Heads Together for Adjustment and a Head's Up Safety Combine for More OSU "D" Excellence
MANHATTAN, Kan. -- Kansas State offensive coordinator Courtney Messingham had a great idea. Last week he took some of Kansas State's motion package and selection of misdirection plays and with the adsence of sensational transfer tight end Briley Moore due to a back injury suffered at West Virginia plugged in fullback Jax Dineen. He would trip up the Cowboys defense with some "eye candy" and then use the heavy man cover defense and their agressive nature against them.
It worked as misdirection left Dineen with some wide open space on the perimeter for some significant gains to move the chains and play keep away from the Cowboys offense. Some of the motion was used to move linebackers out of the box and put their attention on back in the zone read game allowing for a wide open box and middle of the field for freshman quarterback Will Howard, who has some straightline speed, to explode for runs of 25-and-69-yards. Those runs were huge in Kansas State building a 12-0 lead at the half.
“We were able to run some of our two-back runs today. I thought our offensive line played well, so we were able to keep them off balance by running inside with some of our power stuff," Kansas State head coach Chris Kliemer explained. "They were running so fast and whether it was Seth (Porter), Deuce (Vaughn), Phillip (Brooks), anybody running the ball, they were doing a really good job of running us down.”
Linebacker Amen Ogbongbemiga (7) and Devin Harper (16) tackle explosive K-State running back Duece Vaughn.
Bruce Waterfield/OSU Athletics
"That was a good team," Oklahoma State defensive coordinator Jim Knowles countered. "They had a good plan and really did a lot of things that were different for us and what we typically see. Hats off to them. It took us a little bit to adjust. We weren't perfect, we gave up some plays, and everything they is to get your eyes to violate, it's just a really difficult scheme that they had showed a little bit of it, but they made a whole game plan out of it today."
In the visitors' locker room shower Oklahoma State defensive coordiantor Jim Knowles and his staff of Joe Bob Clements, Greg Richmond, Shane Eachus, Dan Hammerschmidt, Tim Duffie, and analyst and former Oklahoma State defensive coordinator Bill Clay huddled. They came back with an old school adjustment as they would use the third level of the defense, the safeties, to adjust and account for the Wildcats' motions and to keep an eye on Dineen. Linebackers Malcolm Rodriguez, Amen Ogbongbemiga, and Devin Harper would stay in the box and at least one would protect the middle of the field.
It worked like a charm as an offense that had 217-yards in the first half had 153-yards the second half. Howard, who used the zone read keeper to the middle of the field for much of his damage, had 101-yards rushing the first half, but just 42-yards in the second half.
Oklahoma State defensive end Brock Martin, hands raised, celebrates another big play when he got a finger in and forced K-State's Howard to fumble before he could throw a pass on a two-point conversion attempt.
Bruce Waterfield/OSU Athletics
"I thought we made some nice adjustments in the second half. Guys played hard," said Knowles. "They always believe they're gonna make the play. When you have a defense like that you got a chance. At halftime that was the message, we took their body blows, we took their best shot and here's what we're gonna do to adjust and I thought the guys reacted very well."
Then in the second half the Oklahoma State defense, which had not forced many turnovers (just four in the first five games) came up big when defensive tackle Israel Antwine got his hand in and forced K-State quarterback Will Howard to fumble when he was inside the Oklahoma State 20-yard-line in the fourth quarter with the lead at stake. The ball sailed right into the hands of safety Jason Taylor II, who was playing for the injured Kolby Harvel-Peel. Taylor II, a former Carl Albert High standout and Oklahoma High School Player of the Year showed off his track skills for the 85-yard touchdown. It was the biggest play in the game.
"It was just playing football," Taylor II said. "I wasn't expecting it but when it came to me I just started running. Trying not to get caught and trying to make a play for the team."
“Obviously it was big. We played okay offensively in the second half, but it wasn’t anything to write home about, so our defense needed to make plays. Obviously, we got a strip and the ball went into Jason’s (Taylor) hands and he was able to score," added head coach Mike Gundy. "In the end, Tre (Sterling) made the play (interception) on the overthrow. They gave us a chance. The defense was able to step up and score a touchdown. Percentages will tell you when the defense scores a touchdown, you really have a good chance of winning the game. That’s what happened today and that’s why we won the football game.”
That and some excellent halftime adjustments. Who said halftime adjustments don't matter?
