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Volume 127 Issue 21
kansan.com
Monday, September 29, 2014
THE UNIVERSITY DAILY KANSAN
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COMMENTARY
Cozart should take blame,but sky is not falling
Sometimes, a loss is a loss because the other team was better. Satur day's game against Texas was not one of those times.
On paper, Kansas and Texas came out looking almost even. The Longhorn offense gained 329 yards; the layhawk offense had 313.The time of possession was split almost equally.
so what was the difference?
Sophomore quarterback
Montell Cozart had a terrible game, while Texas quarterback Tyrone Swoopes was average.
Cozart was 12-for-31 for 140 yards and never got into a real rhythm. Another big problem was his four interceptions, and the bad timing in which those picks came.
"Stats are for losers,"former coach Charlie Weis said. "You know, a lot of stats were positive. Bottom line is when you lose the turnover ratio like that you're going to lose most games."
Two promising drives ended with Cozart interceptions. On the jayhawks' first offensive drive, Cozart found senior tight end Jimmy Mundine for a 35-yard reception. Two plays later, Cozart's pass was tipped and intercepted in the end zone.
In the second quarter, Cozart hit nigel King for a 26-yard gain. Three plays later, Cozart's pass ended up in the hands of Texas' cornerback Duke Thomas.
Cozart was unable to move the ball. The short passes that were readily available to him against Central Michigan were taken away on Saturday by the Longhorn defense.
"It's possible [that Cozart is not the best quarterback in games], Weis said. "I can't rule that out. It's possible."
Through four games, Cozart's completion percentage is hovering around 50 percent. His turnover-to-interception ratio is 5:7. The statistics paint a picture of an average quarterback. The eyes see a quarterback struggling when his team needs him the most. The plays that require a quarterback to step up continue to elude him.
"But you know, our Achilles' heel on offense is still making productive plays in the passing game, and that's, at the end of the day, what ended up costing us," Weis said.
So what can be done?
While Weis said he was wary of placing all the blame of this loss on his starting quarterback, he said a change might be made.
— Edited by Ben Carroll
Before the season, Cozart, who went to Bishop Miege High School, said he wanted to be the hometown hero for this team. Something is going to have to change for that dream to come true.
Before a roar goes up for backup quarterback Michael Cummings, the change might just have to be a mental one for Cozart. He is still young and developing.
AARON GROENE/KANSAN
Senior midfielder Jamie Fletcher runs the ball Sept. 12 against Cal State Northridge. Fletcher had a goal in Sunday's game against TCU.The Jayhawks defeated TCU 2-0 for their third straight shutout.
SHUTOUT CITY
Kansas holds Baylor, TCU scoreless in weekend games
BEN CARROLI
@bcarroli91
Kansas soccer improved its record to 11-1 and 2-0 in the Big 12 after sweeping a pair of road games in Texas this weekend. On Friday, Kansas shut out Baylor 1-0, and Sunday the Jayhawks defeated the Horned Frogs of Texas Christian University 2-0.
In coach Mark Francis' 15 years at Kansas, the Jayhawks have not played great during Big 12 games. Francis only owns an overall .486 winning percentage since he took over in 1999. Kansas went 2-5-1 in the Big 12 last year — but had other plans this weekend.
Friday night at Betty Lou Mays Soccer Field, Baylor and Kansas opened the game playing at an even pace, neither team recording any real scoring opportunities until the 19th minute.
junior forward Ashley Williams booted a right-footed cross into Baylor's box that was placed perfectly onto the head of junior midfielder Liana Salazar who redirected the pass into the back of the net. The goal was Salazar's eighth of the season, which leads the Big 12. The 1-0 lead was taken into halftime and ended up being all Kansas would need on the night to secure its first Big 12 victory of the season.
"Baylor makes it very difficult to play your game and that's what we kind of struggled with," Francis said. "But, Liana scored a great goal and we created a couple other really good chances."
Baylor held Kansas to a season-low of five shots on the night, but senior goalkeeper Kaitlyn Stroud made seven saves to keep the Bears scoreless. The effort was good for her ninth win of the season, and Kansas's sixth shutout in the past seven matches. Stroud's goals against average is down to a conference-leading .039
Francis added that some of her saves have made a huge difference in the outcome of those close games like the one Friday night.
"She's playing very,very well. You want your goalkeeper to make the saves they're supposed to make, which Stroud's been doing."
After coming out of Waco, Texas, with another clean sheet, the Jayhawks traveled north to Fort Worth, Texas, to take on TCU, where they completed the opening
“[Stroud] definitely did a good job keeping them out [of the goal].” Francis said.
weekend sweep of conference play.
"It's a great feeling to start out 2-0," senior midfielder Jamie Fletcher said. "We had a depressing year last season, but we have a lot of confidence right now and we're playing really well."
For the second straight match, Kansas was able to get the offense rolling in the early stage of the first half. In the eighth minute, Fletcher saw a pass from Salazar and scored her second goal of the
season.
"Liana went down the left lane and did her magic," Fletcher said. "Then crossed me a pass near the post."
It didn't take long for the Jayhawks to double that 1-0 score and, in fact, just five minutes later freshman defender Kayla Morrison headed in a corner kick off the foot of sophomore midfielder Jackie Georgoulis to score her first career goal as a Jayhawk.
"Kayla's very, very good in the air and she just got up way above everyone else," Francis said. "She was very excited after she scored it. It's good for her and good for her confidence."
Stroud had another shutout performance in the net and added six saves to keep TCU off the scoreboard and lock up Kansas' third straight shutout. Stroud and the defense have been impressive this season and have yet to allow an opposing team to score more than one goal during a game.
Francis said the defense played great. A couple of substitutes came in and Francis said the subs really helped keep the energy up during the match.
"Winning on the road in our conference is really, really tough to do," Francis said. The Jayhawks will try to go 3-0 in the Big 12 when they take on the Oklahoma State Cowgirls on Friday in the team's return to Rock Chalk Park.
- Edited by Ashley Peralta
Jayhawk offense misses opportunities
@realblairsheady
BLAIR SHEADE
When you're the 123rd ranked scoring-offense in the nation, points are hard to come by, especially for a Kansas team that averages 15 points per game.
Kansas (2-2) failed to score against Texas (2-2) and were shut out 23-0.
The shutout doesn't mean the Jayhawks didn't have chances to score, because they did. The shutout means
the Kansas offense missed its opportunities.
in the beginning of the first quarter, after a huge stop by senior linebacker Ben Heeney on a Texas fourthand-short attempt, the Jayhormes marched down the field in five plays covering 40 yards. The first play inside the Texas redzone, sophomore quarterback Montell Cozart throws an interception, which was tipped at the line of scrimmage.
On the next Texas possession, the Longhorns marched down the field on an 11-play, 78-yard drive. Once Texas got the ball on the Kansas 2-yard line, Texas sophomore quarterback Tyrone Swoopes botched the snap, and Heeney recovered the fumble.
"We had enough things on offense to move the ball," former coach Charlie Weis said. "We need to play error-free as far as turnovers
Those are the type of plays that change the momentum of the game, but the opposite happened to the Jayhawks.
RFN LIPOWITZ/KANSAN
go, and we have to score when we got into the redzone. We weren't error-free as far as turnovers go, and we got into the redzone twice and came up empty."
Texas safety Adrian Colbert brings down senior wide receiver Nick Harwell on Saturday. Kansas was shut down 23-0.
Kansas followed Swoopes' fumble with a three-and-out, and the Longhorns scored on their next offensive possession as Swoopes found junior tight end M.J. McFarland for the first score of the game. Swoopes scored on a 7-yard touchdown run in the second quarter to push the lead to 13-0 before the half.
They couldn't capitalize on that opportunity.
In the first half alone, Kansas had five possessions that crossed the 50-yard line, but the opening possession was the only time Kansas got inside the Texas 20.
Senior wide receiver Nick Harwell said scoring in the redzone isn't easy because there are only a certain amount of plays a team can run in the redzone.
Kansas didn't have another productive drive until the third quarter, where Cozart led a 13-play, 79-yard drive that ended with a turnover on downs. Down by two scores, Weis thought it was in the team's best interest that the Jayhawks went for the touchdown.
"When you close in (the redzone), there are certain plays you can't run anymore because you will run out of space," Harwell said. "Our playbook becomes limited and the mindset of the team changes."
Cozart threw a corner-fade route to senior wide receiver Nigel King on the fourth-
The redzone struggles are hard to overcome, and Harwell said the confidence doesn't take a blow, but the momentum of the game takes a big hit.
"Whether it be we get the ball on the 50 and move it down into the redzone, or drive the ball 75 yards, it definitely kills momentum when you don't score in the redzone," Harwell said.
A field goal by Texas kicker Nick Rose and a meaningless touchdown pass from Swoopes to senior wide receiver John Harris gave the final outcome. Texas senior linebacker Jordan Hicks said Kansas and Texas are competitive Big 12 teams, and it wasn't easy keeping the Jayhawks out of the endzone.
down play. Weis said he thought King, a 6-foot-3 receiver, had the advantage over the 5-foot-10 Texas cornerback Quandre Diggs. Weis was wrong and Diggs played the fade route perfectly, and Kansas came away empty.
"They had just as much time to prepare to get the ball in the endzone as we had to keep them out," Hicks said.
"When you have a tall wide receiver, you throw a one-on-one ball," Weis said. "It wasn't the best opportunity to throw and catch, there."
Edited by Casey Hutchins
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