Volume 128 Issue 9
kansan.com
Monday. September 8,2014
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COMMENTARY Kansas football can't handle the lead
The past couple seasons under coach Charlie Weis. scoring has been
Weis, scoring has been a problem, especially in the first quarter. The pro-style offense that Weis ran wasn't working, and that's why Kansas hired John Reagan as offensive coordinator to run his spread offense.
"One of our biggest point of emphasis was a fast start," Weis said. "Once we got into the second half, it seemed like we didn't have the same juice."
"We have a lot of tired puppies," Weis said.
We can talk about the three touchdowns in the first quarter, but the main focus is the Jayhawks were stomped in the second half 28-3 by a Division 1-AA program.
The change was proven early as the Jayhawks sped out to a 24-0 lead after the first quarter, but proved they can't handle the lead in a 34-28 Kansas win against the Southeast Missouri State Redhawks.
Weis was right. The last time Kansas was up 24-0 on a team was back in 2011 against New Mexico State. Even though Kansas will walk away with the victory against SEMO, this will be its easiest task this season, and things didn't look right in the second half.
Edited by Benjamin Carroll
"We came out great, going up 24-0, but after halftime we came out flat," quarterback Montell Cozart said. "Props to SEMO. They started to pick it up, and you can see they had a lot more emotion than us."
"When's the last time they're up 24-0 in the first quarter?" Weis said. "Sometimes, just like you have a tough time handling failure, sometimes when you have success you get shocked, too."
The Jayhawks must have thought they had the game in the bag because they played like it in the second half. When Weis was asked why the team played poorly in the second half, Weis said he didn't have an answer.
TARA BRYANT/KANSAN
Wait, what? Weis basically said the team can't handle winning. This team hasn't seen many wins over the past couple years, but you're trying to tell me none of these players have had success before, and don't know how to handle success? That statement by Weis should mean that these guys are going to have trouble keeping a lead because none of them understand what it takes to be winners. Weis said that winning comes difficult when it doesn't happen much.
"I can tell you my conjecture," Weis said. "My conjecture is they were so ants and anxious to get going, I think they might not be used to success, to be playing on top. Too many times the games are close and all of the sudden it's 24-0 and I don't think you ever stop playing hard and go into a comfort zone, but I think that you're finally feeling good about yourself for a change. So many times you're playing from behind rather than playing ahead, it might have even caught them off guard that things were going so well."
Junior running back De'Andre Mann jumps over a defender during Kansas season opener against Southeast Missouri State on Sept. 6 at Memorial Stadium. Mann ran for a net of 121 yards in Kansas' 34-28 win.
DAN HARMSEN
@udk_dan
It was a tale of two halves for the Kansas football team and its sophomore quarterback Montell Cozart on Saturday. The first half was a good one for both; the second-half was a good one for neither.
After cruising to a 24-0 first quarter lead — the most points a Kansas offense has scored in a quarter since the 35 scored in the fourth quarter of a come-from-behind win against Colorado in 2010 — Kansas was outscored 28-10 the rest of the night by visiting Southeast Missouri State.
Although the lead would hold up in a 34-28 victory against the Redhawks, the Jayhawks' second-half performance left a lot to be desired.
Senior linebacker Ben Heeney, who finished the
evening with 11 tackles, was quick to cast the blame for the weak finish away from the team and onto other things.
"The first quarter was a completely different team than it had been," Heeney said. "We came out in the second half with no juice. Half the stadium's empty like it always is. Fans leaving at halftime. There's no juice in the stadium, and I think that's part of it."
In the first half, Cozart's numbers were a sparkly 8-of-11, 103 yards, two touchdowns and zero interceptions. While he would finish the evening with a 67-yard touchdown pass to Tony Pierson and no giveaways, Cozart's completion percentage fell to 57 percent, as he went just 4-of-10 in the second half for 93 yards, and missed senior wide receiver Nick Harwell in the end zone twice on errant
passes.
Harwell took some of the responsibility for the missed opportunities that could have given Kansas a more convincing win over the FCS opponent.
"Those were my fault," Harwell said of the deep passes that grazed his hands. "Bad judgment on my part, thinking I was fast enough to
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get it."
Without allowing a single first down through the first 15 minutes on defense, the Jayhawks scored on their first four possessions of the game.
including touchdown passes of 6 and 10 yards from Cozart to Harwell. The duo appeared to be gelling early in the game, but the connection cooled as Harwell finished the night with just four receptions.
"I think that in the second half, it seems like we were a step off on a lot of those throws," coach Charlie Weis said. "They were up on us so much that a lot of those throws ended up being deeper throws instead of short throws and a lot of close reads."
While the second half left a bitter taste in the mouths of many around the Kansas football program, the first half served as a reminder as to why so many Kansas coaches and players praise Cozart's ability. The signal-caller evaded several pass-rushers in the first half and was effective on the speed-option, pitching to running backs Corey Avery
and DeAndre Mann, helping Kansas convert four of its first seven third downs.
"His athleticism will put us in position in the passing game to make plays," Weis said. "Because he bailed out there sometimes and put himself in position where he can go and make the throw."
Kansas did not get the resounding victory it wanted, in large part to the 21 unanswered points it allowed SEMO in the fourth quarter. But, the Jayhawks accomplished their main goal.
"I thought we went out there and did what we needed to do to win," senior offensive lineman Pat Lewandowski said. "I don't think it was a complete game. We came out in the first quarter just playing really good football. Now we just need to do that for a full game."
- Edited by Emily Brown
JAMES HOYT/KANSAN
Sophomore Rock Chalk Dancer Mary Kate Baker cheers as junior receiver Nick Harwell runs out of the endzone after a touchdown catch.
Quarterback Montel Cozart looks for Tony Pierson downfield. Pierson scored on the play.
GEORGE MULLINIX/KANSAN
Kansas soccer 6-0 for first time in 10 years
LIZ KUHLMANN
@LizKuhlmannIDK
A pair of early goals in the first half against Denver University on Sunday allowed the Kansas women's soccer team to hang onto its undefeated season. The 2-1 victory against the Pioneers improved the Jayhawks' record to 6-0 — their best start to the season since 2004.
Despite coach Mark Francis claiming the game was a struggle, the Jayhawks came away with a 2-0 win to secure their undefeated season.
"The mentality of this team is very good," Francis said. "Nothing fazes them at all. They're on the same page and want to win."
While Denver started off
"It was a maz ing," Williams said. "As a defender I don't score often. I cherish the moment when I can."
the game by controlling the ball for the majority of the time, it was sophomore defender Morgan Williams who scored the Jayhawks' first goal of the afternoon in the fifteenth minute — the
first goal of her career
2-0 only after an own goal by Denver — senior forward Haley Yearout fired a corner kick toward the net and a Pioneer defensive player headed it in.
After the active first half,
hate — the After the active first half, the Jay-
hawks led in shots,
9-5. Hitting the turf after half-time, the Jay hawk offense started off intensely.
"The mentality of this team is very good. Nothing fazes them at all. They're on the same page and want to win."
MARK FRANCIS Soccer coach
Junior mid-
junior midfielder Liana Salazar continually tried to make her own contribution to the scoreboard, tallying three shots in the first 30 minutes, but nothing fell. Kansas went up
putting a couple well-placed shots in the vicinity of the goal to keep a Pioneer defense on its toes. Despite the continuous attack, the Jayhawks had no luck finding
team."
"Liana's a goal-scorer and when she gets put in those situations, she's not going to miss," Francis said. "It was a good performance from the
the back of the net.
Two days before facing Denver, the Jayhawks defeated Colorado 2-1 in a thrilling game that went into extra time. The highlight of the weekend undoubtedly came when Salazar scored the game-winning goal in the 102nd minute.
With the clock counting down, Denver fought hard to get back into the game, but the Jayhawk defense held fast. Senior goalkeeper Kaitlyn Stroud tallied three saves on the afternoon, and by the time the final buzzer sounded, the Pioneers were unable to breach the net.
Williams said the team learned a lot about itself this weekend, in which the team played its first two road games of the season. After two hard-fought games, Williams said leaving Colorado with two wins says a lot about the Jayhawks.
"Our mental toughness is way stronger than it has been in the past." Morgan said. "This team can do some really great things. We all have in the back of our minds a trip to the NCAA tournament at the end of the season."
The Jayhawks will return to Lawrence to take on Cal State Northridge on Friday at 5 p.m.
Edited by Alex Lamb