The last thing first-year Kansas offensive line coach A.J. Ricker needs on his plate is adding head coaching duties to trying to build a cohesive unit on the fly with graduate transfers starting at three positions. Ricker has the toughest job in the Big 12 as it is, trying to mold an offensive line in a program that didn’t have enough blockers to play a spring game. As long as he isn’t asked to also become ...
As the sun was setting on his tenure as University of Kansas head football coach, David Beaty was talking about the next morning’s sunrise. Somehow, that seemed fitting. For the record, the sun is still in the process of setting on the coach’s run as head of the KU program and hasn’t put him into the ranks of ex-coach just yet. But Beaty talking about the next day’s sunrise after a 26-23 overtime loss ...
1 - Joe Dineen: Had 12 solo tackles, several in big spots, and four assists. Was flagged for a face-masking penalty early in Nicholls drive that resulted in the field goal that sent the game into overtime, one blemish on an otherwise impressive night. 2 - Stephon Robinson: Blocked a punt early in the fourth quarter and caught four passes for 43 yards. Is super quick. 3 - Daniel Wise: Had six solo tackles, ...
Try to slide into Peyton Bender’s shoulder pads and wonder what the past couple of weeks must have done to his chances of developing the swagger any team’s starting quarterback needs. Coach David Beaty announces you as starting quarterback and, a week later, says you have “done a terrific job of taking command.” Then, the very next day, the coach says that Miles Kendrick also will play in every ...
It happens all the time in sports. It starts to occur to the underdog from the smaller conference that it’s about to score a significant victory. The moment becomes too big. The jitters set in. The underdog makes one too many mistakes and the bigger school escapes with a victory. That seemed to be what was happening to Nicholls State, the 17th-ranked school in the FCS. The Colonels botched a snap, a play that ...
The Kansas football newcomer I most look forward to seeing in Saturday's 6 p.m. season opener vs. Nicholls is, without question, running back Anthony "Pooka" Williams, for a variety of reasons. Stories told about him spinning, cutting so sharply, even leaping over a linebacker in practice make me more excited than I can ever recall being about a newcomer in 14 seasons of covering KU football. And the fact that ...