The chips are on the table

“There are two ways of handling things. There is the ‘oh well’ way of handling it and then there is the ‘finding another way to do it’ method. I have never been much of an ‘oh well’ kind of guy,” said Weis in his weekly press conference on Tuesday.

How are the Jayhawks “finding another way” to come up successful at the end of the season? First things first, this past week’s practice schedule was a definite change up from how things have been all season. The team has spent practices working on first and second downs for both offense and defense. Another thing that has been emphasized are the transitions, but not the typical transitions. Weis wants the players to take their dedication in the classroom and transition it onto the practice field. Then from there to the practice field.

“I’m all in. I have all my chips on the table. I’m either going to double up, or I’m going to walk away empty-handed,” informed Weis.

One of the chips on the table is Tony Pierson, a junior running back. Last week he had one of his best games against Oklahoma State. He had 87 yards on a mere six carries. Pierson sustained a concussion earlier in the season, preventing him from playing a few games.

“Whenever Tony touches the ball and we get him in space, you can see that’s like our passing game. That’s where we get our chunks [of yardage],” emphasized Weis.

The Mountaineers of West Virginia come to Lawrence on Saturday. They’re 4-6 with a two game losing streak. However, West Virginia wasn’t blown out in either of those games. Both of their past two losses came in overtime heartbreaks. They’re hungry for a road win, but not just because of their past two game. If the Mountaineers want to be bowl eligible, winning on Saturday is a must.

Unfortunately for the visiting Mountaineers, there is still uncertainty if their starting quarterback will play during the game. Clint Trickett sustained a head injury in their last week’s loss to Texas.

The quarterback situation from Kansas looks grim as well, but for different reasons. Kansas’ dual quarterback system hasn’t worked in the ways that the Jayhawks would like. Freshman Montell Cozart took the majority of the snaps in last week’s game over junior transfer Jake Heaps.

This game is the first “playoff game” for the Jayhawks… in their mindset anyway. That’s how Weis described the last three games of the season. “The Saturday after Thanksgiving is our bowl game,” added Weis.

West Virginia is one of the weaker Big 12 schools this season. If Kansas shows up and plays to the best of their ability, a win on Saturday is possible.