Questions With The Enemy: Getting To Know The Kansas Jayhawks

Andy Mitts with SB Nation's Kansas Blog, Rock Chalk Talk took some time to answer some questions this week, and he knocked it out of the park! Give him a follow on twitter, @mister__brain

You can read my responses to RCT's questions here.

1. I was a little bit surprised to hear Charlie Weis had been fired mid-season. What was the initial reaction around Jayhawk nation?

Initially there wasn't any reaction.  See, we had all resigned ourselves to the fact that we were stuck with Charlie for at least the rest of this year due to monetary concerns.  So when the news came out, the first thought was, "This can't be real, can it?"

Once the initial shock wore off, there was much rejoicing heard around the land.  While we had given up hope that he would be replaced, everyone knew that Charlie was going to have to pull major upsets (yes plural) in order to keep his job past this year.  So the fact that we were able to get rid of him 8 weeks early was nice. Especially since we have something new to talk about besides when he was going to be fired.

2. I think it's safe to say Kansas is considered a basketball school. They've dominated the Big 12 in basketball for over a decade. How important is it to the fan base to be competitive in football, and what will they expect out of the next head coach?

For a large portion of the fanbase, football is either a distraction leading up to the basketball season, or it is a lovely sport that they enjoy with some other fanbase.  Depending on how you define competitive, I'd say it is still important to many of the diehards.  The Orange Bowl win was recent enough for all of us to remember, and we still expect to be able to get back there some day.

As for the expectations of the next coach, we just want to see progress. With how bad the program has been these past few years, we would gladly take a coach that can get us to the 5 to 7 win range in the next 2-3 years, and then continues to contend for bowl eligibility after that.

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3. Tony Pierson looks to be a dynamic player. His speed and versatility is a real weapon. Similar to Oklahoma State's own Tyreek Hill, Pierson has been used as a running back and as a receiver. How would you like to see him utilized in Saturday's game?

I really don't care how they use him, they just need to get him the damn ball. 
The way they've been neglecting him is downright criminal. At this point I say we put him in at QB. That way he gets tons of touches, and I doubt he could be any worse at running the option offense than any of the QBs currently on the roster.

4. It wouldn't be right if I didn't throw in at least one basketball question.  If, for whatever reason, the head coaching position for the Oklahoma State men's basketball team opened up, how concerned would you be about Bill Self returning to his alma mater?

Honestly, I'm not that concerned.  First, he's already re-upped with KU once when there was concern about Oklahoma State pulling him away. Second, he's much more likely to take on a new challenge on the NBA before he starts over at another school, even his alma mater. Finally, if the job at Oklahoma State came open it would mean either that Travis Ford tanked the program so badly that his albatross of a contract isn't an issue anymore, or he has done so well that someone like Kentucky comes calling.  I don't really see either of those happening anytime soon, but in either case, I don't think Self looks to make a lateral (at best) move or take a huge step down, especially when he is as close to God as you can get in Lawrence right now.

5. Now it's time to wrestle a prediction out of you, but barring a monumental disaster, we can both agree the game doesn't seem to be in much doubt. So instead I'll ask, other than win, if Kansas ____________ I would be happy with the outcome of the game.

It's a forgone conclusion that we aren't winning this game. So the only way we can feel good about the outcome is if we can see hope for wins somewhere in the future.  By that, I mean we need to find something that lets us think we have a chance against Iowa State or Texas Tech this year. So basically, we need a good showing from the offense.

The defense could hold you guys to 17 points and I would still think it was an absolute failure if the offense can't score at least 14.  So to really feel good, I need to see at least 3 long scoring drives from the offense (8+ minutes and/or 13-15 plays) with at least 2 of those being touchdowns.  If we can't sustain any sort of offensive possession, then or defense doesn't stand a chance in the late stages of any game this year.