have a conversation with them, go hangout with them and that’s just us being bonded together. There are some teams where certain positions may not talk to other ones but our team isn’t like that. We all hang out together and I think that’s really been what’s helped us succeed this year.

On his excitement that his family is making the trip to the Allstate Sugar Bowl: I’m super excited. My family’s been super supportive. They’ve been at every game no matter what. They’re flight got canceled for this game and they said, “Who cares? We’re driving down [to New Orleans].” They drove to Little Rock yesterday and are driving here today. The support from my family has been tremendous from the beginning.

WR Kade Warner

On being named a team captain: It means a ton, it means a lot. Because the history I’ve had, I was a captain at Nebraska before I came here. It was one of the hardest decisions to leave there, because it meant so much to me being captain of that team. Coming here and being with these guys, building this culture, being able to be called their captain, means the world to me. I don’t take it for granted every single day. It’s great to see this culture get closer and closer throughout this entire process.  So, I’m blessed to be a part of it, these guys voted me their captain, so I’m going to give it everything I got.

Influence from his father HOF Quarterback Kurt Warner going to Kansas State: I didn’t know that they [he and Coach Klieman] were college teammates. As we got further and further into it. I think it was like right before I was about to commit. My dad was like, hey by the way, you know I played with Coach Klieman.

Favorite memory of his dad while playing in the NFL: The last time my dad played the Saints. So many great little moments. I came here (New Orleans) when I was young. We got to go to one away trip every single year. So, I actually got to come to New Orleans when I was probably 10 or 11 years old. We got to go eat beignets and do the whole thing and see my dad play. And it was really exciting and it was fun.