Volume 124 Issue 5
kansan.com
Thursday, August 25, 2011
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COMMENTARY
A&M just wants to break up
There's a joke about a pig and lipstick in there somewhere.
While the Universities of Nebraska and Colorado abandoned the Big 12 conference last summer, Texas A&M reluctantly stayed. It danced with the Southeastern Conference. It sent flowers. It had a few late night conversations. But it stayed because the SEC didn't extend an offer, even signing a new agreement with the remaining 10 Big 12 schools, pledging allegiance to the conference while every institution attempted to convince fans it was anything but a 100 mph train wreck waiting to happen
BE ON THE LOOKOUT
Sophomore line backer Toben Opurum sacks Missouri's junior quarterback Jarrell Harrison during the second half of the Border Showdown last season. The Jayhawks start their season on Sent. 3.
That old fling called back recently, just to see how things were going. Talks escalated, rumors swirled faster than lunchtime in junior high, and the SEC did what it should have, announcing it was content with their current 12-team league. Poaching teams from other conferences is bad for business. As of today, Texas A&M is still a member of the Big 12 conference. Will that change in the coming months, or even weeks? I have no doubts that it will. A&M will officially leave the conference, pay its penalty for leaving and maybe even deal with a lawsuit. The SEC will let the dust settle before welcoming the Aggies and their Texas television sets and recruiting hotbed in with open arms.
CHRIS NEAL/KANSAN FILE PHOTO
— Edited by Mike Lavieri
Other possible replacements wouldn't be worth their share of the television contract. It's a sticky situation, to say the least. A situation that will probably doom the 16-year-old conference.
Then again, the remaining schools could sing "Kumbaya" and tell us everything is fine in the heartland. That seemed to work really well last summer.
FOOTBALL'S FINEST
There isn't a single BCS conference school that would join the Big 12 right now, so remove any ideas of poaching a team like Louisville. And if you think Arkansas would leave the SEC — as I've heard a few Kansas fans mention for geographic reasons — you must live in a nice world because that isn't happening.
It looks better that wav.
Contrary to what bitter Big 12 fans will say — and contrary to what they said about Nebraska last summer — this says much more about the Big 12 than it does Texas A&M. Will the Aggies compete in the SEC West with schools like Auburn, LSU, and Alabama? Not a chance. Is that affecting their feelings of jumping off this Titanic of a conference? Not a chance. That tells you all you need to know. The Big 12 has been on life support for at least 12 months and there's not many legitimate options to replace Texas A&M, if and when it leaves.
Take a peek at some of this year's talent
MIKE VERNON
mvernon@kansan.com
The Kansas football team is back and ready for a year of reputation recovery. Football fans will have a lot to look forward to when these talented players combine forces this season. Here's a preview of this year's team.
TOBEN OPURUM
His second full season on the defensive line has come with plenty of hype after ending last season as one of the defenses' top players.
His ability comes from his days as a running back for Kansas, giving him plenty of athleticism. *Opatrum*.*
Opurum
natural athletic skills are rare for a defensive end and should pay dividends in the pass-rushing game.
While pass rush was the focus with Opurum last year, as a full-time defensive end, his run defense will need to improve as well.
His rush defense should improve, as Opurum is up 20 pounds from when he first came to Kansas, now weighing around 249 pounds. His added size will help him with offensive lineman, as will his lower-body strength.
Opurum started the last six games last season, finishing with 21 tackles, three for a loss, and one sack. While the stats weren't strong, his play improved at the end of the season.
Shealy also had nothing but positive words to say about the rusher and how he's come along this fall in practice.
Defensive coordinator Vic Shealy has said that they will move him around a lot, which is a common tactic defense used with strong pass rushers.
"He's playing smart, he's playing athletic, he's playing with great body control," Shealy said. "Were encouraged in what we see."
RICHARD JOHNSON
A 6-foot-3,
283 pound
gap stopper,
Johnson will be
a more mobile
addition
to the core of the
offensive line.
Johnson
When senior defensive tackle Patrick Dorsey broke his leg, Johnson got the opportunity to start once again. After starting for a portion of the last three seasons, Johnson began fall camp behind Dorsey and as a likely backup for the entire season.
Defensive line coach Buddy Wyatt said Dorsey had been a leader of the defensive line and Johnson could be a guy to fill that role as well.
Johnson will have an opportunity to prove his right to start during this season's first three games. A former all-state defensive end out of Missouri, Johnson can be moved around on the line, which is a big asset to the defense.
Another big plus for Johnson is his experience. Being familiar with blockers is all too valuable for defensive lineman. He can anticipate
the lineman's moves and he knows what they're trying to do after the snap.
In his freshman and sophomore seasons, he started a combined 13 games and had 30 tackles. Last year, he started every game at defensive tackle and had 37 tackles on the year.
JOHN WILLIAMS
Originally recruited as an offensive lineman. Williams brings 6-foot-3 height and 305 pounds to
the anchor of the defensive line.
Williams began his career at Kansas on the opposite side of the ball, blocking the
Williams
very position he plays now. Before
the colorado game, the move was made to switch Williams. He started that game at defensive tackle and the next seven games that year.
Williams' sophomore year was quite different. He played in every game and had 12 tackles and a forced fumble on the year.
Williams finished his freshman year with only five tackles and was officially converted to a defensive tackle.
KEBA AGOSTINHO
Williams will be returning to the starting spot here in his junior year and should be ready for the added playing time now in his second full year as a defensive lineman.
Moving from Angola to Texas and now to Kansas, Agostinho has traveled a long way to play defensive end for the Jayhawks.
hype out of high school will now have his first chance to show his worth to jayhawks fans.
A prospect that came in with
Agostinho did play in all 12
games last season, but was mostly a reserve. He finished with seven tackles last season.
At 6-foot-3
,273 pounds,
Agostinho is
Agostinho
a big lineman with run-stopping capabilities on the outside — something the Jayhawks desperately needed last year.
His speed also makes him a versatile player at defensive end. While the speed will also help him get to
SEE FOOTBALL 16
MEN'S GOLF
Sophomore adds humor, new spin to old sport
LAURA DRUMMOND
idrummond@kansan.com
To many avid golfers, who require silence during putting and teeing off, the sport is one of concentration and reservation. But for KU golfer David Catt, a sophomore from Shawnee, the game takes on a
Catt
bit of a different spin.
KU golf Coach Kit Grove can attest to this.
"He's got a really unique sense of humor," Grove said. "He doesn't
always try to be funny but he is way funnier than he thinks he is."
Catt joined the team as a freshman last year but did not get into the lineup very often because of more experienced upperclassmen. However, Grove has high expectations for him after watching his performance at KU as well as in high school.
"As far as from a golf stand point he's a really good putter." Grove said. "His biggest strength is definitely his putting. He also has a really great attitude, which is very important to the game of golf."
In addition to his sense of humor, Catt also brings key golf skills to the KU golf team.
"He is from Kansas and I saw
him play a hand full of times in high school and I was actually quite happy to give him a spot on the team during his senior year of high school."
The key for Catt's success both on
Catt played high school golf for Shawnee Mission Northwest being named to the All Metro golf team as a junior and senior. He also broke a 30-year-old school record by shooting a 5-under-par 66 as a junior.
Catt's intelligence was also a draw for the KU golf team. Catt was National Merit Scholar finalist. "He's a really, really smart kid," Grove said.
SEE GOLF 16
MEN'S BASKETBALL
Former guard joins Russian pro team
The man with the most assists in Kansas basketball history is off to Russia.
KUAthletics.com confirms that
Aaron Miles, former Jayhawk point guard, has signed with Krasnie Kirily, a professional team in Samara, the sixth most populated city in Russia.
Miles, who is already working out with his new team
In the 2006-07 season, Miles
1
in Italy, spent last season in the NBA Developmental League with the Reno Bighorns, a team affiliated with the NBA's Atlanta Hawks, Memphis Grizzlies and Sacramento Kings for the 2014-15 season.
Miles
played with Elan Bearnais Pau-
Ortez of Pau, France, and won
the French Cup. He then played for
Cajasol Sevilla, of Spain, in
the 2007-08 season; Panionios,
of Greece, in the 2008-09 season
and Aris BC, also of Greece, in thi
2009-10 season.
Miles will join former Jayhawks Sast Kaun and Keith Langford in Russia. Kaun is a center with CSKA Moscow and Langford is a guard with Khimk Moscow.
member of the Big 12 All-Defense team and third team All-Big 12.He was the first recipient of the Dann Manning Mr. Jayhawk award and a starter in every game except senior day of his freshman year.
In his junior season in 2003-04. Miles was
Max Rothm