kansan.com
Tuesday, September 13, 2011
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COMMENTARY
Football provides fans hope
Blake Schuster
bschuster@kansan.com
On numerous occasions before the Jayhawks' victory against Northern Illinois, family and friends asked me what the outcome of the game would be.
It wasn't hard for me to respond with a win for Northern Illinois. After all, the Huskies were coming off a trip to last year's MAC Championship game, and the Jayhawks were coming off a 3-9 travesty. Northern Illinois boasted quarterback Chandler Harnish, who broke a 47-year-old Northern Illinois total offense record with 3,366 yards last year; Kansas had Jordan Webb at quarterback.
Yet after watching the Jayhawks tame the Huskies, two things became clear: Kansas might be able to win a MAC Championship, and, unexpectedly, I now have hope for this season.
After the game, you didn't have to listen hard to hear KU fans talk about Iowa State, Kansas State and even Texas Tech as possible wins. The perception of KU football rapidly went from a presumed bottom-dweller to a group of potentially lovable underdogs.
The truth of the matter is that this team is still finding its identity. The program is no doubt on the way up, and clearly it is starting with the backfield. But when dealing with a twisted demon like hope, you can't get ahead of yourself, and you can't falter with every speed bump.
They proved Sports Illustrated's preseason prediction of 1-11 wrong, and who says where they'll stop? Perhaps what was initially expected to be another rebuilding year is actually the start of a competitive era for coach Turner Gill.
As Red said in The Shawshank Redemption "Hope is a dangerous thing. Hope can drive a man insane."
Jayhawk fans need to be wary of hope. The reality is Kansas defeated two teams in lesser conferences, and when it's time to face Oklahoma and Texas in the Big 12, the true colors of this KU team will show itself.
But hope isn't expectations, and it's not reality. Hope is an emotional rollercoaster that turns sports fans into manic-depressive zombies.
Jayhawk fans: I'm hoping with you. But it's time to tread carefully, because as nice as it is to defeat a MAC contender, it doesn't compare to a Big 12 victory.
Jayhawk fans would love to be able to pile into a packed Memorial Stadium each Saturday. They would relish in having a reason to cheer as loud for the football team as they do for the basketball team. Now they have hope that it will soon become a reality.
While walking the streets of Lawrence after the game, you could feel the excitement. Massachusetts Street was buzzing, and the student ghetto was rocking. It seemed as if suddenly people were starting to believe in Kansas football.
Behind all of the chatter — and behind all of the silenced doubters (including myself) — the most dangerous notion in sports had finally crept into the minds of KU football fans: Hope.
Edited by Jayson Jenks
ASSOCIATED PRESS
BIG 12 BREAKUP
In this April 30, 2008, file photo, Southeastern Conference commissioner Mike Slive, left, and Big XII Commissioner Dan Beebe listen as fellow members of the BCS discussed the proposed changes to the college football championship series in Hollywood, Fla. The Associated Press has obtained an email indicating that it was Baylor that raised the specter of legal action to stop Texas A&M from leaving the Big 12 for the SEC. The email was sent late Tuesday by Big 12 Commissioner Dan Beebe to Mike Slive, his counterpart at the SEC.
MORE UPHEAVAL
ANDREW JOSEPH
ajoseph@kansan.com
Texas A&M looks to be one step closer to officially breaking away from the Big 12, and the University of Oklahoma will likely be next.
The Big 12's hopes of survival took a turn for the worse Monday.
Southeastern Conference commissioner Mike Slive said in a statement released Monday that the SEC is in the process of organizing its schedules to include Texas A&M for the 2012-2013 seasons.
"In the 78 year history of the SEC, the conference had accepted the membership applications of only two institutions — Arkansas and South Carolina. Texas A&M is now the third," Slive said.
The Aggies were officially accepted into the SEC last Wednesday, but the move was contingent on the remaining Big 12 members waiving their right to litigation against Texas A&M and the SEC. However, the only Big 12 institution to sign the waiver was Oklahoma.
The actions of the Big 12 schools, including Kansas, prompted Texas A&M president, R. Bowen Loftin, to classify A&M as being held "hostage" in the conference.
Despite the eight unsigned waivers, Baylor, who many believe would be left out of a BCS conference following the Big 12's collapse, is the only school that threatened to take legal action against A&M. Slive's most recent comments ignore the significance of any legal threat from Baylor.
"When Texas A&M joins our conference, we don't have immediate plans for a 14th member. We aren't thinking in terms of numbers," Slive said. "We think about the strength of the SEC and the attractiveness of Texas A&M as an institution."
On the western front of conference realignment, it appears Oklahoma will pursue joining the Pac12 while also bringing along rival Oklahoma State.
Slive said the SEC was content with 12 schools, but a phone call from Loftin swayed the conference in favor of expansion.
According to the Associated Press, officials from the University of Texas, including school president William Powers Jr. and athletic director DeLoss Dodds, met with Oklahoma officials Sunday after learning of Oklahoma's desire to leave the Big 12.
Texas has remained committed to the Big 12's survival during the recent developments, but the conference needs Oklahoma to remain intact.
According to Orangebloots.com, the discussions did not go very well. The report said that Oklahoma's desire to leave the conference stems from the university's belief that the Big 12 is too unstable to repair.
In addition, the Oklahoma Board of Regents is expected to meet and make a decision by the end of the month.
Oklahoma officials had previously indicated that Oklahoma and Oklahoma State are tied together, so losing the Sooners would mean the Cowboys would also leave the
Big 12. Billionaire and Oklahoma State booster T. Boone Pickens spoke in favor of remaining in the Big 12 during the school's Thursday night game with Arizona.
Pac-12 Commissioner Larry Scott revealed Friday that the conference would not make any expansion decisions before Texas
A&M officially moves to the SEC.
As of right now, neither Oklahoma nor Oklahoma State have an invitation to join the Pac-12, but it does not seem likely that the schools would aggressively seek a swift departure without having options.
Edited by Jayson Jenks
The following is an updated roster, according to Kansas
Athletics, for the Legends of the Phog alumni game at 4 p.m., Sept. 24 at Allen Fieldhouse:
PLAYERS:
Cole Aldrich
Darrell Arthur
Nick Bradford
Mario Chalmers
Nick Collison
Jeff Graves
Jeff Hawkins
Xavier Henry
Darnell Jackson
Marcus Morris
Markieff Morris
Ron Kellogg
Greg Ostertag
Paul Pierce
Scot Pollard
Ryan Robertson
Brandon Rush
Josh Selby
Wayne Simien
Billy Thomas
Darnel Valentine
Julian Wright
or
COACHES:
Ted Owens
Larry Brown
FOOTBALL
Injury weakens thin defensive line
MIKE VERNON
mveronon@kansan.com
Kansas' win against Northern Illinois on Saturday came at a costly price.
Junior defensive tackle John Williams clogs the middle against McNeese State on Sept. 3. Williams tore his ACL Saturday against Northern Illinois, and will be out for the remainder of the season.
The 6-foot-3, 305-pound defender had been a key player early in the Jayhawks' season before going down with the injury, totaling three tackles and a recovered fumble against McNeese State.
Junior defensive tackle John Williams suffered a season-ending ACL tear during Saturday night's action.
A big part of Williams' importance to the defense does not show on the stat sheet — he had been playing well in a position that is thin for Kansas.
MIKE GUNNOE/KANSAN FILE PHOTO
Senior Pat Dorsey, a probable starter at defensive tackle, is out with an injury that coach Turner Gill said should last three to four more weeks.
With the run-heavy Georgia Tech offense taking on the Kansas defense this Saturday, Williams' injury comes at an unfortunate time for the Jayhawks. Williams's position, defensive tackle, is particularly important in clogging the middle of the line of scrimmage and slowing down the opponent's run game.
As with most injuries, though,
it provides an opportunity for a
new face to rise up.
"It is definitely going to hurt every time you lose one of your starters," Gill said in Monday's Big 12 teleconference. "But it also provides another opportunity for someone else to come in and do their job."
Listed behind Williams on the Kansas depth chart is sophomore defensive tackle Randall Dent Jr., who has not yet got on the stat sheet in his Kansas football
career. The 6-foot-5, 275-pound tackle redshirted in 2009 and spent time on the compete team (scout team) last season.
Another likely option to get playing time in Williams' place is senior defensive tackle Richard Johnson. Johnson is listed as the backup behind sophomore Kevin Young, the other starting defensive tackle for Kansas.
Johnson would certainly bring
experience to the Georgia Tech game, as he started every game last season and five the season before. He's already played against Georgia Tech once, so it wouldn't be a shock if Johnson appears on the starting lineup this week.
A wild card to make an appearance at defensive tackle is freshman defensive end Pat Lewandowski. Lewandowski is listed as a second-string defensive end,
but has spent time in practice at the defensive tackle spot.
At 6-foot-6, 248-pounds, Lewandowski's large frame makes him a natural selection for the defensive tackle spot.
As for the Jayhawks, their run defense has been the strong point of the defense, but that isn't saying much. Of the 441 yards of offense the Jayhawks' opponents have averaged against them in
their first two games, an average of 121 yards have come on the ground.
The defense will go on without Williams, and they can only hope his replacement can help stop that Georgia Tech rushing attack.
Edited by Ben Chipman
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