Picking up his new position as center for Kansas University’s football team hasn’t been a snap for Marc Owen.
“It’s completely different from guard,” said Owen, a 10-game starter at right offensive guard a year ago. “You use your hands differently. The footwork’s different. You’re not able to lean on the ball. It’s a lot tougher than I thought it would be, but I’ve only done it for a few days. I’m struggling with it, but I’ll get better.”
Kansas’ coaches would like that very much. They’d love to pencil in “Snowball,” the common nickname for Owen, a 6-foot-3, 305-pound senior from St. Louis, as their starting center.
“I think it would help the team a lot,” Owen said. “It would put a lot more weight on the inside of the line. Schmidt (Bob, a 6-2, 280-pound senior backup) is a good player, but he’s a little light. If I can stick there, it would give us a little more thickness up front.”
Owen’s transition hasn’t been without its difficulties. He hasn’t played center since his freshman year in high school.
Compounding difficulties is the fact that he’s playing alongside Justin Sands, a 6-7, 285-pound sophomore who was a defensive lineman last season but is running with the first string at left guard. On Owen’s other side is Chuck Jarvis, a 6-6, 300-pound senior who was Owen’s backup last season.
Thus, the three projected starters in the interior line didn’t play together last season, and two of the three are learning new positions.
Their unfamiliarity was evident at times in last Saturday’s 114-play scrimmage.
“I don’t know what happened there,” KU coach Terry Allen said. “At one point there was a problem with communication between Sands and Owen. As a unit, they weren’t very good for a stretch in there. Owen is still learning to snap the ball and come off the ball. Sands is learning to come off. It looked like the biggest problem was, they weren’t coming off, but that’s something that can be fixed. The other part of it looked pretty good.”
No less an expert than QB Dylen Smith agreed.
“Snowball’s doing a lot better,” Smith said. “We only had one problem today where it went through my knees. But his snapping’s been perfect.”
Owen, for his part, is confident he’ll stick at center.
“With new players in the offense, it just takes time, practice after practice, to get in synch,” he said. “We’re getting better. We’re starting to gel. I’m still struggling, but I’ll be OK.”
Captains named: Linebacker Tim Bowers, safety Carl Nesmith, offensive tackle John Oddonetto, fullback Moran Norris and Smith were announced as KU’s captains Monday. All five are seniors and were chosen by team vote. “We will have five seniors who will do an outstanding job in providing consistent team leadership on and off the field,” Allen said. “Because they are selected by their teammates, this serves as a great compliment to the respect these players have gained through their efforts in representing Kansas football.”
Add captaincy: Bowers said it about his second straight selection to serve as co-captain: “It’s a bigger honor this year than last year. Those guys Moran and Dylen and Oddonetto and Carl could play at the next level. People look up to them and follow them. I’m honored that my teammates put me at the same level as those guys.”
Lomax ailing: KU senior linebacker Dariss Lomax, who injured a knee in Saturday’s scrimmage, underwent a magnetic resonance imaging test that found he had a slight tear in the meniscus. “Whether that requires surgery remains to be seen,” Allen said. “We’re optimistic it won’t come to that.”
Andrew Hartsock’s phone number is 832-7216. His e-mail address is ahartsock@ljworld.com.
