KANSAN.COM / THE UNIVERSITY DAILY KANSAN / MONDAY, OCTOBER 25, 2010 / SPORTS
EXAS A&M 45
5B
BALL REWIND
FOOTBALL (CONTINUED FROM 1B)
Webb threw a fade route into the corner of the north endzone on 3rd and 6, only to be intercepted by Aggie cornerback Dustin Harris who returned it 83 yards
to the Kansas 17-yard line. Texas A&M scored three plays later, pushing its lead to 31-10. The 14-point swing killed any momentum the offense would have had, and coach Turner Gill said Webb's injury caused the bad throw.
"He said he threw it
Pick
as well as he could, but just couldn't get it there," Gill said.
Backup quarterback Kale Pick relieved Webb on the following possession but was unable to revive the offense, completing seven of 12 passes for only 40 yards. Pick's night was also cut short when he suffered a concussion to start the fourth quarter. The brief playing time was the first meaningful minutes for Pick since his start against North Dakota State, where the offensive woes players, coaches and fans have experienced all season began.
The start of Big 12 play sucked even more life out of the offense, which has now scored 24 points the last three games, placing the unit firmly in last in scoring in the
conference. Gill noted the lack of big plays as the most frustrating part of these now weekly offensive performances.
"It wasn't an issue of effort. We just didn't make enough plays," Gill said. "We needed to make a little more plays to keep our defense off the field."
The time of possession was surprisingly dead even at 30 minutes a piece. The Aggies also overcame 130 yards worth of penalties. Overcoming penalties with big plays isn't something Kansas was able to do Saturday night — or all season.
Webb's production has dropped in the
last three weeks as well, throwing five interceptions with only two touchdown passes. Sophomore tight end Tim Biere caught the lone touchdown pass of the night in the second quarter to go along with his 67 receiving yards. He said his performance was decent, but obviously wasn't enough to change to lopsided score.
"It's been a tough three weeks, but there are better days ahead."
Biere sees hope in the future.
"Obviously, we can only go up". Biere said. "It's been a tough three weeks, but there are better days ahead."
With the uncertainty surrounding the injuries to Webb and Pick, those better days might be a little further off. Gill told reporters after the game they would review both injuries this week with the medical staff before making any decisions.
Gill was hesitant to put third-string quarterback Quinn Mecham into the game in the fourth quarter, opting for freshman wide receiver D.J. Beshears instead. Beshears took snaps from shotgun and actually notched 26 yards rushing on five plays. Only then did the staff throw Mecham — a junior college transfer who didn't see
TIM BIERE Junior tight end
Saturday in Ames
time all season — into the fire. He threw an incomplete pass before getting sacked on a 4th and 6.
If Webb or Pick can't play next week, the string of lackluster offensive performances could get even worse when the team travels to face Iowa State on
- Edited by Clark Goble
Ryan Waggoner/KANSAN
Freshman quarterback Jordan Webb shakes the hand of a Kansas assistant coach during the second half. Webb was injured late in the first half of Kansas' 45-10 loss to Texas A&M and did not play in the second half.
Evan Palmer/KANSAN
Jerry Wang/KANSAN
Texas A&M defensive back Coryell Judie breaks up a pass intended for senior wide receiver Johnathan Wilson during the third quarter. Kansas finished with 130 yards of passing on 16-of-31 passing in the game Saturday night.
Tyler Patton, a freshman cornerback, grabs Texas A&M wide receiver Uzoma N楚uwukhu as sophomore cornerback Greg Brown looks on.
Quote of the Game
"Something just always happens. It seems like a little thing here or there always happens and it kills drives and scoring opportunities - and that is what has been hurting us all season."
Junior tight end Tim Biere
Biere
Game Balls
2. Sophomore kick returner D.J. Beshears: The sophomore kick returner has done a little bit of everything this season even taking snaps at quarterback late against Texas A&M. He tallied 77 yards on kick returns as well as 64 yards rushing the ball.
1. Junior tight end Tim Biere: The offense's only spark of the night, Bierre scored the only KU touchdown in the 2nd quarter of the blowout loss. He caught four balls for 67 yards for the game, more than tripling the next leading receiver in yards.
Delay of Games
3. Freshman quarterback Jordan Webb: KU failed to do anything on offense for the third straight week, scoring only 10 points against the Aggies. On multiple occasions, Webb missed open receivers that ended up stalling drives. Webb's endzone interception in the 2nd quarter was a potential 14 point swing, giving A&M a 31-10 lead before halftime.
2. The defense: After scoring only 9 points against Missouri last week, the Aggie offense dominated the Jayhawk defense to the tune of 521 total yards and 45 points.The defense has given up 159 points in the last 3 games.
1. Sophomore defensive end Toben Opurum: After switching from running back to linebacker before the season, the coaching staff made another change before kickoff, starting Opurum at defensive end to generate speed on the pass rush. The move was unsuccessful, as the Texas A&M offensive linemen held Opurum in check all night.
Turning Point
Losing 24-10 in the 2nd quarter, Jordan Webb marched the offense down the field to the Aggie 7-yard line. On 3rd down he threw an interception into the hands of Cornerback Dustin Harris who returned it 83 yards to the Kansas 17-yard line. KU went from potentially being down 7 to being down 21 in a matter of four plays.
Kev Stat
Injuries
Kansas once again lost the turnover battle, 2-0. Gill has said he wants to be plus 2 in turnover margin each game.
Quarterbacks Jordan Webb and Kale Pick both left the game with injuries. Webb injured his shoulder on a 6-yard run in the 2nd quarter, while Pick suffered a concussion in the 4th. Neither player returned and their status for next week's game against Iowa is uncertain.
— Kory Carpenter
Schedule
Date Opponent Result/Time
9/4 vs. North Dakota State L, 6-3
9/11 vs. Georgia Tech W, 28-6
9/17 at Southern Miss L, 31-16
9/25 vs. New Mexico State W, 42-16
10/02 at Baylor L, 55-7
10/14 vs. Kansas State L, 59-7
10/23 vs. Texas A&M (Homecoming) L, 45-10
10/30 at Iowa State 1 p.m.
11/06 vs. Colorado TBA
11/13 at Nebraska TBA
11/20 vs. Oklahoma State TBA
11/27 vs. Missouri 11:30 a.m.
Ryan Waggoner/KANSAN
Texas ARM wide receiver Ryan Swope (25) leaps over the goal line to score a touchdown for the Aggies in front of several Jayhawk defenders. Kansas gave up 521 yards of total offense in a 45-10 loss, their third straight loss this season.