University Daily Kansan
Wednesday, October 26,1977
7
It's time to break the wishbone
C'mon Bud. Say you've seen enough.
Cuth Bud. Slay you ve seen enough.
You've seen the Kansas offense stumble through seven games now, only two of which were something other than losses.
You've seen three quarterbacks try to direct the wishbone offense you brought with you from Alabama, none with much success.
You've seen opposing defenses stop the Kansas offense cold, with the coup de grace coming last Saturday when Oklahoma State handed the Jayhawks only their second shutout since your days in Tuscaloosa.
C'mon Bud. It's time for a change.
THE WISHBONE offense, when *u* properly run, is a beautiful thing to watch. The fake handoff to the fullback plung up the middle. The pitch from the quarterback to the halfback churning around the corner just as defensive ends smother the ball and halt莽跑 turning up field and eluding defensive players on his way to the end zone.
For the last two years, KU's wishbone has been a thing of beauty. With Nolan Cromwell at the controls, the Jayhawks had one of the best offenses in the country. They put points on the board and were an exciting team to watch.
But that's changed this season, Bud. It isn't pretty anymore. The wishbone has quickly been transformed into the I-Wish (we could score) offense.
The honeymoon's over. Bud. It's time to scrap the wishbone.
IT'S TIME to install a new offense, preferably one that can score. The club
Rob Rains
Sports Editor
has run out of the Power I at times this year, and seems to do better in that formation. The defense has played remarkably well this season, all things considered, but it's time to give them a break before an opposing offense does.
The offense does have good personnel. But they're not suited to the wishbone at the one position that matters the most—quarterback.
Both of KU's current quarterbacks, Jeff Hines and Brian Bethek, have experience in running the wishbone. But Hines, a freshman, ran the Veer his last two years in high school. Bethek, a junior, hasn't run the wishbone since high school.
Gary Rutledge, KU's quarterback coach, was a pretty fair wishbone quarterback during his collegiate days at UCLA. He was a first-round pick for him to see KU's wishbone floundering.
UNLIKE CROMWELL, neither of the gift is gifted with great speed. And, although speed is not the only asset, it is a wishbone quarterback, it doesn't hurt.
"A lot of our fans are spooked because of cornwell," Rutledge said yesterday. "He had a big game, and we all knew."
"YOU WONDER why things don't work. We don't have the breakaway threats like we did last year with Nolan and Laverne (Smith). We have to have long, sustained drives in order to score. We've just got to learn to be more patient."
“There’s a lot of pressure on the quarterback in a wishbone offense,” he said. “There’s not so much pressure in the back that all he has to do is throw I-beam.”
"We're just not getting the kind of operation from the whole team that we
"This week we're working on changing some of our fullback reads. We're going to go more to calling the play and then running it without waiting to see what the players have done. Our players have come when we tried to execute the different options and we fumbled."
BOTH OF KU'S quarterbacks, naturally, defended the use of the wishbones.
Rutledge admitted that some of the problems with the offense might be eliminated if the type of offense the Javahwaks ran was changed.
want. we not having the blocking we need from the line, we're not having the blocking we need from the backs and we're needing at quarterback like we should be.
"I think we have the personnel to run a lot of offenses," Bethke said. "I think it's easy to say that we don't have the personnel for the wishbone when you look at the games we've won. But it's been the mistakes that have killed us.
"One of the big problems has been the
lack of consistency at quarterback. It would help to get a quarterback in there who was consistent."
Hines agreed.
"I think the coaches are going to run what they think our personnel is best able to do," said. "It would be kind of hard to change to a new offense this late in the season."
NOT ALL OF the problems with the lack of offense this season can be attributed to the backfield, however. The Jayhawks, who are once again last this week in scoring offense in the Big Eight Conference in total offense, (K-State's last), have not played the play out of the offensive line that they expected before the season started.
Two other problems that stopped the Jayhawk's offense before it really got off to a running start this fall were the rugged non-conference schedule and the early-quarters that then starting quarterback Mark Viccenese and half Bill Camfield.
"We thought the top five we've got in there would be doing a super job," Richard. "They just haven’t. We’re working their hard. We just can’t understand it."
With Campfield back in the lineup, the Jayhawks' offensive production has increased. But not to the point where it can benefit that it is operating at maximum efficiency.
So c'mon Bud. Maybe the Power I can't
the answer. But the way things are going,
is that the power is out.
Exams cut practice short as KU drills for Cyclones
Iowa State was not the only thing on the minds of several KU football players yesterday. Coach Bud Moore had to stop all of the several players had tests to take last night.
Injuries also continued to preoccupy the KU football team yesterday. Wide receivers David Verser and Mark Vicendese, lineman Mike Loughman, linebacker Murry Harry,
Volleyball team sweeps matches
The Jayhawks first downdated the Missouri Tigers, 15-12, 10-15 and 15-8. They then beat the University of Missouri at Kansas City in straight games, 15-13 and 15-9.
The KU volleyball team got back on the winning track last night and boosted its record to 21-16, by taking two matches in Kansas City. Mo.
The Big Eight tournament starts Friday in Norman, Okla.
KU assistant coach Karen Bethereum said that MU and UMKC were both good teams, but that the Jayhawks went into the matches determined to win.
defensive end Jim Zidm and kicker Mike Hulush miss practice yesterday because
"I don't know how bad these people are... Moore said yesterday. "I hope to have them tell me."
"For some reason we were more psyched up than we've been all year, and really went at it," she said. "I think this will be a big challenge us going into the Big Eight tournament."
The Jayhawks, who practiced at Memorial Stadium because of wet practice fields, worked on their passing game and their goal-line offense and defense.
"We had a fair practice, though we did have to stop it early because several key players had tests," Moore said. "We've got more intensity and much more intensity though."
76er's hold off late KC charge
PHILADELPHIA (UPI)—Doug Collins poured in 31 points, and the Philadelphia 76ers used an explosive second period last night to build an early lead before holding off a late Kansas City sport for a 112-104 victory over the Kings.
Philadelphia led by 21 points at one point during the third quarter.
Leading 26-23 after one quarter, mainly on George McGlinis' 12-point outburst, the 78ers outplayed the Kings 17-7 in the first six of the game and went on to a 52-36 half-makement hour.
NOON BUFFET
Juco transfer sidelined
Cherie Giles, a 6-foot-8 forward who transferred to the University of Kansas this fall after leading Independence (Kan.) and Oklahoma State basketball colleges. College Basketball championship last
spring, underwent knee surgery yesterday and was declared out for the season.
Giles, from Chicago, had suffered torn ligaments and some cartilage damage in his wrist.
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