Andy Gosterheldt Part II

The final part of the Gosterheldt interview from last week.

HD: People seemed surprised by the breakout season for the Hawks. What’s your take?

Andy: Looking at the schedule and thinking back to 2006, things worked out about the way I expected -- almost. CMU was supposed to be a challenge, but you knew if you won that one, you had a shot at 4-0 with a bye week before the KSU game. Steal one in Manhattan, then 7-0 looks possible because Colorado is still in the early stages. The only thing that confused the issue with CU was their win over OU. A&M was a tough match-up. Nebraska, c’mon – we don’t lose to North teams in Lawrence. OSU was the surprise for me. I would have thought we drop that one and beat Mizzou. Taking out the number three team in a BCS bowl was definitely a bonus.

HD: Speaking of Mizzou, what’s up with that?

Andy: Bill Young still hasn’t figured out the spread. He’s not alone in that, but it’s something that needs to be solved. Bill wants to play it fairly straight, but he’s going to have to get outside of his box to conquer that mountain. The true spread is successful because the offense as a whole evaluates the defense, knows the weakness and exposes it before there is time to react. On top of the fact that they are putting a lot of targets on the field and the QBs are trained to rapidly move through the progression. Defenses are behind the curve and O-coordinators currently can prepare an offense for the general approaches that a defense can take. It’s time for innovation on the defensive side of the ball. The main thing is you’ve got to confuse the offense. On top of that, you’ll have to change that approach throughout the game, because opposing offensive coordinators will analyze your approach and expose you within three to four series..

HD: That’s pretty in depth. Are you a Pee-Wee league coach or something?

Andy: No, I just play one on the internet. It's not really rocket science. I think most fans are pretty in touch with what's going on with the spread in college football right now.

HD: What’s your recruiting take so far?

Andy: Three stars across the board is definitely a step up. I definitely thought we’d see more four-star players, but I think we’ve learned to trust the recruiting evaluations of this staff. I expect 2010 to be an awesome year.

HD: So, the new offices are going in south of Memorial Stadium. What’s next on you list of improvements?

Andy: Just a minor thing. Do something with the chain link blue fence in the south end zone. A combination concrete and black wrought iron structure that matches the current look of the Memorial concourses out to do the trick. Maybe a hedge line or something. Also, there are a few too many vehicles randomly parked inside the fence. It looks bush league on TV.

HD: Makes sense. Are we ready for more seats?

Andy: Where we’re going, yes. Still, you can wait another year and let ticket demand build up. A win in South Florida combined with only seven home games could really make Memorial Stadium a hot ticket next year.

HD: How about a new video board? You know they basically have drive-in movie type boards at Texas and Nebraska.

Andy: What a waste. Honestly, other than the opening video, they don’t add much to the game day experience. Sure you want to see a replay, but our relatively new board works fine for that. That part of the college arms race is purely for recruiting. Still, I suppose it’s something that needs to be addressed. I guess a giant curved board or pair of boards above the north bowl might be cool. Sort of an extension of the existing ad/stat boards.

HD: So, what does the Orange Bowl win mean?

Andy: Everything for KU, but obviously from a national perspective, I guess nothing. So another year of KU playing with a chip on their shoulder. The big thing though is old Big 8 people consider the Orange Bowl a tradition just under the Rose. Sneaking in there and snagging an Orange Bowl trophy is nice. It’s difficult for Big 12 teams to get in there these days and it’s unlikely we’ll get back to that particular bowl for a while. At least, we’ll start next year ranked and this team has a taste of that national spotlight. Take care of business and maybe we can get back to Miami.

HD: That seems ambitious.

Andy: Like I said, once you get a taste, that’s not going away -- especially when the core group of players that lived it will be back. Still, even with an Orange Bowl trophy in the case, I’d say KU fans would really like to get a Big 12 trophy. That NC nonsense is out of your control, but a conference championship is decided on the field.

HD: All right. To wrap up, what’s the next thing KU fans should have on their calendar?

Andy: Other than signing day, a chance to check out A.J. Steward at the spring game.