Sports
Squad still undefeated Eight-match home streak about starts today VOLLEYBALL | 9A
Rabid fans raise energy
Team shuts out E. Kentucky with help from crowd SOCCER | 8A
TUESDAY, AUGUST 31, 2010
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WWW.KANSAN.COM
PAGE 10A
FOOTBALL FOULS
KICK OFF THE SEASON
No second chance for fans' first impression
BY MAX VOSBURGH
Coach Turner Gill said it all on his Twitter when he wrote yesterday, "GAME WEEK"
yesterday, GAME WEEK.
Until now, practice has been about conditioning and getting back in shape.
It has been about earning a starting spot and learning Gill's new playbook
Not anymore. Now, the season has officially begun.
On Monday, the players went over film of North Dakota State, their opponents this weekend. Today, practice will be hard. They'll weight lift, install new plays, condition and work on first- and second-down situations.
All of that is pretty standard, but what's different with this group goes into a completely unique environment that comes along with a new head coach.
Coach Gill has done a lot to help create a new atmosphere for his players. Remember, except for the freshmen, everyone he is coaching this year played for a guy who was fired for supposedly verbally and physically abusing players.
Gill removed player's names from the backs of their jerseys to create a more unified team feeling. He has spent time this summer organizing team bonding activities. He preaches character and dignity. But will he try to keep the fans at the same standard?
Gill has completely disallowed swearing by players and coaches at practice. What will he think when he hears an entire section of fans screaming, "Rip his fucking head off" every time Kansas kicks off to North Dakota State on Saturday?
I thought it was important for students to represent Kansas well by not using the F-word at games when the team was ranked and receiving national attention. It would be nice to offer the new head coach a little respect from the very beginning by refraining from the chant.
Former coach Mark Mangino played a video over the screen in Memorial Stadium asking students not to shout that phrase. However, after hearing about the type of language he used, even to employees of the parking department, you have to wonder if he really even cared what the students said or if he was just forced to make that request.
Now consider Kansas, where average attendance the last few years hovered around 41,000. What's more, the single game attendance record was broken last year when 52,530 people showed up at the opening game last year.
Gill played and was an assistant coach at Nebraska so he knows what it's like to be on the field in a hostile environment, but the number of fans that are expected Saturday will be more than anything he's ever been the head coach in front of.
The starters have played, but Gill hasn't coached in front of crowds like that. He will have to find a way to ease his nerves and make a good first impression.
As fans, the least we can do is not distract him with vulgar words.
Gill came most recently from the University of Buffalo Stadium, which has a capacity of 29.013. Last June, thebleacherreport.com ranked Buffalo sixth on the "10 Quietest College Football Fanbases on Gameday." According to the website, Buffalo's 2009 attendance average was 15,960.
Edited by Emily McCoy
Lineup greatest concern
Gill encourages team to look past opponents' legacies and focus on own skills
Chris Neal/KANSAN FILE PHOTO
Head Coach Turner Gill speaks to the media Sunday night after a scrimmage at Fan Appreciation Night. Gill and the players signed autographs and took pictures afterwards.
BY MATT GALLOWAY
mqalloway@kansan.com
When the Kansas football team lines up against North Dakota State this Saturday in its home opener, coach Turner Gill doesn't want anyone to be fooled by the name on the front of the opponent's jersey.
Yes, the Jayhawks will be heavy favorites against their opponent from the Mountain Valley Conference, but nobody on Gill's coaching staff will judge their foes based on name alone.
"We're not concerned about the name of the opponent," Gill said during a teleconference on Monday. "We're more concerned about where they line up and what they do offensively, defensively and on special teams. And we've got to be concerned about how we play"
The matchup with the Bison is being called a tune-up by some analysts, but Gill is not letting his players or his coaching staff look forward to their matchup
with No. 16 Georgia Tech on Sept. 11.
philosophy on playing both the traditional powerhouse and the relatively obscure program.
"We're not concerned about the name of the opponent."
"This is the first game for us as a coaching staff and for some of the players, so it doesn't really matter who the opponent is," Gill said. "We're just trying to get things going the right way."
"I don't mind playing a pretty good football team that over history has shown itself to be pretty good," Gill said. "Then you play some teams that are more into the recruiting aspect of things. I'm also open to playing ... the FCS school."
Gill had no say in this season's non-conference schedule; it was developed by his predecessor Mark Mangino and athletic director Lew Perkins. However, this year's schedule reflects Gill's
While Gill is not looking past the matchup with the Bison this Saturday, he does have the luxury of seeing some of his inexperienced position players against a team that finished 3-8 last season, seventh in the MVC.
One of those inexperienced players is sophomore linebacker Toben Opurum, who led the Jayhawks last season in rushing but made the abrupt switch to defense two weeks ago to fill a glaring hole.
Gill has seen the aggressiveness
TURNER GILL Football coach
and physicality that made O p u r u m a successful back as a freshman transfer into the defensive side during practice, but the jury is
"There are some things in the next two or three weeks that need to get fine-tuned, to get him lined up with all the different looks he's going to see," Gill said, "but we wanted to know if he would be physical and able to make things happen, and he's already shown that. He will definitely help our team at the linebacker spot."
still on when Opurum will be comfortable at his new spot.
Edited by Anna Nordling
LACROSSE
Tim MacArthur, Tallahassee, Fla., freshman, takes a diving shot on goal Sunday afternoon at the Shenk Complex. MacArthur hopes to establish the same team chemistry with the KU lacrosse team as he had with his high school varsity team.
MacArthur to join club lacrosse team in fall
Freshman will bring statistics and experience from Florida
BY BLAKE SCHUSTER
bschuster@kansan.com
Using a Crosse to throw a ball into a net doesn't seem like hard work. Add into the mix twenty hyped up athletes all looking to be the first to accomplish the task, and you have yourself a war zone
Come September, freshman Tim MacArthur looks to step onto the battlefield, and for MacArthur, the anticipation of playing at the next level couldn't be higher. Tim, who prefers to play midfield, is coming off his fourth varsity season at Leon High School in Tallahassee, FL. In his final season playing for the Lion's he recorded 10 points — 9 goals, 1 assist — and was a huge asset to his team.
After turning down an offer to play at Birmingham-Southern College, MacArthur decided to take his talents to Lawrence, where he expects to impact the KU Men's Club Lacrosse team.
"It's going to be different." MacArthur said.
Playing with Leon High School, MacArthur developed a sense of comfort with his teammates.
"We were a really tight niti group. We were all really good
friends on the team".
MacArthur attributes the Lion's recent success to his former team's chemistry, a sense he hopes to recreate in Lawrence. To prepare for the rigors of playing in the Great Rivers Lacrosse Conference.
MacArthur has kept busy by playing on a club team this past summer, and consistently working out to make sure he is in
peak physical shape when the fall season rolls around. Coming from Florida, where organized lacrosse has found its stride. MacArthur understands just how competitive and risky this sport can get.
"There's always something you have to be paying attention to," MacArthur said.
his third season with Leon High School, when while attempting to score a goal. Tim took a bad angle hit, resulting in a torn A.C.L. He said it was a rough set back in his playing career, but a huge step forward in life. After going through the surgery and treatment, Tim became very interested in physical therapy, a career path he hopes to follow in the future.
That aspect of the game was never more real to him than in
Now two years after a devastating injury, MacArthur feels more confident than ever that he can contribute to his new team. With his injury a thing of the past, and his future more present than ever, MacArthur is positioning himself to be a force to be reckoned with in KU's upcoming season.
Edited by Anna Nordlina
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