MANHATTAN – Tom Hayes likes to keep his priorities simple.
The Kansas State defensive coordinator asks his players to keep opposing teams out of the end zone and to stop the run. That’s it. Well, not entirely. He pushes for turnovers and sacks and strong coverage, too, but those are all secondary demands. Scoring defense and rushing defense are – by far – his most important statistics.
Excel at both, he says, and everything else falls into place.
“Those two stats have a lot to do with how you play on defense,” Hayes said Saturday at K-State’s media day.