Volume 125 Issue 18
kansan.com
Thursday, September 20, 2012
COMMENTARY Crist cannot be the team's only answer
In its first rood test of the season and looking for its first road victory in over three calendar years, Kansas could benefit from a game with limited possessions while they control the game on the ground.
- Edited by Ryan McCarthy
It remains to be seen if Weis will trust the running backs over Crist.
It's not Dayne Crist's fault he's not Tom Brady, the three-time Super Bowl-winning quarterback under offensive coordinator Charlie Weis.
It's Charlie Weis' fault for not realizing the difference.
Weis, who talked all offseason about the changes he's made since his mostly failed tenure at Notre Dame, has spent the first three weeks of the season trying to show everyone he's found another great player under center.
Crist has gone from overwhelmed to average in three games, throwing just two touchdown passes to go with his four interceptions. His receivers haven't done him any favors either, running routes like they told the defense the play call before the snap and dropping passes you'd expect to be caught in the Pop Warner league.
Weis has depended on Crist and the passing game as if the Kansas running attack can't be trusted, which couldn't be farther from the truth. Led by junior running back Taylor Cox and sophomore running back Tony Pierson, the Jayhawks are averaging 4.9 yards per rush. That number isn't inflated from the week one victory over lower-level South Dakota State, either. Last Saturday against TCU, Cox and Pierson averaged 4.1 yards per attempt.
They were handed the ball just 20 times in a'game Kansas lost, 20-6.
NEW KID ON THE BLOCK
Three-and-outs don't accomplish that; they only give Weis an opportunity to prove he found a diamond in the rough with Crist. When that backfires, the real hope for Kansas victories idly watch as the passing game screws something else up.
Weis said he changed a lot between his time at Notre Dame and being hired at Kansas last winter. There won't be a better time to see if that's true than Saturday at Northern Illinois. The Huskies gave up 486 rushing yards to Army last weekend.
In the second half Kansas began down 10-6 with the ball. Weis called for a run seven times as TCU ate up the clock on methodical drives that Weis and company apparently disdained. Whatever pressure TCU felt to win its Big 12 opener against the conference's worst team would have been amplified every minute of the second half that Kansas hung around and ate up the clock.
Weis seemed more interested in showing off Crist's arm strength in a gun-slinging second-half comeback. He just forgot that he doesn't have Notre Dame talent at Kansas. His receivers are short with questionable hands, and his quarterback hasn't played since last October when he was benched.
What Weis does have are running backs and a defense that could benefit from spending as much time on the sidelines as possible.
Junior running back Taylor Cox gets ready to run through the line of defense during Saturday, Sept. 15 game at Memorial Stadium against Texas Christian University.
ASHLEIGH LEE/KANSAN
COX IS CONSISTENT
Junior college transfer Taylor Cox makes the jump to Big 12 and proves himself on and off the field
FARZIN VOUSOUGHIAN
fvousoughian@kansan.com
Kansas coach Charlie Weis was careful when he evaluated Cox. He made sure that even though he is transferring that Cox would still be able to carry over his skill sets to a new level.
Junior running back Taylor Cox has made a difficult transition from junior college football to playing in the Big 12. But the experience is one he has enjoyed so far.
"Tape doesn't lie, when you study tape, it doesn't lie," Weis said. "What a good player is supposed to do against players that aren't as good is dominate. All they can do is dominate, and that's what he did."
After spending two years at the College of Siskiyou in Weed, Calif., approximately three and a half hours north of Sacramento, Cox committed to Kansas in January and was estatic for the new opportunity.
Cox said that Weis flew out to visit him in Siskiyous before officially committing to Kansas. Like everyone else, he was no stranger to Weis and his accomplishments. He wanted to be familiar with his new coach before hitting the playing field as a member of the lavahawks.
"I did some research on him and obviously he has tons of accolades," Cox said. "He's definitely a professional."
Cox impressed his coaches since the beginning of fall camp. With junior running back James Sims absent for the first three games due to suspension, Cox took the opportunity to lift the running game and make it a highlight for the offense this season.
"He has proved everyone on this team that he deserves to play," running backs coach Reggie Mitchell said. "He practices extremely hard. The thing that Taylor has done is that he's made the other guys more competitive. Every single snap he has, he goes full speed. That forces the other guys to go full speed if they want to be able to compete with him for playing time."
Even though Cox can only show
spectators what he is capable of on the field, he has shown to his teammates that he never stops showing up to work and is always on the go.
His coaches and teammates defined him as a hard worker on, as well as off the field. His teammates like his attitude outside of the gridiron. He has proved to others that he is always willing to learn and wants to get as much as he can from his coaches.
I went out, practiced, worked hard and went full speed every play, then I wouldn't have any problem adjusting."
"I've always felt confident in my abilities," Cox said. "I just felt like if
As the No. 2 running back in the first three games for Kansas this season, Cox has had no problem being consistent. He rushed for 247 yards
"Hes always in the film room, always asking questions and wanting to get better on and off the field," sophomore running back Tony Pierson said.
Cox said that Roche preached consistency to his players at Siskiyou. He shattered the school record at Siskiyou with 362 yards in one game. He also set the career record with 2,744 yards and 31 touchdowns.
While playing football as a kid, Cox idolized former Denver Broncos running back Terrell Davis. He also watched Ryan Williams during his time at Virginia Tech before being drafted by the Arizona Cardinals.
Before coming to Kansas, Cox was playing football in the Mid-Empire conference, where talented players tried their best to shine and grab the attention of a Division I coach. Cox knew his hard work would pay off and he credits his coach at Siskiyou, Charlie Roche.
and a pair of touchdowns off 42 carries so far this year. He earned a 5.9 yard per carry average and wants to keep contributing to help Kansas.
Even as a collegiate running back, he doesn't stop idolizing players. Seattle Seahawks running back Marshawn Lynch is currently his favorite player in the NFL and sees a lot of similarities between Lynch and himself.
"He runs really tough," Cox said. "He's going to fight for every yard and he's going to make you tackle
him. I try to mimic my game after that and run hard and make the defense tackle me"
Cox is enjoying his time in Kansas while playing under Weis as his head coach and has learned a lot from him. Cox said he could not have asked for a better head coach to make the transition from the junior college level.
"The thing I like most about him is that he is a straight shooter," Cox said. "He is going to tell you straight where you stand, good or bad, which in football that's what you need to know. I just admire that about him and he has definitely helped me become a better player thus far."
— Edited by Ryan McCarthy
VOLLEYBALL
Jayhawks outlast Bluejays in five-set thriller
CLAIRE HOWARD/KANSAN
Senior middle blocker Tayler Tolefree leaps into a spike shot while two Creighton players attempt to block Wednesday evening. The Jayhawks defeated Creighton 3-2.
Creighton outblocked Kansas 20-10, but middle blocker Caroline Jarmock and outside hitter Catherine Carmichael teamed for a block late in the fifth set, giving Kansas an 11-9 lead and letting the Bluejays know the Jayhawks refused to lose on their home court.
The Kansas volleyball team led Creighton 2-0 when the Bluejays stormed back to take the third and fourth sets — and all the momentum. It seemed that for the second straight match, Kansas would blow an early lead and keep coach Ray Bechard stuck at 949 career victories.
The Jayhawks would have none of that.
GEOFFREY CALVERT
gcalvert@kansan.com
"I think the whole energy changed," Jarmoc said. "The celebration after the kill or a point won for Kansas, it was just a lot more energy, and communication was up during rallies."
Spurred by Jarmoc and Carmichael's block, Kansas won the fifth and final set 15-13, raising its record to 12-2 and giving Becard his 950th career victory.
"That's part of who they are," Bechard said. "We spent some time working on it in practice, but it's tough to simulate that in practice when you've got somebody like Megan Bober over there trying to pull that out in a match."
In the first set, the Jayhawks twice fought off set point and won the extended set 27-25. Kansas kept Creighton at arm's length during the second set and won 25-21. They had fought off 23 ties and 13 lead changes to put them on the brink of sweeping Creighton.
and had a lot of good players". Beard said "To beat a really good team in a situation like that is the most important thing."
But Creighton never trailed in the third set, and the score was tied only twice, as Creighton won the set 25-21. The Bluejays' set, Megan Boger, frequently hit the ball over the net on Creighton's second hit, instead of setting it to a hitter for a third hit. Bechard said the Jayhawks expected that ploy, but that it was still tough to defend.
"I've been coaching a long time
It would have been the Jayhawk's most impressive sweep of the year so far because the Bluejays entered the match with a 10-1 record, and their only loss was to Kansas State.
Creighton outhit and outblocked Kansas in the match, but the Jayhawks outdug the Bluejays, and junior setter Erin McNorton set a career high with 67 assists, helping to offset Creighton's dominance at the net.
The fourth set was more of the same. Creighton's lead stretched to eight points during the set, and the jayhawks never mounted a rally, falling 25-19.
5
"I was proud of Erin, the decisions she made late," Beckard said. "Because when it gets pressure, sometimes you make the simple or cautious move, and she took some risks and got the ball to some hitters in good situations."
The Jayhawks begin Big 12 play this Saturday at 6 p.m. in Lubbock, Texas, against the Texas Tech Red Raiders. Jarmoc said the Jayhawks are motivated after finishing last season 3-13 in conference play and their team motto for conference play is "Dream Crush."
"We're just going to be going into Texas raging pretty much," jarmoc said. "That's how it's going to go."
Edited by Ryan McCarthy
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