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THE UNIVERSITY DAILY KANSAN SPORTS
MANGA
Liebetrau leads Big 12 in saves
WEDNESDAY, SEPTEMBER 15,2010
Jayhawks' goalkeeper proud of team's defense and agressiveness despite two-game split
WWW.KANSAN.COM
IN LIEU OF LEW
Lester embraces new role
Recently appointed interim athletics director Sean Lester talks with Ed Stewart of the Big 12 Conference Friday afternoon while watching Kansas' game against Westphalia. Hester was appointed on the position on Tuesday after former athletics director Lew Penkins retired.
Interim AD eager, but said is not interested in permanent position
BY TIM DWYER
tdwyer@kansan.com
There's one thing you notice about Sean Lester right away: He's not Lew Perkins.
Perkins — the former Kansas athletics director whose name is rarely printed without the word embattled in front of it these days
— had a larger-than-life presence to him both physically and in his actions. Lester — a Perkins disciple pegged to replace him in the interim while the University finds its next athletics director
— doesn't command a room in the same way, but he seems to command the respect of the people that work under him.
Lester, a Connecticut native who never lived outside the state until coming to Kansas in
2003, grew up around college sports. He was born and raised in Mansfield, Conn., and attended E.O. Smith High School, on the University of
So he kept at it, working parttime through college at Eastern Connecticut State and as an intern under former Connecticut athletics director Todd Turner. That's when his relationship with Perkins began.
with wins and losses all the time."
"Lew asked me if I'd become a graduate assistant, I asked him to pay for my graduate school," Lester said. "They said yes, and I was with him for a long time."
Twentyyears, to beexact. Lester rose quickly through the ranks at Connecticut, spending eight years as a senior administrator at the school. In a move that foreshadowed his integral role in the improvements of the baseball, football and basketball facilities at Kansas, Lester had a mai
"What's not to be excited about, with wins and losses all the time?"
Connecticut campus. A family member set him up with a part-time job in the athletics department, and Lester never turned back.
"I just found it very exciting and rewarding," he said. "Heck, what's not to be excited about,
SEAN LESTER interim athletics director
hand in the construction of the $91 million dollar Rentschler Field.
He came with Perkins to Kansas in 2003 as a senior
associate athletics director and played an integral role in the improvements to facilities across campus. In that time, Lester said one lesson has stuck with him more than the rest.
"It's all about the student- athletes," he said. "We impact
lives. We impact kids, we impact 18-year-old to 21-year-old kids. How to make their lives better and prepare them for life I think is the biggest thing that I've learned — probably that we've all learned who've had the ability to
work with Lew."
Lester makes no secret of the fact that his goal is to someday be an athletics director, so it struck people as odd when he pulled his name from the running for the long-term position.
"I don't want people to think anything other than in an interim period, I'm here to do the best job I can," Lester said, "and then the committee, the
SEE LESTER ON PAGE 4B
FOOTBALL
Pick finds new role in wildcat-like formation
BY MATT GALLOWAY
mgalloway@kansan.com
twitter.com/themattgalloway
A variation of the wildcat formation has made its way to Lawrence, and it may have breathed new life into the career of backup quarterback Kale Pick.
One week after the sophomore was benched in favor of freshman Jordan Webb, Pick took the field in a variety of wildcat formations during Saturday's victory against Georgia Tech. Pick rushed three times for 12 yards and threw one incomplete pass. The wildcat is usually used to get the ball in the hands of a runner who also has the ability to pass.
Sophomore quarterback Kick Pick allows a sack from linebacker Steven Sylvester during Saturday's game against Georgia Tech. Despite starting the season opener against North Dakota State, Pick was benched in favor of freshman Jordan Webb and now has a limited role as a running quarterback.
Dalton Gomez/KANSAN
; Pick's future usage will be determined on a game-by-game basis, coach Turner Gill said.
; "We still believe that Kale Pick is a good football player." Gill said.
"He is still going to be instrumental to our football team and we'll
Pick
see how that works from here."
With his performance Saturday, We b b solidified his hold on the starting job from Pick and earned himself a longer leash from the coaching staff. However, Webb's lack of mobility
be a concern as he was sacked four times by the Yellow Jacket defense.
Keeping Pick in game shape is important for a coaching staff that on its heels with every shot Webb takes in the backfield.
- "Obviously you don't want to be averaging three or four sacks"
PAGE 1B
a game," Gill said. "But some of that will be receivers, some will be the quarterbacks and some will be backs or protections."
"Kale Pick had deserved it he earned it through the practices and the scrimmages," Gill said. "It's unfortunate that he wasn't the same guy as we saw in practices and scrimmages as he was in the game, for whatever reason. But again, he wasn't the only guy who
Gill said that, while Webb is the unquestioned starter, Pick deserves a role in the offense after dropping the ball in the season opener.
Pick played the first snap of the possession following Webb's first touchdown pass that evened the score 7-7 in the first quarter. Webb is not concerned that his momentum will be affected with the Pick-specific packages.
didn't play very well in that football game."
"I'm very comfortable with it," Webb said. "We're going to do whatever it takes to win and I think the change of pace can be a great thing for our offense and its just going to help us be more potent on offense."
Junior tight end Tim Biere also struggled in the loss to North Dakota State, and he's excited to see Pick get another opportunity, if only for a few snaps a game.
Webb came into the season opener with everything to gain and nothing to lose, Gill said. Now in a similar position, Pick should thrive in the unique formation aimed at utilizing his best skill: his speed and elusiveness.
The wildcat formation has seen a resurgence of sorts in recent years thanks in part to the usage of Miami Dolphins running back Ronnie Brown, but using a backup quarterback to run the scheme is not unheard of. In 2006, former Florida quarterback Tim Tebow rushed for 469 yards and eight
"It's kind of like the Wildcat offense, but with Kale back there, he's just kind of another explosive player to get on the field." Biere said. "He can do some good things out of it."
touchdowns as a backup to senior quarterback Chris Leak during his freshman campaign.
Edited By Joel Petterson
COMMENTARY
Three new 'Heisman Hawks' step up Saturday
BY NICOLAS ROESLER
proecler@kanran.com
Before the season started, I picked three Kansas football players who had the best
chance of winning the Heisman trophy: Kale Pick, Angus Quigley and Chris Harris.
Things aren't looking so good for my "Heisman Hawks" anymore, however. Pick has been benched. Quigley has been outshone by a freshman. Harris still has a shot but other members of the defense also looked good Saturday.
Just like Reggie Bush, these players have lost their right to a trophy reserved only for the best. So I've come up with a new list. These contenders for the Heisman Hawk are the reason why Kansas defeated Georgia Tech on Saturday. And if they play consistently for the rest of the year, these three players will remain at the top of the list.
JAMES SIMS, FRESHMAN RUNNING BACK
Sims' potential is as high as the hair on his retro fade. He exploded onto the scene Saturday with 17 carries for 101 yards. Watching Sims run was the glimpse of hope all Kansas fans needed.
He had the power of Angus Quigley and the speed of Deshaun Sands — the two backs who out-ranked Sims on the depth chart. Why split carries between those two backs when Sims can run all day long?
Slightly taller than LaDainian Tomlinson, the New York Jets running back, Sims has break-out potential. If you watch video clips of Tomlinson in his college days at Texas Christian University, there are striking similarities between his running style and Sims'. Both run deceivingly upright and can break arm tackles apart like silly string.
Webb threw for 179 yards, three touchdowns and one interception on Saturday. Those are some good marks for a freshman quarterback. But the most impressive thing about his game was his confidence and leadership, even when he made a mistake.
I watched one of his throws land two yards shy of a receiver's feet. Webb recognized his fault, hit his chest a couple of times, then rallied his teammates into the huddle, seeming to boost them up after his own mistake. That leadership makes a winning quarterback and that positive drive and competitiveness could lead to him winning the Heisman H.awk.
JORDAN WEBB, FRESHMAN
QUARTERBACK
Sims will win the award if he gets enough carries.
JUSTIN SPRINGER, SENIOR LINEBACKER
Who saw this coming? Kale Pick was originally my number one Heisman Hawk to watch. Boy, was I caught in a web of confusion.
Springer — named defensive player of the week by the Big 12 — made 15 tackles on Saturday, three for a loss.
Because Springer is a senior, the Kansas defense needs him to perform like this every week to inspire the kind of performance fans saw against Georgia Tech. Already averaging 11 tackles a game, Springer has a chance to claim the Heisman Hawk from fellow senior defender Chris Harris.
Edited by Dana Meredith