- 1 week ago
KU Insider Henry Greenstein joins the show with all the latest from Jayhawk Nation.
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00:00And now, digging deeper with the teams you follow, it's another Sports Daily Insider interview on KFH.
00:11And that insider is Henry Greenstein, Lawrence Journal World, KUSports.com, our KU Insider.
00:19Following along, it's football season. It's always basketball season in Kansas.
00:24Now, back from London, I'm not sure, I can't say, is there, you got any tropical flowers lower there on
00:32the shirt, Henry?
00:33What, I can't quite tell there.
00:35You know, I'm not trying to lead you guys astray, but seriously, the Hawaiian shirt that I ordered has been
00:39delayed until this Saturday.
00:42So, I should have it next week.
00:44But I think I ordered by accident from some weird third-party retailer, and they are taking as long as
00:52possible to deliver it.
00:53So, I don't want to promise anything, but I think there's a good chance that next week I will finally
00:58be able to follow through on my promise.
01:01I just can't wait.
01:01I just can't wait to see the joy in your face, joy in your life.
01:05It's going to change your life, Henry.
01:07Maybe.
01:07As you're walking around.
01:08Maybe.
01:08Whoa, who's that guy?
01:10What is that?
01:10I better go see what's going on there.
01:13Henry, how is London?
01:15I don't know if I'm with the masses on this.
01:18I don't know how you feel about it.
01:19But I actually come out of that game and think we saw a little progress.
01:25Now, again, my expectations have never been very high for this year.
01:31I think you probably know that now.
01:32But again, I think Isaiah Marshall played better than he did in his second start.
01:38I think, you know, not that it counts for anything, but they did win the game on paper.
01:44So, there was a chance that could have gone much worse.
01:47I think we saw them be better in week three than they were in week two.
01:51And for this team, I'm going to take that and say, okay, we can work with that.
01:56That's a very sanguine outlook.
02:00And I think you are entitled to feel that way.
02:03On the flip side, like they put together the best defensive performance against an opponent,
02:09a power conference opponent in the Leipold era and still lost.
02:12Yeah, and I think expectation is I don't expect them to win a bunch of games this year.
02:17No, no.
02:18But if you're operating under an idea where you're like, hey, maybe they can get to six
02:23games and make a bowl, you kind of would have wanted them to win one of their first
02:27two games against power conference opponents because now they are staring down the barrel
02:32of that two and four post-K-State scenario that I've been warning about since the beginning
02:38of the season.
02:39So, we'll see.
02:40But, I mean, I agree with you in some sense.
02:42Like, yeah, I think that that fourth quarter was the best that we've seen from Marshall.
02:47I think that the defensive line was exceptional.
02:52The cornerbacks played as well as they have in any game under DK.
02:56So, that's progress.
02:57I think that they certainly gave a lot of – they gave other teams a lot to think about
03:02going forward.
03:04That being said, they're also now suddenly – I mean, it's three games into the season.
03:08They're now ravaged by injuries at the skill positions.
03:11I don't know how this happened so quickly.
03:13But it got to the point where they're giving a walk-on handoffs on fourth and one against
03:20Arizona State because what we thought was their deepest position group, suddenly you
03:26don't have Yassin Willis, Jalen Dupree.
03:29This was confusing to me, and we got to hear from Weipold about this.
03:31But Jalen Dupree was probable during the week.
03:34He didn't have a designation on the final injury report.
03:36They feel okay putting him out there as a kick returner but don't want to give him any
03:40carries at running back.
03:41That was odd to me.
03:43So, no Willis, no Dupree.
03:45Suddenly, you're trying to give Dylan Edwards, who has like two games in his career where
03:49he's had 18 to 20 carries, give him 18 carries.
03:53I don't know if that's like a sustainable strategy.
03:56And then, of course, Carson Bruins hurt, and they lost another tight end, and Cole Ballard's
04:00out.
04:00So, I understand why some things would make you think they're progressing, and I agree
04:07that they're progressing.
04:09But it kind of goes back to what I've been saying all along, which is I think this team
04:12could ultimately become pretty good, but the way the schedule works out could lead to
04:17a rather unflattering final record.
04:19Yeah, Henry, like Jacob was saying, I mean, you look on paper, and KU, the numbers are
04:26definitely in their favor.
04:2722 first downs to Arizona State's 13, 414 yards to Arizona State's 228 total yards.
04:36Pretty much beat in every category, just four penalties for 40 yards.
04:42State had seven for 65, but the biggest stat, turnovers.
04:48Three turnovers for KU, zero for Arizona State.
04:52Two fumbles lost, an interception thrown.
04:54Does it just feel like it's just going to be a struggle for KU this season to just put
05:00everything together, to not have, like I said, offensively, on paper, they did a lot of great
05:06things, but that bad thing, turnovers, they did that.
05:09Does it just feel like it's going to be hard to put a complete game together this year?
05:13Yeah, I mean, a little bit.
05:15I mean, so far, they've stopped the run in every game, so that's a good starting point,
05:19and I think they can continue to do that, which is impressive, considering they lost
05:23probably their best defensive tackle to a season-ending injury before things started.
05:26So they've stopped the run well, but you're right, those turnovers.
05:29I mean, both this game and the Mizzou game, every time they get across midfield, they somehow
05:34fail to score, basically.
05:36I mean, I think it was, what, five or six times they made it to ASU's 35-yard line and
05:41didn't get any points.
05:42It's pretty unbelievable.
05:45I'm not sure exactly what's going wrong there.
05:47I think that, you know, after the Mizzou game, I had kind of defended Kodnicki's play
05:51calling and said that he put a lot of wide-open guys that Marshall couldn't hit.
05:56This game, I think some of his decisions were a little more suspect.
05:59I think there was one drive where they, you know, at this point, they've already lost
06:04their running back.
06:05They tried to do a third and two reverse to Edwards, and it was eight yards.
06:09There was another drive where on third and one, they took a deep shot, didn't work, and
06:13then on fourth and one, they get stuffed on a run at the middle, just not the best sequencing.
06:17Like, there were a couple of moments where I think the play calling could have been better,
06:20but overall, I think execution is still the biggest issue.
06:24I think that as your quarterback gets more experienced, maybe they'll smooth some of
06:29those things out.
06:30You have to think so.
06:31But the problem is, like, as I keep saying, like, in this next stretch, they're also playing
06:36teams that I think are going to be better than Arizona State, and they'll be playing them
06:40on the road, at least after they get to the Middle Tennessee game.
06:42Um, and there won't be as much margin for error anyway, um, even if they play as well as they
06:50don't on defense, they won't have the opportunity to still be in a game after turning the ball
06:54over repeatedly.
06:55Okay.
06:56So let, then get out your crystal ball.
07:00If we're going to look at Marshall, I, I do think he got better.
07:04I think he'll probably get better over the course of this season.
07:07And he's young.
07:08Yeah.
07:09Is he, is he going to be the starter there for the foreseeable future?
07:14Like that's, it, it'll be an interesting question because if they do spin this entire
07:19season and they're not good enough to make a bowl, but over the course of the season,
07:23you're like, okay, well, at least they developed their quarterback and they developed some things.
07:26Then you have a tough question to answer in the off season in this era of college football.
07:30Do you think Isaiah Marshall is the quarter?
07:32Let's call it two years from now.
07:34Do you think he's the quarterback of this team?
07:36Oh, two years from, well, two years from now is a, is a more difficult question.
07:41I'm not, because then you're, you're relying on a whole other year's worth of results.
07:46That's what I mean.
07:47But in addition to this year, he's a sophomore.
07:50I, I have legitimately no idea whether two years from now will be a starting quarterback.
07:55But if he, but if he isn't, then what are we doing?
07:57Yeah.
07:58I mean, I think, how about this?
08:00I think KU would like to have him be the quarterback for as long as possible.
08:04Yeah.
08:04Yeah.
08:04Yeah.
08:04I mean, KU, I don't mean,
08:05then he'll transfer somewhere.
08:07That's not what I mean.
08:07I mean, like, I don't, I, I, Lance Leipold doesn't give up on quarterbacks really.
08:12Um, at least, I mean, he hasn't had the opportunity to do so necessarily, but I, I going back historically
08:17through his time in Buffalo and everything like that, like he's pretty loyal.
08:21I think that they like what they have with Marshall.
08:23Um, and if he shows at least some signs of progress, they're going to try to hang on him as
08:27long
08:27as possible.
08:28Does that mean that he will have an uncontested starting spot after this year?
08:32I'm not necessarily ready to say that.
08:34Um, it kind of depends on who sticks around, I guess.
08:37Um, but I definitely think that like all else being equal, they will try to develop him and
08:43mold him into a competent big 12 starter for as long as possible.
08:47Henry, three games in one of the big players that, uh, everybody's been, uh, watching for
08:53the Jayhawks this season, the, uh, K-State transfer, Dylan Edwards, three games in, uh, how are the
08:59feelings around Dylan Edwards and, and what he's brought to the table so far?
09:03You know, I think, I think everyone's just waiting for him to have that one big explosive
09:06play.
09:07Like he's had a fair number of like 15 to 20 yard plays where he makes a couple of jukes
09:13and looks really elusive.
09:14I just, now I'm concerned they're not going to be able to use him appropriately because they
09:19don't have a contrasting running back to pair with him.
09:21I mean, you know, it's currently the bi-week, maybe when they come back, Willis and Dupree
09:25will be fine, but he's not an every down kind of back.
09:29He's, he's never really been that in his career.
09:32Um, and a lot of the ways they want to use him dependent on having multiple guys out there
09:37to kind of draw the defense's attention.
09:39I feel like defenses can more, uh, acutely key in on him if he's going to be the feature
09:44back going forward.
09:45But yeah, I mean, I think he's been fine.
09:47I think that people would probably have liked to see him just like the KU fans were maybe
09:52hoping for some big play touchdown by now, but it's only three games in.
09:56I thought it's outside of the fumble.
09:58He was good against ASU, uh, a team that has a pretty good front seven.
10:02So I thought he did.
10:04I thought he did.
10:05Okay.
10:05Um, but I definitely think there's another level he can reach, if not two more levels
10:09he can reach, uh, by the time the season's over.
10:12I want to talk a little basketball while we've got you, Henry, where, I mean, I don't know
10:17how much you've been able to follow with the trip to London and everything.
10:19Where are we with everything?
10:21The Trey white, Melvin council, like where is the roster what it is now?
10:27And it's not changing.
10:28Like we're, we're kind of, this is, I knew this was going to happen.
10:30We get to football and everyone's like, we're all now going to just worry about football
10:34and we don't have to care about this court stuff as much, but is there anything interesting
10:38happening or down the road going to happen?
10:40Jacob, all I do is follow this stuff.
10:43Now I will say when I was in London, so there was some sort of firewall, so I couldn't access
10:48the Indiana court system.
10:51So I had to have deputies.
10:52You might be a spy.
10:54Yes.
10:54So I had to have deputies back in the U S do it on my behalf.
10:58Uh, but, um, anyway, like, I mean, in four hours, ostensibly Melvin council is having
11:07a hearing on his motion for a preliminary injunction in Monroe County, New York.
11:12Now the thing is, KU's deadline to petition for late enrollment was Monday.
11:18A lot of people think council is enrolled because I wrote that he's in the student directory,
11:24which is true, but I wasn't like, KU didn't verify for me that he's enrolled.
11:30So he could just be left over in the student directory from before.
11:33I was just proposing it as one piece of evidence, but people kind of took it and ran with it
11:37anyway.
11:38So he might, he might be already enrolled.
11:40Then there's Trey in this lawsuit with 97 plaintiffs in Indiana.
11:45Um, and that one is kind of in like a, uh, hurry up and wait situation.
11:51Like they had a deadline to file all their documents.
11:54And now I guess they just wait to see what the judge chooses to do.
11:56And it's supposed to be this week that she rules on it.
12:00Um, and then of course, this is another thing that I kind of reported and people took and ran with
12:06it.
12:06And KU filed eligibility waivers on behalf of a former Rutgers center, Emmanuel Obole, who has his own lawsuit, um,
12:14in Westchester County, New York.
12:16Uh, and you'd think they'd be one of the teams that would get involved with him.
12:19And he actually has a restraining order already, but his injunction hearing isn't until the 30th.
12:25So, like I said, enrollment that one has passed.
12:28I kind of wonder at this point, are some of these guys going to like come back at the semester
12:32break or something?
12:33And I'm not just talking about those three, like a lot of these people are winning back eligibility.
12:38Are they going to be forced to just hang out for the next three months and then join a team
12:42after Christmas?
12:42I honestly think that's a way it could end up going because otherwise, why is everyone doing this?
12:46Or are schools on the quarter system going to get every one of these players?
12:51Like is everyone who gets eligibility going to go to UCLA or Northwestern?
12:55I don't know.
12:56So, I mean, there are probably other schools that are on the quarter system.
12:59Anyway, uh, yeah, we might have some news today or in the next couple days.
13:03With Melvin and Trey, but then the question becomes, are they going to KU?
13:08Like Melvin moved his case to New York because he didn't want to limit it to exclusively going to KU.
13:13So, or questions will be asked of his agents and of KU after anything happens.
13:20Interesting.
13:21Interesting.
13:22That's a good point there on the New York thing.
13:25That's, I had to think about that.
13:27It's in the text of the legal documents.
13:29Like that's the stated rationale for moving it to New York.
13:31Oh, yeah.
13:32So there's no mystery.
13:33Yeah.
13:34Yeah.
13:35Gotcha.
13:36Uh, you know, going back to, uh, KU football, you know, uh, their bi-week this weekend.
13:40So they get a little bit of time, uh, to get ready for middle Tennessee, uh, a game they
13:45should win, should be favored in.
13:48Well, we're about wrapped about to wrap up, but, uh, what's the biggest thing you want
13:52to see them take care of this, uh, this break?
13:54Um, I think probably red zone and near red zone execution, finishing drives.
14:02Yeah.
14:02Finishing drives, taking care of the ball.
14:04Um, even if it's with field goals, just get points on the board when you get maybe if
14:09their defense is okay, that matters.
14:10I, that, that's a good point.
14:12Yeah.
14:12Follow Henry Lawrence journal, world KU sports.com.
14:15We will anxiously await the Hawaiian debut next week.
14:18Henry, glad to have you back stateside.
14:21Glad no more firewalls.
14:22We'll follow along on all the latest KU with our KU.