Technically the end of the Todd Reesing era started last November. Technically a new era in Kansas football kicked off last week against North Dakota State. But the reality is it didn't truly start until Saturday when Jordan Webb was efficient, consistent and good enough to lead Kansas to a win over the Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets.
Forgive Kansas fans if they choose to forget week one of the college football season. The Kansas offense was unremarkable and inept from the word go. Entering week two the college football world had already written off the Jayhawks, and Turner Gill's handling of the quarterback situation was drawing criticism from all sides. Fortunately for the Jayhawks, he made the right choice.
The 1st quarter of the Jayhawks game Saturday started in the exact same fashion as a week ago. A dropped pass, a quarterback sack and a punt. Still things felt just slightly different. The Kansas play calling looked more creative and Jordan Webb looked decisive. The signs were there.
At the start of the second drive Kansas started with good field position thanks to a Tech miscue and from that point forward things clicked more often than not. The Jayhawks drove the length of the field for their first touchdown of the season and Webb, who had always appeared confident in his abilities, gained the confidence of his team and his coaches and the rest is history.
Over the course of the of the game Webb was just better than ordinary, a little less than remarkable, but exactly the type of quarterback that Kansas needed. Is Webb in the discussion as one of the top quarterbacks in the Big 12? Not even close, but in an offense looking to show balance, efficiency and control the ball, Webb was perfect.
Through a balanced attack Kansas converted 18 first downs, ten of those through the air. The staggering numbers of the Todd Reesing era went by the wayside, but Webb did finish 19 of 27 for 179 yards and 3 touchdowns. A 9.9 yard per completion average, 6-15 on third down conversions and a 28:23 overall time of possession aren't where Kansas wants to be longterm, but it does represent a dramatic improvement over week one.
Following the game Gill made the definitive statement that Jordan Webb is THE starting quarterback for the University of Kansas. The road was slightly bumpy and it took a little longer than expected but the right choice was made. Kansas will be unpredictable and most likely an up and down team throughout the 2010 season, but going forward Gill and Webb appear at the very least to have Kansas pointed in a direction where the program can compete. Something no one was sure of following week one.
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