Volume 124 Issue 12
kansan.com
Tuesday, September 6, 2011
COMMENTARY
Coach's legacy lives on
Saturday was an auspicious beginning for the 2011 season, but it was also the end to something much more important to Kansas football than one game, season or trophy.
With the passing of former coach Don Fambrough, Kansas football lost its greatest supporter - a man who brought passion and tradition to a program that has lacked those things for most of its history.
It's easy these days to find schools with packed trophy cases, stacked rosters and awe-inspiring stadiums. But you'll be hard-pressed to find many Don Fambroughs in 2011. Even for those of us who never met him, his name was synonymous with loyalty.
In an age where fans can turn on a team after a single loss, and at a school where halftime is generally exit time for most students, Fambrough never wavered in his support of the team.
And it wasn't because of anything Kansas football did for him; remember, this is probably the only man who has ever been fired as coach of a team twice - once in 1974 and once in 1982. That was the last time he received a paycheck from the school, but he was still a regular sight at Memorial Stadium for practices and games for decades afterward.
If he loved watching teams win, plenty of other schools would have been a better choice. But Coach Fam, as he was known by players, loved Kansas just because and that was that.
He embodied Kansas's tradition more than any other person - more than Todd Reesing, Mark Mangino or Gale Sayers.
He was around when the Big Six became the Big Seven, then Big Eight, then Big 12, then more like the Big Nine. And while he'd seen a few triumphs, he'd also been given plenty of reasons to stop supporting the Jayhawks. Besides being fired twice, he'd seen enough losing seasons and half-empty stands at Memorial Stadium to make even the most fervent fan question his or her commitment.
Coach Fam not only saw, but also helped produce many of the moments from the team's history that today's students can only drunkenly cheer for during pregame videos.
But rather than lamenting the lack of intensity around the program, he was determined to be the
COMMENTARY CONTINUED 15
Anyone around here can probably tell you about Kansas's 2008 Orange Bowl victory - including Fambrough. But he could tell also about another Orange Bowl - the 1948 game in which Kansas fell to Georgia Tech. It was Kansas's first bowl game in school history, and Fambrough was a guard and captain of the team. He could also tell you about the 1969 Orange Bowl, when Kansas lost in the final seconds to Penn State and Fambrough served as assistant coach.
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ON THE RUN
Senior tight end Time Biere celebrates with freshman wide receiver JaCorey Shepherd after scoring a touchdown. Kansas won the game 42-24.
MIKE GUNNOE/KANSAN
MIKE VERNON
mvernon@kansan.com
Ever since he took over as coach, Turner Gill preached adding speed.
All offseason he talked about how much faster this team was, and on Saturday, in the team's season opening 42-24 victory over McNeese State, the Jayhawks showed it.
Offensively, while Kansas dominated the line of scrimmage behind a veteran offensive line, the majority
of their points came on big plays.
The Jayhawks lulled and then pounded the Cowboys' defense all game, running the ball 55 times for 301 yards. They would then catch McNeese State off guard and bring the fans at Memorial Stadium to their feet with a big play.
Four of the lahaywaks' six touchdowns came from plays over 10 yards. Jordan Webb's three touchdown passes went for 25-, 56- and 48-yard passes. Freshman JaCorey Shepherd, who showcased his speed and big-play capability, hauled in
Webb's two longest passes.
"I was a little nevous for him," Webb said. "I was waiting to see how he would do in a game because, as a receiver, a game is a little different than practice. He did great, and he's going to be really good for us."
Shepherd impressed Webb, who was willing to admit he was unsure about how the young playmaker would perform once the lights at Memorial Stadium turned on.
A second flash of speed and big playmaking ability came from freshman running back Tony
Pierson, who scorched the Cowboys twice on runs of 46 and 13 yards.
The Jayhawks also showed improved speed Saturday with their offensive tempo. Kansas ran a hurry-up, no-huddle offense off and on throughout the game. The hurry-up kept the same McNeese State players on the field, wearing out a defense that had to defend 55 running plays.
McNeese State coach Matt Viator not only came away impressed with the run-heavy Kansas attack,
but with the fast-paced tempo that was mixed in.
"Give Kansas credit because what Coach Gill and his staff did is feared. Foot to foot, run the football." Viator said. "The other thing I thought Kansas did a great job with tonight was the no-huddle. That is something new that they got us with because they did not do it last year."
On defense, Kansas also showed plenty of speed, but that speed
FOOTBALL CONTINUED 15
WOMEN'S SOCCER
Jayhawks remain on a roll
RYAN MCCARTHY rmccarthy@kansan.com
Liana Salazar's first goal of the season was a long time coming. During the six games she missed on every side of the goal and from all angles.
Nonetheless, it was worth the wait for Kansas.
Salazar used some fancy footwork and danced around half the South Dakota State defense before poking the ball passed the goalkeeper. The goal gave the jayhawks the go-ahead goal in he 81st minute of Sunday's 2-1 win against South Dakota State.
NICK SMITH/KANSAN
Sophomore forward Kelsey Clifton attempting to steal the ball from DSU player Courtney Higgins during Sunday's Soccer match with South Dakota State University.
"I'm very, very happy," Salazar said. "I tried every game to make a goal and finally got my first goal."
Salazar was by no means playing poorly in her first year with the Jayhawks, but putting home a game-winning goal could be crucial for her.
"She's a threat offensively and it just gave her some confidence," coach Mark Francis said.
In the 73rd minute, Vidal capitalized on a through ball from junior Whitney berry and poked the ball into the net, tying the game at one.
Her teammate and fellow Colombian Ingrid Vidal continues to fill up the stat sheet and scored her team-leading four goal.
Nevertheless, the Jayhawks did not click offensively until late in the game, something that makes the coaching staff nervous down the stretch.
"I was probably panicking more than they were," Francis said. "The kids, to their credit, didn't panic. They were real direct and just moving the ball around prodding, looking for those opportunities and
Scoring chances came much easier in the second half after Kansas changed to the side of the field that allowed them to play with the wind.
ended up scoring two really good goals."
Yet the Jayhawks couldn't keep South Dakota State from scoring.
Kansas allowed an own goal when defender Madi Hillis headed in a cross from South Dakota State's Christa Nyblom, giving the lackrabbits the lead.
Defensive communication continues to be an area of concern for the Jayhawks.
Francis said the Jayhawks were overcompensating on a few plays, which caused some lengthy runs towards the goal by the Jackrabbits.
"We've got to get back to individual defending," Francis said "I thought our defending was really, really good, and some of it wasn't."
Freshman Caroline Vau Slambrouck continues to develop her stamina and endurance so she can log more minutes for KU's back line.
Throughout the game she had several key clearances that preventrf South Dakota State from attacking the goal.
"I thought today, overall, we were getting outmuscled off the ball a little bit, which we weren't a week ago," Francis said. "I think we've got to be a little more consistent with that."
"Making sure to work hard in practice, work hard in the game so I can keep making runs, it makes a huge difference." Van Slambrouck said.
The Jayhawks now want to tie up a few loose ends, in particular their physicality.
The Jayhawks kicked their play into gear in the second half and pulled out their third victory of their three-game road trip with a 3-1 win against Missouri State on Friday.
Kansas 3, Missouri State 1
"I don't think the intensity was
where it needed to be in the first half, they outhustled us for sure, " coach Mark Francis said.
Even with the Jayhawks fighting to find a rhythm early on, the initial goal came when freshman Ingrid Vidal played a ball through to fellow forward Caroline Kastor. Kastor then made a move on Missouri State goalkeeper Jessica Teahan and finished the goal 14 minutes into the game.
The jayhawks returned from halftime, and junior Whitney Berry hit a laser strike from 30 yards away. The ball zipped under the cross bar and into the net for a 2-1 lead.
Berry then set up Kansas' final goal when she chipped a ball over
the back line. Vidal took one touch and placed the ball perfectly in the net, putting the game out of reach.
Vidal is one of the leaders in the Big 12 with eight points in five games.
"We also made some great plays," Francis said. "We scored three really good goals, and it ended up being the difference in the game because Missouri State had opportunities too."
The Jayhawk continued alternating goalkeepers with junior Kat Liebetrau starting against Missouri State.
Edited by Jayson Jenks
MEN'S BASKETBALL
Rush and Wright set to return for Legends of the Phog game
Brandon Rush and Julian Wright, former men's basketball stars, will play in the Legends of the Phog alumni game on Sept. 24 at Allen Fieldhouse, according to Kansas Athletics.
Rush, a shooting guard, has played with the Indiana Pacers since 2008, averaging 8.9 points and 3.6 rebounds per game. He was a key component to the 2008 national championship team, scoring 25 points and grabbing seven rebounds to fend off Roy Williams and the North Carolina Tar Heels in the final Four.
Wright, a forward, spent three seasons with the New Orleans Hornets before he was traded to the Toronto Raptors for Marco Belinelli in August 2010. Wright has struggled find a consistent role like he had in Lawrence, where he played multiple positions and stirred crowds with heavy dunks.
Both players were the 13th overall pick in the NBA draft—Wright in 2007 and Rush in 2008.
Other expected participants in the alumni game (as of Sept. 5): Paul Piper.
Paul Force
Mario Chalmers
Marcus Morris
Markieff Morris
Nick Collison
Darnell Jackson
Darnell Valentine
Cole Aldrich
Scot Pollard
Greg Ostertag
Xavier John
Josh Selby
Larry Brown (coach)
Ted Owens (coach)
— Max Rothman