Scrimmage Highlights Family Fun Fest
Aug. 20, 2011
Post-Scrimmage Interview:Coach Gill
LAWRENCE, Kan. – Kansas fans got a glimpse of what the 2011 version of the Jayhawk football team will look like as the squad participated in a 70-play scrimmage here Saturday afternoon. Despite some intermittent rain, KU ran plays for approximately an hour on Kivisto Field in Memorial Stadium.
Led by starting quarterback Jordan Webb, the KU offense got two touchdowns during the scrimmage from redshirt freshman running back Brandon Bourbon and another from freshman running back Anthony Pierson. The defense was highlighted by an interception from freshman defensive back Adonis Saunders.
Following the scrimmage, the team had the opportunity to mingle with its fans, while signing autographs for about 45 minutes. Additionally, Kansas head coach Turner Gill met with the media. The following is a transcript of his interview:
Kansas Head Coach Turner Gill
On Brandon Bourbon’s day:
“Brandon did some good things today. He shows some flashes in practice, there’s always something that will come up with a little nick or an injury. It was good to get him some reps. We saw some impressive runs. He ran hard; he ran through some tackles. That was good to see. I think it just solidifies what we’re talking about, that we have a good, solid core of running backs that are going to help our football team this year. You need quite a few of those guys, because they’re going to get banged up during the course of the season. But I feel like we have quite a few guys that, when they’re called on, can produce.”
On freshman running back Anthony Pierson:
“Obviously with him, it comes down to speed. He can turn the corner, outrun some people out there and make some things happen. He brings that speed and explosiveness to our football team and to the offensive side of the ball. He did some good things there (today) too. He’s not a guy that is going to be an every down back, just because of his size, but whenever he touches the football he has the chance to go the distance.”
On if he evaluated Jordan Webb differently after he was named the starting quarterback:
“I think (it’s) the same thing. We (want him to) just be consistent and in command of our offense. We tried to go hurry up a little bit there and go with 15 seconds left on the clock. Again, (he had) good execution, but has room to get better. He did some good things and that’s why he’s our guy.”
On if this was the timeframe he wanted to have a starting quarterback named:
“I didn’t have a set time period at all. We’ve just evaluated (Webb) week-by-week, scrimmage-by-scrimmage to see who we felt good about and how we felt our team would respond to him. We just felt this was the appropriate time, because he’s ahead of everybody. And we also looked back to the spring. We wanted him to come back this fall and be more consistent and he’s done that.”
