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| Source: KU Sports |
Score by Quarters 1 2 3 4 Score
----------------- -- -- -- -- -----
WHITE............... 0 0 0 0 - 0
BLUE................ 17 0 14 14 - 45
Scoring Summary:
1st 10:22 KUB - Ron Doherty 30 yd field goal
KUW 0 - KUB 3
03:52 KUB - D.J. Beshears 28 yd run (Ron Doherty kick)
6 plays, 76 yards, TOP 0:00, KUW 0 - KUB 10
13:25 KUB - D.J. Beshears 6 yd pass from Jake Heaps (Ron Doherty kick)
2 plays, 52 yards, TOP 0:00, KUW 0 - KUB 17
3rd 09:06 KUB - Marquis Jackson 7 yd run (Ron Doherty kick)
6 plays, 61 yards, TOP 3:49, KUW 0 - KUB 24
03:45 KUB - Tony Pierson 88 yd run (Ron Doherty kick)
2 plays, 88 yards, TOP 1:24, KUW 0 - KUB 31
4th 10:05 KUB - Marquis Jackson 3 yd run (Ron Doherty kick)
8 plays, 66 yards, TOP 4:55, KUW 0 - KUB 38
00:58 KUB - Marquis Jackson 15 yd run (Ron Doherty kick)
8 plays, 72 yards, TOP 6:30, KUW 0 - KUB 45
Okay, so we all know by now that the Spring Game is merely a “glorified practice” and all, but that does in no way mean that it doesn’t matter in the grand scheme of things. Watching the gam—err—practice, I couldn’t help but notice how crisp and efficient both sides of the ball looked. Players were sprinting on and off the field. Teams broke the huddle with energy. Everybody played to (and sometimes through) the whistle. Overall, KU just played tough, assignment sound football.
Frankly, I don’t know whether to be jubilant or
irate because of the duality, the polysemy, of this situation. Should I sing praise
to Charlie’s name or damnatio memoriae Gill’s?
The offense looked more in sync and cohesive than at
any point during Turner Gill’s two seasons here. Wrap your head around that (or
at least try to). Charlie Weis has had three months to
resuscitate Kansas Football. Gill had not just 2 seasons, but 2 winter
workouts, 2 summer workouts, 2 fall camps, and copious hours with his players.
On Saturday I didn’t see a single player look to the
sideline with his hands raised above his head in bewilderment. I didn’t see a
lineman standing upright with his hands on his hips as the ball was being
snapped; I saw players explode of the line of scrimmage. I didn’t see 9, 10, 12,
or 14 players on the field; I saw 11. I didn’t see illegal formations. I didn’t
see players lining up in the neutral zone. And lastly, the granddaddy of them all, I didn’t
see any wasted timeouts coming out of a wasted timeout. I saw coaches coaching,
and players listening intently.
We’ll start with the analysis with the defense. I
thought a few guys in particular played well, and then everyone else just kind
of blended in.
Toben Opurum was one of those players who continues
to make a name for himself. He showed good speed in covering sideline to
sideline, and strength in shucking off his blockers. He times his blitz
perfectly so often, and forces many errant throws. A lot of times it doesn’t
show up on the stat sheet, but he has a knack for changing the game.
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| Source: KU Sports |
Michael Reynolds, who was given the defensive MVP
award (and deservedly so), was an animal. He had 5 tackles, 3 sacks, and 4
TFLs, giving Michael Cummings and the white offense fits all afternoon. His
numbers should have been even better, technically. There was a play when
Reynolds thought he had grabbed Cummings, so he let up, but Cummings tucked the
ball and ran down the field for a first down. The miscommunication between Reynolds
and the side judge on a would-be sack cost him stats, and the defense a three
and out.
Lately, it’d be fair to confuse my criticism of Gill
as ad hominem, since I haven’t really been in his corner. Yes, I’ll give you
that (although it’s not entirely true). But, giving credit where credit is due,
Gill certainly found something with Michael Reynolds. Relatively overlooked,
Reynolds was a very, very nice steal for Gill. Hey, I never said he couldn’t
recruit…
Overall, the defense just looked bigger… in a good
way. Ben Heeney and Huldon Tharp looked more physically imposing than in years
past, without sacrificing much speed. Tharp made an excellent one-on-one ankle
tackle on James Sims to stop him in his tracks.
Bradley McDougald was being Bradley McDougald,
breaking up a pass with a back-breaking shot on Trent Smiley. And the secondary
as a unit just seemed to make sound tackles! They weren’t going high, but were
squaring up the offensive player: dipping, ripping, and driving through his
mid-section. It is elementary, but it is also essential, as illustrated by last
year’s team.
But this is where the optimism ends for the defense. While we are on the topic of tackling, the "White" (second) team was lacking in that department. Dexter Linton got caught several times running bad routes to the ball carrier, and Marquis Jackson looked like John Riggins on his final touchdown run. As evidenced by the "Light-Blue" squad, the defensive line is as dry as a bone. Thankfully the "cavalry" is coming in this summer, but just going off what we saw on Saturday, Kansas will lose a lot of games in the 3rd and 4th quarter on depth alone.
Also, although I won't go as far to call it an aberration, Michael Reynolds performance in the Spring Game was not so ground-breaking. Just last spring, Toben Opurum had a similar Spring Game, so although Toben would then go on to have a nice 2011 season, he didn't dominate. I don't anticipate Reynolds dominating either, but we would gladly take another presence in opponents' backfields.
Switching gears for the moment, the offense, donning their names on their backs, looked pestilent. About an hour before the scrimmage got going, while Scott Holsopple was barking orders to the players in the stretching lines, I got to talking with some people around me, and I asked them if they could find one guy who has that leader look, that knack, that unique physical presence. Number 10, for sure. Number 10, no doubt. Dayne Crist, for whatever reason, stood out from the minute he took the field in warmups. Yes, he had a red jersey, which distinguished him from the rest of the team, but even his idiosyncrasies were different. Everyone within a ten mile radius of Memorial Stadium knew who the captain was, Dayne being one of them.
When you think of the great NFL QBs, Peyton Manning most certainly comes to mind. His trademark audible--the antler-thing, or antennae, what have you, making reads on the line of scrimmage-- is what really sets him apart from his competition. His wealth of knowledge with regards to his playbook and the opposing defense is what has made him one of the greatest of all time. On Tony Pierson’s 88 yard run, Crist had called an audible, changing the direction of the run. To some, it's sundry, because players change the play mid-snap quite often, and a lot of those plays reap little to no benefits. But that one little play call was the difference between a 4 yard gain and an 88 yard touchdown. Maybe that is where the similitude ends between Manning and Crist (I hope it doesn't), but at least that is a dandy of a start.
So, no knock on Jordan Webb, but at least we learned on Saturday that Kansas would have a QB with some invaluable intangibles. I take it back, we learned a little bit more about Dayne than just that...
Weis is salivating. Crist is deliberate in everything that he does, but at the same time, he is not telegraphic. He made some really tough throws into traffic, that might have been 50-50 balls with your middling quarterback, but Crist's arm strength bailed him out. Like it or not, Kansas always has and always will play games with a 50 some-odd mph gale blowing straight into its face. Hopefully, Crist's arms will negate the wind, and his ball's won't flutter into a linebacker's hands, but into his intended receiver's hands.
Kale Pick bailed him out a few other times, making nice strong catches over the middle. After hearing all of the coaches rave about his route running and hands, I was more than satisfied to see it first hand.
And one last note on Crist: seeing over the line of scrimmage should not be overlooked. You have to go back to Bill Whittemore to when Kansas had a body like this at QB. Unlike many of his predecessors, his body enables him to have a cup of joe in the pocket and make his reads. It affords him more time, and he won’t have to roll out and make tough throws across his body all of the time like Webb had to just last season.
And lastly, kudos to the KU faithful for showing up in good numbers. The announced attendance was 15,000, which to my estimate was a little on low side, stacks up well in comparison to the rest of the country, thanks to the data provided by Sports Business Daily. I thought I would put the spring attendance numbers side by side with the final standings for Big 12 teams from last year, just to show the disparity. For all intents and purposes, we will include Missouri and A&M for comparison.
11. Baylor (2,750) 11. Texas Tech 5-7 (2-7) Net: +1
12. TCU (Did not scrimmage) 12. Kansas 2-10 (0-9) Net: +7
But this is where the optimism ends for the defense. While we are on the topic of tackling, the "White" (second) team was lacking in that department. Dexter Linton got caught several times running bad routes to the ball carrier, and Marquis Jackson looked like John Riggins on his final touchdown run. As evidenced by the "Light-Blue" squad, the defensive line is as dry as a bone. Thankfully the "cavalry" is coming in this summer, but just going off what we saw on Saturday, Kansas will lose a lot of games in the 3rd and 4th quarter on depth alone.
Also, although I won't go as far to call it an aberration, Michael Reynolds performance in the Spring Game was not so ground-breaking. Just last spring, Toben Opurum had a similar Spring Game, so although Toben would then go on to have a nice 2011 season, he didn't dominate. I don't anticipate Reynolds dominating either, but we would gladly take another presence in opponents' backfields.
Switching gears for the moment, the offense, donning their names on their backs, looked pestilent. About an hour before the scrimmage got going, while Scott Holsopple was barking orders to the players in the stretching lines, I got to talking with some people around me, and I asked them if they could find one guy who has that leader look, that knack, that unique physical presence. Number 10, for sure. Number 10, no doubt. Dayne Crist, for whatever reason, stood out from the minute he took the field in warmups. Yes, he had a red jersey, which distinguished him from the rest of the team, but even his idiosyncrasies were different. Everyone within a ten mile radius of Memorial Stadium knew who the captain was, Dayne being one of them.
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| Source: Yahoo Sports |
So, no knock on Jordan Webb, but at least we learned on Saturday that Kansas would have a QB with some invaluable intangibles. I take it back, we learned a little bit more about Dayne than just that...
Weis is salivating. Crist is deliberate in everything that he does, but at the same time, he is not telegraphic. He made some really tough throws into traffic, that might have been 50-50 balls with your middling quarterback, but Crist's arm strength bailed him out. Like it or not, Kansas always has and always will play games with a 50 some-odd mph gale blowing straight into its face. Hopefully, Crist's arms will negate the wind, and his ball's won't flutter into a linebacker's hands, but into his intended receiver's hands.
Kale Pick bailed him out a few other times, making nice strong catches over the middle. After hearing all of the coaches rave about his route running and hands, I was more than satisfied to see it first hand.
And one last note on Crist: seeing over the line of scrimmage should not be overlooked. You have to go back to Bill Whittemore to when Kansas had a body like this at QB. Unlike many of his predecessors, his body enables him to have a cup of joe in the pocket and make his reads. It affords him more time, and he won’t have to roll out and make tough throws across his body all of the time like Webb had to just last season.
Marquis Jackson was a bit of a wildcard for the better part of last season, but that was as a wide-receiver. This spring, we learned that, after his position switch to tail-back, Jackson is certainly precocious (for lack of
a better word). The experiment accounted for 3 touchdowns. He has that prototypical strong, thick lower body that you look for out of an every down back, and it
makes me think: what a terrible time for James Sims to have a gaffe! Sims is, and probably always will be with this roster, the most balanced and natural running back. Yes, Jackson was deft, Pierson was electric as always, and Bourbon will won't back down to anybody when he returns from injury, but Sims still was the most impressive running back, with all things considered. He showed it Saturday, running behind a disappointingly suspect line and still finding holes and breaking initial hits. Jackson and Pierson were running with the first team offense, and against the second team defense, while Sims was a one-man band, going against the 1s, with little to no support from his supporting cast. Still, that does not promise him anything.
And lastly, kudos to the KU faithful for showing up in good numbers. The announced attendance was 15,000, which to my estimate was a little on low side, stacks up well in comparison to the rest of the country, thanks to the data provided by Sports Business Daily. I thought I would put the spring attendance numbers side by side with the final standings for Big 12 teams from last year, just to show the disparity. For all intents and purposes, we will include Missouri and A&M for comparison.
1. Texas (46,000) 1. Oklahoma State 12-1 (8-1) Net: -6
2. Oklahoma (20,509) 2. TCU 11-2 (7-0) Net: NA
3. Missouri (18,614) 3. Kansas State 10-3 (7-2) Net: -1
4. Kansas State (18,048) 4. Baylor 10-3 (6-3) Net: -7
5. Kansas (15,000) 5. Oklahoma 10-3 (6-3) Net: -3
6. Texas A&M (15,000) 6. West Virginia 10-3 (5-2) Net: +2
7. Oklahoma State (11,000) 7. Missouri 8-5 (5-4) Net: +4
8. West Virginia (8,000) 8. Texas 8-5 (4-5) Net: +7
9. Iowa State (5,000) 9. Texas A&M 7-6 (4-5) Net: +3
10. Texas Tech (3,000) 10. Iowa State 6-7 (3-6) Net: +111. Baylor (2,750) 11. Texas Tech 5-7 (2-7) Net: +1
12. TCU (Did not scrimmage) 12. Kansas 2-10 (0-9) Net: +7
Now obviously this is a very,very rough science, because there are a lot of variables involved that I have not accounted for, but this at least shows you how they stacked up body for body. I think what would be interesting for me to do next (hint hint), would be to calculate the percentage of capacity filled, and then re-rank the teams. Either way, long story short, Kansas did quite well in filling Memorial Stadium.
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