THE UNIVERSITY DAILY KANSAN SPORTS
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FOOTBALL DEPTH CHART | 8A Players' positions
Check out the depth chart that details the positions for both the offensive and defensive players for Saturday's spring game.
FRIDAY, APRIL 29, 2011
WWW.KANSAN.COM
PAGE 10A
The Kansas football team will play its annual spring game this Saturday at 1:30 p.m. The players all want to leave a lasting impression on the coaches
KANSAN FILE PHOTO
The spring game gives the players a chance to shine
BY KORY CARPENTER kcarpenter@kansan.com
The Kansas football team concludes spring practices with the annual spring game set for Saturday at 1:30 p.m. The format
of the scrimmage has yet to be determined by the coaching staff. Coach Turner Gill said Monday that the coaches will decide between a traditional game format and a less formal offense vs. defense scrimmage.
Senior wide receiver Daymond
Redshirt freshman running back Brandon Bourbon will miss Saturday's game after injuring his foot in a practice last week. Bourbon is set to return in six to eight weeks and will be able to participate in summer conditioning.
Patterson is returning from a leg injury and his status for Saturday's game is doubtful, according to coach Gill. Patterson led the team last season with 60 catches and 487 receiving vards.
Gill noted that the secondary has made the most progress on the defense this spring. Keeson Terry and Bradley McDougald look to start the season. Terry missed most of 2010 after injuring his leg in week three when Kansas lost to Mississippi State. McDougald, who was recruited as a wide receiver,
made the switch to safety full-time during last season.
On the defensive line, Gill said he has been most impressed with defensive end Pat Lewandowski and tackle Keba Agostinho. Toben Opurum has been steady as expected, according to Gill.
"Toben has definitely made a lot of strides, which is kind of what I expected. I think he is a lot more smooth in what he needs to do in terms of technique and coming out with a little more speed."
Gill said overall execution was
his biggest concern heading into Saturday's game.
PLAYERS TO WATCH:
Tight end Tim Biere: Gill singled out Biere early on in spring as a potential leader for the layhawks in 2011. In year two of Gill's more
■Running back Darrian Miller: Miller arrived on campus in January and has caught attention so far this spring, scoring four touchdowns in the team's first scrimmage.
balanced offensive attack, Biere could have a breakout season this fall.
Quarterbacks Jordan Webb and Quinn Mecham: The starting quarterback spot is still up for grabs and both players have experience from last season. Saturday's performances could make lasting impressions heading into training camp this summer.
Edited by Marla Daniels
SOFTBALL
Team prepares for weekend series and hopes to add to winning streak
Sophomore shortstop Mariah Montgomery stops a ground ball at Wilkins Stadium in Wichita on Wednesday afternoon against Wichita State. Kansas defeated Wichita State during game one of Wednesday's doubleheader 11-3.
BY HANNAH WISE hwise@kansan.com
Howard Ting/KANSAN
The softball team is on a three-game winning streak going into this weekend's series against No. 22 ranked Texas A&M. The Jayhawks have returned to the aggressive play style from the beginning of the season, defeating Iowa State 8-6 and Wichita State 11-3 in six innings and 6-3.
"It was a good day for us to have good at-bats and build our confidence," coach Megan Smith said after the Wichita State double-header.
The team broke the its single-season home run record of 54 home runs. They set the mark at 59 home runs by hitting five homers in their first game against the Shockers. In addition to breaking the home run record, the offense was more productive than they had been during their conference losing streak.
"We are just swinging a lot more aggressively," junior Liz Kocon said. In "the past games we have been really passive, letting the pitchers work us. So our game plan was to come out and attack like we were earlier this season, and it definitely paid off"
The batters finished the WSU doubleheader with 21 hits and 17 runs. This is a sharp increase in productivity from the rest of the conference season. The team batting average is .224 during Big 12 play, with 88 hits and 49 runs. Kocon, junior Marissa Ingle and sophomore Mariah Montgomery all left Wichita with home runs.
The team needs to keep up the momentum gained against WSU Wednesday night. Keeping the attack mentality will be key for the Jayhawk batters in the remaining five regular season games.
The team is right on the bubble as far as the NCAA committee is
"We need to get a win this weekend," sophomore Mariah Montgomery said. "It would be really big for us. We will be sitting pretty well and it will be very important to get a win, and it will be exciting for the team as well."
concerned. It is important for the team to walk away from these final games with five victories.
— Edited by Caroline Bledowski
COMMENTARY
This Saturday's game gives fans a reason to hope for the fall season
D Does the Kansas spring football game matter for anything?
In many senses, no.
The quarterback debate will loom large until the last weeks of August. The offensive and defensive lines won't prove competitive until they hit the field against live, unrestricted competition. And despite the premise that the annual spring game is the "live," everyone knows it really isn't.
The quarterbacks are handled like champagne glasses and the defensive players hold back on hits to stay healthy. I can't blame them, though. The football season is long enough as it is, and there's no use going through the offseason with a brace around an ankle.
But there is always an uncontrollable excitement about the spring game. For many, it's the first glimpse at a team that represents hope for the future. We all know the scar that last season put on both the Kansas football program and Turner Gill's reputation. But this year, we will all be hoping for change.
Gill is still the good guy. He is still the guy that will do things the right way. He still manages his players in the same fashion, respecting them while expecting greatness. But something is subtly different about him.
He no longer jokes around.
BY NICO ROESLER
nroesler@kansan.com
twitter.com/#/nico罗esler
But for all the hope that this Saturday's game represents, it will be poked with holes that desperately need to be filled. These holes will leave more fans with a question of faith in Gill, rather than with hope.
at least with the media, as much as he used to. He is all business. When talking about his team, he looks straight ahead, gives straight answers, and doesn't try to side step his way out of many questions. Spring ball has been all about business, and nothing less is expected from the spring game
e day, no questions will be
The quarterback situation is as unpredictable as a squirrel running across the road. Jordan Webb will be heading into the spring game as the lead man. Quinn Mecham will probably share reps with him, and Kale Pick might take a few snaps for the heck of it, but by the end of the day an answer will
answered. The reason: Brock Berglund.
Berglund was supposed to be playing this Saturday. He was supposed to be the guy who saves this unproven Kansas team. But he will be a no show, after going back home for personal reasons. So what does a fan make of a spring game that is supposed to shed some light on the future of Kansas football when the light is shining on a bottomless well?
Hope. Hope is the answer, and belief is what Gill and Kansas football want you to walk away from the game with. The belief that even without Berglund on Saturday, the team will impress, and hope that when Berglund gets back, the team won't miss a beat.
After all, in 2007, when Oklahoma and Bob Stoops entered their spring game with the question of a starting quarterback being battled between Joey Halzle and Keith Nichol, the third guy on the list was the one who started the first game of the season. It was a young Sam Bradford
So no, the spring game doesn't count for anything when it comes to predicting lineups for next season. But it does give fans a glimpse at what team hopes to be when that time comes.
- Edited by Tali David