Volume 125 Issue 15
kansan.com
Monday, September 17, 2012
COMMENTARY Football team improving despite record
The game wasn't a victory, but it wasn't a blowout either. If the defense can continue to rip the ball away from the opponents and the offense can capitalize, this team could be bounce back rather easily from this loss.
But this team is improving.
Kansas fought hard, but eventually fell to 16th-ranked Texas Christian University, losing 20-6. Sure, some of the same mistakes were there for the Jayhawks. The offense, defense and special teams struggled at various points in the game.
But this team impresses.
Yes, the Kansas defense allowed TCU to gain 487 total yards. The defense even allowed TCU junior quarterback Casey Pachall to throw for 335 yards, two touchdowns and throw six incomplete passes.
Despite some glaring mistakes, Kansas is slowly improving. After all, the team only lost by 14 points. If the Jayhawks didn't force those turnovers, TCU would have crushed Kansas. Even the scoreboard could have read 20-13 if Crist didn't fumble the ball inside the TCU five-yard line.
—Edited by Christy Khamphilay
When coach Charlie Weis came to the University, the obvious goal was to change the losing ways of the football program. Though all new coaches aim for that same goal, most, including Weis, know changing a program takes more than a swing of a magic wand. Realistically, the main goal is to just compete.
Not exactly good, but the defense vastly improved by causing turnovers.
For the Jayhawks, this means not losing by 30 or more points.
Kansas led the Big 12 with eight turnovers going into Saturday's game. The Jayhawks defense prevented more TCU points from getting on the board by adding four more turnovers. All four were fumbles and three happened inside the Kansas 10-vard line.
Out of the 12 turnovers, the offense has only scored four times on two touchdowns and two field goals. Against TCU, the Jayhawk offense only scored three points on the four turnovers.
The Kansas offense showed flashes of greatness. The Jayhawks racked up 380 total yards, Senior quarterback Dayne Crist threw for 303 yards. Sophomore wide receiver Andrew Turzilli caught three passes for 100 yards and sophomore running back TyPIson had six receptions for 99 yards. Yards are great, but points earn victories and are valuable after turnovers.
On the flip side, those turnovers don't mean anything unless the offense capitalizes.
The ability to cause turnovers near Kansas' own goal line is a great sign for future games, especially for a team that had so few a year ago. Last year, Kansas caused 22 turnovers. Under coach Weis, the 2012 team already has 12 in three games.
CLOSE. BUT NO CIGAR
Senior safety Bradley McDougal celebrates a turnover created by the Jayhawks in Saturday's game against TCU at Memorial Stadium. The Jayhawks lost control of the game after the first quarter, and the Horned Frogs won 20-6.
TURNOVER HAPPY
Despite forcing numerous turnovers, Jayhawks find themselves unable to score a touchdown
BLAKE SCHUSTER
bschuster@kansan.com
The opening moments of Big 12 play for Texas Christian were dreadful.
Barely two minutes into the game, TCU junior quarterback Casey Pachall fumbled a low snap in Kansas territory. The 43,867 fans at Memorial Stadium roared to life as senior tackle Josh Williams recovered the ball near midfield. The Pachall fumble was a kickstart for two trends throughout Kansas' 20-6 defeat; TCU turnovers and the Jayhawks' inability to do anything with them.
The Jayhawks were on the receiving end of four fumble recoveries, three of which were forced. However, the turnovers resulted in only three Kansas points.
"We didn't feel like they were stopping us," Pachall said. "We were stopping ourselves."
The Horned Frogs' offense gained 487 yards, but Kansas protected the red zone, aside from allowing two touchdowns.
Junior punter Ron Doherty notched a 32-yard field goal to give Kansas an early lead off of Pachall's first fumble. The Horned Frogs responded by marching down to the red zone, and turning the ball over again.
On a TCU pass from the Jayhawks' 23-yard line, senior safety Bradley McDougald broke through the line, tackled Pachall and ripped the ball from his hands, allowing senior defensive captain Toben Opumu to pick it up.
Throughout the game, the Kansas defense made a play for the ball, not just the carrier.
"Coach Campo told us they are bound to turn the ball over," said Kansas sophomore linebacker Ben Heeney. "The running backs carry the ball loosely, and the coaches told us to put our head on the ball and strip it."
It would take Kansas only 18 seconds to hand the possession right back, as quarterback Dayne Crist
Crist was stripped by defensive end Stansly Maponga, ending a shot a Kansas comeback.
fired a pass that TCU's sophomore safety Sam Carter intercepted. It would be Crist's only costly pass of the game, yet the fifth-year senior did not have a productive day. Crist gained 303 yards in the air, but he finished with a poor passing percentage for the second time in three games. He completed only 19 of 39 attempts.
After the game, Weis praised Crist for the toughness he showed in the pocket.
in the pocket.
"He stood right in there and he took the hits!" Weis said. "There were a lot of big plays. We missed a few, but we definitely made progress."
The layhawks picked up three first downs, highlighted by sophomore wide receiver Andrew Turzilli's 41-yard reception. This set up an opportunity for Kansas on the Horned Frogs goal line, but
"You want to kind of put the pedal to the metal at that point and capitalize on those," Crist said. "We didn't finish drives, we didn't score a touchdown and as an offense that's frustrating."
another TCU turnover.
The frustration began to swell late in the fourth quarter as Kansas trailed by 14; the layhawks could not operate on offense after
TCU running back Matthew Tucker got his second forced fumble of the day when McDougald stripped the ball from him, and with 3.11 left in the game, coach Charlie Weis decided to start airing it out.
Instead, Weis blamed the wide receivers for the passing game's problems this week.
"When we got the ball back the last time I told the defensive staff I don't care if I use both our timeouts," Weis said. "We've got to go down there and try and get this to a one-score game."
The only encouraging receiving games came from Turzilli and sophomore halfback Tony Pierson. Turzilli had an impressive 100-yard game in his first career start, and Pierson gained 99 yards as a
wide receiver.
Even though the defense gave Weis' offense opportunities to get points on the board, the jayhawks couldn't muster more than two field goals.
"I't frustrating if I'm being honest about it," Opurum said. "The biggest thing we need to is finish. Whether it's plays, drives, quarters or halves, we just need to finish."
— Edited by Nikki Wentling
VOLLEYBALL
Jayhawks win Golden Dome Invitational
Senior middleblocker Taylor Tolefree goes for a kill during a tournament in South Bend, Ind. against Notre Dame during Friday Sept. 14-16.
GEOFFREY CALVERT
ecalvert@kansan.com
CONTRIBUTED PHOTO
Notre Dame ended Kansas nine-match winning streak Sunday, bouncing back from losing the first set to beat the Jayhawks 3-1 in the Golden Dome Invitational.
Kansas, Notre Dame and Loyola Marymount each finished the tournament with a 2-1 record. The tournament's tiebreaker rules gave Kansas the tournament crown, and redshirt junior middle blocker Caroline Jarmoc was named the tournaments MVP. Senior middle blocker Tayler Tolefree joined her on the all-tournament team.
All four sets in the Notre Dame match finished within three points, and the jayhawks won the first set 25-22. They controlled most of the second set and led 20-15, but Notre Dame used an 8-0 run to take the lead. Kansas fought off set point three times, but the Fighting Irish held on for a 26-24 second set win.
"We made a couple of unforced errors at the end of set two," coach Ray Bechard said. "We could've made smarter choices with what was in front of us. They're a physical bunch, but you compound that when you make an attack that creates opportunities for them to be
even more physical."
Tolefle led the jayhawks with a .333 attack percentage. She said Notre Dame did a better job of setting the tone for the match, which kept Kansas from getting into a groove.
Sophomore outside hitter Sara McClinton led Kansas with 18 kills against Notre Dame, and was one of three jayhawks with at least 10 kills. However, the team struggled to find an offensive rhythm, and finished the match with a .207 hitting percentage.
(2)
"I think they took away the shots that we are most comfortable with," Tolefree said. "There was some hesitation trying to get a feel for how the match was going to go, but we take it upon ourselves to set the tone in the match and not wait and feel it out."
Just like the second set, the jayhaws began the third set with the lead, but it never surpassed four points. Trailing 15-13. Notre Dame used nine kills and two service aces to claim the third set 25-23.
The Jayhawks forced another extended set in the fourth set, fighting back from a 17-14 deficit to tie the set at 24. Kansas briefly grabbed the lead at 26-25, but Notre Dame won four of the next
Sophomore outside hitter Toni Alugueb paced the Fighting Irish with a match-high 20 kills. Bechard said the Jayhawks knew she would be a factor, but that junior outside hitter Andrea McHugh played more of a role than Kansas expected. She had 13 kills and 14 digs for Notre Dame.
five points to take the set and the match.
"I think she had three out of the last four kills in the fourth set." Bechard said. "We just didn't
Freshman outside hitter Tiana Dockery said Notre Dame emphasized its blocking around the net, and that the Jayhawks took too long making adjustments to counter the Fighting Irish's presence at the net.
The Jayhawks earned their sixth sweep of the season against Xavier in their second match of the tournament Saturday morning. Jarmoc led the Jayhawks with 14 kills and
game plan her as well as we should have."
The Jayhawks back row also contributed to the three-set sweep. Junior setter Erin McNorton notched 30 assists and a career-high 13 digs, giving her the second double-double of her career. Junior libero Brianne Riley paced the Jayhawks with 14 digs, which moved her into sixth place all-time in school history for career digs at 1,126.
six blocks, and Tolefree contributed five blocks. Kansas finished with 12 blocks, and Xavier had 5.5 blocks.
Dockery was the star in the Jayhawks' first match of the tournament Friday evening against Loyola Marymount. She posted a career-high nine digs and nine block assists. Four of her blocks came in the opening set, a 25-13 Kansas victory, which set the tone for the rest of the evening.Kansas finished with 14 total blocks, while Loyola Marymount had six. The Jayhawks defeated the Lions 3-1.
Kansas closes its non-conference season Wednesday at 6:30 p.m. when they host Creighton at the Horejsi Family Athletics Center. The Bluejays have a 10-1 record, while the Jayhawks are 11-2.
Edited by Andrew Ruszczyk
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