Bill Snyder – "Oklahoma Is Talented With Good Fans"

For those who walk away from a Bob Stoops press conference scratching their heads and wondering what they just heard, let me introduce you to the mastermind who helped shape Stoops into who he is today.

Kansas State Head Coach Bill Snyder met with the media on Tuesday to discuss the trip to Norman this weekend and his team overall. Stoops spent seven seasons with Snyder in Manhattan and has often referred to his former mentor. However, you really get a feel for how much of Snyder rubbed off on Stoops by listening to the way the two address the media almost identically.

Snyder didn't deliver any earth shattering news in his Tuesday press conference. The highlights were that he was overly complimentary towards playing in Norman, relying on the defense to get to the quarterback but also saying that isn't the only responsibility and paying some mad respect to Blake Bell.

On playing Oklahoma...
"You know, they are an excellent football team and have been throughout Bobby's (Stoops) tenure there. Certainly before, they have had great coaches. They've got very talented young guys. The fans are good. They fill the stadium. I mean, I can't think of any negative things that happen there. That certainly does not work in our favor. We say all the time to keep it between the white lines and play error free football, you know, as close as you can. It's just difficult to ask."

On the pass rush being a good way to stop the ball...
"Well I think that is certainly a part of it, and that can work both ways. You can take the quick passes and keep it in front of you and slow the process down downfield. By the same token, that can also hurt you, a la a week ago. There is a youngster that completed virtually all of his passes, and all of them were passes kept in front. Yet it allowed them to maintain possession of the ball, utilize the clock and keep the offense off the field. North Texas had possession of the ball I think 16 or so minutes more so than we did, which is out of the ordinary, but it happened. By being able to keep the ball in front, we also give them the opportunity to move the chains and get the first down. Everything we are talking about today is a dilemma. You have to realize that."

On the difficulty of preparing for two quarterbacks...
"The thing is that you have to be very careful of is that Blake (Bell) has the capacity to throw the football as well. His completion percentage is I think 75 percent. It was three of four in the last ballgame that he threw the ball just as the Wildcat guy as their quarterback. He has the capacity to do that, so you have to defend both run and pass at the same time. You know that the play action pass when it is a heavy run down is always what you have to be careful on, and when the quarterback runs the ball, they normally got enough people to block your people. That is the nature of the quarterback run game and always has been for the 20-some-odd years that we have utilized it. It is an advantage in regards to numbers. In other word, if you hand the ball off to your running back and the quarterback is not accounted, so you are really playing with 10 guys and they have 11, so they out-number you. If your quarterback can run the ball, then you add one to yourself, so you got enough to block their people and that is the advantage of it. When you take a guy like Blake or Collin (Klein) who is big, strong, and physical that is advantageous."

In addition to Snyder, two players also met with the media on Tuesday.

Quarterback Collin Klein

On facing Oklahoma's defense...
"We just have to prepare our tools with what we know, as best as we possibly can, and then be ready to possibly make some adjustments on the fly. They do a good job of putting things together and getting themselves ready to go. We have just got to make the best possible plan that we can. We are going to have to be ready to adjust for some things that they are preparing."

Defensive Back Jarard Milo

On the team's defensive performance so far...
"Our pursuit and the way we play as a defense each game has been improving. Each week we go out and do the best we can and just keep improving. We just have to come out this week and execute."

Checkout all of Snyder's quotes at kstatesports