Campo Meets With The Media, Jayhawks Hold First Practice

Aug. 2, 2012

AT&T Jayhawk All-Access Video of Campo ($)

<A HREF=LAWRENCE, Kan. — Kansas football held its first workout of the 2012 fall season on Thursday on the turf at the practice fields adjacent to Memorial Stadium.

Defensive coordinator Dave Campo met with the media Thursday afternoon prior to KU’s first practice. The following is an excerpt from the session:

Kansas Defensive Coordinator Dave Campo:
On what he is looking for at this stage of the season:
“I think we have a little better feel for the guys that we have who have been here and also the direction that we are going moving forward. There is a bit more fitting guys into roles than there was in the spring, but still there are a lot of new guys and competition brings out the best in everybody. As far as I’m concerned the first two weeks we’re going to have to come up with a two-deep, because to play in this league, with the fast tempo, you can’t just sit there and play the same guys during the course of the ball game. For us it is a combination of still looking at guys, looking at young guys that have come in, new guys that have come in, plus implementing some things that are going to go forward as far as what we are planning on doing for the season.”

On adjusting his scheme from the NFL to the Big 12:
“The Big 12 is unique in a lot of ways from a lot of leagues. When you talk about the SEC or the Pac 12, they are almost more NFL-type leagues from the standpoint that they are all like what Texas is doing. They are all using personnel groups, changing personnel groups, at not as fast a pace all the time–where as the spread offense in the Big 12 is kind of unique in the top conferences. It’s like playing the wishbone, you have to know and be disciplined on who has the dive, who has the quarterback, who has the pitch. It is the same thing in this league, because they run the zone read option and some of those things, you have to take care of those things, because you can’t get out there and say `we are going to get in a four man line and we are going to rush up the field and we are going to stop the passing game.’ You have to stop the running game, which is unique itself with all the motion. There are some changes that you have to do to adapt.”

On his goals for the defense this year:
“I want us to play from the snap to the whistle, no matter what the situation, no matter what the time, no matter what the score. That is what I’m looking for. If we do that, then we are talented enough that we will stop serve on some of these guys. It is a work in progress from that stand point, because we still don’t have the 11 guys or even the 20 guys that we are going to play on a regular basis. For me, the biggest thing is I think we made progress in the spring with the fourth quarter attitude. People are going to know they played us when we play. How good we are is going to depend on how quick we can come together as a team.”

On his defensive scheme for the season:
“Right now South Dakota State has no idea what we are going to do, because I have been in about five different defenses in the last three or four years. I think you would have to say we are a multiple defense. We are capable of doing a lot of things, if the personnel fits. If we have three linemen that are warriors, but we don’t have four, then we will probably play more three. If we have four linemen that are warriors and we don’t have something else then we are going to do that. We are going to do whatever we have to do. That’s really what it amounts to.”