THE UNIVERSITY DAILY KANSAN
TUESDAY, OCTOBER 29. 2013
PAGE 3B
FOOTBALL
Texas coach Mack Brown sees potential in Weis
MAX GOODWIN
mgoodwin@kansan.com
With a 3-16 record at Kansas, coach Charlie Weis is faced with the task of changing the losing mentality of an entire program.
There have been 25 straight losses in the Big 12 and 21 consecutive losses on the road for Kansas as it prepares for the game at Texas on Saturday. None of the current players have played in either a conference or road win at Kansas.
Texas coach Mack Brown is yet to have a losing season with the Longhorns and has been to two national championship games, including a title win in 2005. But Brown has been where Weis is now.
As North Carolina's coach over two decades ago, Brown had back-to-back 1-10 seasons. But Brown eventually helped bring the Tar Heels to five straight bowl games and took the Texas job after a 10-1 season at North Carolina.
Brown has experience transforming the mentality of a program that is struggling.
"You start looking at different things that you can improve," Brown said in a Big 12 teleconference on Monday. "Each week we would look at, 'Did we run the ball better? Did we do these things?' And knew that if we continued to improve in each area, that at some point the win was coming."
At the moment, Weis is focusing much of his attention on improving the offensive output, as his team is scoring 17.7 points per game, ranking 116th in the NCAA.
"That is the main area of concern from my standpoint," Weis said, following Brown on the teleconference.
Weis has made more personnel changes to the offensive line than at any other point in his coaching career. He has finally found a unit that he and offensive line coach Tim Grunhard like enough to consistently put on the field together and can improve together.
He has switched starting wide receivers and tight ends, before going back to the original starters.
Weis has now begun splitting drives at quarterback between starter junior Jake Heaps and freshman Montell Cozart.
But some areas have improved in the year and a half that Weis has been coach of the Jayhawks.
"I think our defense has played solid all year long for the most part," Weis said.
The Jayhawks have not yet escaped the mentality that comes with losing so many games.
"We had two games get away from us, Baylor and Texas Tech. The rest of the games have all been close into the fourth quarter," Weis said.
Last season at Memorial Stadium, Kansas had Texas on the verge of defeat with two minutes left in the fourth quarter before quarterback
Case McCoy drove the Longhorns down the field for the winning touchdown.
Irieaps, who was sitting out due to transfer rules, said earlier this season that in that 21-17 Texas loss, the attitude on the Kansas sideline was that of a team that believed they had already won the game.
That attitude comes with the inexperience of winning conference games.
Brown believes that Weis will eventually succeed in making Kansas a winning football program.
"Charlie is a great football coach, not a good football coach," Brown said. "Kansas is really lucky to have him, and just watching last year what he and Dave Campo did with that team and see that they are continuing to do that. They are going to get it done, I just hope it's not this weekend."
—Edited by Heather Nelson
Weis looks on as his team loses to Baylor on Saturday, 14-59. Weis' 3-16 record at Kansas can be improved Texas coach Mack Brown said.
GEORGE MULLINIX/KANSAN
Football Notebook
BIG 12
Oklahoma prepares for Baylor; Kansas State quarterbacks work in progress
CONNOR OBERKROM
coberkrom@kansan.com
BLAKE BELL AND RUNNING GAME
HELP DKIAHOMA BEAT TEXAS TECH
HELP OLHAOMA BEAT TEXAS TECH
Oklahoma's season has hinged on
its running game, and on Saturday
against Texas Tech it flourished
compiling 277 yards on 5.5 yards
per carry.
per cent].
While losing its fullback, Trey Millard, after the game, Oklahoma was able to squeeze out a win by turning to their running game later on. Damien Williams led the way with 97 yards on 19 carries including a crucial touchdown run early in the fourth quarter that put Oklahoma up by 11.
The Millard loss will be tough for Oklahoma, who already have lost
two playmakers on defense.
"We'll miss him everywhere, he gives so many different dimensions on offense," coach Bob Stoops said in the weekly Big 12 teleconference.
While the running game drove the game, quarterback Blake Bell's development continues to evolve.
Bell had one crucial drive that helped the Sooners pick up steam offensively. Tied at seven, and with both offenses struggling to get past the defense, Bell had a noteworthy drive where he completed five of seven passes. He went for 79 yards finishing off a 16-play, 97-yard drive that spanned more than seven minutes.
Oklahoma is off this week as it prepares for a showdown with No.
5 Baylor next Thursday.
KANSAS STATE QUARTERBACK SITUATION STILL IN QUESTION
STORIATION SIZE IN QUOTER Kansas State had mixed results from their quarterback until Jake Watters dazzled in the fourth quarter against West Virginia on Saturday turning a 14-12 game into a 23-point win.
Waters, who led the 21-point fourth quarter, had his best game of the season, in a near-perfect performance going 10-of-13 for 198 yards with three touchdown passes.
While Waters was the star, quarterback Daniel Sams was no slouch either. He went 8-for-8 with 93 yards and a touchdown.
The duo also handled their
business on the ground, combining for 81 yards on 24 carries.
Kansas State coach Bill Snyder still worries, however, about their tendencies to turn the ball over. Limiting turnovers is still a work in progress, as Sams and Waters each fumbled once Saturday.
"They did do some good things over the course of the ballgame, turnovers still are a major issue with us, one of several major issues we have on both sides of the ball," Snyder said.
GAME OF THE WEEK IN BIG 12
As the Big 12 race becomes more constricted, the games become more meaningful. The showdown between Texas Tech
and Oklahoma State will likely keep one team in the Big 12 race and eliminate the other.
Oklahoma State and Texas Tech both have one conference loss, and with only 6 weeks left in the season, the games hold a different meeting.
Texas and Baylor currently top the conference with undefeated conference records.
The next pack of the group, Oklahoma State, Oklahoma and Texas Tech each have one conference loss. The Red Raiders and Cowboys duel will make that race even tighter.
Texas Tech is coming off an emotional loss to Oklahoma, which saw a 24-21 lead evaporate when Oklahoma scored a
touchdown in late in the third. The Raiders took a 28-24 lead and won the game 38-30.
Oklahoma State, meanwhile, is coming off a comfortable win over Iowa State. The Cowboys look to capture another win in Lubbock.
"It's going to be a battle I think from this point on in our league most of every game that is played will be quality football games," Oklahoma State coach Mike Gundy said in the weekly Big 12 teleconference.
—Edited by Heather Nelson
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