What’s Scary About Kansas?

Football philosophy may not win football games, but attitudes sure affect how college students perform on the field. The difference in philosophy and attitude between last year's head coach Mark Mangino and Turner Gill can be described by any number of cliche's, but there's no simpler way to say it than they are almost exactly opposite in every way that you can think of. Mangino ruled the team with the intent of striking fear into his players. Gill hopes to inspire and influence with positivity. His plan is to improve not just the quality of the football players, but also the quality of the young men in helmets and pads. And generally, teams without turmoil tend to fare a little better than those deep in it.

Ok, so none of the philosophical and program changes by themselves are something to be worried about. But KU has something that even the Huskers don't appear to have an inkling about right now, a starting Quarterback. Kale Pick has been named the starter, and he's a speedy running threat. The Huskers history with running threats at quarterback is well documented. While a first-time starting quarterback isn't normally a reason to worry, the entire two deep on the offensive line returns, which is enough to consider their offense viable.

Turner Gill isn't afraid to innovate and get creative with the offense either. In another sign of the swing in the Big 12 towards a balanced running and passing attack, Gill's bringing back the fullback in the hopes of shoring up the running game. Also taking the field, is the "utility player" position. It sounds a little bit like the "adjuster" role the Huskers hope to utilize this season. Reverses, screens, wildcat, and all sorts of exotic plays become possible out of a base set or formation. The Jayhawks are probably not going to be able to run it down the throat of a team like Nebraska, so the threat of a homerun play could keep the defense concerned about letting the "big one" get by them.

From the day he arrived, Gill emphasized that speed is the critical factor this team should bring in order to compete in the Big 12. To accommodate for some of the weak spots in the lineup, he's shuffled around some pieces that bring the speediest players onto the field right away. Leading returning rusher from 2009 (and previously expected 2010 starter), Toben Opurum has been moved to linebacker. If he can provide some relief for the starters, he will see the field in his new defensive position this year. The interesting bit is that 6th year senior Angus Quigley was a linebacker last year and now leads the depth chart at running back.

Touted WR recruit Keeston Terry also moves to safety for a chance to play right away. Do changes like this indicate that Mangino was a bad judge of talent? There are a number of players that appear on the depth chart this year that look to compete for playing time that weren't considered by the previous staff. This season will tell a large story about Gill's skills at analyzing talent. The fact is, speed is the direction Bo Pelini has taken with his team, and Gill is another coach jumping on the bandwagon to accelerate his team.

If Kansas can take advantage of the talent they have available, they could head into Lincoln in November with a couple of win streaks and a large amount of momentum built up in the program. Their favorable schedule means they might not be quite as beat up as Nebraska as they roll into Memorial Stadium. With a low amount of injuries and the right athletes on the field, anything can be possible late in the year.