KU turns to Dyer
Mangino says junior QB will open at ISU
When Zach Dyer takes the field on Saturday as Kansas University’s starting quarterback in the season opener at Iowa State, the circumstances will be a lot different from KU’s 2001 debut.
“Zach Dyer will be our starting quarterback Saturday,” coach Mark Mangino announced Tuesday at his weekly news conference. “He’s done a good job, and he’s earned it.”
Kansas quarterback Zach Dyer stretches prior to practice. Earlier Tuesday, KU coach Mark Mangino announced Dyer was going to be the Jayhawks' starting quarterback Saturday against Iowa State at Ames, Iowa.
Dyer, who beat junior college transfer Bill Whittemore for the job, started last season’s opener against Southwest Missouri State after quarterback Mario Kinsey was suspended for disciplinary reasons.
“It does feel a little different,” Dyer said of his second time around as the opening day starter. “Everything around the program feels quite a bit different this year. Everybody’s real excited.”
That wasn’t the case last year when the Jayhawks finished 3-8 in their final season under coach Terry Allen. It was a tough year for Dyer, who started four games, came off the bench in four and didn’t play at all in three others.
This time around, the job is his to lose. Kinsey was dismissed from the team last winter, and Dyer battled Whittemore throughout the spring and summer before Mangino made his announcement Tuesday.
The junior has impressed his teammates with his improvement from last season, when he completed 43 of 89 passes for 460 yards with three touchdowns and four interceptions.
“He makes better reads,” senior wide receiver Byron Gasaway said. “He makes quicker decisions. As a quarterback gets older, he gets more confident.”
The new-and-improved Dyer knows playing well against KU’s defense on the practice field won’t mean much if he can’t duplicate it in a game situation.
“All of us really gave our best and really put in all the effort,” Dyer said of fellow quarterbacks Whittemore and senior Jonas Weatherbie. “This is really a starting point. Now comes the season. That’s when the true test is.”
So, will Whittemore take any snaps in the opener?
“Our plan’s to use Zach as a starter,” Mangino said, “and we’re confident in him.”
Whittemore, who was the Jayhawk Conference MVP last season at Fort Scott Community College, accepted the backup role.
“I still have a lot to learn,” said Whittemore, who was hampered in spring drills by a shoulder injury. “It’s a role I’m happy to take. If I don’t get to play, that’s fine as long as the team comes out ahead. That’s what we’re shooting for.”
Lewis leaves: Freshman receiver Jerome Lewis who impressed the KU coaching staff during newcomers camp earlier this month has left the team and returned to Texas, according to his high school coach, Jody Allen, Carrollton Turner High’s coach and athletic director.
Lewis was still listed on the KU roster released Monday, but Allen said Lewis told him he would not return to Lawrence.
Tailback tale: Mangino said there is “a chance” red-shirt freshman tailback Clark Green will play Saturday. Green was in a battle with junior Reggie Duncan for the starting job during the spring but was slowed by unspecified injuries during two-a-days.
Kansas university quarterbacks Zach Dyer, left, and Bill Whittemore throw during practice. On Tuesday, KU coach Mark Mangino named Dyer the starter for Saturday's game at Iowa State.
Undecided: Mangino hasn’t named at starter at one of the cornerback positions. The coach said both sophomore Leo Bookman and red-shirt freshman Donnie Amadi would play Saturday. Bookman is listed as the probable starter in KU’s press release.
Junior Remuise Johnson is the starter at the other corner.
Debuts: Mangino said several true freshmen are likely to play, including receiver Mark Simmons, defensive end Kyle Knighton, safety Nick Reid and linebacker Kevin Kane.
No parking: With season-ticket sales reaching a 25-year high, Jayhawk fans will find parking sparse near Memorial Stadium this season.
“We only have a few spots left in Lot 91 near the Spencer Museum and they will go to our new donors at our Victory Club level and above,” said Jennifer Berquist, assistant director of the Williams Fund. “Otherwise, the rest of the 15 lots surrounding Memorial Stadium have been sold out.”
Demand for reserved parking has forced the Williams Fund and the KU Parking Department to reserve all of Lots 50 and 52 behind Carruth O’Leary Hall and Joseph R. Pearson Education buildings, a change from years past.
Fans interested in getting on the waiting list for reserved parking or preferred seating in Memorial Stadium can contact the Williams Fund at 864-3946.