PAGE 8B
MONDAY, APRIL 30, 2012
THE UNIVERSITY DAILY KANSAN
FOOTBALL
Spring game shows defensive improvement
Sophomore running back Tony Pierson noon's Spring Game at Memorial Stadium
Weis'infl
COMMENTARY
On a day when the University honored one of its football program's most significant figures, former coach Don Fambrough, it embarked on a new era.
An estimated 15,000 Jayhawk fans caught a glimpse of the new Kansas football team under the leadership of new coach Charlie Weis during the spring game Saturday.
New quarterbacks Dayne Crist and Jake Heaps showed off their extraordinary passing ability that Kansas fans haven't seen since Todd
ETHAN PADWAY
epadway@kansan.com
ETHAN PADWAY
In one of the Kansas football team's practices last week, sophomore linebacker Michael Reynolds had three different coaches talk to him about running the play full speed.
At the end of practice, coach Charlie Weis called him out for it, trying to explain to him that they are going after him because he is one of the few players on the team who can make that play.
make that play
points per game in the NCAA Division I last season.
Reynolds, along with fellow linebacker senior Toben Opurum, played a hybrid linebacker/defensive end position normally seen more in a 3-4 defensive scheme than in the Jayhawks 4-3.
"I'm very comfortable with it because it gives me the chance to stand up and rush the passer and also play in coverage," Reynolds said.
Weis likes playing more versatile players at both positions because it allows him to have his best shot.
what his role will be in the fall. Because of Jackson's bigger build, he has the ability to play in the traditional halfback position as well as a bulkier backlack.
The zero on the board beneath the white squad's name is an impressive feat, but it must be noted that the feature not met could easily. The
"He could very easily be at 230 with a couple of cheeseburgers," Weis said. "That's what were going to have to decide, what weight we want him at, but you can see he has some natural running instincts."
KANSAS 68, BAYLOR 54
FEBRUARY 8,2012
Withey: head and shoulders above Baylor
MAX ROTHMAN
mrothman@kansan.com
WACO. Texas — Every day in practice, junior center Jeff Withey's teammates scream at him, punch him in the chest and jump on him to roll his emotions.
"They'll do it any way." Withey said of his teammates' antics.
At Missouri, Withey lacked consistent aggression and didn't score a point. Coach Bill Self told him a scoreless night couldn't happen again.
On Feb. 8, Withey said his coach's words were stuck in his head, so he scored a career-high 25 points and guided No. 7 Kansas to a 68-54 victory over No. 6 Baylor at the Ferrell Center.
Exactly how big was the seven-foot Withey in the victory?
"As big as he really is," senior guard Tyshawn Taylor said. "He was huge tonight."
Withey had a shaky start after a thun
derous alley-oop dunk from sophomore forward Perry Jones III. Withey turned the ball over and committed a foul, all within the first 30 seconds of the game.
But with the Jayhawks trailing 7-0 and momentum fading fast, Taylor shook junior guard Pierre Jackson with a quick crossover dribble at the top of the arc, drew another defender, then lobbed Withey an alley-oop dunk of his own.
The slam showed a glimpse of what was to come for Withey, who scored 17 of his team's 33 first-half points.
"I'm so happy with my big fella right now," Taylor said.
Kansas attacked Baylor's zone by exposing gaps and consistently luring two defenders to one player. With quick and judicious ball movement, the Jayhawks worked to the inside, almost always finding Withey by the basket for layups, dunks and free throws, which he converted a career-high nine of 11.
"Cole had some good games." Self said of
former Kansas center Cole Aldrich. "But I don't know if he had any better than that."
Junior forward Thomas Robinson, who finished with 15 points and 11 rebounds for his 17th double-double, picked up his second foul with 5:26 left in the first half. As Robinson sat on the bench for the rest of the half, the Jayhawks worked the offense through Withey. For a nearly 12 minute stretch from the end of the first half into the second, the Jayhawks went on a 34-5 run.
Jones III had the first dunk. He's the prospect in this game who NBA scouts want the most, but he also missed seven of his eight shots, only scored five points and grabbed two rebounds.
"I don't know why Withey likes playing against us so much," Baylor coach Scott Drew said. "But he looks like an All-American every time he does."
It was Withey's night, no matter what the scouting reports once said.
Junior guard Travis Releford celebrates with sophomore guard Nico Roberts when Baylor calls a time out after being down by 20 points in the second half.
30
ASHLEIGH LEE/KANSAN
Which KU fraternity man was founding editor of the Book of the Month Club and ran for Kansas Governor on an Anti-Klu Kux Klan Ku Platform?
"William Faulkner was a Sigma Alpha Epsilon (SAE) Member." What other English Literature courses and assigned novels were written by fraternity men and sorority women authors?
(BONUS QUESTION)