Gill expected to be named KU coach

After being spurned by Jim Harbaugh, Kansas has turned east to Buffalo to and has apparently offered the head coaching job to Turner Gill according to several sources and numerous reports.  Gill has been at Buffalo for four seasons, rebuilding a program that was in a world of hurt when he arrived.

Although his Bulls were only 5-7 this season, he led them to their first ever MAC conference championship in 2008, just three seasons after taking over a program that was 1-10.

Gill quarterbacked Nebraska to a national championship game and was a Heisman Trophy finalist.  As an assistant at Nebraska, he coached the great Tommy Frazier.  He’s a Texas native who has recruited there and if you can get this kind of compliment from Tom Osborne, well you’ve got something going for you.

“Turner is an outstanding human being, said Osborne.  He has great character. He’s a great family man, an excellent recruiter, he relates well to his players and he really works well with people. He’ll always represent the program well. He is very knowledgeable as far as football goes. I have nothing but the greatest admiration for him.”

Despite his Big 12 / Big 8 pedigree, Gill will have to win over Kansas fans who were already beginning to celebrate Harbaugh coming to Lawrence.  His coaching record will have many wondering how this is better than what they had in Mark Mangino.

They’ll wonder why more proven coaches like Tommy Tuberville or Skip Holtz weren’t offered the job.  Only Lew Perkins can answer that and he’s likely to be asked the question.  For now, we wait for the formal announcement and then see what Gill can do.

Harbaugh to stay at Stanford

KU's top choice as their next head football coach has announced he's staying at Stanford.  Jim Harbaugh released a statement on his Twitter site saying, “Don’t believe rumor mill.  I’m proud to remain head coach @ Stanford.  As Toby said, I am a Stanford man.  Today is about Toby".

Toby, of course, is Toby Gerhart, Stanford's Heisman Trophy finalist.  Yesterday, I had several sources close to the KU situation telling me the offer was in Harbaugh's court but not to expect an announcement until after the Heisman ceremony tonight.  One K.C. radio station reported Harbaugh had been offered 2.7 million per year.  The fact that all of this leaked may have helped kill the deal.  Harbaugh didn’t want to overshadow Gerhart’s moment.

Late yesterday, Kansas A.D. Lew Perkins denied KU had made an offer to any candidate and said the search was ongoing.  Today Stanford A.D. Bob Bowlsby announced Harbaugh had signed an extension "a while ago".  The reality is it's unlikely Harbaugh had signed any extension recently or he wouldn’t have allowed his name to be floated as a candidate at Notre Dame or negotiated with Kansas and Stanford would have already announced the deal. 

Now Kansas must turn their sites elsewhere.  Top names still being mentioned are Turner Gill, Skip Holtz and Tommy Tuberville.  Kevin Sumlin and Houston’s A.D. have stated they have an extension all but done and Randy Edsall has given indications he’s staying at UConn.

If he wants the biggest winner and best coach from the bunch, Perkins will be talking to Tuberville today.  He’s a free agent at the moment and could hit the ground running.

It's Harbaugh's job to say no to KU

As I first discussed here over a week ago, Jim Harbaugh has been KU Athletic Director Lew Perkins’ first choice to become the next head football coach at Kansas.  In the last 24 hours more and more signs continue to point to him accepting an offer from Perkins.

If Harbaugh does choose to leave Stanford, nothing official will happen until at least after the Hesiman Trophy ceremony on Saturday night in New York.  Harbaugh is there along with his outstanding running back Toby Gerhart, who is a finalist for the award and could quite possibly win it.

Harbaugh doesn’t want to do anything to overshadow his star players moment in the sun and this announcement can easily wait even if KU fans would like to see a quick announcement to help hold on to recruits who had already committed.

If and when Harbaugh accepts, his name will be big enough to hold on to recruits.  His name also is big enough to help Perkins raise the rest of the money needed to create the new Gridiron Club addition at Memorial Stadium.

While many observers don’t think this would be anything more than a lateral move for Harbaugh, he would be getting a substantial raise of likely over one million dollars, which would go even farther in Lawrence, has a brand new football facility, and a better fan base.  

Stanford averaged 41 thousand fans a game this season to KU’s season long sellouts of 52 thousand and the Jayhawks have been to four bowl games in 8 years. Stanford’s Sun Bowl bid this year is their first in 8.

Tommy Tuberville’s name has surfaced again and he’d be a fine choice, but Harbaugh is Perkins choice and he’s doing everything possible to convince him to come.  I think he’s done it.

And the Heisman winner is

Since they’ll be handing out the Heisman trophy Saturday night in New York, this will be the last of this season’s Heisman watch reports.  A week ago I said my choice wasn’t going to change in this last week, but I lied.  I didn’t mean to lie, it just happened.  A couple of players tried their best to sway my vote and one did.

Going into last weekend I said my top three were Colt McCoy, Toby Gerhart and Mark Ingram, with Ndamukong Suh making a push.  After watching Ingram and Suh play in the SEC and Big 12 championship games, I’ve changed my mind.

Ingram had a terrific all around game in Alabama’s upset of top ranked Florida,but he wasn’t the show.  His quarterback Greg McElroy was outstanding and the Tide defense shutdown Tim Tebow and the Gators offense.  Despite the fact he had a great game, he still didn’t pass Toby Gerhart in my book.

In the Big 12 title game, Nebraska nearly pulled off a stunning upset of Texas and the major reason was Ndamukong Suh.  He had four and a half sacks, seven tackles for loss, a career high 12 tackles and 2 QB hurries  in the game.  He hounded Colt McCoy on every play.  He beat double teams, he made tackles with one arm while being held by Longhorn linemen.  He dominated everyone who tried to take him on.

This isn’t the first time I’ve seen him play like this this season, but it came with a championship on the line.  Earlier in the season I said he was the best defensive lineman in the country just not the best player.  I was wrong.  He showed me on Saturday night that he deserves the Heisman.  He basically took it from McCoy’s hands.  

Colt had put his hands around it the week before with a tremendous performance against Texas A&M and you could say he still managed a championship drive in the final minute against Nebraska to keep the Longhorns unbeaten.  But I can’t honestly say that.  I think McCoy is an outstanding player and the best all around QB in the country over the last three years, but Suh is the best player this season.

My vote now.  Suh, McCoy and Gerhart, but it will be close.  Very close.

Tiger, just tell us when it will stop

I’ve been trying not to jump into the Tiger Woods controversy the past several days. But, it’s no longer just a unusual car crash with a rumor of a mistress in the mix.  It’s become a full scale tabloid fiasco for the most visible sports figure on the planet and it won’t go away.

I agree that much of this is a personal matter that Tiger and his wife Elin should be allowed to deal with privately.  But you have to say to yourself after the stream of women who have come out saying they’ve had sex with the the golfing superstar, “What kind of idiot are you?”

Did you actually think all of this could go on and somehow it wouldn’t become public sooner or later?  Listen, not everything that goes on in Vegas, stays in Vegas.  Tiger has now become a comedy pinball.  You can’t turn anywhere without hearing a joke, seeing a satirical video or hearing a song created about Woods and his problems.

It’s gotten so large that today the media were swarming because an unknown woman was rushed to the hospital in the middle of the night from his house.  Speculation is it was his mother-in law.    

Let’s forget all of this tabloid crap and get back to golf, the sport he plays and represents.  Survey’s report his popularity has plunged 25% in the last two weeks.  This is for a golfer who can mean millions to advertisers and tournaments if he’s playing in them or representing their products.  He is Nike golf and that’s just one of his sponsors.

And then how will he actually perform when he returns to the golf course sometime next year?  How will he handle the hecklers in the crowd?  Will Steve Williams still be his caddy?  You have to figure if Tiger’s wife is still around, Williams might not be.  He had to know about all of these affairs going on on the road and I doubt she’d be comfortable with those two doing their road show in the future. 

Could all of this impact his game?  Maybe, probably.  The future of golf may be changing right before our eyes.  Just not in a way we expected.  

The Eddie Aikau is on in Hawaii

If you're a surf fan, today's your day.  The waves are monstrous and the world's best have gathered on the north shore of Oahu, Hawaii for the first Eddie Aikau invitational to be held in five years at Waimea Bay.  You can watch it live here: http://bit.ly/5EIK3w  

No Nutt for Kansas Christmas

If he ever really was a candidate, Houston Nutt is one no longer.  The head coach at Ole Miss released a statement saying even though “he appreciates the interest Kansas showed in our staff.” he would not pursue the job.

That sounds like coach speak for “I was never interested.” or “My agent called them, but it was only a ploy to get more money here.”  This all started as a rumor from an Arkansas radio station and blew up from there.

At this point, Turner Gill is the only candidate known to have interviewed for the job, but I still keep hearing Jim Harbaugh’s name.  His school won’t confirm or deny if Lew Perkins has spoken with A.D. Bob Bowlsby as a courtesy before speaking with the Stanford coach, but he’s headed to New York and Perkins is already there.

New name in the Kansas search

Kansas search for a new football coach has apparently expanded to the south.  An Arkansas radio station, KABZ-FM, is reporting that Ole Miss coach Houston Nutt has spoken with AD Lew Perkins about the job.

According to the report, Nutt called Perrkins to express interest in the job.  Nutt is the second name publicly linked with the search.  Buffalo coach Turner Gill is scheduled to meet with Perkins in New York City.  The school has confirmed Perkins called to ask permission.

I spoke with Stanford Assistant Athletic Director and Sports Information Director, Jim Young today about whether Perkins had spoken with AD Bob Bowlsby for permission to speak with Jim Harbaugh about the job.  Young said he did not know, but even if Perkins had, Stanford wouldn’t comment.

Harbaugh’s name was connected with the Notre Dame job today.  The New York Times reported Brian Kelly would interview for the job tomorrow.  Kelly confirmed it on Twitter, saying, “Just informed our team that Notre Dame has contacted me and I will listen to what they have to say.”

The Times said Harbaugh has been approached by Notre Dame as well and quoted Harbaugh as saying, “ Not now or not in the future will I talk about any other jobs or opportunities.  I’m out recruiting right now.”  But he will be in New York this week for the Heisman trophy award.  

Pelini coached a great game, too bad it ended there

The Big 12 Championship game Saturday night held in the sparkling new Cowboys Stadium nearly made the BCS computer programs go haywire.  A game winning field goal by Hunter Lawrence as time expired saved Texas from a monumental upset at the hands of Nebraska.

The Cornhuskers played a truly inspired defensive performance with a scheme that gave the Longhorns and Colt McCoy everything they could handle all night long.  Ndamukong Suh made sure anyone who didn’t know his name before the game was sure to know it when it was over.

In the words of a great Johnny Cash song, “My name is Suh! How do you do? Now you’re gonna die.”  Suh threw Texas offensive linemen and McCoy around like a rag doll.  He fought through double teams and made tackles while being held, but it wasn’t just Suh who played great, it was the entire defense.

Unfortunately for the Huskers, their offense was horrific.  Despite a great coaching job by Bo Pelini and his brother and defensive coordinator, Carl, the game came down to the final seconds and a replay review that put a second on the clock allowing time for the game winning field goal.  Sometimes even your best isn’t enough.

Instead of being able to praise his players for their inspired performance in a tough loss, Pelini spewed expletives in the tunnel under the stadium, calling for Commissioner Don Bebe to be brought to him, meanwhile Carl went back on the field to yell at Texas players that they should be ashamed to accept the Big 12 trophy.  It  was a sorry display for a coach and his brother who have been known to have anger issues.

All the while, Athletic Director Tom Osborne, a man who’s seen his share of championships and bitterly tough losses was left to try and make sense of what he was witnessing.  Pelini has brought the Cornhuskers back to relevance after a few years in the dessert, but he needs to take a page from Osborne’s book and learn that you win and lose with class.  And he owes Texas and the Big 12 a public apology.

Chiefs in free fall after loss to Denver

Ugly.  That’s one way to describe it.  A defense that continued to be ripped for chunks of yardage and missed offensive opportunities and turnovers resulted in yet another loss for Kansas City today, 44-13 to Denver.

On the Chiefs first possession, KC missed a sure TD when Matt Cassel had Bobby Wade all alone deep, but didn’t put enough air under the ball and Wade failed at a one handed grab.  Both players could have done a better job.

The Broncos scored first on a throwback screen to TE Daniel Graham as he nearly walked into the end zone from seven yards out.

Kansas City then mounted a 20 play drive that ended with a chip shot field goal by Ryan Succop because the Chiefs couldn’t get in after first and goal from the one.

Midway through the second quarter Correll Buckhalter ripped through the KC defense for 56 yards on one drive, he finished the game with 113 yards on 12 carries. Knowshon Moreno plowed in from 2 yards out to make it 14-3.

Tamba Hali forced a fumble while being held with a minute to go in the half and KC managed to convert it into three points it was 14-6 at half. 

On the opening drive of the second half coach Todd Haley chose to run a fake punt with Brodie Croyle attempting a pass, but it was tipped, KC turned it over on their own 27 and the Broncos got a field goal 17-6.

Back to back interceptions by Cassel on two possessions resulted in a Brandon Marshall TD and Matt Prater field goal and it was 27-6.  Then another Jamaal Charles fumble resulted in an Andre Goodman 30 yard return for touchdown making it 34-6.  

I don’t blame Haley for his failed gamble on the fake punt, it was nearly a big gainer, but it opened the floodgates for a second half collapse.  When you can’t stop anyone, you try for miracles, but right now there are none to be found.  The only bright spot was Tamba Hali.  He had three sacks and two forced fumbles.

Cassel looked shell-shocked out there and finally Haley turned things over to Brodie Croyle for the 4th quarter.  44 points is the most ever scored by Denver in Kansas City and the Chiefs have now given up 87 points and 7 turnovers in the last two weeks.  KC has now lost 10 straight games in the month of December, the worst record in the NFL.

A question for next week when Buffalo comes to town is who will start at QB, Cassel or Croyle?  It’s certainly up for debate.  Cassel was 10 of 29 for 84 yards and a 14.6 passer rating. That’s JaMarcus Russell territory.