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KANSAS
TUESDAY,OCTOBER 1,2013
THE UNIVERSITY DAILY KANSAN
FOOTBALL NOTEBOOK
Breakdown of this week in the Big 12
CONNER OBERKROM
coberkrom@kansan.com
Lnebacker Ben Heeney misses tackling his opponent during the Oct. 27 game against Texas for the 100th anniversary Homecoming game in Memorial Stadium.
Walsh and Oklahoma State's offense continues to struggle
Oklahoma State, tabbed as the preseason conference favorite, suffered its first loss of the season in its conference opener against West Virginia in Moreantown.
OSU coach Mike Gundy said that it was apparent why they didn't perform well, but the team is ready to get back on track Saturday when they play Kansas State.
"I think they'll respond fine" Gundy said. "They were good in practice last night. It was obvious the mistakes we made. We were poor in the turnover category and the kicking game, and that pretty much tells the tale in most football games."
FILE PHOTO/KANSAN
Quarterback has been a point of contention all year for the Cowboys, and J.W. Walsh continues to raise some questions with spotty play after four games.
Oklahoma State, which went through a QB carousel last year, is going through a similar phase this year.
Walsh's lack of arm strength has been displayed in his inaccuracy so far this season. He's thrown three interceptions.
Gundy marked senior QB Clint Chelf as his starter to open the season, but once Chelf sputtered in the first few series of the season opener against Mississippi State, he turned to Walsh. He has started the last three games.
"In the last couple games, J.W. (Walsh) has been average throwing the ball," Gundy said.
Walsh, a dual-threat QB, was supposed to run an offense similar to former Oklahoma State QB Zac Robinson — one with short passes and QB zone reads.
Walsh remains the starter for this week. Gundy thinks the narrative has drastically changed now that
Walsh is starting.
"Everyone loved Walsh when he wasn't playing, then when he makes a mistake they want a change," Gundy said. "That's the world we live in."
A few weeks ago orangebloods, com reported that Texas' athletic director Delosx Doddss was stepping down after the season, and it was made official Monday by Kirk Bohls of the Austin American Statesmen.
Dodds, who has seen his fair share of success, is experiencing the first program overhaul in quite some time. He won athletic director of the year in 2011, and is in his 32nd year as athletic director.
Bohls reported that Dodds will remain at the position through August 31,2014. After that he will take on a consulting role.
Texas, which has endured unaccustomed circumstances the last few years under Mack Brown, could also see a new head coach after the end of the season.
Dodds was instrumental in building Texas into the money-juiced program it is today. He also helped implement the Longhorn Network, which essentially kept the Big 12 from breaking up during conference realignment.
WVU still up in the air about starting quarterback
In a league that has seen many quarterback mix-ups, another one may have manifested itself in Morgantown.
Clint Trickett, a Florida State transfer, made his first start of his career against Oklahoma State last Saturday. He led the Mountaineers to a 30-21 victory, and threw 309 yards with one touchdown and two interceptions.
going to take some time for him to grasp that."
"He reacted well," WVU coach Dana Holgorsen said. "I was happy with how he reacted. How we play offense is foreign to him. So it'
After beating Oklahoma State, Holgorsen had some decisions to make at quarterback after Trickett was bounced around by the Oklahoma State defense.
parent shoulder injury, but came back later in the game to lead the Mountaineers to victory.
Trickett left the game with an ap
WVU already has one injured quarterback, Ford Childress, who started in the Oklahoma game. They currently have one fully-healthy quarterback on their
roster Trey Millard, who started the first two games of the season, saw some snaps after Trickett came out, but they didn't amount to much.
Holgorsen is waiting on the health status of his quarterbacks and practice this week to deter
mine who the starter will be against Baylor.
Edited by Heather Nelson
NFL
ASSOCIATED PRESS
Kansas City Chiefs cornerback Dunta Robinson (21) celebrates a fumble recovery with defensive back Husain Abdulahi (39) during the first half of an NFL football game against the New York Giants at Arrowhead Stadium in Kansas City, Mo. Sunday.
Five things to know from Chiefs' 31-7 rout of Giants
ASSOCIATED PRESS
KANSAS CITY, Mo. — Andy Reid claims there are things he still doesn't know about his Kansas City Chiefs.
That claim seems more farfetched by the day.
The former longtime Eagles coach has pulled all the right strings and orchestrated all the right moves in getting the Chiefs off to a 4-0 start. Their resounding 31-7 rout of the winless New York Giants on Sunday proved just how far Kansas City has come from a 2-14 finish a year ago.
"There are a lot of things that I don't know, but I do know this: We're a tough bunch and we'll keep battling," said Reid, whose team joined the 1980 Detroit Lions as the only ones in modern NFL history to win their first four games after two or fewer wins the previous season.
"That's something I'm proud of them for," Reid said. "They've been that way all the way through the offseason, during training camp and then continued it on into the season."
Alex Smith was savvy and efficient at quarterback. Wide receiver Dwayne Bowe made the kind of big plays befitting his big new contract. Dexter McCluster reached a punt 89 yards for a touchdown. And a hard-hitting defense allowed just one long touchdown reception.
If the Chiefs are battling, the Giants (0-4) are about ready to wave the white flag.
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Their defense has allowed 69 points the last two weeks, and an offense operating with a patchwork line has managed just one touchdown over that same stretch.
The result is their first winless start this deep into the season since 1987.
"I'm depending heavily on the leadership and depending heavily on the character of the guys in that locker room." Giants coach Tom Coughlin said. "Pick ourselves up, have a good week of practice, go play as hard as we can and improve on this."
With that in mind, here are five takeaways from Sunday's game:
CHIEFS ARE ROLLING
Beating Jacksonville was written off as a win over a bad team. Wins over Dallas and Philadelphia? Validation that what Reid's doing in Kansas City is working. But beating a desperate Giants team to go 4-0 for the third time in franchise history means the Chiefs are on a roll. "We're confident but not complacent," tight end Sean McGrath said. GIANTS ARE SWOONING
Just two years removed from a Super Bowl triumph, the Giants are trying to figure out where everything went wrong. They're allowing more than 36 points each game and have struggled to get into a rhythm on offense. The only 'TD' they've scored the last two weeks came on Eli Manning's long pass to Victor Cruz on Sunday. "It's disappointing offensive not to be able to do anything," it's bad," Manning said. "We had some chances on some plays and just didn't make them."
DOMINATING DEFENSE
The Chiefs are staking their claim as the league's top defense through the first four weeks. They've given up just four touchdowns and allowed 41 points, one point more than they allowed in their season-opening loss to Atlanta last year. "I feel like that was the foundation that was built for us to do what we're doing now," safety Eric Berry said, "but we've still got a lot of work to do."
SMALL THINGS MATTER
The Giants were trailing 10-7 in the third quarter when the Chiefs successfully challenged the spot on a third-and-long conversion. Coughlin elected to punt rather than go for it on fourth-and-short, and McCluster returned it 89 yards for a touchdown. It was the start of a 21-0 second half for the Chiefs.
ADVERSITY? NO PROBLEM
The Chiefs have proven they can handle some adversity. Not only did they shut down the Giants after turning the ball over for the first two times this season, they did it without several key players. Top cornerback Brandon Flowers, starting guard Jeff Allen and top tight ends Anthony Fasano and Travis Kelce were inactive due to injuries. Right tackle Eric Fisher left the game with a suspected concussion. "I was proud of the effort that the guys gave," Reid said. "I thought they came out and did a nice job. We overcome three turnovers with three takeaways of our own, and then the defense, I thought, played well."
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