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Kansas Football 8.16.11 Presser Recap

Kansas Head Coach Turner Gill

On how Chris Omigie and Christian Matthews have performed:

"They are in the mix. They are going to play, it is just a sense of matter that the first team guys are going to get a majority of the reps. Right now they all are competing. We have a strong core of receivers and we feel pretty good about where we are at as far as that goes."

On the injury to defensive tackle Patrick Dorsey during pre-season practice:

"Unfortunately those things happen, we'll figure it all out. We have moved some people around to fill that defensive tackle spot to make that adjustment. But right now we feel good where we are at, we have enough people to move around at that spot. We'll continue to evaluate and make the necessary moves needed."

On how impressed he is with Mike Cummings quarterback play:

"He has done some good things, every day he has gotten better. That is really all you can ask about a freshman. Obviously, he isn't going to look as sharp early on. But every single day I have been impressed with what he has been able to do. He has shown some good throwing ability and has a tremendous upside. It is always good for me to have competitions at all positions and I am very pleased to see what he has done on the football field."

On the competition at quarterback:

"There has been some separation but we want to go three or four more days and sit down with (offensive coordinator) Chuck (Long) and see where we are at and make a decision coming up pretty soon. Both guys have really done well in the scrimmages and they are going to be the guys that run our football team.  But we are going to make a decision here sometime soon."

On how the freshman have looked and if they will play if they're ready:

"Right now I think they all are holding up pretty well. A plus for us is that they all came here during the summer and got acclimated pretty well with our staff and players too."

On running back Brandon Bourbon's play:

"He wasn't able to perform in our last scrimmage because he got banged up a little bit, but he has been practicing here for the last couple of days. When he hasn't been bothered by bumps and bruises, he has shown some progress. We are trying to keep him healthy. We all know running backs are going to get banged up, so that is why he hasn't been there on a consistent basis. (It's) nothing real serious as far as injuries, we just need to get him back and performing every day."

 

 

Junior wide receiver Kale Pick

 On the freshmen making an impact on the season:

"It depends on the occasion and what kind of recruits you have. They all are improving each day, and they all are a bunch of hard workers. I hope that the upperclassmen are leading by example and showing them to have good work ethic and to show up ready to practice every day."

 

On his thoughts about the quarterbacks:

"I don't look over there as much anymore. I'm pretty much focused on what I am doing with the receivers. Every now and then I will see Jordan (Webb) or Quinn (Mecham) walk by and I'll give them a tap and tell them to keep up the hard work and keep them motivated to keep practicing hard."

 

On what he thinks about the starting quarterback not being named yet:

"I wanted to know right away. I am pretty sure that they both want to know as quickly as possible about who the starter is going to be. I remember when I was in this situation last year that I wanted to know as soon as I could."

 I agree with Pick, just make the call.  It's going to be Webb.  Cumming has had a strong fall but he's not going to be as polished yet.  Berglund isn't in the conversation right now, Mecham is a solid backup and Jablonski will have to continue to fight for reps.  Right now it's Webb, let's make the call.

 

Sophomore cornerback Tyler Patmon

 On the comparison of this year's secondary to last year's:

"I think we have a lot more depth. We have a lot more competition. All the guys can play. We've got about eight corners and about six of them can play so that's the biggest difference from last year because we had to move some guys from corner to safety. This year we have a good solid secondary."

 

On what makes a quality corner:

"It's all technique. All guys in the Big 12 that can play have speed, talent and it's all about technique. If you don't have the technique then you aren't going to be a great player."

 

On the difference of covering this year's wide receivers:

"Our guys are fast. You can tell that they are all athletes. Like Coach Gill said, he brought them in for us to compete against. I can tell they are getting a lot of competition with the older guys."

 

 

Sophomore defensive end Keba Agostinho

On how much bigger he got over the offseason:

"I've been losing and gaining weight since camp. Right now I'm at about 260, so I gained about ten pounds since the spring."

 

On how much better he will be after gaining some more weight and having some playing experience:

"I think I learned a lot in terms of experience. It's a lot different from high school so I got to learn the different techniques. When I come in to play against Texas or OU I'm prepared to play mentally."

 

On the possibility of changing from a 4-3 to a 3-4 defense:

"For me personally, I like it better because I feel like it allows the defense to make more plays."

 

On how much better the defensive line can be this year:

"I feel like players like Toben (Opurum) and John Williams are really stepping it up so I think we'll be a lot better."

 

On which offensive lineman he dislikes practicing against:

"It's definitely Jeff Spikes. I don't like going against him, but I have to because it makes me better. He's improved a lot since last year. He's got long arms and good technique."

I have heard this almost word for word from two other defensive players that go up against Spikes on a regular basis.  I would think that's a good thing.

 

On who the leader of the team is:

"I would definitely say, Steve Johnson. He's one of those people that won't talk a lot, but when he does he has something good to say and people listen when he talks."