THE UNIVERSITY DAILY KANSAN SPORTS
VOLLEYBALL | 38 Team wins two at tournament Squad places second in tournament but drops to third in the conference.
1B
MONDAY, SEPTEMBER 13, 2010
WWW.KANSAN.COM
ROCK SHOCK
Senior linebacker Justin Springer and sophomore safety Lubbock Smith wrap up Georgia Tech running back Orwin Smith during the first quarter. Springer led the team with 15 total tackles as the Jayhawks earned their first victory of the season over Georgia Tech Saturday afternoon.
Team unites for unexpected win
Jayhawks jolt highly rated Yellow Jackets
BY MATT GALLOWAY
mgalloway@kansan.com
twitter.com/themattgalloway
BY MATT GALLOWAY
Last week against North Dakota State, the fans at Memorial Stadium booed the Jayhawks as the clock wound down on their 6-3 loss.
So imagine the players' surprise when many of those same fans rushed the field after their 28-25 upset against No.15 Georgia Tech on Saturday.
"You know how it is. Usually it's all about Kansas basketball," senior linebacker Justin Springer said. "Seeing that, it kind of brought a tear to my eye."
What a difference a week made.
Freshman running back James Sims became the first freshman in school history to rush for 100 yards in his debut, freshman quarterback Jordan Webb threw for three touchdowns in his first start and the Jayhawks (1-1) won their first game since Oct. 10, 2009.
Sims, filling in for injured freshman running back Deshaun Sands, ran for 101 yards on 17 carries and scored a touchdown run that would give the Jayhawks a 21-17 lead they would not surrender.
The performance was one of many unexpected breakouts against the Yellow Jackets, but sophomore wide receiver Bradley McDougald said he knew the freshman had it in him.
"He is a great running back," McDougald said. "He reminds me of Toben (Opurum) last year. That's what the guys in the locker
room were talking about."
Other than a few snaps out of the Wildcat formation for sophomore quarterback Kale Pick, Webb had the keys to the car in his first career start. He finished 18-for-29 with 179 yards passing, three touchdowns and a hard-luck interception off a McDougald bobble.
"It was awesome. It was exhilarating." Webb said. "It was just cool to see the fans back into it - hopefully. Hopefully they're back into it every week. I think it's going to be a fun year."
Two freshmen, Webb and Sims, carried the Jayhawk offense against the defending ACC champions. As the fans mobbed Webb and his teammates after the victory, the hope for what might develop in the next four years was on display for everyone involved.
The defense was able to contain the much-hyped Yellow Jacket (1-1) triple-option offense, limiting senior quarterback Joshua
"When the other team fires the corner about every play, you probably should be able to throw one and complete it," said Georgia Tech coach Paul Johnson.
Nesbitt to a 33.3 percent completion rate. Nesbitt finished 5-for-15 with 116 yards passing and a touchdown, but the Jayhawks were able to subdue his true threat: the ground game. Nesbitt averaged 2.2 yards on 15 carries.
With Georgia Tech down to their final down, Nesbitt missed wide-open receiver and the Jayhawks were able to run out the clock on their first victory over a top 15 ranked school at Memorial Stadium since 1984.
Just as he told his team last week when they lost to their FCS opponent, Gill reiterated that this victory is just one step in his goal of returning the program back to prominence.
ball game. We're here to be successful over a long period of time, many years. One game doesn't define our program, two games doesn't define our program."
"No, we didn't prove anything," Gill said. "It's just one
Edited by Anna Nordling
SEE MORE COVERAGE OF THE GAME ON PAGES 4-5B
PAGE 1
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Springer's career day limits rushing attack
FOOTBALL
BY MEGAN RUPP
mrupp@kansan.com
The last time senior linebacker Justin Springer had a game like he did on Saturday, he earned himself a spot on the Jayhawk football team.
Springer said his 18 tackles in a high school playoff game led to his recruitment by Kansas.
Attacking Georgia Tech's triple-option offense Saturday, Springer dictated the pace of the game with 15 tackles and an emotional win.
Until Saturday's career-setting performance, Springer's previous high was nine tackles in a single game. Without Springer's contributions, three of which resulted in Georgia Tech's loss of possession, the Jayhawks may not have been able to seal the upset against
"It's a big win," Springer said. "Biggest win of my life, to tell you the truth."
the nationally ranked opponent.
Senior linebacker Drew Dudley, who had eight tackles, saw Springer's commitment in the offseason after intense two-a-day practices.
"I'm about to go to sleep and he's got his little night-light on,
The two line-backers have been roommates for four years. Dudley wasn't surprised that Springer had spent extra hours studying film last week in
said. "But I had the same motivation I had last week. I didn't care what anybody said."
reading his playbook," Dudley said.
Led by Springer on defense and the new starting quarterback freshman Jordan Webb on offense, the Jayhawks found the rhythm they needed to bounce
"It's a big win. Biggest win of my life, to tell you the truth."
preparation for Saturday's game. Despite the extra hours, Springer said he tried to maintain the same mindset facing Georgia Tech.
JUSTIN SPRINGER senior linebacker
"I'm not going to lie, before the game I was still nervous." Springer
but the Jayhawk defense successfully limited their offensive execution in key plays.
back from last week's embarrassing defeat. The energy garnered on offense quickly transferred to the other side of the ball. The Yellow jackets amassed 291
Coming into the second game of a season with a seemingly dismal future, what the Jayhawks feared
The lajayhawk defense successfully exploited one of the offense's most significant weaknesses. Given the Yellow Jackets use of the pitch option, a fumble was bound to happen and when it did, Dudley was ready to recover the ball early in the fourth quarter.
most was Georgia Tech's triple option offense. The precision-oriented offense was designed to create various offensive opportunities with the running back and quarterback, fourth-quarter comebacks not being one of them.
"There's always a chance, even last week they had a couple fumbles so we were just hoping," Dudley said. "You keep playing hard and be ready to get it when it is."
defense at its 35-yard line. Yellow Jackets' quarterback Josh Nesbitt was 5-for-15, gaining only 116 yards passing, but may have had the opportunity to be a hero in a fourth-and-3 situation, had a false start penalty not pushed his team back 5 yards. Confronted by solid defensive pressure, Nesbitt threw an incomplete fourth-down pass to seal the Jayhawk victory.
In the final minute, after having pulled within three points of the Jayhawks, Georgia Tech's offensive line stood face-to-face with an unexpectedly strong
Joining Springer and Dudley as one of the top three tacklers, junior linebacker Steven Johnson made 11 tackles. Together, they made 34 of the 82 tackles against the Yellow Jackets.
"We knew from the beginning of the game that it was going to be on us, the defense," Johnson said. "We had to go out there, settle down and focus on our individual jobs. By playing together, as a team, you can accomplish anything."
Edited by Clark Goble
COMMENTARY
Desirable win for coming season
BY COREY THIBODEAUX cthibodeaux@kansan.com
What no one expected was the way it panned out. And for Kansas, it was actually for the better.
Just imagine it: Senior kicker Jacob Branstetter kicks the gametying field goal against North Dakota State. Kansas goes on to win in overtime. The Jayhawks start the season with a victory, but a hollow one.
The Jayhawks ended their second week with the record we all predicted: 1-1
Come week two, the Jayhawks have their losing streak snapped and they weren't humiliated while ESPN ranked them the fifth worst team in college football. So there is a little bit of urgency, just not as much.
The layhawks would then come out against the Yellow jackets and play decent. Then all of a sudden, those option plays are going for 10 yards a pop. Kansas is gashed and the sails of their week one victory are emptied out a bit.
But hey, the season has gone as expected and everyone walks around as if they know exactly how it is going to play out.
Most of the players said after the game they played Georgia Tech as they would any other time in any situation.
"You focus on a single game at a time," junior cornerback Isiah Barfeld said. "Whether you lose the game before, it doesn't determine how you're going to play the next game."
For some inexplicable reason, Webb broke the chains restraining the offense that Kale Pick could not. And again, depending on the outcome of the North Dakota State game, this might not have happened.
The anemic Jayhawk offense in game one led to starting freshman quarterback Jordan Webb in game two. Webb proceeded to play a perfect first quarter on his part, completing 10 of 12 passes with 93 vards and a touchdown.
So instead of playing to expectations set for them this season, the Jayhawks have done what is best for them and proved they can contend with a ranked opponent. The confidence they earned Saturday far outweighs the tragedy in their first game.
Hogwash.
And give credit to Webb for being the only player honest about the desire to win Saturday's game.
"I think were definitely more motivated since we lost last week," he said. "It's all about execution and playing hard. I think we're going to do that every week. That's all we've got to do and we'll be fine."
Sophomore wide receiver Bradley McDougal said Kansas apparently had that confidence before the game started. It was all of us outside the team that needed convincing.
"We were very confident," he said. "I don't know if the fans were confident."
After Saturday, the confidence level can't be any higher for this team.
-Edited by Anna Nordlina