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COMMENTARY Rested Sims runs for Big 12 title
If you happen to see a six-foot, 200 lbs. athlete with a flat top shutting his eyes, please let the man sleep.
Kansas running back James Sims needs his rest.
Heck, just watching Sims makes you tired. That he's sprinting up Mt. Oread. There he goes touching every step in Memorial Stadium.
Somewhere along the way a gym teacher must have forgotten to teach Sims what a light jig is.
Not that it would matter at this point. Sims has come too close to history to slow down. So please, give the boy a minute. These days, Sims makes time for eight or nine hours of sleep. Not that he was always able to.
"Back in my freshman year five or four hours," Sims said. "I couldn't really sleep."
Perhaps that's because a few things changed. As a sophomore, Sims showed potential while averaging four yards per carry. As a junior he led the Big 12 with 112.6 yards per game. As a senior, well, we'll get there. First, Sims needs a break.
You see, Sims took a beating his junior year while carrying the ball 218 times for more than 1000 yards. He's ready to go for this season, as ready as he's been for any season in his life. But those 218 carries come with a price, one that he pays on Sunday mornings.
"My legs are done with." Sims said. "I'll be brushed in a lot."
So just give the man a minute. After all, it's these moments when Sims can close his eyes and take a second to remember why he's running so hard.
"I want to be at the top of the Big 12," Sims said. "Be the leading rusher."
And here's truth: The man could do it. He could etch his name in the Big 12 record books, and without so much as thinking about it, he could set a Kansas record at the same time
James Sims has 1359 yards to go before passing June Henley's Kansas career record of 3841 rushing yards from 1993-96 – a record Sims would be much closer to breaking if he hadn't been suspended for three games in 2012. At last season's pace, he would just need to play all 12 games this year to accomplish the feat.
This is not where his head is.
This is not where his head is. Sims is reaching for an accolade that would put him alongside conference great Daniel Thomas, Jamaal Charles, Cedric Benson, Darren Sproles and Ricky Williams as the best running back in the Big 12.
Sims isn't the fastest running back in the stable like those names were. Even he admits that distinction belongs to Tony Pierson and it's not even close. Yet all summer Sims and strength and conditioning coach Scott Holsopple worked on speed. They made sure Sims could get his hip flexors loose. That he could get a quicker burst at the line of scrimmage.
THURSDAY,AUGUST 22,2013
Sims is trying to accomplish something that only one Jayhawk, Jon Cornish, has earned since 1996: gain more yards than any other back in the conference.
"I just want to take it week by week and be at the top at the end of the season." Sims said.
"He's faster," running back coach Reggie Mitchell said. "He's got a really good feel for how things are being blocked. He just looks really good right now."
And he could do it. He just needs his rest.
HEAPS AND BOUNDS
GEORGE MULLINIX/KANSAN
Junior quarterback Jake Heaps hands the ball off to senior running back James Sims during practice on Aug. 16. Heaps and Sims are two of the four captains for Kansas football.
CHOMPING AT THE BIT
I MAX GOODWIN
Jake Heaps knows how things turned out for Dayne Crist last year as quarterback for the Jayhawks.
Heaps watched every snap and was able to learn what worked for Crist, and more often, what didn't. Through it all, Heaps maintained a level of respect for the stoic way Crist carried himself during the difficult moments of the season.
"I learned a lot from how he handled adversity." Heaps said.
Despite throwing nine interceptions and four touchdowns, Crist wasn't solely responsible for the abysmal Kansas passing game. Passing efficiency and completion percentage were even lower for sophomore Michael Cummmings when he took over mid-season. As a team, Kansas finished second to last in quarterback rating and completion percentage. Just two teams threw fewer than the jayhawks' seven touchdowns.
That difference is health. Crist
Coach Charlie Weis holds himself partially responsible for the struggles Kansas had a season ago, but he believes there is a major difference between having Crist at quarterback last year and Heaps being behind center this season.
came to Kansas off two torn ACL injuries, while Heaps has a clean record. Heaps sat out last season because of transfer requirements.
"Jake just had to sit for a year while he was biding his time for his opportunity to play," Weis said. "They're totally different situations, other than the fact that they're coming in new."
The Big 12 media picked the Jayhawks to finish last in the conference once again, but Heaps embraces the challenge of being an underdog.
"We definitely have to have that 'us against the world' mentality and go out there swinging." Heaps said hours before the first practice of fall camp for the Jayhawks. "All we can do is go out and work as hard as we can."
Quarterback coach Ron Powlus believes Heaps is ready to do that.
Powlsu saw Heaps take advantage of his year out of the spotlight by familiarizing himself with Weis' pro-style offense and building chemistry with receivers. Both Heaps and Powlus say they've already noticed the results of that hard work in camp.
"I think he feels really comfortable with the guys he's throwing to," Powlus said. "As we've gotten out there the first couple days of
practice you can see where those relationships have been built, and you can see how the passing game could flourish because of the hard work these guys have put in."
The offense is perfect for an accurate pocket passer like Heaps, who says he couldn't be happier with the system.
Although the offense has many terms to memorize, Powlus said Heaps had plenty of time to learn the terminology and put it into action in practice.
It's uncertain what Kansas will get from McCay, as he played just three games with no receptions in his two years at Oklahoma.
"Jake is a smart guy"
Still, Heaps is confident in the once highly touted receiver, after the two played on the scout team together throughout the 2011-2012 season.
"Jake is a smart guy. He's a hard worker, he's got a good football mind, and I think he prepared mentally as much as he could."
Powlus said. "He's a hard worker, he's got a good football mind, and I think he prepared mentally as much as he could."
RON POWLUS Quarterback coach
And Weis has done his part to give Heaps a more dynamic offense. It's common knowledge Kansas receivers didn't catch a touchdown pass for the Jayhawks last season.
This year, Heaps will have transfer Justin McCay, who was the number six ranked receiver in his class out of Bishop Miege High School in 2010, according to rivals.com.
"Justin has looked great this offseason," Heaps said. "It was great to be able to go through scout team together and develop chemistry. It's really paid off for us this offseason because we've been able to hit the ground running."
McCay isn't the only added help for the Kansas passing game. Weis has moved running back Tony Pierson to the slot at times, similar to how Tavon Austin was used at West Virginia last season.
His teammates and coaches believe Pierson can go for a big gain on any play because of his speed and evasiveness.
"I think Tony Pierson is one of the top five explosive guys in the Big 12," Heaps said. "He's got such a dynamic ability. He has
breakaway speed, he can catch the football and great vision in the backfield."
With those weapons, and a few others, like speedy junior college transfer Rodriguez Coleman, Heaps can't wait to get the season going. He's finally back in a position to lead a team
The leadership role is one Weis said Heaps took immediately following the final game of the 2012 season.
"I think he was just chomping at the bit," Weis said. "I'm surprised he didn't meet us at the plane after the West Virginia game, because it became his time to be back in the mix."
As the Jayhawks move closer to the first game of the season, Heaps is looking forward to running out of the tunnel for the first time in a Kansas uniform, but he remains focused on leading the team as they continue to prepare and improve.
"I don't care how we get it done," Heaps said. "We just want to win."
— Edited by Madison Schultz
TRACK AND FIELD
Jayhawks crowned National Champions
HEATHER NELSON
hnelson@kansan.com
The roar of thousands of screaming fans filled Lindsay Vollmer's ears; she could barely hear herself think. Her hands quivered as she stepped up to the line for the 800-meter run. Vollmer knew this
run separated her from a personal victory and a National Championship - at the NCAA Track and Field Championship.
Vollmer
Vollmer took a breath
All she had to do was run a good race. She thought, "have fun with this, relax." Instantly, the nerves subsided.
About two minutes and 19 seconds later, Vollmer crossed the finish line. Everything following that moment became a blur.
SEE CHAMPIONSHIP PAGE 4
JEFF JACOBSEN/KANSAS ATHLETICS
and Field Sports Team
The University women's track and field team poses after being named National Champions at the NCAA Division I Outdoor Track and Field Championship on June 8.