kansan.com
Friday, September 16, 2011
COMMENTARY
Kale Pick clicks at receiver
No quarterback recruited to the Kansas football team wants to be the next Kerry Meier.
Yes, Meier is one of the all-time great Jayhawks in program history. The quarterback-turned-wide receiver holds school records for receptions in a season (102) and in a career (226). His legendary college career earned him a position on an Atlanta Falcons team rich with talent at wideout.
But quarterbacks do not aspire to be legendary wide receivers. They only become receivers because of a failure at their original position. This was the case with Meier, who infamously lost his starting quarterback job to an under-classman named Todd Reesing back in 2006.
ONLINE EXCLUSIVE: NAISMITH,REMINISCED
Check out Kansan.com for more sports coverage including volleyball, women's golf and more.
This is also the case with junior Kale Pick, who lost his hold on the starting quarterback position last season to freshman Jordan Webb after less than one full game. While it may be a bit premature to call Pick the second coming of Meier, one can't help but admire the way he has adapted and overcome adversity in his conversion to wide receiver.
Pick had every right to transfer to another school after his hard luck season last year. Named the starting quarterback out of camp, Pick was yanked from the position during the season opener against North Dakota State. He had a mostly pedestrian line, going 13-for-24 with 138 yards and an interception before being replaced. But the box score does not tell the full story. Kansas receivers dropped three third down passes that day and accelerated Pick's downfall.
It is hard not to make comparisons to Meier, who teamed up with the man who replaced him (and Dezmon Briscoe) to rewrite the Kansas football record books. For now, Pick will not be rewriting any record books, but he does deserve a tremendous amount of credit for transforming himself from an injured backup quarterback to a symbol of perseverance.
Pick had quite a party in his premiere last Saturday against Northern Illinois' defense in the 45-42 win for the jayhawks (2-0). He finished with three receptions for 55 yards. He also scored a pivotal 36-yard touchdown with only 17 seconds left in the second quarter, which turned out to be almost as important as junior D.J. Beshears' game-winning grab.
A symbol of perseverance, and a key cog in a Kansas offense that has looked very, very familiar to Jayhawk fans thus far.
Coach Turner Gill would continue to use Pick here and there in awkward, momentum-killing wildcat formations and in mop-up duty. That was, until Pick broke the fibula in his left arm in the fourth quarter of a 42-16 blowout victory against New Mexico State on Sept. 25.
Pick stayed, despite a mentally and physically exhausting 2010 season. His commitment to Kansas football over his dream of playing quarterback may be one of the most important decisions made by any player this summer.
KANSAS AND MISSOURI FACE OFF SUNDAY IN QUIDDITCH PAGE 6
CHRIS BRONDUN/XANSAN Sophomore quarterback Jordan Webb delivers a pass down the field during the first half of Saturday night's game against Northern Illinois. Webb contributed 21 completions for 281 yards and three touchdowns in the Jayhawks 45-42 victory.
When he returned to action on Nov. 20 against Oklahoma State, he surprised many by lining up as a wide receiver and catching passes from the man who replaced him two months prior. He would finish the season with three receptions, 18 yards and a Kansas fanbase that would have completely understood if he decided to transfer to another program.
Edited by Lindsey Deiter
CHRIS BRONSON/KANSAN
FOOTBALL ON THE ROAD
FEELING THE NOISE
MIKE VERNON
mvernon@kansan.com
When the Jayhawks have taken the practice field this week, it's gotten unusually loud.
In preparation of their first road game of the season against Georgia Tech the coaching staff has pumped simulated crowd noise into the Jayhawks' practice field speakers.
"The crowd noise that we have is louder than any crowd I've ever been in," sophomore quarterback Jordan Webb said.
✓
Pumping in the unusually loud crowd noise allows the coaches toget a preview of how their team will react when thrown into a hostile environment. They want the players to hear screaming when they call out their adjustments or reads. They want their players to learn the nonverbal signals as well, as it all becomes crucial on game day.
"Communication is paramount on every single play," wide receivers coach David Beaty said.
With strong communication, Kansas hopes to avoid any mistakes that could be very costly.
"One of our big goals is to make sure that we limit presnap penalties, and we can eliminate that with great communication, nonverbal communication before the ball's actually snapped into play," Beaty said.
Wide receiver tends to be a position in which communication is particularly important in a road game, because of the receivers' pre-snap distance away from the quarterback. The Jayhawks have very little in-game experience at the receiver position, outside of junior D.J. Beshears and senior Kale Pick.
Play calling has evolved into a more complicated and crucial element of college football games. The assistant coaches and the players use a series of hand signals on the sideline to communicate in tough
road environments.
For the Jayhawks, it's no different. And to practice their knowledge of the signals, repetition is the way to go. It's up to the players to decipher between the signals to watch for and the signals to ignore.
"It looks like a barrage of people
with hand signals going everywhere," Beaty said. "Some are live, some are not."
While the Jayhawks have prepared for the crowd noise, they can't fully prepare for the added pressure of being on TV against a bigger school.
"There's a lot of people that look forward to being on TV and playing in front of a national audience or maybe playing against a BCS school," coach Turner Gill said.
So when the Jayhawks take the field at Georgia Tech Saturday, they'll just have to hope they've
done enough to teach themselves how to play just as they would when the lights shine bright at Memorial Stadium.
Edited by Mandy Matney
SOCCER
Florida to be toughest opponent yet
RYAN MCCARTHY
rmccarthy@kansan.com
The Kansas soccer team knows this weekend will be a major measuring stick for the season.
Senior forward Kortney Clitton jukes past an Arkansas defender in the box Sunday afternoon at the Jayhawk Soccer Complex. Last season, Clitton was the Jayhawks' Most Valuable Player.
"I knew going into the conference schedule this matchup would be very good for us", coach Mark Francis said. "Plus wed be further along from the beginning of August when we first started."
Kansas (6-2) battles their highest ranked opponent thus far on Sunday in No. 8 Florida (5-2), a challenge it is hoping will show the college soccer landscape how much improvement its made this year.
The key to the Jayhawks' success against the Gators starts with shoring up their back line. That progression began last week on Sunday when they secured their first shutout of the year against Purdue.
"I feel like we need to just play like a team and stay organized," sophomore defender Brittany King said. "We tend to play individually, but now we are playing like a team and communicating."
"They are very physical, so if we're physical and play as a team
CHRIS NEAL/KANSAN
we'll be fine," King said.
"We definitely going to have to take the opportunities we get and capitalize on those," senior forward Kortney Clifton said. "Against a team like Florida we're not going to get as many as other teams we've beaten."
Kansas also understands that when it gets a chance near the goal, this weekend it must convert.
A sign the Jayhawks might be ready to take down a top-notch opponent in their steadiness in the starting roster.
Having few variations in the lineup continues to help Kansas build chemistry in its first line of players.
"The whole starting 11 needs to continue to keep gelling and the guys that aren't starting need to be pushing to give us some good minutes," Francis said.
Clifton is one of those players whose contribution is now off the bench. She's logged minutes in seven of eight games, but after starting the past three years it wasn't easy giving up her place in the formation.
"It's definitely a big change for me, but I think it would be a different story if we weren't doing so well," Clifton said. "With the team we have out there I'm proud of everyone and the work they've
been doing."
For the first time all season the Jayhawks have Friday off, which could be an advantage in the later minutes on Sunday. Florida is playing at Missouri on Friday before arriving in Kansas.
Still, the lavhawks know it will
take a massive effort in order to win this match.
"Our main thing is to stay tight on them because they like to run at you. They are a very physical and fast team," King said. "I feel like we need to keep the whole team organized and talk with our
keeper."
The game is 1 p.m. Sunday at the jayhawk Soccer Complex.
Edited by Ben Chipman