Posted
by Chris Wristen
August 18, 2005 at 12:49 p.m.
Give it to the kid
![][1]Tom Keegan may be new to Lawrence, but the new Journal-World sports editor brought with him a clear understanding of why Kansas University's football team has struggled mightily for most of the last decade - it rarely has had a mobile quarterback.On Wednesday, [Keegan][2], Journal-World football reporter [Ryan Wood][3] and former J-W sports editor [Chuck Woodling][4] debated who should be the Jayhawks' starting quarterback, and Keegan was the one who got it right. Keegan argued - quite convincingly - that true freshman Kerry Meier should guide the KU offense this fall.Sure, senior Brian Luke was solid during his half-game against Texas, as well as in guiding the 'Hawks to a blowout victory against those hated Missouri Tigers. And yes, junior Adam Barmann has a strong arm.But here's the problem. Luke has proven to be fragile during his time at KU - the guy breaks quicker than an egg on concrete - and most box turtles scramble faster than Barmann.Meier may be young and grossly inexperienced for a Big 12 Conference starting quarterback, but at least he's a guy who might be capable of making something out of nothing. That's exactly where Bill Whittemore excelled, and that's exactly why fans grew to love Whittemore so quickly.Let's be honest. Luke has shown vastly improved confidence during the past nine months and he did an outstanding job closing out the season for the Jayhawks last year. Barmann has been given plenty of chances, but athletically he's not gifted enough to be a big-time player in the Big 12 week after week. In fact, Kansas easily should have qualified for a bowl last year, but Barmann was too slow and too ineffective to get the job done. Think about it. Five of KU's seven losses in 2004 were by a total of 20 points (20-17 loss at Northwestern; 31-30 loss to Texas Tech; 14-8 loss at Nebraska; 13-7 loss at Iowa State; 27-23 loss to Texas). Barmann was at the helm for four of those (he missed the Texas game with an injury) and in those games the Jayhawks failed repeatedly to score, or even muster a respectable drive, with the game on the line. He repeatedly was slow and off-target.During the recent memory of KU football, few seasons have been as painful to watch as the 2004 season. Last season hurt so much more than previous ones because the Jayhawks weren't terrible like they'd been under Terry Allen. Instead, they had players with Division I talent. They had one of the best defensive units in the country and were in the thick of every game in one of the top conferences in the nation. It hurt because they should have won eight or nine games. They simply didn't have a playmaker at quarterback. Because of that flaw, four or five victories slipped through their fingertips.Fourth-year coach Mark Mangino can't afford to allow that mistake to happen again.Meier is the one guy who has the ability to make something happen.It's amazing what a quick set of legs and a little bit of courage can accomplish in a big game. Jayhawk fans may remember Mark Williams, the phenomenal KU quarterback who led the 'Hawks to the 1995 Aloha Bowl title and a top 10 national ranking with his fast feet, strong arm and incredible poise. Whittemore had many of those same characteristics. So does Meier.Let's not get ahead of ourselves, though. If Meier gets the starting nod - and I believe he should - not everything will be pretty. There will be growing pains. He will make mistakes. But the Jayhawks also will be more exciting to watch, and they'll be a better football team because of it.The Jayhawks have one of their most talented receiving corps in recent memory this season with the return of Mark Simmons and the addition of speedy junior college transfer Brian Murph. Also factor in the possibility of All-America cornerback Charles "Flash" Gordon making an occasional return to the offense.That's a boatload of speed to get downfield. Barmann, Luke and Meier all can get the ball to them, but only Meier is capable of buying himself enough time if the line breaks down.Some of the fastest linebacker corps in the country are in the Big 12, and it will take a mobile quarterback to be successful against them. That makes Kerry Meier the best option. [1]: http://media.lawrence.com/img/blogs/w... [2]: http://www.kusports.com/news/keegan/story/115007 [3]: http://www.kusports.com/news/football/story/115009 [4]: http://www.kusports.com/news/woodling/story/115008
Comments
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ichikuo (Hanluen Kuo) says…
You realize that this is could be our last chance in a while to make something happen with this team. I'm Reid and Floodman will be gone next year and I wouldn't be surprised if Gordon leaves as well.
I think anybody can agree that these three players are the heart and soul of this team. Considering this could be the last year in a long time our D is this good, I don't want the offense in the hands of a true freshan, especially someone in the Meier family. If you're going to start any freshman, might as well be Herford than Meier.
Tater (anonymous) says…
Truth is we better hope we have some sort of running game this year now that Randle is gone. You can't win games in the Big 12 with just 50-75 yards rushing. And even though Whittemore was mobile his mobility is what caused him to get hurt. If Meier is as mobile as you say he is, lets hope he uses it wisely and not try to run over linebackers like Whittemore did.
bwoodard (Bill Woodard) says…
"...I don't want the offense in the hands of a true freshman, especially someone in the Meier family."
What's your objection? Because his brother went to K-State? Because he stole your lunch money and kissed your sister? Because he has blonde hair? WTF? Qualify your concerns.
The KU coaching staff obviously thinks the kid has progressed quickly and impressively. Herford isn't even mentioned as a possibility at this point, though he's a guy who could emerge eventually.
lchronister (Levi Chronister) says…
Well said, Bill. Having grown up with a couple of the Meiers (Shad a year older, Adam a year younger than me), I think I can safely say that putting the team in the hands of one of these brothers is anything but a mistake. It's a family of football players and Kerry can only have benefited from having three older brothers play college ball.
I'm not convinced on starting any freshman quarterback in the Big 12, but if I were forced to, I'd feel best about someone with Meier's background.
cwrist (Chris Wristen) says…
If I'm not mistaken, didn't Major Applewhite start as a freshman at Texas? I thought he set a ton of records too. I think the decision to start a freshman rests in if his style of play fits the offense, and Meier's seems to.
Tater, excellent point about Bill's style of play leading to injuries. The difference that I see here, though, is that I think KU has a much better offensive line now than it did when Whittemore was here.
ichikuo (Hanluen Kuo) says…
I hope you guys are right and I'm wrong.
My whole point is, I don't want to blow Reid, Floodman, and possibly Gordon's last season because we want to give a freshman a chance, who has proved nothing.
Tater (anonymous) says…
If I could restate a point,
What kind of running game will KU have? Clark Green? He has shown some good games but hasn't been consistant. I haven't even heard anything about other running backs. Should Mangino start Meier he will need a running game to take some heat off the kid. KU can't win games in the Big 12 if they throw 40 times a game or get little from the running game. Of course a better offensive line will help.
cvillehawk (anonymous) says…
"My whole point is, I don't want to blow Reid, Floodman, and possibly Gordon's last season because we want to give a freshman a chance, who has proved nothing."
And I think C-Wrist's point is that none of the other guys has proven anything either - why should they get the automatic nod, because they're older?
Swamphawk (anonymous) says…
Count on me joining the Meier Bandwagon. Give the kid the reigns, he can warm up on our three cupcakes and TTech's relatively weak defense before he faces a tougher test in the rest of the big 12.
Green has shown that he can be a workhorse running back. Here are his '03 stats:
Rushes -190
Yards - 881
YPC - 4.6
TDs - 6
That was before Randle had really taken over. With a line that has much greater depth and potential than last year, I don't think it is out of the question that he will step up and run like this again. Plus, Meier being a mobile quarterback would add another threat to our ground game.
Our defense is a very deep defense this year and the loss of Reid, Floodman and probably Gordon will hurt, but I think our other guys will step in and won't miss a beat. Mangino has been bringing in a much higher talent level than Allen ever did. I don't see the cupboard going empty overnight.
Also, regardless of what sportswriters say, I don't think that Mangino is on the hotseat this year. Anyone that has watched the games for the last 5 or so years knows that this program has been getting better every year he has been here. You don't create a quality football team by firing a coach every four years, I think Perkins understands that too.
bwoodard (Bill Woodard) says…
I agree that Green can handle the job at running back----as a workhorse. He's solid (ranks eighth on the all-time KU rushing list), but doesn't have the breakaway speed or game-changing ability of Randle. Apparently, Jon Cornish, who's risen to No. 2 on the depth chart, has made great strides, and has more explosiveness than Green.
Recently, Mangino was quoted as saying, "I'm really fired up about Jon Cornish. He's finally catching on and maturing here. He looks quicker, more explosive. He's having a big camp to date. He could be a factor for us, no question."
Mangino doesn't lightly toss around compliments, so I'd put some stock in that. Want a darkhorse for impact: Watch redshirt freshman Gary Green. He's 5-9, 175, with good quicks and instincts.
That said, the main thing, as has been expressed already, is how good will the o-line be. If those guys can block, the Jayhawks can score more and keep their defense off the field so they don't wear down in the fourth quarter.
As far as Mangino's job security, who knows. Most of the thinking behind him being on the hot seat comes from the old cliche that new athletics directors want "their" guys in a high-profile job like football coach. Perkins didn't hire Mangino, and expects improvement from the team this fall. Does that mean KU has to win a certain amount of Big 12 games and get to a bowl for Mangino to keep his job? Wouldn't surprise me, even if I agree that Kansas MUST cease this cyclical changing of the guard at head coach. Continuity of excellence in college programs often rests on keeping a good head coach; it's certainly one reason why KU basketball (eight coaches in 100-plus years) is a national power and KU football (nearly 40 coaches in approximately the same time frame) is not.
bwoodard (Bill Woodard) says…
And oh, yes, if I didn't make it clear earlier, I agree that Meier should get a shot in those cupcake games early in the season. Let him have his growing pains against the non-conference teams. Barmann and Luke will still be ready to enter the fray as backups (and lord knows the Jayhawks have needed seasoned backups the past few seasons) but if Meier is potentially as good as everyone (coaching staff included) thinks, he needs to get in there immediately.
"Steady but not spectacular" adequately describes both Barmann and Luke. The program is now attracting more talented athletes (like Meier) who can be positive impact players. Let's let them make impact. And I agree wholeheartedly that starting Meier would greatly enhance the interest among fans to attend those god-awful non-league tilts.
cwrist (Chris Wristen) says…
I don't think that starting Meier would be wasting Floodman, Reid and possibly Gordon's final season. Rather, I think it's giving those guys a better opportunity to make another bowl appearance this year.
Some kids catch on faster than others, and given the Meier family's football pedigree, I'd like to believe Kerry is the kind of kid who could catch on fast. Mangino seems to believe that has been the case thus far in workouts.
Meier hasn't proven he can be a winner at the D-1 level yet because he hasn't played a game at the college level. Barmann and Luke have had their chances already, and as of right now neither has proven that they can be a regular winner at this level. Therefore, neither has given me an indication that they would give Floodman, Reid and possibly Gordon a better chance to end their KU careers with a bang.
KU_Terry (anonymous) says…
I couldn't agree more with what you said. I really enjoy reading all your posts or articles. It seems to me that you are almost always right on with your comments. I would like to get your e-mail address so I can share a secret with you.
rwood (Ryan Wood) says…
CWrist, you're dead wrong on this one, champ.
cwrist (Chris Wristen) says…
wood, I may be dead-wrong, but I watched the KU offense flounder repeatedly under Barmann last year, so I'm doubting you're dead-right either.
and you and I both KNOW chuck's not right about this one. Granted, I applaud Luke's confidence and desire, but he's still not the right guy. I firmly believe that of the three guys in the running for the job, Meier plays a style of football that can ignite a spark in the offense. Slow-pokes Barmann and Luke cannot. Perhaps if the video-game version of Barmann could play, then we might be getting somewhere...