What caught my eye at Wednesday's practice: Nov. 7

Posted by Matt Tait November 7, 2012 at 6:10 p.m.

What caught my eye at Wednesday's practice: Nov. 7

Wednesday's KU football practice was moved indoors to better prepare for warm temperatures expected in Lubbock this weekend. by Matt Tait

Another quiet one at Kansas football practice today, as the Jayhawks ran through this afternoon’s drills without the aid of music to entertain them.

The more I think about it, the more I’m wondering if the no-music policy for this week lines up with KU coach Charlie Weis mentioning on Tuesday that he’s not in the best mood right now.

I know some of you think that the music is just Bon Jovi or Springsteen, but the majority of the tunes that blare are songs that the players would like and not having them could make it tough to get going. Just a hypothesis.... I love that word!

Anyway, here’s a quick look at what caught my eye during Wednesday’s practice. As has happened in the past, because there were just two members of the media present, Coach Weis allowed us to observe (but not necessarily write about) three extra periods today. Great stuff that will come in handy for future coverage and questions.

• Practice was moved indoors to Anschutz today in an effort to better simulate the conditions that the Jayhawks will face this weekend in Lubbock, Texas. The heat was cranked up and it definitely was warm inside. The forecast calls for sunny and 78 for Saturday’s game, but I also noticed that high winds are expected. This isn’t ground-breaking stuff, but I do like how Coach Weis tries to prepare for particular situations in this manner.

• There were several players who caught my eye throughout the extended time today, but one guy who continues to look better and better every time I see him is cornerback JaCorey Shepherd. With just three games remaining, it wouldn’t surprise me if the coaches started working Shepherd into the defensive gameplan more and more. Might as well get him those reps and see what you've got.

• I know I’ve mentioned this with regard to the senior transfers, but I think it’s important to point out that KU’s longtime seniors, guys like Greg Brown and Daymond Patterson and Bradley McDougald and Lubbock Smith and Toben Opurum — and several others — continue to work like they’re playing for an 8-1 team and not a 1-8 team. Some of them have pro futures to consider and that, of course, keeps them motivated. But I think another big factor is pride. These guys have been through a ton and they’ve been quality players and people every step of the way. They’re not about to change that now. That’s just one of the reasons to point to when thinking about how big a win in the final three games of the season would be. If these guys get one — and that’s definitely a big if — they’ll celebrate it like nothing before. And, you know what, they’ll deserve to.