Here is the Cliff’s Notes version of Kansas football coach Turner Gill’s comments at his weekly press conference today.
If you want to get live updates from each week’s press conference, be sure to follow us on Twitter (@kusports).
• **Gill says they are looking forward to showing their determination as a football team to end this season on a positive note while showing that they are moving the football team forward.** The players are continuing to believe in their coaches and teammates.
• **Against Iowa State, Gill was pleased that his team’s defense had forced multiple turnovers.** KU has forced multiple turnovers in three of its last four games. Also, KU held Iowa State scoreless in the third quarter. KU also held ISU to just 13 points — the lowest total KU has allowed in a Big 12 game since 2007.
• **Offensively, KU had 63 plays and 65 knockdowns against ISU.** Having more than one knockdown per play is a positive.
• **Running back Tony Pierson will be back this week after sitting out last week with an injury.**
• **Gill says the two keys to the Baylor game are:** 1. The defense has to create multiple turnovers; 2. KU has to have a big play in special teams and win that area.
• **Quarterback Jordan Webb has been above average in what the coaches have asked him to do.** Other guys have to help him out. Right now, KU needs to maintain its success in the red zone and finish drives.
• **KU’s defense didn’t have any major busts against Iowa State.** That stood out to Gill about his team’s defensive performance. Also, KU had a lot of players around the football.
• **Safety Bradley McDougald’s performance against Iowa State was good to see.** He was a little more hesitant early in the season. Now, he “gets it.” KU needs him to have those types of games from him.
• **Behind the scenes, the seniors on this team are still being leaders.** They’ve gathered their position groups on their own to meet. They’ve helped out their teammates with academics. As seniors, these guys have taken it upon themselves to make sure the team is close.
• **Linebacker Steven Johnson leads by example.** It’s more about your actions than it is your words. The one thing that gains him a lot of respect is that he came from Pennsylvania as a walk-on, worked and worked and worked and now he’s having success and could have a chance to play at the next level.
• **Gill said if a crime takes place in the football complex, the protocol is to come in and tell him.** The protocol for players, generally, is to talk to your position coach, then coordinator then head coach. Obviously, you can go above that if there is something is very, very serious, but you tell somebody. Coaches give players a list of phone numbers of almost everyone in the athletic department at the beginning of the year if there are any issues. This is for anything in general, not necessarily something to the magnitude of the Penn State situation. Gill says he makes his players promise that they don’t isolate themselves. Everyone has things come about, but you need to talk about it.
• **There has been no decision on KU’s kicker for the Baylor game yet.** The coaches will decide later in the week.
