Game day

Kansas vs. Colorado

saturday, november 6, 2010
FANS WANTED
volume 2 Issue 6 Presented by the unIversIty daIly Kansan november 5, 2010
the football teams losses
are made all the worse by
the lack of fan support
Patience is
a virtue
a player makes
it to the turf after
riding the bench
Table of conTenTs 2
the university daily kansan the wave november 5, 2010
Wide out gets in
10 Jayhawk fans fee
for Fieldhouse
the football program sufers more
with lack of support from Jayhawk
nation
The Wave vol. 2, iss. 6 November 5, 2010
adam vosseN
avossen@kansan.com
Freshman erick mcGrif sheds his red-
shirt status as he makes it from the
bench to the feld
From The ediTor
9
The Wave staf
editor-in-chief Alex Garrison
managing editor Nick Gerik
The Wave editor Adam Vossen
sports editors Corey Thibodeaux, Tim Dwyer
designer Dan Rezaiekhaligh
Photo editor Ryan Waggoner
business manager Joe Garvey
sales manager Amy OBrien
News adviser Malcolm Gibson
about The Wave
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every home game week.
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maybe what the football team needs is an
inspiring story. someone with a dream that seems
impossible to achieve, but
they reach for anyway.
like babe the pig who
wanted to herd sheep.
everyone was rooting for
that pig. erick mcGrif is no
swine, but he does have
a way with the pigskins.
he made his way onto
the feld by chance and
his interceptions are
gaining him some
name recognition.
or maybe
what the football team needs is just a little
faith from its fans. as our columnist aaron berlin
points out, it would be hard for any team to make do
with more fans of the opposing team present than
its own crimson and blue.
:feki`Ylk`e^kfJkl[\ekJlZZ\jj
L55 and The Kansan remind you to
please tailgate responsibly.
LET US TACKLE
Y0UR LECAL !SSUES
Cccd Iuck aainst C0L0RAD0!
:?<:BLJFLKFE=8:<9FFB
Baylor
at oklahoma State
11:30 a.m. on FSN
NeBraSka
at Iowa State
2:30 p.m. on ABC
oklahoma
at texaS a&m
6:00 p.m. on FSN
texaS at
kaNSaS State
7:00 p.m. on ESPN2
mISSourI
at texaS tech
7:00 p.m. on ABC
Schedule 3
thE uNivErSity dAily kANSAN thE wAvE NovEmBEr 5, 2010
at

kaNSaS
1:00 p.m.
Big 12 Week 10
colorado
Chris Neal/KANSAN
Freshman running back James Sims tries to break through the Iowa State defense Saturday in Ames, Iowa. Sims rushed
for 60 yards on 19 carries against Iowa State.
Big 12 4
the university daily kansan the wave november 5, 2010
Cornhuskers end
Tigers win-streak
Missouri Tigers
By John Montesantos
the maneater
nebraska beat missouri 31-17, ending the
tigers undefeated season last saturday.
its the first loss of the year, so its pretty
difficult for all of us, coach Gary Pinkel said.
its a big game an you need to play your
very best, and we didnt play good enough
and they did.
the Cornhuskers got on the scoreboard
early, as senior tailback roy helu Jr. rushed
for a 66-yard score on nebraskas first offen-
sive play of the game. after a missouri three-
and-out, nebraska increased the lead to
10-0 on a 41-yard field goal by senior kicker
alex henery.
nebraska continued to capitalize on
missouris offensive and defensive woes.
after another stalled tiger drive, redshirt
freshman quarterback taylor martinez con-
nected with sophomore wideout kyler reed
for a 40-yard touchdown reception, pushing
the husker lead to 17-0. helu Jr. added to
the lead three minutes later, breaking loose
for 73-yard touchdown run, his second of
the game.
the tigers got on the board early in
the second quarter. on
4th and 1 missouri set
up for what looked like
a quarterback sneak.
Junior quarterback blaine
Gabbert received the snap
and pitched it to junior
tailback devion moore,
who rushed 33 yards to
cut the deficit to 17 points
going into halftime.
missouri showed signs
of life early in the sec-
ond half. Gabbert found
sophomore wideout t.J. moe for a 23-yard
touchdown score, cutting the nebraska lead
to 10 points.
however, the huskers would answer back
two plays later, as helu Jr. burned the tiger
defense for a 53-yard touchdown run, his
third of the game.
with the game slipping out of reach, the
tigers put together a much-needed drive
that put them on the nebraska 1-yard line
on 1st and goal. For the second straight
week, the tigers were stopped for three
consecutive downs, forcing a 23-yard field
goal. the kick put the score at 31-17, which
would be the final after both teams were
shut out in the fourth quarter. Pinkel said
he was frustrated with the execution of the
plays called on the goal line.
the nebraska defense was impressive
throughout the game, constantly blanket-
ing all missouri receivers and putting pres-
sure on Gabbert. the junior was sacked six
times, and finished a dismal 18 for 42 for 199
yards with a touchdown
and interception.
although the missouri
defense came into the
game ranked no. 5 in the
nCaa in scoring defense,
the tigers were unable
to contain helu Jr. the
senior set the nebraska
school record with 307
rushing yards, including
touchdown runs of 66, 73,
and 53 yards. senior line-
backer andrew Gachkar said the defense
couldnt make the tackles it needed to stop
the big plays.
missouri (7-1, 3-1) heads to lubbock,
texas to take on the texas tech red raiders
on saturday. with the loss to nebraska,
missouri could possibly need to win out to
have a chance at a big 12 Championship.
moe acknowledged the importance of every
conference game on the schedule.
we just have to come out there a fight
like we always do, moe said. when you
play in the big 12, i think its a little bit easier
because everybodys good, so if you let your
guard down you can come out flat and lose
the football game.
ASSOCIATED PRESS
Missouri defensive back Kevin Rutland breaks up a pass in-
tended for Nebraska wide receiver Curenski Gilleylen, during
the frst half on Saturday, a 31-17 win for Nebraska.
Its the frst loss of the
year, so its pretty difcult
for all of us.
Gary Pinkel
missouri head Coach
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Big 12 5
the university daily kansan the wave november 5, 2010
Wildcats give up win
ASSOCIATED PRESS
Oklahoma State running back Joseph Randle breaks away from Kansas State cornerbacks Emmanuel Lamur and Ty Zimmerman
on Saturday in the 24-14 victory for OSU.
Broyles yards earn
win against Sooners
Oklahoma Sooners
ASSOCIATED PRESS
Colorados Travon Patterson, left, is brought down by Oklahoma defensive tackle Adrian Taylor, right, in the frst quarter trips
him up Saturday in the 43-10 victory.
Kansas State Wildcats
By Justin Nutter
kansas state Collegian
k-state lost 24-14 to oklahoma state.
the k-state offense was coming off back-
to-back games with 40-plus points and had
a home game for the first time in almost a
month. it was homecoming against a team
that hadnt won in manhattan since 1988. but
fans and players seemed lethargic from the
opening kickoff.
this game should have been a high-scoring
shootout. oklahoma state entered the contest
ranked second nationally in scoring offense,
and neither team has a defense worth writing
about. it looked as though the Cowboys were
ready to roll when they took the opening kick-
off and marched right into k-state territory,
but the drive stalled and they were forced to
punt. their next two drives ended with turn-
overs the first on a fumble and the second
on a down.
the wildcats werent just keeping oklahoma
state off the scoreboard; they were setting
themselves up to grab an early lead, and a
big one at that. there was just one problem,
though: k-states offense looked and played
like it was asleep. Four times the wildcats had a
chance to jump in front. Four times they were
forced to punt the ball away.
on its fifth attempt, k-state finally drew
blood on a 10-play, 62-yard drive capped off
by running back william Powells eight-yard
touchdown run. the defense came up big
once again, forcing another Cowboy punt on
the ensuing drive. with 4:15 left in the first half,
the wildcats had the opportunity to run out
the clock and take a two-score lead into the
break. instead, they gained one yard on three
plays and punted once again.
the defense allowed oklahoma state to
tie the game just six plays later. the Cowboys
tried to give k-state the lead once more when
they picked up 35 yards in penalties on the
first drive of the second half. the wildcats
got inside the oklahoma 10-yard line, but
threw away more free points when kicker Josh
Cherry came up wide on a 24-yard field goal
attempt.
theres no point in sugarcoating it. this
game was the wildcats to lose, and they lost
it. Countless oklahoma mishaps put k-state in
position for an upset, but frankly, nobody in a
purple jersey seemed interested in taking the
bait. im not saying the k-state players didnt
care, but the lack of emotion on the sideline
was noticeable.
the wildcats have shown they have the tools
to move the ball and score points. theyve also
shown they can come up with big defensive
stops. sooner or later, both will happen in the
same week, and it will make for a pretty good
football team. but until that happens, theyll
have to find ways to manufacture wins, par-
ticularly by capitalizing on chances opponents
give them.
By Clark Foy
the oklahoma daily
Colorado had no answer for junior wide
receiver ryan broyles as the sooners won
43-10 on saturday in norman, improving to
7-1 overall, 3-1 in the big 12
For the third time this season and the
fourth time in his career, broyles gained
more than 100 yards in the first half of a
game. broyles would finish with nine catch-
es, 208 yards and three touchdowns. his
performance gives him 29 career receiving
touchdowns and moves him past former ou
tight end Jermaine Greshams 26. broyles is
currently second on the ou career touch-
down reception list behind mark Claytons
31 career touchdown grabs.
however, neither broyles nor the ou
offense got off to a quick start saturday
night. the sooners put up just three points
in the first quarter, scoring on a 33-yard field
goal by sophomore kicker Jimmy stevens
with just over eight minutes left in the first.
that field goal would be the only score by
either team in the quarter.
stevens would strike again at the begin-
ning of the second quarter. although the
offense compiled 122 total yards in the
first, they made it to the red zone just twice,
going three-and-out both times, leading to
two field goals.
but that was just the beginning as broyles
scampered into the end zone two minutes
later off a 16-yard pass from sophomore
quarterback landry Jones. one drive later,
broyles and Jones connected again for an
81-yard touchdown passa career long
play for both.
it would take the dynamic duo just three
plays to connect again in the second half,
this time for a 64-yard touchdown. on the
three-play, 80-yard drive, broyles and Jones
accounted for 76 yards.
after the first quarter, it seemed the
ou offense was off to a mediocre start at
best. two quarters later they looked like
they were in pristine form as they gained a
school-record 488 passing yards.
we started out going sideways a little
bit, broyles said of the offenses switch to a
more vertical passing game.
despite broyles big numbers, he said
he isnt doing any more than people have
expected of him during his career.
you know, people have compared me to
mark Clayton from the beginning, so i feel
like thats what i have to do is fill his shoes
and i have another year left so im trying to
make the best of it, broyles said.
another year? so the star receiver has
decided that hes going to play his senior
year? not exactly.
i know i have another year left, broyles
clarified. whether i take it or not, i know
its there.
DEFEnsE
The defense recorded two more
sacks against Iowa State, bringing
the season total to eight. Toben
Opurumstarted at defensive end
but didnt contribute too much, only
getting two tackles on the day. The
defense is giving up an average of
46 points per game, frmly in last
in the conference.
coaching
Colorado coach Dan Hawkins
is in his ffth year in Boulder
while posting a 19-38 record.
Hes been to one bowl since
joining the Bufaloes in 2006,
losing to Alabama in the 2007
Independence Bowl. Kansas
coachTurner Gill is 2-6 in his frst
season with the Jayhawks, and he
has yet to win a conference game.
spEcial tEams
Kick returner D.J. Beshears returns
fromhis one game suspension for
Saturdays game against Colorado.
Even after sitting out last Saturday,
Beshears still leads the teamin
all-purpose yards with 765 on the
season.
at a glancE
Once again, the Jayhawks are facing
another winless teamin the Big 12.
Kansas has been a good sign for
teams looking to end losing streaks
of their own, as Baylor andTexas
A&Mboth got their frst conference
wins against KU. Colorado comes
into Saturdays game at 0-4 in confer-
ence play.
playEr to watch
Toben Opurum: Since moving to
defensive end, Opurumhas 10 tack-
les, and the coaching staf likes the
improvement
they have see in
the limited reps
hes gotten so far.
The defensive
line has gener-
ated pressure the
last two games,
getting two sacks
in each contest.
quEstion marks
Will Kansas fnally get their
frst Big 12 win?
Facing a fellowwinless teamin
Colorado Saturday will be KUs last
good chance at a win this year. After
Colorado, The Jayhawks face three
ranked teams to fnish the season: At
Nebraska, Oklahoma State at home,
and Missouri in Kansas City.
by thE numbErs
12
Kansas is deadlast inthe conference
in12 teamstatistics sofar this season,
includingtotal ofense anddefense,
rushdefense, pass efciency, and
turnover margin.
8
The combinednumber of Big12 losses
for Kansas andColoradocominginto
Saturdays matchup.
11
The current conference losingstreak
for the Jayhawks is 11. They havent
wona Big12 game since Oct. 10 of
last year.
Opurum
colorado
(3-5)
kansas
(2-6)
oFFEnsE
Kansas is still last in the Big 12
in ofense with only 10 points
per game. Former third-string
quarterback Quinn Mecham
made his KU debut last weekend
in Ames, throwing for 149 yards
and a touchdown. Turner Gill said
Kale Pick and Jordan Webb will
be available this Saturday against
Colorado. A decision on who will
start hadnt been made as this issue
went to press.
Jayhawks starting linEup
Ofense
Pos. Name Number Year
QB Jordan Webb 2 Fr.
RB Angus Quigley 22 Sr.
WR Johnathan Wilson 81 Sr.
WR Bradley McDougald 24 So.
WR Daymond Patterson 15 Jr.
TE Tim Biere 86 Jr.
T Tanner Hawkinson 72 So.
G Sal Capra 59 Sr.
C Jeremiah Hatch 77 Jr.
G Trevor Marrongelli 69 So.
T Brad Thorson 76 Sr
Defense
Pos. Name Number Year
DE Quintin Woods 93 Sr.
DT Richard Johnson, Jr. 97 Jr.
DT Patrick Dorsey 92 Jr.
DE Jake Laptad 91 Sr.
OLB Drew Dudley 49 Sr.
MLB Justin Springer 45 Sr.
OLB Steven Johnson 52 Jr.
CB Isiah Barfeld 19 Jr.
SS Olaitan Oguntodu 44 Sr.
FS Lubbock Smith 1 So.
CB Chris Harris 16 Sr.
Mecham Opurum
Gill Beshears
at a glancE
Colorado and Kansas are the
only teams in the Big 12 without
a conference win so Colorado
will be looking to win on Satur-
day. This may be the last winna-
ble game the Jayhawks play this
season as their remaining three
opponents have a combined
21-3 record and are all ranked.
playEr to watch
Junior running
back Rodney
Stewart leads
the teamwith
737 rushing
yards this
season and fve
touchdowns. He
has led the Buf-
faloes in rushing
every year since
he was a freshman and is on his way
to become one of the leading rush-
ers in Colorado football history. He is
the 17th player in Colorado football
history to rush for over 2,000 career
yards.
quEstion marks
Can Colorado win on the road?
Colorado is 3-2 at home this
season and the two losses have
been by a combined nine points.
This teamseems to be a diferent
story on the road. On the road
this season they are 0-3 and have
been outscored by a combined
104 points. Like the Jayhawks,
the Bufaloes only two wins this
season have been at home.
by thE numbErs
9
Number of quarters the Bufaloes
have played without turning the ball
over.
53
Percent of the feld goals made by
Colorado place kicker Aric Goodman
in his career.
42
Number of wins Colorado has
against Kansas. The Jayhawks have
24 victories against the Bufaloes
and there have been three ties.
Stewart
Big Jay will cheer if
...The Jayhawks are able to get their frst conference win
under coach Turner Gill. The team faces a tough three-
game stretch to close out the season, and barring a huge
upset, the Bufaloes are the last chance for a Kansas victory
this year.
Baby Jay will weep if
...The ofense doesnt show up again. Averaging only 10
points per game on the year, KU has scored more than 30
points only once this season.
Prediction:
Kansas 24, Colorado 21
buFFaloEs starting linEup
momEntum
Both teams are looking to get any sort of momentumon Saturday, as both programs are 0-4 in
conference play. Kansas is 2-6 on the year while the Bufaloes come to Lawrence at 3-5.
Kory Carpenter
momEntum
Colorado won three of their frst four games including home wins against Georgia and Hawaii.
They have gone winless in their four conference games, losing at Missouri, at Oklahoma and at
home against Baylor andTexas Tech. They have yet to win a road game this year. They only lost
to Baylor 31-25 and to Texas Tech 27-24.
Max Vosburgh
Senior running back Angus Quigley runs
down the sideline Saturday against Iowa
State. Quigley recorded 124 all purpose
yards in the 28-16 loss.
Ofense
Pos. Name Number Year
QB Cody Hawkins 7 Sr
WR Toney Clemons 17 Jr
WR Travon Patterson 2 Sr
WR Scotty McKnight 21 Sr
LT Nate Solder 78 Sr
LG Ethan Adkins 63 Jr
C Mike Iltis 64 Jr
RG Ryan Miller 73 Jr
RT David Bakhtiari 59 Fr
TE Ryan Deehan 34 Jr
TB Rodney Stewart 5 Jr
Defense
Pos. Name Number Year
DE Josh Hartigan 55 Jr
DT Curtis Cunningham 46 Jr
NT Will Pericak 83 So
DE Marquez Herrod 90 Sr
IL Michael Sipili 10 Sr
IL Derrick Webb 56 Fr
OL B.J. Beatty 59 Sr
LC Jalil Brown 23 Sr
FS Ray Polk 26 So
SS Terrel Smith 41 Fr
RC Jimmy Smith 3 Sr
game day 7 game day 6
THE WAvE NOvEMBER 5, 2010 THE UNIvERSITy DAILy KANSAN THE WAvE NOvEMBER 5, 2010
spEcial tEams
Senior place kicker Aric Goodman
is the 35th highest all-time scorer in
Colorado football history and only
11 kickers have scored more points
than him. This year, Goodman is
fve-for-nine on feld goals and
hasnt missed any of his 15 extra
point attempts.
oFFEnsE
The Colorado ofense is led by
senior quarterback Cody Hawkins.
Hawkins started in place of injured
quarterback Tyler Hansen last
week against Oklahoma. Hansen,
the starting quarterback at the
beginning of the season, ruptured
his spleen against Texas Tech two
weeks ago and is expected to miss
the rest of the regular season.
Hawkins was 17 of 44 for 187 yards
against Oklahoma.
Hawkins Smith
Hawkins Goodman
DEFEnsE
Colorado senior Jimmy Smith is one
of 35 on the JimThorpe Award pre-
season watch list for the nations top
cornerback. He was named to the
second teamAll-Big 12 teamin 2009
and is the fastest Bufalo football
player after running a 4.35 40-yard
dash. He led the Bufaloes in solo
tackles against Oklahoma with 10
solo tackles and 13 overall. The
Colorado defense allows an average
27.8 points per game this season.
coaching
Head Coach Dan Hawkins is in his
fourth season as the head coach
at Colorado. He has led Colorado
to a 3-5 record this season and to
a 16-29 record since was hired.
Previously, he had been the head
coach at Boise State where he was
extremely successful. He was 53-
11 as head coach of the Broncos
and won three outright WAC titles
and tied for one more.
Big 12 8
the university daily kansan the wave november 5, 2010
Baylor Bears
ASSOCIATED PRESS
Texas Techs Eric Stephens runs by Texas A&Ms Von Miller during the third quarter on Saturday in a 45-27 victory.
A&M sets new passing
record against Tech
Baylors big win in Austin
Texas A&M Aggies
By Chris Derrett
the lariat
early in saturdays game, the now no.
24 ranked bears were not the well-oiled
machine fans have come to expect. Jay
Finleys 116 rush yards and one touchdown
and robert Griffins 219 yards and two touch-
downs through the air supplemented a stin-
gy defense for the first baylor win in austin
since 1991.
the momentum seemed to change late
in the third quarter, just after the longhorns
failed to expand their 19-10 lead and missed
a 48-yard field goal. Finley took the bears
first play of the ensuing drive up the middle,
dashing 69 yards for a score that was part of
20 unanswered baylor points.
texas subsequent drive lasted two plays,
as tim atchison jarred a pass loose from
an intended receiver and antonio Johnson
snatched it out of the air. Griffin turned the
resulting possession into a touchdown when
he lunged one yard past the goal line. baylor
took a 23-19 lead following a missed two-
point conversion.
three plays before the touchdown, coach
art briles team faced a fourth-and-one from
the two-yard line. instead of a field goal,
briles was thinking touchdown all the way.
the baylor defense forced a punt, and the
offense turned the opportunity into points.
it converted two third downs on the next
drive, the second of which was a 30-yard post
pass to kendall wright for a touchdown and
30-19 lead.
the longhorns managed a field goal but
fumbled on their final drive. texas got on
the scoreboard first after Griffin mishandled
a shotgun snap on baylors game-opening
drive. the longhorns reached the bears nine-
yard line and settled for a field goal.
three more times before halftime, the
baylor defenders held texas to field goals
as the baylor offense struggled to find its
rhythm. atchison said that after the first
stand, his defense could feel confidence and
momentum building.
Griffin kept his team in the game with an
equalizing touchdown before the half. he
beat a longhorn blitz by finding terrance
williams over the middle, and williams evad-
ed a tackler for a 59-yard touchdown.
the score gave baylor a short-lived 10-9
advantage before texas ended the half with
its fourth field goal of the game.
the win keeps the bears atop the big 12
south. looking ahead, the bears say the sky
is the limit.
were number one right now, so thats all
im saying, Finley said. Get ready.
ASSOCIATED PRESS
Baylor quarterback Robert Grifn celebrates his touchdown against Texas on Saturday in a 30-22 victory.
By Sean Lester
the battalion
Coming off a 45-10 win against kansas,
the texas a&m offense was searching for an
identity. after converting on all six of their
red zone chances in a 45-27 win saturday
against texas tech, junior quarterback ryan
tannehill and the a&m offense seem to
have found it.
Fast tempo is where we perform our
best,tannehill said.
the fast tempo helped lead the offense
down the field for 35 first downs, the sec-
ond-highest total in school history, putting
the team in scoring range inside the red
zone. a&m is 11 for 11 in the red zone in its
last two games.
the texas a&m offensive line is without
one of their best players in junior evan
eike due to a sprained ankle. although the
offensive line has struggled this season
with several young players on the squad,
saturdays game against tech proved to
help them mesh.
(offensive line Coach Jim) turner talked
to me last night and he said he thought
this would be the game they really came
together, head coach mike sherman said. i
think the whole group really gelled.
the offensive line helped give tannehill
time on all four of his touchdown passes.
his touchdowns came from three, six, two
and one yards out respectively.
the other two red zone scores came from
a two-yard run by junior Cyrus Gray in the
third quarter and a 28-yard field goal by
junior randy bullock.
the aggies also scored on a 54-yard run
by Gray in the third quarter, which was the
only score outside of the red zone.
i have to give huge props to the offen-
sive line, tannehill said. we were able to
make some checks and the offensive line
was doing a great job of picking up those
guys and allowing me time to make a
throw.
tannehill found his weapon in junior
receiver Jeff Fuller, who finished the game
with 11 catches for 171 yards and two
touchdowns. the a&m offense finished
with 623 total yards and tannehill finished
the first half with a school record of 277
passing yards.
through the offensive line, the wide
receivers and the backs, it was a great team
effort,tannehill said of the record.
By Blake Schuster
bschuster@kansan.com
Regret is a word seldom used in sports. Most
players go out and give it everything theyve
got. They make choices during the game, they
live with them, but they dont regret them.
One of the biggest choices a high school
player can regret is where they will attend col-
lege. After all, college is where the promising
high school player will hopefully break out
and become a star. Contemplating where this
transformation will happen is no easy task.
For wide reciever Erick McGriff, his choices
came out to Kansas and Auburn. He chose
Kansas. Auburn now sits in the top five of the
BCS standings. After a year of being redshirted,
Erick McGriff finally caught his first reception in
his college career against Kansas State, with no
regrets of how it came to be.
McGriff was brought into the game when KU
was losing badly and the fans were letting the
team know they werent happy. Still, McGriff
placed himself in formation, ran his route as
best he could, and reached his goal that he had
been working so hard to achieve. Yet after his
three receptions for 37 yards, McGriff was put
back on the bench for the next game against
Texas A&M. McGriff wouldnt give up, he went
back to work to stay mentally prepared for his
next opportunity.
It was tough fighting every week and mak-
ing sure I know the playbook, McGriff says.
The fighting finally paid off for McGriff when
he made the first start of his college career last
week at Iowa State. While Kansas lost, McGriff
made another three receptions for 24 yards.
On Tuesday, McGriff walked into the media
room at the Anderson Complex, sat down,
and immediately started bouncing his legs,
maybe out of excitement or nervousness. Both
emotions are acceptable for him at this point
in time: McGriffs collegiate career was finally
underway and still with no regrets to how he
got to this point.
To understand Erick McGriffs determina-
tion to play, it is important to look at his back-
ground. McGriffs father, Fred, was a 19-season
veteran of the MLB, a World Series champion
and a five-time All-Star. That legacy is a lot to
live up to. McGriff did play baseball before col-
lege but ultimately it just wasnt for him.
Hitting was the hardest part for me as I got
older, McGriff says. Pitchers started throwing
harder and faster and the ball started moving
more, so it started to get harder.
There would be no one to carry on the
Crime Dog nickname his father had in the
MLB, but that didnt mean that Erick McGriff
wasnt going to be an athlete. At his Tampa Bay,
Fla., high school, McGriff played basketball and
football. His talent for football had him playing
three positions: wide receiver, defensive back,
and punt/kick returner.
McGriff went into his senior year of high
school with a Rivals.com position rank of 50th
in the wide receiver class, and on Dec. 5th,
2008, committed to KU, leaving behind offers
from Cincinnati, Troy, and of course, Auburn.
When it came to making his choice McGriff was
very adamant about what led him to Kansas.
When I came for my visit, there was a lot of
team bonding, the team is really close together,
and I liked how they gelled and were all one
unit. McGriff says.
McGriffs true freshman year took an unex-
pected turn when he had to make the tough
call to redshirt for the year. Given how his father
was naturally dominant in his sport, it was hard
for McGriff to sit out. McGriff acknowledged the
fact that there was some pressure on him given
his fathers talented history, but doesnt let that
get to him.
Entering his redshirt freshman season with
the Jayhawks, McGriff found himself sitting
third on the depth chart behind proven vet-
eran wide receivers Christian Matthews and
Jonathon Wilson. It would take hard work and
determination for McGriff to move up the chart,
but most importantly, it would take patience.
McGriff sat through games against NDSU,
Georgia Tech, Southern Miss, New Mexico State,
Baylor and the K-State game. A mid-game
injury to Christian Matthews gave McGriff the
opportunity he had been seeking for so long.
With his father on hand, McGriff made his first
career college reception, his long struggle to
make it onto the stat sheet finally over. McGriffs
dedication, heart and work ethic paid off, but
his place on the stat sheet is just beginning.
feature 9
THE UNIvERSITY DAILY KANSAN THE WAvE NOvEMBER 5, 2010
Ryan Waggoner/KANSAN
Heading downfeld with a pass intercepted in the game against Kansas State, freshman wide receiver Erick McGrif does his part for the team.
It was tough fghting every week and making sure I know the playbook.
Erick McGriff
freshman wide receiver
Wide out gets in
Patience pays
off for freshman
wide reciever
I
n the midst of one of the worst football seasons in the his-
tory of the program, its easy to start pointing fingers at the
numerous things that have gone awry in Turner Gills first
year. It may have been Lew Perkins lack of institutional con-
trol over the athletics department, Gills self-imposed image
problem or the multiple injuries that have plagued this football
team. Things have looked bleak, but not everything has been
bad, believe it or not. When you search hard enough, there are
some positive things coming out of the debacle on Mt. Oread.
After the dismal Homecoming loss to Texas A&M that left
the Aggies section with more fans in attendance than Jayhawk
supporters, Jack Harry, sports director at NBC in Kansas City,
suggested that the university should drop the football program
entirely.
Im calling on the chancellor at Kansas to do everything in
her power to drop football just do away with the sport and
all the embarrassment it has brought to the university, Harry
said on the Oct. 25 edition of Jacks Smack.
As most of you know, I usually reserve this space for my off-
the-wall bantering and criticisms of the KU football program,
but after hearing the ludicrous comments from a man I used to
respect, I find myself standing up for a team thats being kicked
while its down.
Its no secret that while most teams in the vicinity of
Lawrence are thriving (Kansas State 5-3, 2-3; Missouri 7-1, 3-1),
the Kansas program has wilted. Now 2-6 (0-4), Kansas has not
won a Big 12 game in more than a year, has lost the last seven
road games and has easily been the punch line of the confer-
ence for the last two years. Literally, they were the ones throw-
ing punches against their own basketball team last year).
I get Harrys point in urging chancellor Bernadette Gray-Little
to simply do away with the embarrassment that has been the
Gill experiment and I do agree that there were better options
available at the time of Gills hire (but thats another column).
The problem I have is that it seems a little premature to want
to just bring the entire program to a screeching halt. Especially
a program with some proud history and that has yielded some
success. So I seriously doubt Harry was calling for the head of
Kansas football after a 12-1 season.
After all, football programs are not built in a day. Basketball
coaches are fortunate enough that it may only take two or
three talented players to completely change the atmosphere of
a program Michael Beasley and Jacob Pullen come to mind
in football, thats not the case. It may take ten or eleven guys
who fit your style before you start seeing results, and most of
those guys end up redshirting their freshman seasons. Kansas
fans are looking at roughly three years until a coach can really
begin to see an improvement.
Kansas isnt the only team in history to go through woes of
this magnitude. In the late 1940s and early 50s, Kansas State
posted losing streaks 17 and 18 games long. Local columnists
and sports figures were calling for them to do away with that
program. How is the Missouri team head and shoulders above
former Jayhawk squads? Lets be real.
Its because the Big 12s inceptions Kansas and Missouri on
AAron Berlin
KNSJyHWK@KU.EdU
Guest columnist
Column 10
THE UNIvErSITy dAILy KANSAN THE WAvE NOvEMBEr 5, 2010
WHERES THE EXIT?
Ryan Waggoner/KANSAN
A view of the empty stadium from the game against Texas A&M.
FANS HEAD FOR THE DOOR AND LEAVE THEIR TEAM IN THE LURCH
column 111
the university daily kansan the wave november 5, 2010
the gridiron are 7-7 against each other. those
records are not the greatest snapshots of the
programs as a whole, but im willing to bet
that over the next 14 games the two teams
will split right down the middle once again.
see a trend here?
its always easy to pick on the kid who looks
at times to be lacking self-esteem. i get that
its easy to criticize a team that owns three
of the worst losses in ku football history, but
sometimes in sports things have to get worse
before they can better. i am starting to believe
that this has become the case with kansas.
earlier in this column i talked about some
good things. For almost a year now we have
heard the current coaching staff talk about
speed, which frankly former coach mark
mangino left them with none. so what has
Gill and his staff had to do? Find it in uncon-
ventional ways, moving now medical red-shirt
freshman keeston terry from wide receiver
to safety and former star running back toben
opurum to defensive end. these changes have
created pressure on the opposing quarterback
and rare turnovers that Gill often says are the
keys to the game.
Gill has made strides on the recruiting trail,
even with rules that you would think would
make recruits stay as far away as possible.
hes managed to sign one of the top players
in missouri (four-star running back darrien
miller) and dual-threat quarterback michael
Cummings from killeen, texas. so believe it or
not, help is on the way.
For so long kansas fans whined and com-
plained about not being a winner in football,
and when the team found success, memorial
stadium was packed to capacity. if people in
the lawrence honestly want to be considered
as a legitimate football school, then the sup-
port needs to be there even in times like these,
not just go running for the nearest door to
allen Fieldhouse when things get bad.
If people in Lawrence honestly want to be
considered as a legitimate football school, then
the support needs to be there even in times like
these.
Submit your photos from this weeks game to The Wave
and your picture could be featured in this spot on this page.
Please e-mail photos to kansanwave@gmail.com by Tues-
day. All photos need to include the name, year in school and
hometown of everyone in the photo.
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