THE UNIVERSITY DAILY KANSAN
TUESDAY, NOVEMBER 25, 2014
PAGE 8
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THE DAILY DEBATE
Should Bowen remain head coach next season?
By Austin Wagoner
@awagoner23
"NO"
Cint Bowen loves Jayhawk football. There are anecdotes floating around campus and articles about his passion for the football team. There's no doubt that he has breathed life back into a program that has been dormant for half a decade and that the TCU game was something to be admired. Deep down I want him to stay, but I don't think he's the answer right now.
It goes without saying that recruiting and development are important in starting to turn this program around. The University of Kansas football team needs someone who has had success in a pipeline state and has credibility in order to convince talented high school seniors to come in and turn this football program around.
Coach Bowen has been with the program for 19 years and, to be honest, his dedication to the Kansas organization puts him at a disadvantage
when trying to convince players from Texas, Florida, or California to come play for the Jayhawks. I think he could sell the love for Lawrence and the University better than any other coach in the country, but unfortunately that's all the program has to offer.
The Kansas Football team needs a coach who has had success. This doesn't necessarily mean success as a head coach. The past two coaches that Dr. Zenger has hired have been head coaches at other universities and both experiments ended poorly.
Look down the road at Kansas State. They hired Bill Snyder after he spent several successful years as an offensive coordinator. When he arrived the Wildcats were historically bad. He arguably made one of the biggest turn arounds in college football history. That is what Kansas football needs right now.
He had a chance to take the job with a good showing against Oklahoma in Norman but his defense let Samaje Perine scamper all over the field for an NCAA
record 427 yards with five touchdowns. Those aren't the kind of records that Kansas football needs to be a part of.
I hope that coach Bowen gets the job down the road. He deserves to be the head coach of this football team in the future. However, he needs to venture out and get some more experience and he needs to have some more success. His love for this football program isn't enough for the kind of improvement that it needs to begin competing in the Big 12.
Bowen's last chance to make a solid argument to be hired full time will come this Saturday as the Jayhawks face the Kansas State Wildcats. If Bowen wants to make a statement, I hope he makes it this Saturday.
Edited by Miranda Davis
"YES"
By Griffin Hughes
@GriffinJHughes
You could call Clint Bowen's 1-5 start as the interim head coach of the Kansas Jayhawk football team a little rocky.
In the same way you could call the Great Sand Dunes of Colorado a little hilly.
But the man stepped into a situation that would have, and has, scared off some of the top coaches in the country. He pulled the team together, got the Jayhawks' first conference win since last season and even competed so hard against then-No. 4 TCU that the Jayhawks knocked them out of the top four in the rankings. Bowen has done so much in so little time, it would do irreparable harm to the program to drop him.
Bowen is a players' coach and a defensive mastermind, and his unique blend of youthful activeness and defensive tenacity has shone through several times.
It certainly showed in the
near win versus then-No. 16 Oklahoma State, who needed a kick return touchdown late in the fourth to down the Jayhawks. It showed against Iowa State, who was the first team to fall to Bowen's squad. And it most definitely showed against TCU, who fell into the trap game at Memorial Stadium and barely escaped with a win.
Bowen seems to have infused a new attitude into the team, which has scored 14 or more points in all but one contest. I didn't think Bowen could lead the seemingly hopeless offense to more than 25 points ever again this season. He did it twice, and he scored 30 on the No. 35-ranked scoring defense in the country that allows just 23 points per game.
Michael Cummings, who has thrown for over 1,500 yards for the first time in his career after stepping in as the full-time starter in Bowen's first game, is also returning next year. Why would you remove Bowen when he's clearly found whatever makes the junior from Texas click? He's gotten better every game he's
played, and although he took a step back against Oklahoma, that can't overshadow what has been a marvelous season for Cummings.
And it's all because Bowen figured out how to use him and his offensive pieces.
we haven't seen Bowen as a recruiter yet — besides any roles he played in bringing in guys like Ben Heeney and Dexter McDonald to Lawrence — but there's nothing to make me think he wouldn't be a fantastic recruiter. He absolutely adores Lawrence and the University of Kansas; he's a hometown boy and refers to his position as a dream job. He's been a KU coach for 16 years. He knows the program better than just about anyone. Young recruits will buy into his vision and his passion, and they'll be drawn to Lawrence.
It's a match made in heaven. Bowen is the man who can lead the University of Kansas, one of the worst football programs in the country, down a new path. Why would we not give him that chance?
Edited by Rob Pyatt
Conference work not yet finished for Kansas volleyball
MATT CORTE
@Corte UDK
Kansas volleyball is trending in the right direction at the perfect time. The team has won four out of its last five Big 12 matches, and with just two conference games left, the layhawks still have an opportunity to place in the top 3 of the Big 12 — an important spot to be in before tournament selection.
In order to do that, they'll have to come away victorious against both of the following teams this week.
time around.
WEST VIRGINIA (15-13, 5-9)
Kansas has already defeated the Mountainers in Morgantown, but the Jayhawks might face a tougher opponent this
It may be against only two teams, but West Virginia has its longest conference winning streak of the season with consecutive wins and sweeps over Baylor and Texas Tech.
Leading the way offensively for the Mountaineers will most likely be sophomore outside hitter Jordan Anderson. She currently leads the conference in kills per set in Big 12 play with 4.48 per set, and is second in points per set at 4.87.
Where West Virginia will have a problem against Kansas is defense, as the Mountaineers are last in the Big 12 in opponents hitting percentage. What this means for the Jayhawks is usually more open hitting lanes, leading to less digs for
West Virginia. This adds up, as the Mountaineers are last in digs per set in conference action as well.
OKLAHOMA (19-9, 9-5)
Kansas players have most likely had this rematch circled on the calendar for a long time. In the first match of the Big 12 season, Kansas opened play by winning the first two sets against Oklahoma, but were shocked as the Sooners made a 3-0 set comeback to win the match.
Now more polished and meshing better than ever as a team, the Jayhawks have a great chance at returning the favor.
The one player Kansas will have to stop is Oklahoma outside hitter Kierra Holst.
leads the Big 12 in both points per set (4.99) and aces per set (4.6), while being second in kills per set at 4.37.
Even if the Jayhawks are able to hold her, still expect an offensive showdown in this match. Both Kansas and Oklahoma are first and second in kills per set respectively, and both also place in the top four conference teams in hitting percentage. An important phase of the game the Jayhawks hold an advantage in is blocking, and it could be the determinant of who wins the match. While Kansas is third in conference action with 2.55 blocks per set, Oklahoma is last in the Big 12 and only blocks 1.81 per set.
Edited by Miranda Davis
GEORGE MULLINIX/KANSAN
The Jayhawks celebrate after a kill against Texas Tech on Oct. 25. They are set to play West Virginia on Wednesday and Oklahoma on Saturday.
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