Sports
THE UNIVERSITY DAILY KANSAN
KANSAS
2
Gill's letter rallies fan support
New Kansas football coach writes to ask fans to come out in droves. FOOTBALL|8A
THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 2, 2010
WWW.KANSAN.COM
Freshman impresses early on
Defensive specialist Brianne Riley is quickly becoming a vocal leader. VOLLEYBALL]8A
FOOTBALL
Jerry Wanq/FILE PHOTO
Freshman quarterback Jordan Webb hands the ball off to senior runningback Angus Quigley during a spring scrimmage. Quigley rushed for 309 yards in 2009 and scored three touchdowns.
Jayhawk running backs work with complementing styles
PAGE 10A
BY MIKE VERNON AND BLAKE SCHUSTER mvernon@kansan.com bschuster@kansan.com
A brusser and a burner, a pounder and a speedster, the dynamic running duo of Lawrence are setting up to be a highly touted weapon in coach Turner Gill's arsenal.
Both Angus Quigley and DeShaun Sands will have the majority of carries in the lajhawks backfield during the 2010-11 campaign.
Get Set:
The 6-foot-1, 231 pound starter, Angus Quigley, looks to be the driving force of the dynamic jayhawk offense, by exploiting every hole and consistently busting through the line.
The sixth year senior is ready to return to the running back position after winning the starting job, beating a deep, talented group of running backs.
Quigley not only earned the respect of his coaches on the field, but when
his teammates elected him as captain, it sent a message to Gill.
"Angus is definitely a tremendous leader." Gill said.
In his only full year playing at running back, Quigley was the second-leading rusher for the Orange-Bowl-winning team in 2008. With 309 yards gained on 59 carries, he led the team
in yards per carry, averaging 5.2 yards every time he touched the ball. But it hasn't been all sunshine and roses with Quigley's tenure at Kansas, he had to miss the 2005 and 2006 season due to injury, and he was moved to
linebacker in 2009 while dealing with well-publicized issues with former coach Mark Mangino.
tive attitude rubs off on this year's squad.
Quigley's comeback has a strong effect in the locker room, and the coaching staff has seen how his posi-
"He can help guys to persevere," Gill said.
While he has earned the respect of the coaching staff and players, the fans have yet to see what Quigley can do once the spotlight is on him.
On the other half of the depth
"They're very talented. Both of them are.And I am excited to see what they can do on game day"
KALE PICK
Sophomore Quarterback
chart, the smooth cutting moves of redshirt freshman DeShaun Sands look to overwhelm the opponent on game day.
Sands came into training camp looking to impress his coaches and earn
his spot on the backfield.
"I was determined to play this year," said Sands.
Sands will be the No. 2 back on Gill's depth chart. Having two strong
And play he will.
running backs can only benefit the team.
Even starting quarterback Kale Pick is eager to have the duo behind him, taking pressure off his throwing game.
No doubt both Quigley and Sands are looking to end the season as the No. 1 back, and the increased competition will only make the Jayhawks a more dangerous team in the backfield.
"They're very talented. Both of them are. And I am excited to see what they can do on game day," said Pick.
Together, the bruiser and the burner will be working towards one goal: win. In the physical world of college football having tandem running backs is a necessary ingredient to a winning football team. Quigley and Sands are going to be ready to give it everything they've got come Saturday's this fall.
Edited by Lisa Curran
Go.
COMMENTARY
KU fans should expect greatness come game day
Every day walking to and from classes I have the honor of passing Memorial Stadium. Yes, I do say honor because as a fan, it is exhilarating just to walk by and remember games from last year and to imagine the games to come. On my walks, I've noticed each day there have been new additions: more tents on the hill, more seat cushions added to reserved seats and parking barriers lying off to the side waiting for the first game Saturday night.
As the stadium is preparing for the first game, there is one lingering question: is the team prepared? With new coaches, and a new roster, fans anxiously await their chance to see the team in action. In a press conference Tuesday, coach Turner Gill said the team was ready.
"I do know our team is going to be competitive, they are going to be physical and we are going to play fast," Gill said. "Those are the things that we demanded of our football team as we went on through pre-season camp and as we go on to game week at this point now"
This is comforting to hear from our new head coach and after meeting him last week for an interview I found him incredibly trustworthy. The facts still stand that we have new coaches and a new roster to which athletes have been added, lost and shuffled around between positions. I am no football coach, so I am inclined to trust their decisions on who should play with Kansas on their jersey, but like many other fans I feel an urgency to see that first victory on the schedule.
The fan base was left hurting after close losses or really bad losses last season, and a horrific offseason, but some of those wounds can
BY KATHLEEN GIER
kgierl@kansan.com
be assuaged with a simple victory to show our team is new and ready to take on anything. I went to Fan Appreciation Day to watch the football team's open practice and it was great to be back in the stands watching the Jayhawks play and a part of me hopes that this weekend does go as smoothly as a practice.
I have watched my brother play baseball for years and one of the other kids on his team has this wonderful rambunctious grandmother who shouts things like, "Just play catch." Honestly, that is all I am looking for this first game. Nothing fancy unless we are up a couple touchdowns or it works in a perfect SportsCenter Top 10 way. Of course I will criticize plays where they should have run up the giant hole in the middle or not done a hand-off when the running back is stopped before the line of scrimmage, but that just comes with the game, and hopefully there are not too many of those to criticize.
This campus thrives when our athletes are successful — when students can celebrate all weekend and pick up a Kansan on Monday just to remember how awesome Saturday was.
I wish the fans and the team a smooth first game with many great plays, chimes of the Campanile and a good waving of the wheat after the victory.
Edited by Michael Bednar
Family doesn't distract Gill
BY MATT GALLOWAY
mgalloway@kansan.com
Two people who helped shape who Turner Gill is as a coach, and as a man, will see him lead a team as head coach for the first time this Saturday: his parents.
"My daughter being here, and then we are all here together as a family," Gill said. "You never dream of that actually happening."
Their attendance only brings more meaning to the game for Gill, who is making his coaching debut for the Jayhawks Saturday against North Dakota State following four seasons at Buffalo. The last time his parents saw him on the field was back in 1983 when he was quarterback at Nebraska.
Also in attendance will be Gill's daughter Jordan, a student at the University of Kansas. Jordan, by chance, was already attending the school when her father was hired.
While the excitement surrounding his first game as coach could be seen as a distraction, Gill insists he is focusing solely on the Bison.
"So that's what probably makes it a little bit more special." Gill said.
who are coached by a man Gill has seen at many different times during his career.
the Nebraska Cornhuskers from 1977-79, the same school Gill played quarterback for 1980-83. "He has done an outstanding job," Gill said. "I know that his team will play hard. I know
North Dakota State coach Craig Bohl played defensive back for
and get focused on the job that needs to get done."
TURNER GILL Coach
Gill likely will not be the only one on the sidelines with pre-game jitters. Freshman running back
that they have been coached well. I know he is a very defensive-minded coach."
Still, there is a chance the emotion of the moment could briefly get to Gill, who is not ruling out butterflies in the stomach as a pregame possibility.
"My daughter being here, and then we are all here together as a family. You never dream of that..."
"Once the first snap goes, then you are kind of ready to go, even though I'm not going to go out there and get hit and all those types of things," Gill said. "But I get excited and I get passionate about the game,
DeShaun Sands, who Gill expects to complement senior Angus Quigley this season, wants to show his coach im m e d i a t e returns on his plan to give him numerous carries this week.
"I just get
I just get goose bumps thinking about it," Sands said. "In front of 50,000 fans, my first time; I'm just nervous I guess. It was a dream to play here growing up."
"I would like for them to make sure to wear blue, make sure they come to the game energized and be ready to go with some enthusiasm," Gill said.
Gill has one request for Jayhawk fans in attendance this Saturday, including his parents and Jordan.
- Edited by Clark Goble
Mike Gunnoe/KANSAN FILE PHOTO
Coach Turner Gill's parents will watch him on the football field in person for the first time since 1983 this Saturday against INDIU
Mike Guarnce/KANSAN FILE PHOTO