Volume 125 Issue 19
Monday, September 24, 2012
COMMENTARY
Crist not living up to expectations
CHELSEY BOUTAN/KANSAN
ANOTHER ONE GETS AWAY
—Edited by Christy Khamphilay
If Crist made one less throw against Rice and one better throw against Northern Illinois, the team might be 3-1. Instead, the team sits on the brink of another terrible season with the piece still missing at quarterback.
Senior quarterback Dayne Crist scramble up the middle for a positive gain during a Saturday game against Northern Illinois in DeKalb, Ill. The Jayhawks lost 30-23 after being ahead 23-13 in the fourth quarter.
When football coach Charlie Weis declared that senior quarterback Dayne Crist would play for the Jayhawks, many thought Crist would be the second-coming of former quarterback Todd Reesing. Some thought that he would be the missing piece to the team.
After four games, the former five-star recruit has looked like anything but the answer for the struggling Jawhays.
In his debut against South Dakota State, Crist looked a bit rusty. Crist completed 17 passes out of 36 attempts and threw for 169 yards and one touchdown. Though that may seem OK, completing 47 percent of your passes and throwing an interception against a football championship subdivision team isn't a great way to start your career on a new team
The only problem is that the piece is still missing.
Maybe Crist was over-hyped, but for a fifth-year player, the expectations are there. Crist can't miss wide-open passes that are guaranteed first downs or touchdowns. He can't continue to hold onto the ball for six to seven seconds and take a sack. He has to be the leader that the team lacks and make big plays down the stretch to prevent another dismal season at Kansas.
Maybe Crist would shake off the rust against Rice.
Well, that didn't happen. Crist threw 16 of his 28 passing attempts and throwing for 144 yards and one touchdown. But when Kansas needed a big first down, Crist threw a costly interception and Rice kicked a field goal to claim victory.
Crist missed him by a mile, and hopes of getting a road victory since 2009 were erased quickly. To make things worse, Crist only completed 10 of his 26 passing attempts for 147 yards. That's 38.5 percent.
On fourth and 17 on the
29-yard line with 10 minutes left,
senior wide receiver Kale Pick
somehow broke wide open.
And then things only continued to spiral out of control.
Against TCU, Crist's numbers were slightly better. He didn't throw a touchdown, but he did throw for 303 yards. That would be great, if only those yards converted to touchdowns. Kansas caused four turnovers, but Crist couldn't lead the team to the endzone. Also, he fumbled inside the five-yard line, which could have cut the lead to a one possession ball game.
With a great opportunity on the road, the Jayhawks found themselves up by three points after a quick strike by Northern Illinois. The Jayhawks marched down the field and then stalled.
NO FINISHING TOUCH
BLAKE SCHUSTER
bschuster@kansan.com
DEKALB, ILL. — Kansas fans who were waiting for senior quarterback Dayne Crist to lead the jayhaws to victory will have to show more patience.
Since joining the Jayhawks, Crist
has only one game in which he completed more than 50 percent of his passes — and it wasn't during day's 30-23 to Northern California.
illinois.
Crist
Crist connected on 10 of 26 passes for 147 yards as Kansas gave up a 10-point lead in the fourth quarter against the Huskies. Crist accounted for half of the lavhawks 329 total yards.
three-game suspension, the Jayhaws finally had their backfield at full strength and celebrated accordingly.
It was another Saturday where running the ball would have to be relied on, although Kansas coach Charlie Weis did everything to keep the running game from being simple.
With the return of junior running back James Sims from a
Weis used the Wildcat formation, putting wide receiver Christian Matthews at quarterback and giving him many
options at running back. It created more than enough chaos for the Jayhawks to exploit holes in the Northern Illinois defense.
"They were pretty sound in the run game, but they really struggled
Sims
last week against Army," Weis said. "We have the Wildcat available to us, and we felt it was going to give us a chance to move the ball."
At the start of the fourth quarter, junior running back Tyler Patmon intercepted Northern Illinois junior quarterback Jordan Lynch at midfield and returned the ball 54 yards to the end zone for the final bright spot on the jayhawks day.
Kansas gained 179 yards and scored two touchdowns on the ground. James Sims reached the
james Sims reached the end zone on a 26-yard run out of the Wildcat, and with the formation working, the Jayhawks managed to march right back to the goal line on the opening drive of the second half - where Sims finished it off again with a score.
"Wildcat is effective until they start stretching to the perimeter," Weis said. "Once they start stretching to the perimeter then you go to something else. You don't go away from it because you don't think it's going to keep working."
Kansas would miss the extra point, but remained pleased with a 23-13 lead. Senior safety Bradley McDougald tried his best to bring
Kansas chewed up more than six minutes of clock, covered 71 yards and completed only two passes before Sims' second touchdown run.
As the Huskies defensive ends began containing Matthews and his ability to run the offense, the Kansas defense made its presence felt as well.
Kansas was up 17-13 when the offense and the Wildcat formation vanished.
his team back to earth.
"There were a lot of smiles,
McDougald said. "I was just walking up and down the sideline saying next play because there was so much time left."
McDougald's warning was either unheard or disregarded. Ten seconds after the Jayhawks had a taken control of the game, the Huskies answered right back.
Lynch connected on a jump pass to senior wide receiver Martel Moore after the Kansas defense tried to blitz the Huskies quarterback. With nothing but green turf in front of him, Moore took
McDougald
off for a 65-yard touchdown to make it a three-point game.
Lynch picked up his third 100-yard rushing game this season, and passed for another 235 yards, all culminating in a Leighton Settle two-yard touchdown run with just over four minutes left in the fourth quarter to give the Huskies a 30-23 lead.
Kansas would get two more shots on offense but could not produce any points. The offense that lived off the Wildcat formation died by not converting on anything else.
"They brought a little more pressure in the second half," Crist said. "It's upsetting that we weren't mentally tough enough to finish a game where we had a two-score lead."
VOLLEYBALL
Edited by Andrew Ruszczyk
Blocking helps Jayhawks sweep Tech
GEOFFREY CALVERT
gcalvert@kansan.com
Behind a balanced performance both offensively and defensively, the Kansas volleyball team swept the Texas Tech Red Raiders Saturday night to begin Big 12 play-1. 0
Defensively, three Jayhawks recorded six block assists, and three more had at least 10 digs. Kansas outblocked Texas Tech 14-2, which helped leave Tech with a .080 hitting percentage for the match.
Freshman outside hitter Tiana Dockery notched six kills, six block assists and led the team with 12 digs. She said blocking was the key defensively for Kansas, but that the layhawks' back row did a good job of communicating when the Red Raiders hit around the blocks.
"It helps so much with us talking to each other and knowing who is going to get what ball and figuring out which defense to play against their hitters, too," Dockery said.
The Jayhawks were just as efficient on offense, finishing with a season-high .371 hitting percentage. Middle blockers senior Tayler Tolefure and redshirt junior Caroline Jarmoc led the team offensive, finishing with 18 combined kills and only one attack error.
Sophomore outside hitter Sara McClinton jumps up for a kill during Saturday, Sept. 22 game against Texas Tech
Texas Tech kept the score deadlocked at the beginning of the first set, but Kansas used a 4-0 to break a 9-9 tie. Tech never got closer than two points after that, as Kansas took the first set 25-16. The Red Raiders hurt themselves with nine errors in the first set, negating their nine kills and leaving them with a .000 hitting percentage for the set.
WILLIAM ROBIN/ THE DAILY TOREADOR
Junior libero Brianne Riley finished with 10 digs, joining Dockery and junior setter Erin McNorton as the three Jayhawks with double-digit digs. She said the Jayhawks knew a dominant first set would help the Jayhawks keep Texas Tech from getting back into the match.
Kansas finished the set with 15 kills and only three errors.
"We know if we start off the game our way then the rest should go our way, too." Riley said.
The second set became lopsided much quicker. Kansas began the set on a 5-1 run, capped by Tolefree and Dockery teaming up for a block. The lead never dipped below three points after that and grew to as many as 10 points. Sophomore outside hitter Sara McClinton made three of the Jayhawks' final four kills, stopping a brief Texas Tech run and giving the Jayhawks the second set again by a 25-16 score.
Coach Ray Bechard said McClinton and the rest of the team were so efficient offensively because they made smart choices about how to hit the ball throughout the match.
"Our setter did a good job of putting hitters in position to be successful, but out hitters just made good choices," Bechard said. "When the ball was there to take a heavy swing at they did. If they needed off-speed or to take a little off they did that, too."
The third set was similar to the previous two. Kansas began on a 9-3 run with help from 2.5 blocks from Jarmoc and redshirt junior outside hitter Catherine Carmichael. The Jayhawks only had one attack error during the set, helping them stretch
Bechard said Kansas' seven total hitting errors stood out as a positive because they had 41 errors in their five-set victory over Creigh-
their lead to as many as 11. A block by Toilefree and junior setter Kara Wehrs gave the Jayhawks the 25-15 set victory and the 3-0 sweep.
The Jayhawks' Big 12 home
ton Sept. 19.
"We struggled with that against Creighton, had double-digit hitting errors in some sets," Bechard said. "But tonight, just cut down on hitting errors, hit for high efficiency, and blocked very well"
opener is Wednesday, Sept. 26 when they host No.19 Iowa State at 6:30 p.m.
Edited by Brittney Haynes