POP-TARTS BOWL: KANSAS STATE VS NC STATE

December 28, 2023

Chris Klieman

Camping World Stadium

Kansas State Wildcats

Press Conference

Kansas State Wildcats 28, NC State Wolfpack 19

CHRIS KLIEMAN: Great win for our program. Great win for our seniors. Finished the legacy of 2023 with this group and started a new journey and legacy for the 2024 guys. That is what Bowl games are becoming a little bit. We honored the seniors, and then we got a little glimpse into 2024.

We beat a really good football team. I have tons of represent for Coach Doeren. He is a great football coach. They play physical, and they play hard. These are two mirrored programs and the game was really physical on both sides. That is what we knew it would be. Their quarterback is an exceptional player. We finally found a way to slow him down a little bit in the second half, and we struggled in the third quarter moving the ball offensively.

Then, we got into a little bit of rhythm in the fourth quarter, which allowed us a couple big drivers. One, obviously, with the touchdown, and then, got the interception and were able to basically run the clock out. That is something that is really important to me, really important to Coach Riley and our offense is to finish the game, finish the game on the field, offensively.

We have been going for it on fourth down all year, and we were 4-for-4 tonight and that was a huge deal.

Q. How would you assess just offensive coordinator Conor Riley in that role the past few weeks?

CHRIS KLIEMAN: I think he did a phenomenal job. To me, it is an entire picture. It is not a three-hour snapshot. It is over the last two weeks of just watching him handle the offense, handling being in the front of the room.

Really different for Conor being on the field, as opposed to being in the box like he was tonight. That is a different view.

Clint Brown did a phenomenal job helping him up there. We are going to enjoy the heck out of this one, and we will talk about some of those things later on.

I was proud of Riles. I love Conor Riley. Conor Riley and I have been battling together as assistants. When I got hired at NDSU, he was the first guy that I asked to stay with me. When I got hired at K-State, he was the first guy I asked to come with me.

He earned the right tonight to do what he did.

Q. You alluded to it on the stage there but how exciting is it to know you've got a few more years with Avery?

CHRIS KLIEMAN: He is a special, special talent. He is a very humble kid that has a ton of confidence, and that is a really hard thing to do.

Yeah, he has some swagger, and he can be brash, I am sure, if he wants to, but he is such a humble kid. It is a credit to his parents. His parents have done a phenomenal job, raising a competitor, raising a guy that hates to lose at anything.

But just having the confidence and being humble, as well, it is a pretty unique trait. The kid is mature beyond his years, and I think a lot of people saw that. North Carolina State has really good players on defense, and they had a hard time catching him, because he just understands angles and how to beat people. When he could not get the edge, okay, he would throw it away, did some big-time things, but some of the scrambles he had were against really good football players.

For a young player to do what he did, we are really excited about the future.

Q. DJ, only a sophomore, had over a thousand yards this year. What are you expecting out of him next year, and can you speak of how big of an impact he was on this team?

CHRIS KLIEMAN: The kid was turning it tonight, wasn't he (Laughter). As soon as I find out what that is, I will tell you. (Laughter).

DJ is – I mean – that kid learned and watched Deuce Vaughn, who is a really good player and just bided his time and that is hard to do at that running back position. He carried the ball some last year and stuff, but he learned behind Deuce. We gave him the football this year.

We relied on him. He is as good a guy picking up the protection. A great guy in catching the football, and guys, he is a load to bring down now. He ran through some arm tackles against really good players, and one thing I knew Riles was going to do is he is going to force feed DJ.

Q. You know, you mentioned it a little bit but Avery, his ability to sort of create plays out of structure but to know when to throw the ball away, for him to be a true freshman and to be able to do those things, how impressive is that, and how much does that help the offense knowing that he'll sort of know when to give up on a play?

CHRIS KLIEMAN: Yeah, they have a lot of guys returning, and I know they were without their really good linebacker. To go against a defense like that, I have so much respect for their defensive coordinator and their defensive staff. We didn't turn the football over, that was a huge thing.

Some of those times, a young player may force a throw when he is scrambling and does not see anybody open. He just said, you know what, I will throw it away.

The No. 1 stat that he looks for is: Did you win the game? I know he was 14-of-31, but he threw the ball away and avoided a number of sacks or lost yards and, you know what, he is 1-0 as a starting quarterback. That is the No. 1 stat that we look at.

He helped us win. He made big-time play after big-time play. He made the check on the last touchdown throwing it to Jas. He saw the look. How many young kids are going to say, no, I am not going to change it right now and throw a great dime to him.

Q. For the offense to not score over a quarter, and then Avery to lead a drive with two third-and-long conversions with a touchdown throw, what does that just say about him?

CHRIS KLIEMAN: Well for starters, it says a heck of a lot about our defense, because we did a great job in that second half against a defense – against a quarterback -- he's a fifth-year guy. Not many fifth-year seniors play in Bowl games, so my hat is off to him for playing in the game. For a fifth-year guy to play in the game and lead his team, he got after it in the first half.

We did some different things. Changed our stunts up to allow us to make them kick field goals, which allowed that one opportunity for us to get a big-time drive. Convert some third downs. Convert some fourth downs. Guys, we had two touchdowns called back, too.

We did some good things. We had a punt return called back. We had a long touchdown pass called back, and for us to finish that game with a couple big drives says a ton about our total team.

Q. Two things. Fourth-and-one, you run behind Cooper Beebe and KT Leveston; get the first touchdown. Score a touchdown after that. To end the game, run behind Cooper Beebe and KT Leveston to ice the game.

CHRIS KLIEMAN: Pretty smart. Those guys are really good players. Again, give it to DJ.

The other team we spread everybody out, and we had not done that out of that personnel grouping. Great call by Conor Riley to spread everybody out. We have been given the ball out of our two tight end set. Two tight end set, spread everybody out, give the ball to Avery. We were really smart with Avery. He was the only guy we felt comfortable and confident with to step up and play tonight.

We were not just going to just run the guy 20 times. We wanted to showcase his arm, showcase his ability. The play he made making the check on the first drive, throwing that touchdown pass to DJ, we had worked that, and we had not done that all year.

To make that play and to see everybody coming at you, and DJ kind of sidestepped the last blitzer, that is Football 101 done by a true freshman.

Q. You talked about the O-Line all week and they certainly went out tonight and made you proud, I'm sure. I don't think Avery was touched in the backfield.

CHRIS KLIEMAN: No, he was not. I know he was not. Those guys are the heart and soul of our offense. I had to give Gilly crap. He was not feeling well, so he missed yesterday. He came back fresh. He just maybe needed a day to rest and sleep. He had had the flu and bounced back, gave him an IV today ,and he played his tail off.

We rotated. We played seven guys in there with TP and Carver Willis. We are excited, because three of those guys are returning, too. It is not like -- I know we lose a lot of really good players in the o-line, but we have three studs coming back there and a lot of good youth that has learned from Coach Riley.

We are going to go as far as our O-line ask D-Line take us and both groups are really good tonight.

Q. What does it say about the six-year players, that they came back, and that played in the game tonight?

CHRIS KLIEMAN: They love K-State. They love the culture they have built. They love the fact that they have one more stage to play with their brothers. That is a party going on in there with those six-year guys.

I think it says more that they came back to play for K-State this year, and so many of those guys are O-linemen, and they came back to play for Conor Riley.