Wif
an 11,
they w
selecti
Wi
sched
yet to
mark t
but ou
the pL
upset
trip is
"We
ruin
right
Wit the stru eag
team v
Buffalo
for the
Wit
backs
still q
10 COLUMN
FANS HEAD FOR THE DOOR AND LEAVE THEIR TEAM IN THE LURCH
VOL
In the midst of one of the worst football seasons in the history of the program, it's easy to start pointing fingers at the numerous things that have gone awry in Turner Gill's first year. It may have been Lew Perkins' lack of institutional control over the athletics department, Gill's self-imposed image problem or the multiple injuries that have plagued this football team. Things have looked bleak, but not everything has been bad, believe it or not. When you search hard enough, there are some positive things coming out of the debacle on Mt. Oread.
some positive things come along After the dismal Homecoming loss to Texas A&M that left the Aggies' section with more fans in attendance than Jayhawk supporters, Jack Harry, sports director at NBC in Kansas City, suggested that the university should drop the football program entirely.
entirely. "I'm calling on the chancellor at Kansas to do everything in her power to drop football ... just do away with the sport and all the embarrassment it has brought to the university," Harry said on the Oct. 25 edition of Jack's Smack.
said on the Oct. 23 edition of JURO.
As most of you know, I usually reserve this space for my off-the-wall bantering and criticisms of the KU football program, but after hearing the ludicrous comments from a man I used to respect, I find myself standing up for a team that's being kicked while it's down.
it's it down.
It's no secret that while most teams in the vicinity of
Lawrence are thriving (Kansas State 5-3, 2-3; Missouri 7-1, 3-1), the Kansas program has wilted. Now 2-6 (0-4), Kansas has not won a Big 12 game in more than a year, has lost the last seven road games and has easily been the punch line of the conference for the last two years. Literally, they were the ones throwing punches against their own basketball team last year).
5 players against their own basketball team I get Harry's point in urging chancellor Bernadette Gray-Little to simply do away with the embarrassment that has been the Gill experiment and I do agree that there were better options available at the time of Gill's hire (but that's another column).
The problem I have is that it seems a little premature to want to just bring the entire program to a screeching halt. Especially a program with some proud history and that has yielded some success. So I seriously doubt Harry was calling for the head of Kansas football after a 12-1 season.
Kansas football after a 12-1 season.
After all, football programs are not built in a day. Basketball coaches are fortunate enough that it may only take two or three talented players to completely change the atmosphere of a program — Michael Beasley and Jacob Pullen come to mind — in football, that's not the case. It may take ten or eleven guys who fit your style before you start seeing results, and most of those guys end up redshifting their freshman seasons. Kansas fans are looking at roughly three years until a coach can really begin to see an improvement.
begin to see an improvement.
Kansas isn't the only team in history to go through woes of this magnitude. In the late 1940s and early 50s, Kansas State posted losing streaks 17 and 18 games long. Local columnists and sports figures were calling for them to do away with that program. How is the Missouri team head and shoulders above former Jayhawk squads? Let's be real.
It's because the Big 12's inceptions Kansas and Missouri on
THE WAVE NOVEMBER 5,2010
Ryan Waggoner KANSAN
A view of the empty stadium from the game against Texas A&M.
THE UNIVERSITY DAILY KANSAN
Colorado offers chance for momentum
skruger@kansan.com
BY SARA KRUGFR
After a loss against Nebraska, Kansas hopes to gain momentum back against Colorado on Saturday and finish up this season on a winning note. The Jayhawks will have extra motivation because Colorado is leaving the Big 12 after this year.
"It's the last time we'll get to play them in the Big 12 conference," sophomore middle blocker Taylor Tolefree said. "We just have six games left, so we need to just finish strong and get a win over them."
The last time the Jayhawks met Colorado, the Buffaloes came out and won in five games. Tolefie says the team is focused on beating Colorado and moving on to the next game.
Outside hitter Karina Garlington said being a senior also added to the importance of the game.
"We want them to remember the last time they get to play
COLORADO
Junior outside hitter Allison Mayfield added depth to the Kansas offense by playing both back and front row against Nebraska.
Garlington said playing two positions was difficult to do and Mayfield has stepped up to the task.
Kansas at Kansas," she said. "And, you know, we've got a little grudge match since we lost to them at Colorado, so I hope that motivates everyone to play the best that we can and just get some momentum under us."
DAY: Saturday
DATE: Nov. 6
LOCATION: Lawrence
TIME: 6:30 p.m.
"She breaks the game down and allows us to get a back row attack when we normally couldn't." Garlington said.
"They're smaller, so they are smart with putting the ball in play," Tolefree said, "We kind of rally with them, the plays go on longer because they're not such physical blockers and sometimes our block isn't always there."
Kansas recently faced No. 5 Nebraska, who is also leaving the conference. Colorado is a much smaller opponent than Nebraska.
"We just have six games left, so we need to just finish strong and get a win over them."
She said the Jayhawks needed to figure out how to not let easy balls score.
TAYLER TOLEFREE Sophomore middle blocker
T he Jayhawks' hitting percentage against Nebraska was a low .200 compared with their season high of .432 against Texas Tech. Mayfield and
her teammates just didn't seem to get the numbers they are capable of reaching.
"I thought she took some good swings. Six errors is more than we probably want her to have, but I thought she did a good job primary passing for us," coach Ray Bechard said. "We ask her to do a lot of things."
lot of things.
In the first set against Nebraska, Mayfield had nine attacks and three kills with two errors. She accounted for three of Kansas' 17 points in the first set and finished the match with 30 attacks, 10 kills and six errors — all team highs. In total, she led the Jayhawks with 11 points, including one service ace.
SEE VOLLEY ON PAGE 7A
Junior outside hitter Allison Mayfield bumps the ball in the first set Wendesday. The Jayhawks will play Colorado next Saturday.
anything radical like firing Gill. I'm a firm believer that a coach needs at least three years to be fully evaluated. There's a reason the Pittsburgh Steelers have won more Super Bowls than any other NFL franchise, and a huge part of that is the stability of having just three coaches since 1969.
Just as with Pick, we saw sixth-year senior running back Angus Quigley lose his starting job as soon as someone else performed well at the position in a game. Let me preface this by saying that I think James Sims is a talented back for a freshman, but again, there is a reason that Angus Quigley won the job in the pre-season. I don't know exactly what it is — I wasn't there — but if there was, indeed, a reason, stick to your guns and go with Quigley. Three weeks later, Quigley reascended to the top of the running back chart.
I'm not asking much from Gill, just that he stops yanking players like an overeager fantasy football manager and trusts his gut.
Rightfully so, too. Quinn Mecham is now in the discussion to be the Jayhawks' quarterback as well. And there was that fun experiment with D.J. Beshears at quarterback late in the Texas A&M game. He, the guy is fast.
What I'm looking for from Gill, though, is some sign that he knows the personnel he has playing for him. Have a little faith in your players.
Kale Pick was not impressive in a little more than six quarters as the starter. No one will argue that. But there's a reason he was made the starter (I'm going to go out on a limb and say it had to do with speed). Either have faith in the guy or don't start him at all. But ripping the rug out from under him only destroys his confidence and has the next guy, in this case Jordan Webb, looking over his shoulder for someone else who might be sneaking up on his job.
Bizarrely, I'm actually giving the man a vote of confidence. Trust your decisions, coach. It can't get any worse.
— Edited by David Cawthon