kansan.com
Thursday, September 15, 2011
COMMENTARY
Teaming up with Mizzou
With Texas A&M on the cusp of officially joining the Southeastern conference and The Sporting News reporting that Oklahoma and Oklahoma State are expected to apply for membership to the Pac-12 soon, it's safe to say this 15-year marriage we call the Big 12 will be over before the first toss of confetti hits the Allen Field-house floor in November.
Oklahoma was the last hope of stability, but the Sooners—much like the Huskers and Aggies before them—seemed up with Texas and all its antics and are looking for a fresh start out west. Texas' Longhorn Network looks to be halting any interest from the Pac-12 at this point, and if Texas doesn't go, don't expect Texas Tech to see anything resembling an invite, either.
Go west and take its rival with it.
Its real rival, Missouri.
The Big East seems like a legitimate option for both Kansas and Kansas State, but it shouldn't happen. Kansas needs to channel its inner Horace Greeley and "Go West."
Kansas and Missouri need to team up and sell their great rivalry to the Pac-12 and commissioner Larry Scott. The upside for the Pac-12 makes too much sense. They'd be getting the Kansas City and St. Louis markets, a basketball blue blood to team with UCLA and Arizona, and a perennial top-25 football program in Missouri; not to mention one of the nation's best rivalries as well. Besides that, there really aren't that many viable options left if Scott wants to expand to 16 and Texas isn't a part of the plan. Kansas and Missouri fans hate each other, but can we really imagine life without Missouri? If I've said it once, I've said it 47 times; rivalries that began with actual pillaging and murder shouldn't be forgotten.
From Kansas' standpoint, a partnership with Missouri just makes more sense than bringing Kansas State along. Turner Gill could sell high school recruits on trips to USC, Arizona, Oregon, and Washington while Billy Snyder tells the same kids a November trip to Syracuse really isn't that bad. Advantage: Kansas.
And if you really think about it, does Kansas State really deserve to be in a conference with USC, Stanford, Oregon, or Oklahoma? That "decade of dominance" is one of the bigger fallacies of my lifetime. That dominance included a Fiesta Bowl win and a single Big 12 championship, but conference foes Oklahoma and Nebraska won a combined four national championships while Kansas State was apparently dominating them. Wildcat coach Bill Snyder is good, but he hasn't won a bowl game since 2002, so let's not pretend Kansas State football is bringing anything to the table in regards to conference realignment. And save the Kansas football jokes, because the Orange Bowls wasn't that long ago and a blue blood basketball program and top five rivalry trump the other Kansas school.
So if the Oklahoma schools apply for admission and are accepted to the Pac-12, Kansas and Missouri would be making mistakes if they weren't asking to be next. If nothing else, fans and writers alike could take winter trips to Tempe and Santa Monica instead of Syracuse and Cincinnati.
Edited by Lindsey Deiter
ONE BUT NOT YET DONE: HENRY AND SELBY The two guards are profiled as part of a series for the upcoming Legends of the Phog game PAGE 8
BESHEARS PROVES HE'S PAST HIS ROUGH BEGINNINGS PAGE 6
COLOMBIAN CRAFTINESS
MAX MIKULECKY/KANSAN
Freshman forward Ingrid Vidal points skyward during the South Dakota State game this season. Vidal is tied for the Big 12 leader in goals scored and the overall Big 12 leader for goals and assists combined.
RYAN MCCARTHY
rmccarthy@kansan.com
Craftiness expresses Ingrid Vidal's soccer skills.
She may not be the biggest or strongest player, but she's hiding all kinds of tricks up her sleeves.
When in the attacking part of the field, freshman forward Vidal raises her hand over her head, signaling for the ball.
She'll then slow down for a moment and wait for the defender to catch up. After receiving the ball, she takes a small touch with her foot and maneuvers around the defender toward the goal.
This devious tactic is just one of the many Vidal brings in her offensive arsenal. It's also the reason she's tied for the Big 12 leader in goals scored and the overall Big 12 leader for goals and assists combined.
"She's just has a good sense of moving off the ball," coach Mark
Francis said. "She's has a good sense of being in the right place at the right time. She's very technical, very good on the ball, very composed."
Vidal, a native of Palmira, Colombia, also won Newcomer of the Week awards two weeks in a row, an accomplishment never achieved in Jayhawk soccer history.
During an interview through a translator, Vidal said that the team is the reason she is getting these awards.
Both her teammate and fellow Colombian Liana Salazar and Kansas softball outfielder Maggie Hull assisted in translating Vidal's comments into English.
"It's been an interesting experience," sophomore foward
coaches and with daily life."
Having a friend in Salazar makes this transition to the United States much easier.
"She's helped me a lot in terms of adapting here," Vidal said. "She explains things when I don't understand them with the
It was a complex decision for Vidal to come to America, but she knew it was the correct step for her future plans, both academically and athletically.
Vidal said it helps being an athlete because everyone is here to help her. She also said she's picked up a lot of English through soccer terminology, but day-to-day conversations are still a challenge.
It has not only been a unique situation for Vidal. Her teammates continue to learn from her, even with the language barrier.
Even with the fabulous start, Vidal is still continuing to adjust to the American soccer game.
Vidal said the American elements of soccer are much more organized. The style of play is technical and strength-based.
Caroline Kastor said. "I've never played with an international player on my team. She brings a lot to the field, but she also brings a lot of chemistry to the team."
Kastor roamed with Vidal on the team's recent road trip to Missouri State. She felt like that was a chance to really open up to her teammate.
"It's easy at first to just stay quiet and not talk to her too much just because you didn't know what to say," Kastor said. "But being her roommate forced me to open up with her and talk about personal stuff. I think that was good and made her feel a lot more comfortable."
Throughout this last month, many of her teammates have grown in their relationship with Vidal.
One in particular is freshman defender Caroline Van Slambrouduck who's helped both Salazar
and Vidal by bringing out their senses of humor.
After many games, Van Slambrouck can be spotted kidding around with Vidal about the game.
As Vidal continues to progress with both English and her soccer skills, she hopes that it will have winning results for the team.
"The more she plays with the team, the more she will understand what we do and it will become a lot more fluent." Van Slambrouck said.
Kansas' (6-2) next matchup is against highly ranked Florida on Sunday at 1 p.m. The game will be at the Jayhawk soccer complex.
Edited by Sarah McCabe
FOOTBALL
New team, talent for Georgia Tech
ETHAN PADWAY
epadway@kansan.com
twitter.com/UDK_B12Fball
Georgia Tech put up solid allaround offensive numbers in their first two games this year, making them even more dangerous than last year's team that was upset by the Jayhawks.
The Yellow Jackets still run the triple option offense, but have been hitting big plays through the air with junior receiver Stephen Hill.
"He's special. He was a good player last year and we had to kind of hold on to our britches just to keep containing." Defensive Coordinator Vic Shealy said. "He got behind our safeties last year for a big play."
Hill leads the Yellow Jackets' receivers with 307 yards and three touchdowns, but even more impressive is his 43.9 average yards per catch.
The Jayhawks scored a major victory against the Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets in a 28-25 upset last September. This season, however, Georgia Tech's offense is even more dangerous than ever.
"It's more dangerous when they have more than just the run game coming at you. We have to prepare for everything so I think we'll be OK," Keeston Terry, freshman receiver, said.
KANSAN FILE PHOTO
Hill is the lone offensive leader from the 2010 Yellow Jackets to return, after quarterback Joshua
Nesbitt and running back Anthony Allen graduated.
Into the void stepped the quarterback pair of junior Tevin Washington and freshman Synyin Days. The Yellow jackets haven't missed a beat. Their rushing attack ranks third in the nation, averaging 339.5 yards per game, and their passing offense ranks 23rd, averaging 289.5 yards per game.
Washington is primarily the passing quarterback, throwing for 473 yards, but Days is the leading rusher for the Yellow Jackets, with 29 carries and 146 vards.
"Guys have to show up and make plays," Bradley McDougall, junior safety, said. "If you're the quarterback player, then you have to be able to tackle him, because if he breaks your tackle, he's going to be able to run for another four or five yards and be able to pick up the first down. Guys are definitely going to have to make plays in the open field."
Jayhawks' defense that has been tough against opposing tailbacks, allowing Northern Illinois tailbacks only 58 yards last week.
Last week, the Jayhawks struggled to defend the pass, allowing Chandler Harnish to accumulate 315 yards through the air. Georgia Tech's option offense relies heavily on the run, which could tip the scales in favor of the
"That is the whole crutch of
handling the option is that you have to be assignment oriented." Shealy said. "I think when you look at assignments, by nature it slows you down a little bit, and
1
we want guys playing free and fast and canceling gaps and pushing the ball to the sideline"
Edited by Jonathan Shorman