As has been the case throughout the past few weeks, interim KU coach Clint Bowen kicked off Wednesday’s practice with a visit from a former Jayhawk. And this one meant a little more to Bowen than some of the others.
Charley Bowen, the older brother of the interim KU coach, was given the opportunity to talk to the team before Wednesday’s practice and it was very clear by observing the head coach’s actions that he was fired up for his big brother to speak to his squad.
During his introduction, Bowen highlighted a few of his brother’s accolades — 44 starts, all-Big Eight honors, etc. — and then gave an inspired welcome as Charley stepped into the huddle to address the team.
After sharing a few words, most of which had to do with life after football and maximizing the opportunity these players had today, Charley was greeted by a rousing ovation, a few hugs and an energetic start to practice.
Charley told me it was the first time since 1992 that he had been on the practice field at Memorial Stadium. The only other KU practice he’s been able to attend since then was in Arizona during the days leading up to the Insight Bowl in 2008.
Asked if being back on the field made him miss his playing days, Charley smiled and said simply, “You always miss it.”
Here’s a quick look at a few other things that caught my eye at Wednesday’s practice as the Jayhawks continued preparations for Saturday’s 2:30 p.m. showdown with Iowa State:
**• Senior defensive tackle Keon Stowers did not practice,** but was on the field and did all he could to be a part of the action. Unlike his teammates in pads, Stowers wore only shorts and a jersey, but that did not stop him from coaching up the guys who were out there getting the reps in his place. Whether it was during individual drills or during team action, Stowers always found time to offer a helping hand and seemed fully engaged in every aspect, just as if he would’ve been out there. Bowen said earlier this week that the team was hopeful that Stowers would play Saturday and it sounds as if that’s still the case. The good news there? Stowers is such a veteran with so many games under his belt that he could probably miss most of practice and still get out there on Saturday provided he’s physically ready.
**• It’s hard to say what to make of it, but senior tight end Trent Smiley ran some with the first team offense** during Wednesday’s practice. Known among KU’s tight ends as a strong blocker, Smiley lined up in the backfield, at his regular tight end spot and on both sides of the formation during the portion of practice when he ran with the ones.
**• As was reflected on this week’s updated depth chart, sophomore linebacker Courtney Arnick ran with the first team defense** in place of Jake Love, who has been dealing with an injury. Love practiced and should get plenty of reps and play plenty of snaps on Saturday, but Arnick is quietly putting together a pretty strong season. Arnick all of a sudden has the look of a player the Jayhawks will be fortunate to have back in the lineup in 2015. Should be interesting to see how strongly he finishes the final third of this year’s schedule.
**• Defensive backs coach Dave Campo was very vocal during Wednesday’s practice** and most of what Campo barked about had to do with the vision of his DBs. “Get your eyes right,” Campo continually yelled during one drill. During another, he simply yelled at one of his DBs, “Get your eyes off of him (the quarterback) and worry about your man.” Nothing Earth-shattering here, of course, but it’s cool to see these types of little details emphasized on this level.
**• Finally, in case you missed NY Giants WR Odell Beckham Jr., doing his one-handed pregame routine during the Monday Night Football game last week,** check out the video below. It’s become sort of a viral video and on Wednesday a couple of Jayhawks were attempting to match the moves. One who came the closest, believe it or not, was Buck Michael Reynolds. Could an INT be in Reynolds’ future this week???
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dOler9B8Oc8&feature=youtu.be
