/ SPORTS / MONDAY, OCTOBER 18, 2010 / THE UNIVERSITY DAILY KANSAN / KANSAN.COM
QUOTE OF THE DAY
"Yes sir, I had a great, great visit to Kansas."
—LeBryan Nash, 4. *n* recruit in the class of 2011, to JoyhawkSlant.com
FACT OF THE DAY
Nash will announce his decision Thursday. If he chooses Kansas over Oklahoma State and Baylor he will be the second-highest rated recruit since Rivals.com started rating players in 2002.
Rivals.com
TRIVIA OF THE DAY
Q: Who is currently the second highest rated Jayhawk recruit ever?
A: David Padgett, who was No. 7 overall in 2003. Josh Selby is first.
— Rivals.com
Oregon Ducks: the kind that fly
MORNING BREW
It's green and yellow and scoring nearly one point per minute. Look now and you still probably won't catch it.
Chip Kelly's Oregon Ducks are reinventing offense and, indirectly, the culture of football. Shorter practices. Smaller playbooks. Faster gameplay.
BY MAX ROTHMAN
ryothman@kansan.com
According to Gregg Easterbrook of ESPN.com, Kelly's offense combines four storied formations.
-The Pistol: Aptly named as a smaller form of the shotgun, this formation sets the quarterback just four yards (unlike shotgun's seven yards) behind the center, with the running back behind the quarterback. On running plays, the tailback has momentum going forward, rather than standing still on shotgun draw plays. Almost all passing plays are hitches, and the quarterback's closer positioning saves time (less distance to throw) and gives the receiver more space in the open field.
-The Single Wing: This one is old school, and still commonly used in high school football. It involves three players in the backfield (usually one player behind a tight end on the side) and a double tight end front. The single wing relies heavily on fakes and options.
-The Triple Option: Similar to the single wing, this formation uses fakes and options, but looks much more traditional before the snap (either in a Wishbone or I-form set).
The Spread: This was the primary formation of the Mangino era, where four wide receivers spread the field and the quarterback sits in the shotgun.
Kelly blends these four ideas into one (approximately) 20-part playbook. Then his team receives hand signals from the sida-
line and runs the plays fast. Really, really fast.
A recent New York Times article by Peter Thamel states that the Ducks commonly run 30 plays in 10 minutes of practice.
"I was dizzy walking off the field," John Gruden, former NFL coach, told Thamel. "It's a philosophy that is the damnedest thing I've ever seen. I love it and can't get enough of it."
Kelly's practices only last two hours (opposed to the traditional three hours) because the Ducks are always running. They cut out wind sprints, because the whole practice is a wind sprint. Many have dubbed this creation "the blur offense" because of its unparalleled speed.
Some of the results are obvious. The Ducks are 6-0 and ranked No.1 in the country. Undoubtedly the best stat: they are outscoring opponents 86-7 in the 2nd half this season.
Truth is, every offense eventually stagnates from a new defensive discovery. But no team seems to have found a way to stop the blur offense just yet. So enjoy watching the unstoppable while you still can.
MUSIC FROM THE VAULTS
Legendary Atlantic Records producer Jerry Wexler once called him "the best soul singer of all time". His angelic voice could drop a listener to his or her knees. Yet most media outlets ignored his recent death in an airport. Solomon Burke, the Vaults are here for you!
1964's "Rock 'N' Soul", is one of the finest exhibitions of gospel, blues and soul. Burke's voice is the true centerpiece here, but the choir of female backing voices also serve as a strong complement.
In "Cry to Me", Burke laments loneliness and loss with howls straight from the heart. "Won't You Give Him (One More Chance)" features an upbeat tempo and a stunning exchange between Burke and the female backing singers. In "Can't Nobody Love You", Burke seemingly submerges the listener into pain before the track even starts.
Burke, 70, died Monday. So too did a chunk of soul history.
Edited by Michael Bednar
WOMEN'S BASKETBALL
The women's basketball team was forced to play against a scrimmage team of seven male non-athletes because of injuries.
Late Night game showcases team
Senior center Krysten Boogaard came off the bench and led the Jayhawks with six points on 2-of-3 shooting in the 22-14 win. Junior forward Aishah Sutherland and sophomore guards Angel Goodrich and Monica Engelman each had four points. Goodrich also had three assists against zero turnovers in her first action in front of a crowd since returning from a second consecutive season-ending knee injury.
The game, considering it was the team's first official practice, was relatively clean. The Jayhawks had only 10 turnovers while shooting 10 for 18 from the field.
The Jayhawks will open their exhibition season on Halloween when Fort Hays State comes to Allen Fieldhouse.
THIS WEEK IN KANSAS ATHLETICS
— Mike Lavieri
Men's Golf
Bill Ross Intercollegiate
All Day
Kansas City, Mo.
TODAY
TUESDAY
Men's Golf
Bill Ross Intercollegiate
All Day
Kansas City, Neb.
WEDNESDAY
Volleyball
Texas
6:30 p.m.
Lawrence
THURSDAY
Tennis
ITA Regionals
All day
Fayetteville, Ark.
PRIDAY
Soccer
Nebraska
3:30 p.m.
Lincoln, Neb.
Tennis
ITA Regionals
All Day
Fayetteville, Ark.
Volleyball Iowa State 6:30 p.m. Ames, Iowa
Tennis
ITA Regionals
All Day
Fayetteville, Ark
SATURDAY
Football
Texas A&M
6 p.m.
Lawrence
Tennis
KU Tournaments
All Day
Lawrence
Tennis
ITA Regionals
All Day
Fayetteville, Ark.
NFL
Saints hammer Bucs on Brees' 3 TD game
TAMPA, Fla. — The New Orleans Saints got some unexpected help in reviving a sputtering rushing attack around Drew Brees.
Brees threw for 263 yards and three touchdowns Sunday, leading the Super Bowl champions to a 31-6 victory over the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.
The Saints rebounded from a mistake-filed road loss that dumped them into third place in the NFC South, scoring on their first three possessions and getting an unexpected lift from rookie running back Chris Ivory.
Ivory rushed for 158 yards on 15 carries, stepping up in the absence of the injured Reggie Bush and Pierre Thomas.
The Saints (4-2) amassed 475 yards total offense.
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