Football Fall Camp: A Look at the D-Line as KU Conducts Eighth Practice

Kansas conducted its eighth fall camp practice on the practice fields outside Memorial Stadium Wednesday, but before practice the defensive line took its turn speaking with the media. Selected quotes from the defensive line are listed below. 

Quoteables
Buddy Wyatt, Defensive Line Coach
On how camp is going…
“There’s been a lot of competition between the offensive and defensive sides. Enthusiasm has been up, we call it ‘juice’ and I think the juice has been up since the spring and from last year’s camp. Even within my group there’s a lot of competition and I’m excited about how the guys are working. They’re competing and trying to help each one another out, but they also know they’re competing against one another for a spot.” 

On the chemistry with the new players and the old players…
“It takes some getting to know each other, but I think they’ve been getting along just fine. Camp always seems to bring the team together. Every hour and every day they are pretty much together so they get to know each other a little bit better.”

Marquel Combs, Jr., Defensive Lineman
On why he became a Jayhawk…
“One of the reasons was due to my playing time. The second reason was everybody who I knew was coming here and the third was how close it is to my house. Those were the top three reasons.”

On Charlie Weis…
“His personality, he’s pretty funny. I like that a lot. Also, his knowledge of the game, he’s very intelligent and has a great knowledge of the game.”

Keba Agostinho, Sr., Defensive Lineman
On what he’s been working on during camp…
“I’m just trying to make my all-around game better. I’m trying to play the runs better. I’m really focusing on being a better pass rusher because the Big 12 is a really big passing conference, so if you can’t rush the quarterback you’re going to have a hard time.

On this year’s camp as a whole…
“It’s been good. Usually we come into camp knowing that it’s going to be a long grind, but this year has been a little different; there’s been a little excitement. There are a lot of new people so I’m excited to see what they’re going to do. And we’ve seen what a lot of them can do, and we’re still not even half way done yet. It’s been going really well so far, I like the energy, I like the enthusiasm, it’s been a fun camp.”

On working with the new players…
“It’s been going really well. There are a lot of new players and a lot of new guys who want to come in and work and want to come in and win. Not just the (junior college) guys but a lot of the freshman, too, which is something you don’t see very often. That’s really positive that we have guys coming straight out of high school that want to go to work and listen to whatever you tell them and they look up to the older guys and that’s something that’s really special.”

Kevin Young, Sr., Defensive Lineman
On work harder with increased depth…
“Oh yeah, definitely. We’ve got some of the top (junior college) players in the nation coming in and what not. Of course everybody wants to play, and in my situation I’m a senior and I definitely want to play. So you definitely work hard, but then again the best man wins outs, and what’s fair is fair.”

On seeing the D-Line depth, or this competitive since he’s been here…
“Oh no, not since I’ve been here. This is by far the deepest it’s been, and the most competitive it’s been since I’ve been here by far.”

Michael Reynolds, Jr., Buck
On differences between this year’s defense and the past…
“We’ve come together more. Over the summer our strength coach, Coach Holsopple, had groups organized to help us work harder, and help us develop chemistry and camaderie with each other and come closer together like a family.”

On what he’s looking forward to most…
“I’m looking forward to making a big impact on the defense personally and as a team, and making progress; stepping up and making a difference in the game.”

Ty McKinney, Jr., Defensive Lineman
On competition bringing out the best in players…
“Competition does bring out the best, especially on the D-line with us. We have a lot of depth, so everybody is competing and going hard. The more we push each other, the better off we are going to be in the long run.”

On any particular player standing out…
“Everybody is just grinding it out right now. The bucks are doing really good coming off the edge.”

Jordan Tavai, Sr., Defensive Lineman
On the expectations going into the season…
“Our expectations are very high. We want to come out and dominate the Big 12.”

On the strength of the defensive line…
“We can stop the run pretty well and we are a lot better on our pass rushing.”

Keon Stowers, Jr., Defensive Lineman
On how the defense will compare to last season…
“We’re going to be much better just from the fact that we have way better athletes and we are able to grasp things now.”

On what he is most excited for this season…
“Just to prove everybody wrong, shut everybody up and show everybody what we have been working for ever since the West Virginia game last year.”

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In the Pros
It’s another busy week for former Kansas football players in professional leagues as 15 Jayhawks are competing in preseason NFL camps or regular season CFL action. All 11 teams with Jayhawks on the roster are in action this week – here’s a look at who’s playing, when, and how you can watch:

NFL – Falcons vs. Ravens
Thursday, 6:30 p.m. (CT)
Tim Biere (TE, Atlanta Falcons)

NFL – Chargers vs. Bears* (ESPN)
*Jayhawks in the Pros Game of the Week
Thursday, 7 p.m. (CT)
Greg Brown (DB, San Diego Chargers)
Darrell Stuckey (S, San Diego Chargers)
Josh Williams (DE, Chicago Bears)

NFL – Chiefs vs. 49ers (KCTV5)
Friday, 7 p.m. (CT)
Bradley McDougald (S, Kansas City Chiefs)
Toben Opurum (FB, Kansas City Chiefs)

NFL – Patriots vs. Buccaneers (Fox)
Friday, 7 p.m. (CT)
Mike Rivera (LB, New England Patriots)
Aqib Talib (S, New England Patriots)

CFL – Tiger-Cats vs. Blue Bombers (ESPN3)
Friday, 7 p.m. (CT)
Ray Brown (DB, Hamilton Tiger-Cats)

CFL – Stampeders vs. Lions (ESPN3)
Saturday, 8 p.m. (CT)
Jon Cornish (RB, Calgary Stampeders)

NFL – Bengals vs. Titans 
Saturday, 6 p.m. (CT)
Anthony Collins (OL, Cincinnati Bengals)
Tanner Hawkinson (OL, Cincinnati Bengals) 

NFL – Broncos vs. Seahawks (NFL Network)
Saturday, 9 p.m. (CT)
Steven Johnson (LB, Denver Broncos) 

CFL – Eskimos vs. Argonauts (ESPN3)
Sunday, 6 p.m. (CT)
Marcus Henry (WR, Edmonton Eskimos)

NFL – Redskins vs. Steelers (ESPN)
Monday, 7 p.m. (CT)
Dezmon Briscoe (WR, Washington Redskins)

Looking Ahead
On Friday, Kansas Athletics and the KU Alumni Association will join forces to host the family-friendly KU Kickoff pep rally presented by First National Bank at Corinth Square (83rd & Mission Road in Prairie Village, Kan.). Starting at 6 p.m., Kansas football head coach Charlie Weis, women’s basketball coach Bonnie Henrickson and track and field coach Stanley Redwine, who was recently named National Coach of the Year, will each address the crowd.

Fan Appreciation Day will be held in Memorial Stadium on Saturday, Aug. 17. The gates on the west side of the stadium will open at 10:45 a.m., with practice slated to begin at 11:15 a.m. Cameras will not be allowed to be used inside the stadium until the completion of practice.

Weis and the Jayhawk players, who will be set up at tables by position group, will sign autographs for 30 minutes following the conclusion of practice. KU football posters, rosters and other promotional items will be available for the team to sign. Any other items brought for signing will have to be personalized by Weis and the KU players. Additionally, the Hy-Vee Hawk Zone, full of inflatables games for children, will be open from 9-11 a.m., at the KU football practice fields adjacent to Memorial Stadium on the southeast corner.

Kansas will open the 2013 football season by hosting South Dakota on Saturday, Sept. 7 in Memorial Stadium. Game time is slated for 6 p.m. Tickets are still available and can be purchased by contacting the Kansas Ticket Office at 1-800-34-HAWKS or via the web at KUAthletics.com.

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