Volume 124 Issue 78
kansan.com
Thursday, January 19, 2012
COMMENTARY Aiming for a new culture
It has been a laughing stock and the brunt of jokes for most of its history, but the Kansas football program is making strides toward eliminating its petty past and acquiring future fortune.
Kansas football had always been the bitter-tasting appetizer that inexplicably compliments the deliciously tender main course meal, basketball. Athletic administrations of the past seemed content with football futility despite the numerous coaching changes because basketball was the school's prized crown jewel.
Sheahon Zenger clearly had enough of that.
As a former football coach, you knew, deep down, Zenger was humiliated to watch the team embarrass itself with Memorial Stadium barely filled to capacity.
The college sports landscape is evolving and football is primarily responsible for the metamorphosis. Zenger understood that future football futility would hinder Kansas athletics' ability to compete with other Division I schools because football is the main source of revenue for athletics programs. Zenger isn't satisfied only participating in a BCS conference. He wants on-and off-the-field success so the program is respectable and relevant.
It's certainly not a stigma, but when a school is considered a basketball powerhouse, it's implied that the football program is putrid.
Enter Charlie Weis.
Weis wanted a challenge and leading the Kansas football program to success is one of the biggest. He also sought a second chance at head coaching. Despite a winning record at Notre Dame, his tenure was publicly deemed a failure. His history as an assistant coach in the NFL is superb and college football players look for coaches or programs that will help them toward a long, productive NFL career.
Football players, especially quarterbacks, recognize Weis' pedigree. He is largely responsible for Tom Brady's stellar career. Quarterbacks Dayne Crist and Jake Heaps and wide receiver Justin McCay transferred from Notre Dame, BYU and Oklahoma respectively to Kansas mainly because of Charlie Weis. Weis pro-style offense translates to the NFL and learning pro-style schemes in college makes the transition easier.
College football teams filled with highly talented and skilled players with pro prospects usually make frequent trips to bowl games. Kansas has never had that consistency because it has lacked players with pro prospects. Football recruits are eager to play for schools that pride themselves in football because they don't want to be in the shadow of basketball players.
However, with Weis at the helm, Kansas football is now on the radar. The program may not have immediate success, but recruits and transfers will now consider Kansas because Weis knows how to develop players into NFL prospects.
A new vibe is surrounding Kansas football. This has arguably been the biggest offseason in Kansas football history, and fans are excited for the Weis era to commence. The college football community can now pay heed to Kansas Jayhawks football.
Edited by Pat Strathman
TAYLOR BLASTS FANS ON TWITTER
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KANSAS 65. OKLAHOMA STATE 60
TEAM TACKLES BIG 12
KATHLEEN GIER
kgner@kansan.com
Kansas turned to two historic performances in the paint to lead them past a determined Oklahoma State squad as they advanced to their best conference record under coach Bonnie Henrickson.
The layhawks won their third road conference game with a 65-60 victory in Stillwater, Okla. They advanced to 4-1 to start conference play for the first time since 1996-1997. They also move to 3-0 in Big 12 road games.
"Our experience gives us motivation for the next game," Senior forward Aishah Sutherland said. "It shows us that we are good and we have it in our head that we are a great team that can beat people on the road."
Henrickson said that from a resiliency standpoint she is really impressed with the team and how they have started the season.
"I think we have seen growth and maturation from this group." Henrickson said.
Sutherland thrived in the paint pulling down a career-high 22 rebounds in addition to with 15 points. She alone accounted for 22 of the 34 team rebounds and 19 of the 26 defensive rebounds.
Carolyn Davis only had four rebounds, but achieved another historic feat. She pulled down her 500th rebound in the first half and became just the 14th Jayhawk to have more than 1,000 points and more than 500 rebounds in a season.
"It feels great," Sutherland said. "I have always gone to the boards, but to be able to get that many is amazing to me and it motivates me to get boards constantly and it excites me to be able to do something like that for my team and help us win."
Davis, who led Kansas with 18 points, joked that she deserved more credit for helping Sutherland achieve her impressive numbers.
"I told her I need to get credited for a couple assists because a couple of times I blocked out
my guy so she could get to it, or I tipped it to her so I told her to give me a half a rebound or something," Davis said.
The Cowgirls held their opponents to an average 30.7 shooting percentage entering the game, but the Jayhawks navigated their defense and continued their nation leading trend hitting 48.1 percent from the field.
The Jayhawks had their way inside and outscored the Cowgirls 44-28 in the paint behind Davis and Sutherland. The guards brought their own threat hitting 4 of 9 from beyond the arc.
"Every game we go in and we know that is the game plan: we have to dominate in the paint, and I think Aishah and me are doing a great job with that," Davis said.
The Jayhawks jumped out to a quick 10-4 lead by the first break and extended their lead to 12 in the first half. But they weathered several runs by the Cowgirls through the rest of the game as their lead fluctuated from 12 points all the way down to one, but the Jayhawks sealed the win with two free throws from Goodrich in the final seconds.
Turnovers crept back into the Kansas game and provided some late opportunities for an Oklahoma State comeback.
Sutherland lost control as the ball rolled out of bounds for the Jayhawks' 19th turnover with under two minutes left, but it was two more turnovers from the Cowgirls that gave way to a 7-0 run as the Jayhawks solidified their lead.
Edited by Amanda Gage
"That's how fragile the games are," Henrickson said. If we catch a couple of those we probably have an eight or 10 point cushion with under six minutes left, but we didn't and we still had to find a way to win."
The Jayhawks will host the defending national champion Texas A&M Aggies at 7 p.m. on Saturday. It will be alumni day for Kansas.
EMILY NIELSEN/CONTRIBUTED PHOTO
Senior forward Aishah Sutherland goes up for a basket during Wednesday night's game against Oklahoma State. Sutherland contributed 15 points and 22 rebounds in the 65-60 Kansas victory. Kansas is now 15-2 for the season.
FOOTBALL
Seasoned coach to coordinate Jayhawk defense
LETHAN PADWAY
epadway@kansan.com twitter.com/UDK_B12Fball
It took Kansas football coach Charlie Weis over a month, but after hiring Dave Campo, he now has the coach in charge of turning around the unit that finished last in the Football Bowl Subdivision in total yards allowed and scoring defense.
"I was looking for a concept and once I saw somebody I knew and that I could trust, that fit that concept." Weis said. "I knew it would be right."
Campo comes to the Jayhawks after spending the previous 23 seasons at the professional level, including the last four as the secondary coach of the Dallas Cowboys.
to return to the college ranks instead of taking an upper level organizational role under Cowboys' owner and General Manager lerry lones.
Weis convinced Campo
"I knew that Jerry would want
him to be involved in the organization in some capacity, which he had the opportunity to do that," Weis said. "So I said, 'Dave, you don't want to do that.' Ye
Campo
to do that. Your
not ready to do that.' He said,
'You're right, I'm not ready to be
done coaching yet.'
This is the second time Campo has left the Cowboys organization. The first time came after he was fired after three seasons as
coach following in 2002.
Campo initially joined the Cowboys as the secondary coach in 1989, following Jimmi Johnson from the Miami Hurricanes, where they were the 1987 National Champions.
In his time with the Cowboys, Campo won three Super Bowls and was promoted to defensive coordinator in 1995 before his unsuccessful tenure as head coach. Campo spent stints on the coaching staffs of the Cleveland Browns and Jacksonville Jaguars before returning to the Cowboys in 2008.
"I wanted somebody that speaks the same language as me," Weis said. "He certainly speaks the same language as me. He's significantly older than me, obviously. We speak the same language, we've known each other
NOTABLE PLAYERS UNDER CAMPO
DELION SANDERS: 4-time pro-bowl selection under Campo, 4-time all-pro
selection under Campo
BENNIE BLADES: 1987 Jim Thorpe award winner as nation's top defensive back under Campo. College Football Hall of Fame member.
DARREN WOODSON: 4-time all-pro selection, 5-time pro-bowl selection under Campo. Campo converted Woodson from linebacker to safety in the NFL
TERENCE NEWMAN: 2009 pro-bowl selection under Campo. Recorded his best statistical season in 2010 with 77 tackles and 5 interceptions in 2010, both career highs.
RASHEAN MATHIS: Had his best season under Campo in 2006 when he was named to the all-pro team, selected to the pro-bowl, tied for third in the NFL with eight interceptions.
for a long time, we have a mutual respect."
In addition to his duties as defensive coordinator, Campo will also be in charge of the defensive secondary, where he
will try and improve a unit that finished the season ranked 110th in the nation in pass defense.
Edited by Amanda Gage