Rapid Recap: Kansas State defense inching closer to potential

Kansas State defense getting closer

It may seem like a stretch, but it really isn’t. Kansas State defense is inching closer to what both defensive coordinator Joe Klanderman and head coach Chris Klieman want it to look like this year, even if it doesn’t seem like it.

Part of the consternation on that side of the ball is the way that it is happening, which we’ll get into during the next point. But instead of focusing on what’s happening in totality, we’re wrongly focused on how it is happening.

Sure, K-State has many things to clean up and correct before it heads to Stillwater for a tilt with Oklahoma State. But they have one of the better run defenses in the country. Heck it is No. 3 in the nation in EPA allowed, which stands for expected points added.

If not for the loss of linebacker Daniel Green and a bit of a revolving door at linebacker, it could be in an even better spot. They are not only dealing with inexperience, but a key injury and some positional moves that they had to make out of necessity.

Klanderman pointed out how they flipped the safety spots of Kobe Savage and VJ Payne without even being asked about it. That shored up some of the eye discipline and communication issues by allowing them to have a bit more comfort.

It is clear that Payne’s new spot was not suiting him and he is much more settled and effective where he played a season ago as a true freshman.

Big plays

There is no reason to avoid it. The problem is the explosive plays that Kansas State is allowing. Some of it has even been on the ground. When just eliminating the one long run that they allowed versus UCF, the Wildcats gave up just 1.3 yards per carry.

That’s how good they are playing in between the negative events.

If K-State can even hammer away at the four or five critical mistakes that they are committing per game, some of their numbers and performances are even better than last year’s group in ways. Obviously, that is saying something.

But they’re still happening, and that is the issue. They will likely continue to occur as well and it won’t just evaporate over night. That’s now how it works when what ails them are the symptoms of inexperience and growing pains.

Nobody matures and becomes a better outfit without them. That doesn’t make it any less infuriating though and Klanderman admitted that in reference to the flea flicker that busted them in the first half a couple weeks ago against UCF.

That was a very disappointing one for him because of how telegraphed and easy of a picture it was to diagnose and they were still unable to do so. The Kansas State defensive coordinator even admitted that his anger management was extremely tested in that moment.

Value of K-State LB Jake Clifton

We know the Wildcats won’t have Asa Newsom. We already knew they were without Green for the remainder of the 2023 season, too. That of course meant more onus on guys like Austin Moore, Desmond Purnell and Austin Romaine.

Moore will have to shoulder most of the communication for K-State. Purnell has to be a vocal staple as well. But Romaine was forced into a starting role as a true freshman at the center of the defense and doing so with Jake Clifton also sidelined and/or limited.

However, Clifton returned a game sooner and is now essentially the top reserve at all three linebacker spots. He’s going to be asked to do a lot. Because of that responsibility, it would not shock me if the quantity of snaps for him resembles that of a starter, too.