Volume 126 Issue 20
kansan.com
Wednesday, September 25, 2013
COMMENTARY Weis plays big games after bye
The first bye week in Charlie Weis' coaching career preluded "the game of the century."
His first as a Jayhawk came before the "Road Kill Ahead" game.
GEORGE MULLINIX/KANSAM
The Jayhawks were 1-3 heading to Manhattan last year, but had a bye week to prepare for Bill Snyder's undefeated Wildcats. Weis brought his tricks to the show, and it worked — for one half.
The jayhawks forced a three-and- out to start the game against Kansas State, before marching on a 12-play, 83-yard touchdown drive to give Kansas a 7-0 lead. Kansas State immediately responded for a score, and sure enough, the trickery game. On fourth down with eight yards to go, Weis ran a fake punt, and it worked.
This was a game the Jayhawks weren't even supposed to compete in. Wei's trickery inspired his team to a competitive first half. The Jayhawks went into the locker room trailing 21-14.
Later, on the same possession,
Weis called a fake field goal on
fourth and two, and the Jayhawks
scored three plays later.
When you're playing a team of this caliber, you've got to be willing to take some risks," Weis said after the game. "We did two in a drive, and it gives you a touchdown. You're up 14-7, and now you're hanging around with the team believing you have a chance."
His team had a chance, but it remained slim. The Jayhawks lost 56-16.
As a coach, Weis doesn't have a stellar record coming off bye weeks. His teams are 3-5, to be exact. That being said, Weis doesn't have a great record as a coach at 38-39, so that's no huge surprise.
he does, however, have experience with big games following bye weeks — as big as games can get. With Kansas riding momentum this bye week, before they begin conference play next Saturday against Texas Tech, it's fair to say this is a big, big game for the Jayhawks.
Weis' first game after a week off as a head coach carried as much weight as a game can have. His No. 9 Notre Dame team played No. 1 USC in South Bend, Ind. This was Matt Leinart and Reggie Bush against Brady Quinn.
America watched one of the best college football games ever played. Notre Dame had a 31-28 lead with less than two minutes remaining in the game. USC was sacked, and had a famous fourth and eighth, 61-yard completion to Dwane Jarret. Leinart ran in a one-yard touchdown, known as "The Bush Push," after Heisman winner Reggie Bush pushed his fellow Heisman teammate, Leinart, into the end zone.
It can only be one of, if not the, worst memories in Weis' coaching career. Michael Wilbon, now with ESPN, wrote in the Washington Post, "Yes, Southern Cal-Notre Dame was indeed the Game of the Century, and probably the 20th century, too." Kansas-Texas Tech won't have the hype or the implications of that other game. But it's still a huge opportunity for a Kansas team that's been starved of a Big 12 win since 2010.
Better get preparing
Edited by Emma McElhaney
ROCK THE BOAT
GEORGE MULLINIX/KANSAN
A Jawhawk rower glides across the glassy water of the Kansas River in her single boat. The first competition of the season is in early October.
Assistant Coach LeAnna Kemp instructs the women in the boat. The early morning practices leave a beautiful fog along the banks of the Kansas River.
The rowing team prepare their boats for a two hour practice that requires them to arrive at six in the morning.
GEORGE MULLINIX/KANSAN
GEORGE MULLINIX/KANSAN
Jayhawk rowers head back to the Boathouse after an early morning practice.
NICK CHADBOURNE
nchadourne@kansan.com
At 7 a.m. on the Kansas River at Burcham Park, the morning sun peeked through the dark blue sky. It was the first morning practice of the year for the Kansas rowing team. You couldn't tell by looking, but under the tired facade of the rows and coaches was excitement for a new season. It's a fresh slate for the experienced squad that came just short of a bid to the NCAA Championships last spring. The team's first event, Head of the Oklahoma, is coming up in early October.
While the players ran for warm-
While the players ups, the three-person coaching staff huddled together, nursing coffees and preparing for the morning ahead. Sept. 5 marked the beginning of the 16th season for coach Rob Catloth - the only Kansas rowing coach in the program's history. Sophomore Maggie Duncan of Mississauga,
Ontario, Canada, said at the team's first workout that the focus is to win Conference USA and get an NCAA Championship bid.
The rowers finished their warm-ups and braced for two hours of rowing. When practice ended at 9 a.m., the team had accomplished more than some people do in a full day.
After the rowers filled the boats and strapped their shoes, the boats of singles and fours began going their separate ways across the river. Though eight-person boat races are considered to be the main event on race day, those are for another day.
Catloth's 16 years of experience coaching KU rowing is almost intangible. Coaching on the water is no easy task — Catloth and his assistants must watch over at least a dozen boats strewn across two miles of water every practice. Because coaches can't get in the super lightweight rowing boats with players to help guide them, they use megaphones and their own boats to communicate with the rowers.
Within minutes of leaving the dock, Catloth saw a boat of four who appeared to be shaking off summer rain.
"What's the rhythm that we're trying to work with?" Catloth said through the megaphone to almost every boat he drove up to in the first hour of practice. He put down the megaphone and worked it over: leg drive, swing, arm pulls — "rowing with length," as he said. It would be his mantra for the first hour of practice.
"We're using small boats for technical work," Caltha said. "It magnifies the technical issues. You can't get away with stuff you can in eights." The team will spend all of the fall session working on technique before the competitive season in the spring, he said.
the boats were filled with unfamiliar partner combinations, but the team was experienced. Nearly three-quarters of each boat was made up of returners from last year. The combination of unfamiliarity and rust from
summer break led Catloth to work with two boats for 10 to 15 minutes each.
"I would say a good two to three weeks and the physical fitness is back, even just a week in the rowing technique has kind of snapped back in," said senior coxswain Caty Clements, of Lamar, Mo. As the coxswain, Clements is the captain and vocal leader of her boat.
During races she will row in the middle of her eight-person boat and act as its quarterback, barking out commands and into the boat's
"He comes up with these weird little analogies that everyone think is weird, but we all laugh."
LIZ SCHERER
Wamego senior
rhythm is correct.
IV
Reminders of rhythm s lowed down as the boats rowed straighter and with more power. With an hour on the
were going.
The team loves Catloth's ability to dole out tough love while keeping things light. They said when he drives his boat up to them, they know he's not going to leave without imparting encouragement. Sometimes he'll lighten the mood in practice by making them laugh while coaching.
On a couple of occasions he chatted with team members rowing by, asking about classes and how their families were doing.
water to build a rhythm, the players looked encouraged when Catloth drove close to observe. Catloth parted one boat with the words of a zen master: "Let the boat carry you. Let the boat do what it's designed to do."
"He comes up with these weird little analogies that everyone thinks is weird, but we all laugh," said senior Liz Scherer of Wamego. "He has funny analogies for rowing and we don't know where he comes up with them."
As the boats began retreating to shore, Catloth made sure to drive by the ones that showed improvement.
"Looks a lot better than over the summer," he tells one rower.
At 9 a.m., when the boats docked and practice ended, the day was just starting for the rowers. A full set of classes, work and study were ahead of them.
Sophomore Tessa Scott of De Soto said the team does 20 hours of rowing per week, on top of the 15 hours of classes and 15 hours per week at her job.
As the players left the post-practice huddle and headed into the locker room, everybody had a look of satisfaction on their face. They made it through the first early morning practice of the year.
Edited by Emma McEthaney
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