Nick KrugA starter for eight games during his freshman season a year ago, sophomore Kansas quarterback Ryan Willis learned Monday from head coach David Beaty he would take over that rank once again after losing it in the offseason.
“I’ve been working hard. I was at a disadvantage in the spring,” Willis told reporters Tuesday afternoon, referring to a wrist injury that sidelined him, “but fall camp and these last four weeks I’ve really been working on my coverage recognition, getting the ball out quicker. Coach Beaty’s really been stressing my ball speed — quick, but not hard; a more catchable ball for the receivers. And I’m just really excited to go out Saturday and win this game (against TCU).”
After starting fourth-year junior Montell Cozart in each of KU’s first four games of the season, and using Willis in a quarterback rotation, Beaty deemed Willis worthy of the starting role this week, as the Jayhawks (1-3 overall, 0-1 Big 12) prepare for a home matchup with TCU (3-2, 1-1). The change came less than a week after the head coach said KU lacked a “crystal clear” starter in the midst of defending a two-quarterback game plan, following a 55-19 loss at Texas Tech.
Asked at his weekly press conference about what went into the decision process, Beaty said he and the coaching staff evaluate every position each week.
“And as we look four games into the books,” Beaty said, “you start getting a picture of what the games are bringing, as well. Not just practice, but games, as well.”
Nick KrugThe way Beaty (the offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach, as well) described it, Willis has recognized opposing defenses during games, too.
“You have to know what they are doing better than they do,” KU’s coach said.
Willis said his experience a season ago as the team’s starter helped prepare him for the QB competition that followed, and ultimately made things easier for him in recent weeks.
“Last year everything was so new to me. But this year I kind of know how it works, how everything goes,” Willis said. “The game’s starting to slow down for me and it’s really been helpful.”
In KU’s first two road games of the season — both losses — Cozart completed just 22 of his 42 pass attempts (52.3 percent) and threw three interceptions to go with one TD and 184 yards through the air. He also lost a fumble at Memphis.
In those same games, Willis connected on 23 of 39 throws (58.9 percent) for 222 yards, with one touchdown and no interceptions, though he also lost a fumble at Memphis.
“His efficiency has been a little bit better than Montell’s the last couple of weeks,” Beaty said of Willis. “And really, when he’s in there as of late, he’s done some things that we haven’t seen him do up until that point.”
Now that Beaty has named a starter and removed the “or” from the team’s public depth chart at the QB spot, does that mean Willis will play the whole game and KU is done with rotating quarterbacks?
“It would be nice. It would be nice, absolutely,” was all Beaty cared to offer. “We would love to be able to have just one guy playing the entire time. But the thing you’ve got to do is prepare all those guys like they are the starter. You have to prepare every one of them like it’s their show and they have done that, they really have. They have done that. They have been able to kind of drown out the noise, so to speak, and listen to what we are telling them and continue moving forward. So I’m proud of the guys for that.”
For what it’s worth, Cozart indicated to reporters Tuesday afternoon he plans on playing against TCU (11 a.m. kickoff, ESPNU).
“I’m looking forward to it,” he said. “You know, we’ve been doing this all year, both quarterbacks, so I’m sure when (Willis) heard I was starting the first (four) games, he knew that he was going to play, so I’m looking forward to the same thing when Saturday comes.”
Given the head coach’s vagueness on the subject of playing one or two quarterbacks against the Horned Frogs, Beaty was asked what scenario would lead him to insert Cozart — or even redshirt freshman QB Carter Stanley — this week.
“Yeah, the best way for me to answer that question, y’all, is I need to make sure that I give our team every competitive advantage that I can,” Beaty replied. “And in order to do that, you know, what I’ve told you is what I can tell you.”
All Beaty would divulge was they would get to the game and go from there.
“We’re going to prepare all those guys to play the entire game,” Beaty said. “We never have prepared a guy to play a couple series. We prepare them to play the entire game.”
Beaty revealed during his press conference sophomore defensive end Dorance Armstrong Jr. “looks really well” after leaving the Texas Tech loss in the second half with an injury. Likewise, sophomore defensive tackle Daniel Wise “looks like he’s going to be OK” to play versus TCU.
The head coach said starting senior linebacker Marcquis Roberts “possibly” could play, too, after getting “banged up a little bit.”
What’s more, junior starting linebacker Joe Dineen will be a game-time decision for Kansas, according to Beaty.
“He’s out there moving around,” the coach said of Dineen, who got hurt early in the Memphis loss and didn’t travel to Texas Tech following a bye week as a result of a leg injury. “He is way ahead of schedule, I’ll tell you that. I don’t know for sure today that he’ll be able to.”
