Restless Kansas Football Team Anxious for Weekend Contest
LAWRENCE, Kan. – With Saturday fast approaching, and less than two days of preparation left until a restless Kansas football team opens its 2014 campaign against Southeast Missouri State, selected players met with the media Wednesday at the Anderson Family Football Complex to discuss their plan of attack for the Redhawks following an off week to begin the season.
Kansas players and coaches aren’t overlooking SEMO, who began its season on Aug. 28 under the new tutelage of first year head coach Tom Matukewicz. The Redhawks routed Missouri Baptist, 77-0, and look to carry that same explosive scheme to Lawrence with an upset in mind.
Junior defensive lineman Ben Goodman can hardly wait for the Saturday evening kickoff. He and the other Jayhawks have grown tired of the monotony of hitting one another day-after-day in practice and are ready to compete against different faces for a change.
“It’s anxious,” Goodman said. “Like a dog on a porch and somebody running by, we just want to jump off and chase it. That’s how anxious we are.”
An extra week of preparation certainly did nothing but increase the anxiousness inside of the KU locker room. Sophomore quarterback Montell Cozart has been trying to relax and take each day in stride, but as Saturday inches closer the excitement continues to build.
“Every day I wake up and I am like, ‘It’s a day closer, it’s a day closer,'” Cozart said. “It’s been real tough. I just try to stay even keel through it all and go day-by-day. When Saturday comes… Just flip the switch.”
Senior defensive lineman Keon Stowers embraced the bye and used it as an opportunity to catch up on other football games around the country. Watching the other games was relaxing at times for Stowers, but it also reminded him of the upcoming season that will be his and many other Jayhawks’ last opportunity to leave a positive impact on the program.
“I literally got out of practice and went home and turned on every TV in the house to a college football game so everywhere I walked, I saw college football,” Stowers said. “It was pretty tough, but it also gave us a chance to sit back and relax. This is my senior year. This is my last chance to prove, not only to myself, but to thousands of fans and the KU nation that we have been really working hard for this.”
Saturday’s game will be televised on the Jayhawk Television Network and kicks off from Memorial Stadium at 6 p.m. Tickets for the home opener are available and start at just $25! To order call 800-34-HAWKS or log onto KUAthletics.com.
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