Volume 126 Issue 106
kansan.com
Monday, April 14, 2014
COMMENTARY Spring Game surprises team
The jawing began just moments after the rosters were announced, as soon as it became clear that the Blue Team — comprising Kansas' most likely starters — was assembled for the sole purpose of beating the White Team on the field.
Kansas coach Charlie Weis knew this. It was exactly what he wanted. When the Blue Team was taking its comfortable lead into halftime, he would flip the score, making his happy-go-lucky starters fight their way back from whatever hole they dug their opponents in. Weis even had his staff tell the media of his "secret rule" before the game.
Surely the talent level on the White Team couldn't manufacture plays. After all, they were backups for a reason.
Unfortunately for Weis, the rule stayed a secret. It turns out that after teasing your backups for long enough, they start to believe they can win. And then they begin to prove it.
While the Blue Team struggled to get past midfield in the first half — they made it to the White Team's 49-yard line before moving backwards on consecutive plays — the White Team went up 7-0.
"You're just trying to have fun and stuff and then you realize, OK, we've got to settle down now." Blue Team defensive lineman Ken Ewaters said. "Everybody has a chip on their shoulder. The White Team had a big chip today."
As much as Weis wanted to stack the odds against the starters in the second half, the Blue Team took care of that for him. In many ways, that was more important.
In nine of their 12 games last season, the Jayhawks trailed at halftime. Weis doesn't need to pull any tricks to get his team to play with urgency, but that doesn't mean he didn't need to see how they would respond.
So when Stowers and the other Kansas' leaders marched back into the locker room at halftime there was no more joking, no more teasing and this was no longer about which side had more talent.
"The leaders were just getting on everybody in the locker room," Stowers said. "The twos looked better than the ones out there."
By the time the Blue Team took the field for the third quarter, everything about them seemed different. Their pride was on the line and, if they weren't careful, their starting roles could be, too.
That's what Weis wanted to create by flipping the score. But the Blue Team forced the comeback on their own, emerging with a 20-10 victory, with the score every bit as important as how the Blue Team achieved it.
And in the moments when the top players needed to make plays, they found a way to get it done, whether it was Montell Cozart or Tony Pierson or Stowers.
"You're getting season-like situations," Stowers said. "That's a damn good rhythm to get into."
Edited by Sarah Kramer
FOOTBALL
The Blue Team wins the Spring Game
Sophomore quarterback Montell Cozart dives into the endzone for a touchdown against the White Team. Cozart accrued a total of 77 rushing yards and two touchdowns against the White Team on Saturday.
BLAIR SHEADE
sports@kansan.com
sports@kansan.com
JAMES HOYT/KANSAN
The Kansas football Blue and White Spring Game on Saturday was just another glorified scrimmage, coach Charlie Weis said. The Blue Team, which consisted of starters on offense and defense, defeated the White Team 20-10.
"We still have questions, but we got a lot more answers," Weis said.
The Blue team didn't look like starters in the first half because the White team led at halftime 7-0.
"They came out and punched us in the mouth," said Montell Cozart, sophomore quarterback of the Blue Team.
The White Team scored on a Tre Parmalee 26-yard pass to Andrew Turzilli. The junior wide receiver, Parmalee, was split out wide and ran a reverse-pass to the senior wide receiver Turzilli for the only score for both teams in the first half.
Parmalee and Cozart went to the same high school, Bishop Miege, in Kansas City, Kan. After the game, Weis went into the locker room and told the team that the Jayhawks
finally have a Bishop Miege quarterback that can throw. Cozart and Parmalee are also roommates this year.
"I had to give him some stuff about it," Cozart said about Parmalee's touchdown pass.
The White defense held the Blue offense to 53 total yards, and the White offence ran for 76 yards on the Blue defense. The starters looked like the back-ups, senior defensive linemen Keon Stowers said.
The Blue offense crossed midfield once in the first half and compiled four first downs.
"When I set up the team personnel wise, you would think that the Blue team would have an advantage," Weis said.
The wide receivers on both teams played well, including Miami of Ohio transfer senior Nick Harwell who led the Blue team with four receptions. Weis said that the wide receiver position is deep and right now junior Rodriguez Coleman and senior Justin McCay have a tight battle for the X-position.
“In the past two weeks I don't think we have had five dropped balls,” Weis said
about the Kansas wide receivers consistency in practice.
Senior quarterback Jake Heaps and Cozart combined 2-6 for four yards in the first half. Heaps and Cozart are in a potential quarterback battle during the summer, but today Cozart, who was the games' Offensive MVP, looked apart from Heaps.
In the second half Cozart carried the Blue team with a 60-yard run to the White team's four yard line then two plays later he ran it himself for the touchdown.
Heaps, who in the 2013 Spring Game threw for 257 yards and four touchdowns, struggled Saturday. He was
0-2 in the first half and finished with 41 yards on three completions.
"We're all even keel," Cozart said about the quarterback battle between Heaps and himself.
The Blue defense held the White offense to 94 yards of
total offense. Stowers, who was the Defensive MVP, had eight total tackles.
"I think the first-defense picked it up tremendously in the second half" Stowers said. The Spring Game showed that the Jayhawks aren't quite ready, but everything can turn into a positive.
"We came out injury free today," Weis said.
Edited by Chelsea Mies
BASEBALL
RFN I IPOWITZ/KANSAN
junior pitcher Robert Kahana pitched a complete game during Kansas' first game of their double-header against TCU on Saturday. Kahana allowed three runs off nine hits.
Jayhawks avoid the sweep against TCU
SHANE JACKSON sports@kansan.com
The jayhawks dropped the first two games 5-2 and 3-1 in tightly contested pitching duels. They salvaged the series by avoiding the sweep and winning game three. With the
Coming off their disappointing series sweep against Iowa in their midweek two-game set, the Jayhawks were set to play the hottest team in the Big 12. Kansas (22-15) welcomed the Horned Frogs of Texas Christian University (22-13) in a three-game series at Hoglund Ballpark this past weekend. The Horned Frogs came into the conference matchup riding a five-game winning streak, having not lost in the month of April.
In game one on Friday night the Jayhawks saw the best pitcher in the country, left-handed pitcher Brandon Finnegan, a first-round draft prospect who allowed a mere 35 base hits coming into game one. Kansas scored two runs off nine hits, eight of which came off Finnegan in the 5-2 loss.
5-1 victory in the nightcap of the doubleheader on Saturday, the Jayhawks moved to 6-6 in conference play to keep their season alive.
"I thought we played well all three games," said coach Ritch Price. "Luckily we played well enough in the final game to salvage the series; they came in red hot, playing their best baseball."
has settled into his new role as the Friday night starter. After getting beat up in his first start against Kansas State, he tossed the most innings of his Jayhawk career with six, allowing four runs off 10 hits.
"It's coming back to me," Piché said. "It's a different mindset; I don't like giving up hits and as a starter you are going to give up hits."
Game two was another battle of the arms as the Horned Frogs tossed out their crafty right-handed pitcher Preston Morrison. Kansas struggled to get contact off his off-speed stuff as they managed only four hits, and their lone run coming from a solo shot over the left field wall by junior outfielder Connor McKay in the seventh.
Senior pitcher Jordan Piche
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"Morrison is real good with his sinker and slider," McKay said. "He kept us off balance with his fastball. Hats off to him for pitching a phenomenal game."
Junior right-handed pitcher Robert Kahana pitched a complete game in a losing effort for Kansas. He allowed three runs off nine hits for his second complete game of the season, to avoid using the bullpen in the first of a doubleheader on Saturday.
After scoring a combined three runs in the first two games, the Jayhawks got their offense going in game three. Junior outfielder Dakota Smith, who didn't start in game one of the doubleheader, had three runs batted in, including a sliding triple in
the sixth to score two.
McKay added home runs eight and nine on the year, with two more solo shots over the left field wall. He now leads the conference in runs batted in with 38.
Kansas' senior right-handed pitcher Frank Duncan tossed a beauty in game three, as he went 8.1 innings deep, allowing one run off five hits, striking out seven in his fourth win on the year.
Kansas will look to keep its season alive with a crucial midweek home series against non-conference opponent Grand Canyon. Game one of the two-game series will be Tuesday, April 16, at 6 p.m.
Edited by Amber Kasselman
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