Volume 124 Issue 10
kansan.com
Thursday, September 1, 2011
v e t h
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FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 2, 2011
THE UNIVERSITY DAILY KANSAN
COMMENTARY
Gill to show faith in starting players
As tempting as it may be for impatient Jayhawk fans to label tomorrow's game against McNeeese State a must-win for the Kansas coaching staff, that simply isn't the case. Sure, another season-opening loss to a Football Championship Series opponent would cripple this season's outlook and likely ensure empty seats at Memorial Stadium for the foreseeable future. But Turner Gill's leash is not as short as that of some other coaches' leading programs at Kansas.
With only one full season under his belt, Gill still has some wiggle room and some time to blame failures on growing pains and the inexperience of his recruiting classes. Gill and his coaching staff will not be immune from criticism of on-field decisions, but to say the second-year coach is on the hot seat is a stretch
Turner Gill cannot afford to play musical quarterbacks again this season.
However, there is one big no-no that the former Nebraska quarterback must avoid if he wants to protect the long-term prospects of this team.
When sophomore Jordan Webb was named the starting quarterback on Aug. 19, Gill had nothing but praise for the Union, Mo., native. Gill told the Kansan that Webb was "definitely ahead of everybody from start to finish," going so far as to call him "our guv"
poise.
These words should provide no comfort to Webb. They certainly did not provide any for Kale Pick.
Pick, a junior wide receiver, was named the starter when he was still a sophomore quarterback exactly one year to the day prior to Gill calling Webb his guy. At a media session on Aug. 19, 2010, Gill gave Pick a vote of confidence, saying he earned the position and separated himself from the pack in terms of ball security and
Less than one full game into the regular season, Gill yanked Pick for Webb in the now infamous 6-3 loss to North Dakota State. He would name Webb the team's new starter four days later on Sept. 8.
TO LISTEN TO SPORTS WRITERS HOST A PODCAST ON TOMORROW'S FOOTBALL GAME go to www.kansan.com
The quarterback shenanigans did not end there. Gill randomly yanked Webb for Pick in an early series against against Georgia Tech. He opted to first use wide receiver D.J. Beshears as quarterback instead of backup Quinn Mecham when Webb got injured against Texas A&M. He benched Mecham for Webb during the game against Oklahoma State just two weeks after Mecham led the Jayhawks to their biggest comeback in school history against Colorado on Nov. 6. That benching also came two weeks after offensive coordinator Chuck Long told the Kansan that Mecham was "as unfloppable a quarterback as I've ever coached."
By season's end, three quarterbacks backs at least 35 passes, each posting similar completion percentages of 56.5 to 59.8 percent. Was the elaborate game of pigskin hot potato worth it?
The problem isn't Gill or Long's ability to coach quarterbacks. Gill was the quarterback's coach at Nebraska when Eric Crouch won the Heisman Trophy, and Long was the offensive coordinator at Oklahoma when Jason White won the same award. Rather, the problem is their dedication to the decisions they make in the week leading up to the game. Gill needs to show more faith in his decision-making abilities this season, and he can do so by unconditionally giving Webb at least half the season to prove his worth, no questions asked.
After all, not everyone makes a good first impression. There once was a quarterback who threw up on his coach while his team was being blown out by Nebraska in his first career start.
That quarterback was Chuck Long. He would go on to finish second in the Heisman Trophy voting and would be inducted into the College Football Hall of Fame in 1999.
- Edited by Ben Chipman
white, 11 to the top 40 recruits will be playing football in Austin, Texas this season.
A&M is making a move that will put them in the lower echelon of the top football conference instead of remaining in the upper echelon of one of the top conferences (albeit a very unstable one).
So now it's the Big 12's turn, as they can say goodbye to Texas A&M. You can be sure they will take pleasure in watching them get "whooled" more often than not.
Quite simply, this is Texas A&M giving the finger to Texas for being better than them in nearly every way, shape and form. Instead of beating the Longhorns head-to-head, they decided losing more games in a better conference would be the proper form of revenge.
Edited by Sarah McCabe
program joins the Vies Coast Conference.
Jan 19, 2011 University of Texas president William Powers said Texas is "firmly committed" to the Big 12 and that league officials knew Texas was pursuing a network deal.
texas A&M president R. Bowen Loftin sends a letter to Big
Aug 25, 2011
12 commissioner Dan Beebe explaining that Texas A&M is considering leaving the Big 12.
Aug 30,2011
M denies the Monday New York Times report that it notified the Big 12 of its intention to leave the athletic conference.
become the 17th member of the Big East conference after leaving the Mountain West;
Jul 1, 2011
The Governors of Colorado and Utah deme June 30 'Pac-12 Day' as the Ute Utes and Colorado Buffaloes become official members
of Pac-12
Aug 28, 2017
The New York Times reports that President R. Bowen.
Loftin informed Big 12
Board Chairman Brady
Deaton that the Aggies
will officially withdraw from the
conference as early as Tuesday.
Aug 29, 2011
.
Aug 31,2011
Texas A&M officially notifies the Big 12 of its intention to withdraw from the conference. ATM
Sara McClinton and Chelsea Albers may each be in their first season with the Jayhawks, but coach Ray Bechard is counting on both of them to contribute, and contribute early. McClinton started all three of the team's victories in the season-opening Georgia Bulldog Invitational over the weekend, and Albers started both of the Saturday sweeps.
"We're going to put the best six out there, and sometimes that's a bit of a stretch for freshmen to do that," Bechard said. "But we have a bunch of confidence in both of those young ladies."
McClinton finished the weekend with 11 kills, including seven in the finale against Georgia. To secure her role as a starter for the season's first three games, McClinton had to play catch-up with the upperclassmen who stayed over the summer.
"I knew we had a good opportunity to compete with some of the upperclassmen for the spots, but you can come in and expect to start," McClinton said. "You have to
work to achieve
it. That was my goal, to come in and start, but I guess I wasn't expecting it so soon."
Albers had an impressive first start on Saturday morning, recording six kills in the sweep against Liberty. She may have ensured her spot as a starter with a decorated high school career at Papillion LaVista, where she notched a state-leading 487 kills in 2009 was named the Omaha World-Herald's Girl's 2010-11 Athlete of the Year her senior season.
"That is a tough call," Bechard said. "You need to kind of get a sense for where you think their progress will be within the first month and if this is a kid that can help us by mid-
Starting so early is an unexpected perk for Albers, but it is one she said she plans on working hard to maintain. Both freshmen had to work hard just to avoid being redshirted by Bechard, who said the decision to sit and develop a player for a year is a difficult one.
4
training in Italy, the resumers were not permitted to tag along. Still, the upperclassmen have tried to make the Nebraska' natives feel at home, Alberts said.
"They have worked hard to include us and not make us feel like freshmen." Albers said. "Speaking for myself, I feel like they treat us like volleyball players and not by our age."
Since Bechard was hired as the coach of the volleyball team 14 years ago, he has had a player from Nebraska on his roster every season. Albers and McClinton first met as opponents in the state's notoriously competitive high school volleyball circuit. They would later come to know each other better as teammates at the even more competitive club level.
"Growing up in Nebraska, I think it gave us a huge advantage," McClinton said. "High school volley-
SEE VOLLEYBALL PAGE 8
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