Sports THE UNIVERSITY DAILY KANSAN
FRIDAY, OCTOBER 23, 2009
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Receivers show talent for big plays
BY JAYSON JENKS jjenks@kansan.com
There's a hint of relief in senior safety Darrell Stuckey's voice. Nothing more than a sliver in a conversation that pulls back the curtains around two of his teammates who are, at the same time, innately similar and vastly different.
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One is described by Stuckey as the "vertical" threat, a player who can shred defenses and defensive backs with speed and an uncanny ability to reel the ball in at its
highest apex.
The other is revered for his savvy and coolness under pressure. He is the "lateral" threat, a term that describes his aptitude for getting open underneath defense's coverages.
Senior wide receiver Kerry Meier, the lateral, and junior wide
receiver Dezmon Briscoe, the vertical, are undoubtedly loaded with different abilities. But both players share a simple summary of their skills — one that is consistently uttered from the mouths of teammates and coaches.
Big plays.
"I always like to think that I go against two of the best every day." Stuckey said, noting that he's glad he only has to defend the pair in practice. "And I always like to think that the best receiver is on my team. Id put them at the top of the conference. No doubt."
Tomorrow's game against Oklahoma at 2:30 p.m. represents a break in the norm.
With Oklahoma perennially hauling in highly-regarded recruiting classes and top-notch players, the Sooners usually possess the most talented receiving pair on the field, especially in past games against the Jayhawks.
Yet this season a strong case can be made that Kansas' duo of Briscoe and Meier enters as the most productive unit taking the field.
True, Oklahoma's top receiver.
Ryan Broyles, has battled through injuries. But only Hawaii has two receivers with more combined yards than Briscoe and Meier, who have 1,291 receiving yards.
"I'd stack those guys up against some of the great receivers we've had in the conference," an assistant coach in the Big 12 North said. "They don't have the big names like Crabtree or Shipley but those kids are just as productive."
Reeing rolled right against Nebraska on Nov. 8 last season.
He looked down field before getting blasted by a full-speed blitzing defender...and still managed to find Meier at a touchdown.
Senior quarterback Todd
Yet what Reesing loves most about the play is something he watched later on tape. After falling down, Meier was sprawled on the field with one leg crossed over the other and his head resting on his hand.
Seemingly in little hurry, Meier
SEE FOOTBALL ON PAGE 8A
SWIMMING AND DIVING
Revamped schedule provides tougher competition for team
BY ANDREW TAYLOR
Junior swimmer lulia Kuzhil competes in the mixed one hundred-yard individual medley during the alumni swim meet at Robinson Natatorium. The Jayhawks face a tougher-than usual schedule this season.
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A change is in the air for the Kansas swimming and diving team as it travels to Fayetteville, Ark., tomorrow for duals against Florida and Arkansas.
In past seasons the Jayhawks filled their non-conference schedule with duals against mediocre schools, interspersed with a few meets against more talented squads. Now, however, as the Jayhawk's begin their 2009-2010 non-conference schedule they will regularly face off against some of the best schools in the nation.
Coach Clark Campbell and his staff made the scheduling adjustment to help move the Kansas swimming and diving program forward with the hope of making the program more competitive on the national level.
"We took a leap of faith and decided to schedule much more difficult teams," Campbell said.
The Kansas swimming and diving team will have its hands full against Florida and Arkansas as it begins this tough new
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regimen.
Last year Florida qualified 19 swimmers and divers for the NCAA championships after winning their 17th SEC
Florida also fields one of the most talented backstroke swimmers in the world. Gemma Spofforth, Florida senior, is the
championship. To put that in perspective, in the past five seasons Kansas has qualified only nine team members to the NCAA championships en route to no conference championships.
For consecutive year, Kansas' defense is receiving a mid-season facelift. Now it's almost inarguable that such a facelift is, in fact, needed. So the fact that younger players are receiving more playing time is hardly objectionable. Neither is the increasingly less prominent role of certain veterans who, for whatever reason, don't seem to be getting the iob done.
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But there is a way in which this facelift may be, as the saying goes, cutting off the nose to spite the face.
Alterations could work, if done right
Bradley McDougald, like Daymond Patterson last year, is expected to begin receiving snaps on defense. Now whether this is a permanent move or a quick stop-gap measure is unknown as of yet. But whichever turns out to be the case, there's cause for concern.
COMMENTARY
Not because McDougald is an integral part of Kansas' offense, although he certainly has contributed. And not because Kansas lacks talent at the wide receiver position. It's not even the suggestion that Kansas currently lacks talent at the safety position to the degree that a receiver can step in so quickly and play, which is most troubling.
The implications to this switch range beyond just one player. That's
because McDougal reportedly chose Kansas largely on the basis that the coaching staff promised him he would play receiver, not safety, as he could have done at more high-profile football programs.
Should McDougald, like Patterson before him, see his transition to defense become permanent, Kansas could have a bit of a discontented talent on its hands. But again, the problem doesn't stop with one player.
Along with the obvious things like quality facilities, winning games, etc., recruiting is about trust. Players want to know to some extent the promises made to them by coaches actually amount to something. This is especially true in the case of recruits who rate at four stars and up. Players of that caliber have options. Usually, some of those options have more football tradition than Kansas does. When
Now, there is a way in which similar situations could be viewed as a positive thing. John Williams, who entered the season as a backup offensive lineman, played last week at defensive tackle, and he played well. Angus Quigley, who would be buried on the depth chart as a running back, finally saw the field as a linebacker. And of course there's the Kerry Meier story. The message here is a more positive one! Come to Kansas, where we find playing time for our best athletes.
But the McDougald situation is a bit different. Again, like Patterson, he was already seeing the field as a wideout. And Patterson, despite beginning the season as a starting cornerback, saw his snaps diminish last week. His tale could wind up being a cautionary one, which is the real key.
that's the case, Kansas needs every advantage it can get. Trust can be one such advantage, but a lack of it can be damming.
Facelifts are serious business. They should be undertaken with due caution, lest more harm be done than good.
— Edited by Lauren Cunningham
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