Volume 125 Issue 4
kansan.com
Wednesday, August 22, 2012
COMMENTARY
Outlook of wide receivers
There are a lot of changes surrounding the Kansas football team. New coaching staff. New approach in practice. New commercials on television motivating people to show up at Memorial Stadium on Saturday.
It's a fresh start for the Javhawke
But even with all the changes, there's also veteran players who will lead the team, especially in the large group of wide receivers.
Kansas is relying on three senior wide receivers to lead the way — all with different skill sets.
Daymond Patterson desperately wants to make the most out of his senior season after a groin injury sidelined him last fall.
Patterson made all kinds of changes in his time in Lawrence. He's switched from cornerback to receiver, had three different coaches and now he is in his peak physical condition to make an impact.
Then there's Kale Pick, a player who came to Kansas hoping to compete for quarterback position. He's had some injuries, but now he is a senior and one of the more consistent workers at practice.
During training camp, coach Charlie Weis said Pick performed the best out of all the players.
Pick is never going to wow you, but he's sure-handed and reliable, something that is always needed at the receiver position.
The third senior is D.J. Beshears, the man whose speed separates him from the rest of the talented group.
He's mainly known for leading the Big 12 with 1,014 kick return yards, but he also always a threat to break a play open on the offensive side.
Edited by Lauren Shelly
Junior Christian Matthews has shown sparks of good play during spring games, but never put together a complete season.
With the receivers, it's a lot like the rest of the Kansas squad: a lot of old and a lot of new, but in the end results are what people will be happy with.
Kansas also has sophomore Andrew Turzilu and junior Chris Omigie, who are both tall players that will contend for playing time.
There are so many options that it will be hard for anyone to keep track this year.
These are a handful of the returning players that have an opportunity to make an impact, but there are new faces moving up the ranks as well.
Junior Josh Ford, a transfer from Arizona Western Community College, looks to be a down field threat for the jayhawks. He has speed to stretch the field but must fine-tune the basic skills in order to fight for playing time.
Finally there's freshman Tre Parmalee, who's had an impressive spring and now might be vying for snaps on the field.
The roster has 13 wide receivers listed on it, but at this point it's anyone's guess at who will receive the majority of the touches.
This could be a problem, but it could also make difference when opponents have to prepare for Kansas.
NABBING NO.1
PIERSON FRONT RUNNER
BLAKE SCHUSTER
bschuster@kansan.com
One by one, the players ran through warm-ups.
First Tony Pierson, then Taylor Cox, Brandon Bourbon and James Sims. Sidestepping through agility drills and taking turns pushing a sled 40 yards, each running back looked to outwork the man in front of him.
But the warm-ups can't change the playing time, and it's being doled out in the aforementioned order.
Even though Charlie Weis said Tuesday that most position battles have been settled, the running back core poses a different scenario than most players being jugged on the depth chart. While Tony Pierson has the number one spot locked up — until James Sims returns from his three-game suspension and looks to yank it back — Bourbon and Cox offer a different breed of running back than Pierson has to offer.
"I think with Coach Weis being big into personnel groupings, he wants a guy for a certain type of personnel" running back coach Reggie Mitchell said at the start of camp. "It's fortunate that we have those types of guys in the program. Right now, Tony (Pierson) is the only smaller (back) we have, but that's kind of how (Weis) wants it."
Pierson stands 5-foot-10, 170 lbs. and his sled pushing ability in practice Tuesday proves that he's here to be the Jayhawk's speedster, not a bruiser. The black-and-blue distinction is being fought over by the 6-foot-1, 218 lbs. Bourbon and 5-foot-11, 210 lbs. Cox while Sims is serving his suspension for violating team rules last April.
But even with Sims missing game time, he's still practicing with the team, creating a tricky situation for the coaching staff
as the jayhawks prepare to face South Dakota State, Rice University and Texas Christian University without last season's leading rusher. So while Bourbon burgers to replace Sims, he is doing so with limited practice.
"The hard thing is we have a bunch of guys who we need to give reps to," Mitchell said. "He's got to make an impact with the five or six carries he gets in practice."
And it's no different for Cox, who Weis had above Bourbon on the depth chart Tuesday.
"He's a smash-mouth football player," starting center Trevor Marronegelli said of Cox. "He caught on to the offense pretty quickly and that usually takes guys a year to learn."
Last season, before he transferred to Kansas, Cox was selected as an All-American after rushing for 1.507 yards with 14 touchdowns for the College of Siskiyou Eagles. However, he should be far from those numbers this season as a back up to Pierson, and eventually Sims.
Weis is looking for Pierson to get 10-15 carries a game — up from an average around five last season. His partner in the backfield will have to pick up significant plays, most likely in short-yardage situations, and doing so with limited reps in practice. Pierson will be getting the most, followed by Cox, Bourbon and Sims.
According to Weis, it won't be changing anytime soon.
"I see it going that way until (Sims) gets back into the action, but that is not until week four." Weis said. "As we go into this week, it will be pretty much the same. All of them will probably get reps, but in that order."
Edited by Allison Kohn
KANSAN FILE PHOTO
Freshman running back Tony Pierson runs for a first down against the Oklahoma Sooners on Saturday Octo. 15, 2011 in Lawrence, KS.
FOOTBALL
Versatility necessary in trenches
Junior cornerback Daymond Patterson runs with the ball on offense during the spring game. Patterson caught four passes for 15 yards Saturday afternoon.
ETHAN PADWAY
epadway@kansan.com
In football, every play in practice, scrimmages and games is accompanied by multiple collisions between athletes in great shape on each side of the ball. However, injuries happen even with protection. Hamstrings pull, ACLs tear and bones fracture.
KANSAN FILE PHOTO
No team can avoid injuries, but the Jayhawks prepare their top backup offensive linemen to play multiple positions in case they need to step up later in the season.
"You don't always have 10 guys you can play a game with at offensive line," coach Charlie Weis said. "Sometimes to get the best players, people are going to have to be a swing tackle."
Having the offensive linemen know more than just their role on each play not only helps in an emergency but also allows them to work as a unit to protect the quarterback or create a hole for the running back to slip through.
"You can't be five individuals on the offensive line," offensive line coach Tim Grunhard said. "You need to come together and be a fist. And so everyone needs to know the role, the technique, the fundamentals and the assignments of everybody else."
Yet, blocking in one position on the offensive line can be different from another position one spot over.
"There's obviously some different things you have to do if you're a left tackle and you've
been playing guard." Grunhard said. "There's some different angles and kicks, but the basic fundamentals of getting your hands inside and getting your head back, keeping your feet in good position. You pass block with
your feet; some people think you pass block with your hands, and obviously you use your hands, but your feet get you in the best position."
Senior center Trevor Marrongelh played both guard positions before moving to his current position. Maronglielli said by learning to pass block either way, he can set up what the offense needs of him.
In Weis's pro-style offense, players need to be able to play multiple positions. For example, each receiver might have a different route, but Weis expects all of his receivers to know each receiving position and step into that role when called upon.
"The biggest part is the pass set," Marrengelli said. "It's tweaked a little bit, moving from right to left."
"When you're rotating, the defense can't key into what you're doing and bracket you and try and double you or know the tendencies of the route you run," senior wide receiver Daymond Patterson said. "So it makes it a lot harder for them."
This also allows the lajahaws to get the best 11 healthy players on the field at all times, "If one guy goes down, you don't have to actually put the next guy that's behind him in." Patterson said, "You can move somebody else from another position over there if the other guy is a better fit to go in."
—Edited by Christy Khamphilay