The Kansas-Missouri football showdown is usually an annual battle for position in the Big 12 North, but this year it looks to feature two individually troubled teams.
With the firing of coach Mark Mangino and the graduation of key players, KU knew it could be a rebuilding year. Missouri, meanwhile, had high hopes before running back Derrick Washington was permanently suspended after being charged with sexual assault.
While there are many questions remaining for both teams, new Kansas coach Turner Gill said one thing he does know is that keeping a positive attitude is the first step toward getting things back on track.
“You’ve got to keep everything going in the right direction,” Gill said. “We’ve got to implement our offense and implement our defense and it takes time. And apparently it’s going to take more time than we thought.”
In his Kansas debut, Gill’s offense was held to just three points by underdog North Dakota State, leading to a 6-3 Jayhawk loss to start the season. The road doesn’t get any easier for the Jayhawks from there. Next up is a tough test at home against Georgia Tech.
Gill said he thinks his team will be motivated not only by their loss, but also by the task they are facing.
“One, we didn’t play very well, so I think that will get everyone focused and ready to play better,” Gill said. “Two, you’ve got an outstanding opponent with Georgia Tech coming into town. I think those two things will help get us focused and in tune.”
With the struggles on offense in the first game, Gill said he is constantly evaluating his quarterback situation. However, the former standout Husker quarterback said he thinks his experience gives him unique insight into coaching a quarterback competition.
“It helps that both (offensive coordinator) Chuck Long and myself are former quarterbacks,” Gill said. “There’s a lot more things you think about that go through a quarterback’s mind, and overall you’re trying to say who’s best for us to move the ball and score touchdowns.”
While Missouri was still able to take down foe Illinois in their season opener, a lot remains to be seen from those who now fill in for Washington in the backfield.
In their 23-13 win over Illinois, Missouri combined three different running backs for 108 total yards, but were saved by quarterback Blaine Gabbert.
Leading the way on the ground was junior tailback De’Vion Moore, who rushed for 78 yards, but Missouri coach Gary Pinkel said he expects the position to be filled by committee for the rest of the year.
“I thought we had some guys step up,” Pinkel said. “I felt good about those guys, and I think we have a lot of athleticism and we’ll use two or more guys in every game.”
For Pinkel, handling turmoil is something he said comes hand in hand with being a coach.
Pinkel said as far as he’s concerned, the team is ready to overcome the suspension of Washington and show they can be successful without him.
“We’ve talked about (adversity) in the pre-season and we’ve talked about it in the past that sometimes things don’t work out well,” Pinkel said. “It’s about focusing on us and focusing on what we do. We’re much more mature that we were a year ago.”