Volume 124 Issue 39
kansan.com
Monday, October 17,2011
Whether it was its "mission," the 42,580 fans packed into Memorial Stadium, or the ESPN coverage, it finally clicked for Vic Shealy's crew, and what a pleasant surprise it was.
COMMENTARY
Defense shows progress
Does this mean the Jayhawks can take down the undefeated Wildcats? Probably not, but it's a start.
"The defense really grew this week," freshman running back Darian Miller said. "They came out with a mission and said that's what they wanted to do."
Edited by Mandy Matney
When junior safety Bradley McDougall was asked about the success of the Jayhawk defense in the red zone after Saturday's game, he couldn't have been more proud.
"Usually when we get down there, we are focused on the wrong thing," McDougald said. "We knew what we were doing and we played for each other."
Ask Oklahoma wide receiver Ryan Broyles about the same scenario and the story changes.
GEARING UP
"It was more us," Broyles said of Oklahoma's lack of red zone prowess. "If we're going to be stopped it was because of us."
So what happened? Did the Kansas defense shut down Oklahoma's red zone offense, or did the Sooners defeat themselves?
It was the Kansas offense that was most impressed with its performance.
It's too easy to say the Sooners didn't execute. The Kansas defense did what it needed to do give the Jayhawks a strong chance to upset the third-ranked team in the nation.
Forget that Oklahoma fell into a trap game; coming off an emotional victory against Texas last week, the Sooners weren't exactly pumped to head to Memorial Stadium. Oklahoma opened up flat and the Kansas defense made them pay for it, and, in the process, learned that it remembers how to stop an offense.
Kansas didn't shock the world by any means — the Sooners' first three-and-out was more due to quarterback Landry Jones' inability to hit his receivers than the Jayhawks forcing bad throws — but it shocked the fans who have been dumbfounded by the team's past performances.
Forget for a minute that the offense couldn't capitalize on its opportunities; picture the defensive showing from Saturday night in any of the Jayhawks three previous losses. Suddenly they are a different team.
The Jayhawks forced three turnovers and were able to follow through on all of their 89 tackles, something Kansas has had major issues with in its last three games.
By looking at the numbers, the Kansas defense played Oklahoma on par with what Texas did a week earlier. On 50 passing attempts against Texas, Jones accumulated 367 yards as the Sooners put up 55 points on the Longhorns. With 48 passing plays, Jones racked up 363 yards while the Jayhawks let up 47 — with 17 points coming in the fourth quarter.
It was what every coach, player and fan had been hoping to see: improvement.
Where Jones had averaged 70 percent completion this season, Saturday he was held to 10 percent less. It was clear that one of the higher-touted college quarterbacks was feeling the pressure of the Kansas counterpart.
MIKE GUNNOE/KANSAN
Coach Bill Self enters the court on a customized motorcycle with Kansas decals. Friday was the 27th annual Late Night in the Phog. "Expectations should never change." Self told the crowd.
MAX ROTHMAN
mrothman@kansan.com
Wearing a leather jacket and chaps, sunglasses indoors, all black, coach Bill Self rode to center court at Allen Fieldhouse on a custom-made Jayhawk motorcycle and put any worries to rest.
"Expectations should never change." Self said.
Hours after the NCAA ruled freshmen Ben McLemore and jamari Trayl望利 for the
season, Jayhawk fans were revived with Late Night in the Phog on Friday night, a celebration of a new season and a preface to Saturday's first team practice.
Junior guard Travis Releford scored 16 points, nine from behind the arc. Releford was a member of the Blue team that topped the Red team 40-33 in the intrasquad scrimmage.
"You're not going to shoot the ball like that every night," Self said after the game.
Releford converted three of four shots from 3-point range and his teammate, junior forward Thomas Robinson, stepped back and hit a few before the perimeter. Senior guard Tyshawn Taylor, member of the Red team, led all scorers with 17 points and showcased his speed and polished shot.
"That dude can get to the paint," Self said of Taylor.
Boxer Victor Ortiz surprised the crowd with his presence, knocking out Barry Hinson, director of men's
basketball operations, at a makeshift rine in the middle of the court.
"I'll do anything for this school."
Ortiz said. "I love this school."
Actor and alumnus Rob Riggle refereed the match and cracked jokes about Ortiz's recently failed fight with Floyd Mayweather Jr. Cole Aldrich and Xavier Henry laughed at ringside.
"Enough with the headbutt." Riggle said, poking at Ortiz's questionable headburt at Mayweather.
A pigtailed Scot Pollard
announced the fight to the crowd in a sleeveless shirt, tattooed arms in all their glory as he ridiculed Hinson about his small stature.
"I think you killed him," Pollard said to Ortiz after the playful bout.
McLemore and Traylor sat on the side and rooted for their teammates.
"I wanted them to be a part of Late Night" Self said.
Edited by C.J. Matson
Sophomore quarterback Jordan Webb hands the ball to freshman running back Tony Pierson during Saturday's loss to No. 3 Oklahoma at Memorial Stadium, Kansas trailed by 10 at halftime but didn't score in the second half, losing 47-17.
FOOTBALL
Missed opportunities cost Jayhawks
MIKE VERNON
mvernon@kansan.com
All week, Kansas players harped on the opportunity ahead with No. 3 Oklahoma coming to Lawrence in a primetime game. When the lights clicked off early Sunday morning, the team had missed more of an opportunity than they ever would have imagined.
The Kansas defense, which had been chewed up and spit out in just about every game this season, actually slowed down the potent Sooner offense. After trailing 27-17 at halftime, the defense kept a Kansas offense in the game, despite it only gaining five yards in the third quarter.
"It was good to see our players come out and execute. They played with a lot more confidence and that was key," coach Turner Gill said the Kansas defense. "They played pretty well against a very good offensive program and that's always good to see."
The underlying message in Gill's postgame remarks was that after getting embarrassed twice this season, the Jayhawks competed well against what is probably the highest-ranked team they will face all year.
In the Jayhawks' 47-17 loss, it was the first sign of progress from the Kansas defense all season.
While the Jayhawks' defense showed improvements, the offense took a second-half dive, and a grand one at that.
NICK SMITH/KANSAN
Both teams threw and landed
first-half punches, but only the Sooners would connect on any second half blows.
The Jayhawk offense, which kept up with Oklahoma for the first two quarters, became all too predictable in the second half, often running the ball up the middle on both first and second down.
"The they kind of caught on to some of the things that we were doing in the first hall," freshman running back Darrian Miller said.
Offensive coordinator Chuck Long had a different thought as to why the second half collapse took place.
Giving credit to the highly touted Sooners, Long said the Sooners' defensive success in the second half was most likely a result of the coaches coming in at halftime and saying, "Enough is enough."
Long's answer to why the layhawks offense couldn't get moving in the second half had nothing to do with scheme and all to do with the overwhelming talent of the Oklahoma defense.
"They just stuffed us," Long said. "Obviously they just stepped it up a notch and proved to why they're number one."
Despite the second half collapse of the Kansas offense, the Sooners, who rank first in the coaches poll, gave the Jayhawks every chance to keep the game close and even take the lead.
in the second quarter after Kansas recovered a fumble on the Oklahoma 25-yard line. Instead, the Jayhawks moved the ball seven yards towards the end zone before kicking a 36-yard field goal to tie the game at 10-10.
One of those chances came early
The jayhawks also had five offensive possessions in the
second half, trailing by 16 points. The Jayhawks could not cut into the Sooners' lead on any of those possessions.
For the first time all season, it was the Kansas defense that gave the team a chance to win the game. The offense, and the team as a whole, barely missed out on an op
portunity to shock the nation and take down the Sooners.
"The number one team came in here," sophomore running back James Sims said. "We had them, we just didn't execute like we wanted to."
Edited by C.J. Matson